A few days back we reported about the launch of the Mongoose.

Last night, the Mongoose made its official on-field debut when Stuart Law called for it in the middle of his innings for Derbyshire, who were playing against Durham, in their first game of the Twenty20 Cup this season.

Law began his innings with the long-bladed version of the bat; once he was settled at the crease and batting on 32, he called for the shorter-bladed Mongoose.

Once armed with the Mongoose, Law faced 6 further balls and scored 10 runs, including a towering six over mid-wicket before he was run out with one ball of the innings remaining.

Speaking after his innings Stuart Law enthused, "I obviously felt a bit of pressure going into the game that I wanted to give the Mongoose a good first outing. Fortunately, I was able to get well set and was seeing the ball well. With twelve balls left and looking to press on, it was Mongoose time."

Watching nervously from the grandstands was the Mongoose’s inventor, Marcus Codrington-Fernandez who apparently was more nervous about the bat making its debut, than he was at his own wedding:

"Like every batsman, I am absolutely thrilled to be off the mark. Both in advance of the game and at the moment that Stuart called for the bat, I was absolutely terrified – more nervous than on my wedding day! It’s a huge relief to be underway and in suitably dramatic fashion."

Now that Stuart Law has used the Mongoose in first class cricket and shown the world what can be done with it, can its international debut be far off?

Could we possibly see the Mongoose as soon as the ICC World Twenty20?

We'll just have to wait for that and find out.

If you're interested in using the bat, you can get your own over at Mongoose Cricket.


Press Release, Quotes, Pictures courtesy of Performance PR.

Last week on facebook, I mentioned that Well Pitched had received an invitation to Lord's for the launch of a new innovative bat.

We couldn't make it to Lord's since none of us are based in the UK. The launch event, however, was in the UK and it took place at Lord's this morning.

Thanks to Performance PR, who sent us the invite, we have all the information about this new bat - what its all about, where its going to be used first, and who all is going to be using it.

When we received the invite we were told that the bat was called the "Mongoose".

At the time, I thought that it was the new double sided bat, which was recently approved by the ICC.

However, it was not that.

The Mongoose is an innovation that truly changes the way we know cricket bats.

Here is the fact sheet:

1. The Mongoose bat has been designed specifically for Twenty20
   
   
2. The Mongoose is the most radical change to cricket bat design since 1771



3. The MCC Laws sub-committee has confirmed that the Mongoose bats are legal and allowed to be used in all levels of cricket. They conform to the new version of Law 6 and Appendix E, which came into force on 1st October 2008



4. The Mongoose has been scientifically proven by Imperial College to offer batsmen 20% more power and 15% more bat speed than a conventional bat



5. The Mongoose allows you to hit harder & further without changing the way you play



6. The Mongoose’s blade is 33% shorter and its handle 43% longer than a conventional bat



7. The splice, usually located in the blade of the bat, is incorporated in the handle, which ensures there is no dead spot in the hitting area of the bat



8. The Mongoose also reconfigures the shoulders of the bat by dropping them down nine inches. The weight taken from the shoulders – about 20 per cent of the blade weight – is redistributed to the back of the new, shorter blade



9. The Mongoose is the invention of Marcus Codrington Fernandez, former Global Creative Director for one of the biggest advertising networks in the world



10. The Mongoose will make its first class debut in the Twenty20 Cup (England's domestic competition)



11. The players using the Mongoose bat in first class cricket will include:
    Stuart Law – Derbyshire and Australia
    Ebony Rainford-Brent – Surrey and England
    Laura Marsh – Sussex and England

So then, what do you reckon - will the Mongoose help batsmen hit harder, faster, and further?

What do you make of the shorter blade thats supposed to have a larger sweet spot than a conventional bat?

Will Stuart Law make heaps of runs with the Mongoose?

If its successful, how much longer before it comes into international cricket?

If you want to know more about the Mongoose, see some more pics of Stuart Law posing with the Mongoose, or even buy the Mongoose (£159), hop on over to Mongoose Cricket.

Press Release, Facts courtesy of Performance PR.
Pictures courtesy Mat Hale.
Science stats provided by Professor Anthony Bull, Imperial College, London.