Before Summer Slips Away
- Liv
- Aug 7
- 7 min read
We Are in August!!
We are in August!!.. and there’s a slight bit of panic in me because I feel like I had so much I wanted to do this summer that I haven’t managed to do, and suddenly summer is going to run out!
It’s crazy how fast time flies. Part of me feels like summer has only just started, part of me feels like the season has been going on ages, part of me is ready for some time with T in September, and another part of me doesn’t want summer to end!
And then I think… why the f*** am I worrying about it? Just enjoy what you’re doing now!
Earth to Liv.. This Is Cricket
Things are coming round too fast though!
It’s the Women’s Content Creators Cup this weekend and I genuinely do not think I’m going to be able to connect with the ball.
My weekly training with T ended in the first week of the season. We were so on it as well, but then the season started and it became impossible to go to the club for another hour a week.
Friday was the only evening we weren’t at the club and also the only evening we had some time together, and we just didn’t want to go. It felt like such an effort. Then T20s started three weeks later anyway, so Fridays weren’t an option.
So yeah…
A. I haven’t batted properly or run in the bloody pads in four months.
B. I haven’t practised fielding with a hard ball since last year.
C. I said yes to being captain, naively thinking it would just be keeping the vibes and morale.
Earth to Liv… this is cricket we are talking about and you, of all people, should know a cricket captain is not just there for the vibes!
Shitting myself is an understatement.
Oh, and then Gareth from Can You Cricket has asked to stick a GoPro on my head.
I can just hear my mum…
“Liv, why do you say yes to these things?”
I don’t know, Deb. I am your daughter!!
Talking About Mums..
Recently I was chatting to a fellow Cricket Widow who I have become very close to. She is an absolute ray of sunshine! We met on the Cricket Widow Hike and now I feel like I could share anything with her.
Little reminder that one conversation can change your life so much!
Anyway, we were discussing what our mums think of our cricketer boyfriends..
A real deep dive!
One of us is from a cricketing background, aka me, and one isn’t.
Just to make things clear, both our mums love our boyfriends ahah! It’s just that 'mum side' coming out and making sure we are being treated the absolute best.
For me, even though my mum also used to be a Cricket Widow and I was brought up in a cricketing family, the sheer takeover of cricket nowadays always has her looking out for me.
She lived it, but not like nowadays.
There is so much more cricket now. It is much more full-on with all the playbacks, socials, multiple leagues etc.
We are basically the same person, but we definitely still have different opinions on things.
Would my mum have done six months apart while my Dad went to play cricket on the other side of the world?
No.
Whereas my mindset was very much: if I wanted to go and do something for six months, there would be nobody stopping me either.
So Tyler went.. the lucky boy!
Does she think I should be made more of a priority sometimes? Yes.
But again, I often find myself disagreeing because one thing I do feel I’m quite good at, and there is no right or wrong here, this is just in my eyes haha, is flipping things around and putting myself in their shoes.
What would I think?
Let’s not forget lads are lads, and they probably do push it that little bit more, but if I had played my sport with my mates, for example my hockey team, I would want to go to the pub afterwards too.
Is hockey only 70 minutes? Yes.
But they can’t really help the fact their sport lasts seven hours.. so I get why they want that beer afterwards.
Would I miss a hockey match for a holiday?
No, I wouldn’t.
So I understand why T won’t either.
Basically, my mum does think it is too much sometimes, but ultimately that’s up to me.
But then we started talking about what a non-cricket mum must think of all this…
Well, I can imagine they are a bit like… WTF?
If cricket is completely new to your family, good luck explaining it.
The biggest thing they are going to see is that your partner doesn’t put you first on a weekend and that you spend a lot of the day or days on your own.
That is a hard one to grasp.
“Can’t they just miss this week?”
“Why are they there all day?”
“It’s two days this weekend, not just one?”
I mean, it would get you questioning it yourself!
Constantly explaining the situation and saying it out loud can make you stop and think… hang on a second.
Ultimately, they have your absolute best interests at heart and probably sometimes think you can do better than being left all weekend haha!
But you know your own relationship.
Some things you might think, ooo, I might have a little chat about that…
But ultimately, it is your life.
So here’s to you CWs who are the first to bring cricket into the family.. well done. We get it.
And if you ever need a reminder about your relationship, like one very wise widow said one Widow Wisden Wednesday…
They won’t cheat on you because cricket is their one true love.
You’re already second!
The One Day You're Number One!
You know the one day you’re not second priority?
The one day where you are number one?
National Cricket Widow Day!!
It’s this month.
It’s the 15th August.
And it’s all about us.
40 cricket clubs.. 40!!!!.. have opened their doors to celebrate us and I can't believe it.
I am so so proud of every single person who has got behind this idea, every club that has signed up, and all of us for turning National Cricket Widow Day into something real!
If your club is signed up, thank you so, so much!! I genuinely feel like these clubs are the front runners in changing the game for us.
They are acknowledging and appreciating the sacrifice and are here to celebrate you.
I know it didn’t quite fit for every club this year, but if your club isn’t a part of the day, get yourself to one of the clubs on the map.
Clubs are opening their doors for us.
It isn’t about what club we are from.
We are all a part of the same club.
And the really special thing is, once you get sat on a boundary with a fellow Cricket Widow, nobody is really taking much notice of the game anyway…
You’re more gutted if someone tries to interrupt your cricket chat than if someone takes a wicket haha!
It’s a funny old thing.
This day is for us all.
If you are nervous, don’t be. Go with a friend or another CW from your club.
Some clubs have got a free drink on arrival, some have got Cricket Widow cocktail bars, some have got games and little extras planned.
As someone whose own cricket club is hosting National Cricket Widow Day, I want every Cricket Widow who is local to come down.
I want every CW who sits on their own every week to come and meet fellow CWs.
I want everyone to feel celebrated and appreciated for simply being themselves.
I would be absolutely over the moon if you came to our day, and I know every other CW hosting National Cricket Widow Day at their club will feel exactly the same.
Their arms are open for you.
And by turning up, you are supporting them too.
We are strengthening the community around cricket in more ways than we probably realise.
So be brave, be yourself and come along.
Type your postcode into the website here and find your nearest host venue.
You're on the Committee Now
On Tuesday in the Clubhouse Skool Community, I started our very first Clubhouse Committee Meeting.
The whole point of this is that I want you guys to be a part of this club as much as possible.
When I set off on this journey.. well, I never actually meant to haha.. but it has always been about you guys.
I’m navigating the whole thing as it comes and I really want you to shape it with what you want to see, do and be a part of.
So congratulations.. you are now on my committee haha!
Us CWs have lived this life and know it better than anyone, so your thoughts matter so much to me.
I don’t want anyone to feel alone in this Cricket Widow life, but I also don’t want us to simply survive cricket season.
I want us to thrive in it.
I want you to love summer.
I want you to love your relationship.
I want you to love your own time.
Love your club time.
Be confident, happy and able to have open conversations about how we feel without it being a taboo.
I can’t create that space on my own.
I need you guys to help shape it, and I want you to be proud of it too.
So please get involved.
Dream big.
Be bold about what you ask for and what you want from the club.
Pop your thoughts in and have your say!
Last year I laughed about it, but I’m telling you now…
Next year I would LOVE to have a Cricket Widow weekend away!
Why?
Because why the hell not!
We don’t always get our weekends away because we have nobody to go with.
We don’t always get our own time because the club calls, the kids call and life calls.
Sometimes cricket is simply.. there.
So there.
I’ve said it out loud.
And I do tend to stick to my word.
I would love absolutely nothing more than a girls’ weekend away with you all.
Nothing is impossible.
It might just never have happened before.
That doesn’t mean it can’t.
And actually, you can take that mentality into your weekend too!
Here’s to some sunshine.
Here’s to a little glass of whatever takes your fancy.
And here’s to remembering that things are so much easier when you do them together!
As always, CW Club… I love you lots and happy Friday!
P.S. Don’t forget there’s a Clubhouse shop discount and an August giveaway for all Clubhouse Community members, so make sure you’re in!
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