Cricket: Luke gets a buzz out of bats

Luke Woodcock. Photo / APN

Around three hours south of the Kashmir border and seven hours north-west of Delhi is the town of Jalandhar, the hub of New Zealand cricketer Luke Woodcock's business world.

Officially the 28-year-old is here as part of his first overseas assignment with the Black Caps - a World Cup on the subcontinent where his left-arm orthodox spin looks set to take on new value this afternoon against Canada after the knee injury to New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori.

But during his downtime he reverts to entrepreneur, building relationships as part of Buzzbats, the fledgling cricket gear business he set up with fellow Wellington cricketers Grant Elliott and Mark Houghton in 2008.

Most who have toured this part of the world will stress the importance of having an antidote to cabin fever. Some prefer sitting by the pool, others play cards, while a handful read books. Woodcock prefers to monitor the production of bats and gloves via email and phone at Jalandhar, a handy site to plenty of Kashmir willow. The gear is then shipped to Wellington where Buzzbats sell to the New Zealand market.

"I've been dealing with the supplier while I've been here," Woodcock says. "He's also sent me some bats and gloves which I'm testing out before passing feedback home. A couple of the guys like Jacob Oram have been picking the bats up and having a bit of a hit. There haven't been any extended net sessions but the feedback's good."

It is a big ask competing against established cricket gear companies in New Zealand like Gray Nicholls, Gunn & Moore and Kookaburra. "The market is small. I got into it as a hobby but learning how to run things definitely keeps your mind away from cricket at times. We contracted guys in the Wellington team like Chris Nevin and Dewayne Bowden and we expect them to meet certain obligations in terms of gear sales. We don't give gear out to just anyone."

As a player, Woodcock can control his own marketing, given the right circumstances.

"Ideally I'd hit the winning runs for New Zealand to win the World Cup, and raise a Buzzbat to the crowd, maybe something like that. Or maybe someone like Sachin Tendulkar could pick up my bat."

If he gets the chance - and it might depend on New Zealand exiting earlier than the final - Woodcock is also hoping to visit the factory.