A Cricket Widows Summer So Far

Well… where do I start!

This last month has been complete and utter madness- in the best way possible! My cup doesn’t just feel half full, it’s completely overflowing. And for me to say that in the middle of July (aka peak cricket season!) means I’ve reached a level of happiness I honestly don’t think I’ve ever felt before.

Don’t get me wrong- it’s been mad busy. Most days I feel like I’m running on empty or just about keeping my head above water. But I can cope with that, because the one thing I haven’t felt- not even once- is lonely.

Loneliness was the biggest emotion of my previous summers. Not in the sense that I had no one around- I’ve always had a fun-filled bunch of people in my life. But emotionally, I felt really separate… distant. Like no one quite got it. You’d try to explain and people would go, “Oh yeah, me and my boyfriend do our own thing on a Saturday too- it’s great! Don’t you love it?” And you’d just sit there like... you don’t get it at all. This isn’t a couple of hours of the telly to yourself - this is every weekend for six months. It’s all day. It’s a different league!

I say it a lot, but I really mean it when I say: this community of cricket widows has completely changed my life. Not because I have 10,000 followers or because I’ve quit my job blah blah blah- absolutely not. But because my mental health has done a complete flip.

Eighteen months ago, I was seeing a therapist. And the main conclusion we can too is that I did feel lonely and a bit batted down (no pun intended) by a life that, through no one’s fault, was very cricket-heavy and very far from what I imagined for myself. It’s not a horrible life, it’s just tough sometimes. And if you don’t have those little glimpses of joy (thanks Nat, for that word), you get stuck in a rut.

I’m currently plucking up the courage to message my therapist, someone I haven’t seen in over 18 months, just to tell her all about you lot. Honestly, I think we’d both just cry with happiness. I feel so grateful for this community. I can’t thank you enough for the kindness, the support, the togetherness. We’ve built something really special- and I’m so proud of us for turning it all into laughter, love, and total relatability.

The Very First Cricket Widow Club Otley Run!

What. A. Day.

It honestly exceeded every expectation I had! I was so nervous driving over to Headingley. The fact that 12 of us turned up to St. Chads Broomfield Cricket Club, ready for a day together, we’d never even met before! That in itself felt pretty amazing.

Within about 10 minutes, it didn’t feel like strangers at all. It felt like sitting on the boundary all day with someone you just click with. Where no question is too much, no answer is judged. Just head-nodding, laughing, sarcastic eye-rolling, and making plans to do it all again the following Saturday. There wasn’t a second of silence the whole day.

Some people might think oh, only 12? But I know every single Cricket Widow that follows this page was clapping us on. And honestly? 12 was perfect. I set out just hoping to make one Cricket Widow feel less lonely- so the fact that 12 of us showed up means my success rate is 1200%. And that’s pretty cool!

A Quick Life Update

One thing that really helps me during the season is planning little trips or weekends away- just something to break it up. (Tyler is definitely not involved in these. That’s a no-go. I don’t even ask anymore ).

But it’s worked out really well this year. We’ve had 10 back-to-back double-header weekends, and I’ve managed a few little escapes:

• 3 nights in Zante with Mum, Dad, and Freya

• 1 day/night (ok, 4 hours of sleep) at Wimbledon

• 3 nights in Montenegro with my sister and 3 cousins

And somehow... I haven’t watched a game of cricket in three weeks. Not one!

While I was sat at Wimbledon, I couldn’t help watching the tennis WAGs. I was fascinated. The glamorous, chilled, slow-paced life. Would I be happy? Honestly, probably not. I’m the type that needs to fill every second of the day- a quiet, simple life is not for me I would definitely be bored!.. I certainly couldn’t watch from the side-lines forever.

But it did get me thinking about international Cricket Widows. The ones who live and breathe it 12 months a year. Who are apart from their partners for weeks at a time. Does the travelling, the money, the lifestyle outweigh the fact that they, like us, are often just waiting for their partner to come home? I don’t know. Who has it harder- bog-standard Cricket Widows like us- or the international ones? Maybe us, you know… I’ll let you decide. (We certainly aren't bog-standard but you know what I mean!)

Hardball Havoc- 4 weeks out

I’m also halfway through my hardball cricket crash course for the Content Creators Cup on the 4th of August. I stupidly threw my name in the hat for the draft… and somehow only went and got picked! It’s been hilariously chaotic, but it’s also meant I’ve had to seriously whip my butt into gear. What makes it ten times crazier is that the match is being played at Derbyshire County Cricket Ground. Yep, an actual stadium!

So Tyler has got his work cut out. We’ve got eight weeks to learn how to play ‘proper’ cricket- and when I say eight weeks, I mean one hour a week to master the art of batting, bowling, and catching a bloody hard ball.

Full-on is definitely the word, but honestly we have a right laugh! 

The Cricket Widow Club Giveaway!

I’m giving away a Cricket Widow Club bundle, filled with love and all of my absolute favourite essentials for the boundary!

Why? Because this is genuinely the happiest I’ve ever felt in a cricket season- and it’s all down to YOU LOT. The chaos, the support, the constant relatable messages… it’s made me feel so lucky to have found this group of women. So this is my big fat thank-you- with a cheeky giveaway twist

I hope you’ve entered already, but if not, the post is pinned on my Instagram page- go throw your name in the draw! If I could send one to all of you, I would

Entries close at 7pm on Monday 11th August! 

And finally- if you fancy hearing a bit more about how this all started (and some behind-the-scenes widow chat), I was recently a guest on the Premier League Cricket Show podcast! Ahhh I have never done a podcast before so don't laugh ahah, well do!. I chatted all things Cricket Widow Club, what it’s meant to me, and why I think we’ve created something genuinely special. If you’ve ever laughed at one of the reels or messaged me after a long Saturday on the sidelines- this one’s for you.

You can listen to the episode now on Apple Podcasts… and I’d love to know what you think!

#thecricketwidowclub #cricketwidow #livstylelifestyle