Donald Rose: 
  There are very few differences between bats 
  other than labels and some grooves cut into them for 
  marketing purposes. County make the best raw clefts 
  (the chunks of wood the bats are carved from) because 
  they steam press theirs to a harder state than the others. 
  Having said all that, I recommend that you completely 
  ignore the label. 
  Here is what to do: 
  1. Go to a reputable cricket store. Kingsgrove is 
     good and they have a mail order section and an 
     internet ordering site. 
  2. Select a bat which is either lacquered or  have one 
     of the new plastic bat sleeve put over the front of 
    the blade (about another $10 or so). 
  3. Get the lightest bat available in senior  SH models. 
     A large man can use a light bat as well as a small 
     one but very few cricketers of any size shape or 
     standard can effectively use a heavier bat. 
 4. Buy 3 additional grips (about $3-$5 ea.) and a grip 
    applicator cone (about $7) and have someone at the 
    shop or the local cricket club show you how to use it. 
 5. If you buy a lacquered bat or get the plastic sleeve 
    your bat will not require much knocking in. However 
    if the bat is not lacquered, you will either have to 
    soak the toe in a saucer of linseed oil for an hour 
    or so, or get some Estapol or Bat Lacquer and 
    lacquer the toe (and only the toe).