From Widow to Wicket.. My wildest plot twist yet!

Hello to any new stumblers across my page, and obviously hey to my old faithfuls 🫶🏼

Well, May has been quite the month! Not in any mind-blowing way, but in lots of little ‘fill your cup’ moments.

May is the month where the doubleheader season kicks off and basically never ends. And to tell you the truth, I’m 4 doubleheader weekends in (out of a ‘current’ 6) and my head’s still pretty ok. Think it helps when you’ve got a four-day city break booked right in the middle of it! 😍☀️

We’re off to Rome today- Monday to Thursday (obviously)- and yes, tonight’s itinerary includes one livestream watch because, of course, a game got arranged after we booked the trip (just five days ago, might I add). What can you do?

It’s our first abroad holiday together in two years! Between cricket and my hockey commitments over winter, squeezing in any proper getaway is a bit of a mission. I still couldn’t bring myself to pay the extra £12 each to sit next to each other on a Monday morning flight after a weekend of three cricket games… what’s another three hours apart at this point? 😂

People (usually the non-cricket crowd) often ask me, what’s the point? You barely see each other, you don’t go on holiday, how does it even work? And honestly- if you really stopped and thought about it too hard, you’d probably go, “ermmm yeah, not sure…” But the truth is, it just becomes a way of life- one you’re both weirdly and fully on board with.

We are so deep in the summer cricket takeover that we forgot our nine-year anniversary last Friday… and yep, we spent it at a T20 without even realising. That might just be us, we’re rubbish at things like that, but you get the gist.

Chat to any CW and you’ll find they’re some of the most laid-back, go-with-the-flow, it is what it is people out there, and I love that about us. It’s not always easy, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes you’ve got to dig deep, have a proper chat, remind yourselves of the bigger picture and then crack on again.

Powered by Cricket Widows

I started a 6-month course last week called Powered by Mates. It’s all about mental health and how you can use the network around you, your mates, as a support group. They are trying to make the topic less of a taboo and more of something we just talk about day to day.

I was interested in the course for a few reasons- mainly for my hockey club and team, which I captain. I feel like sport for women can be such a massive off-load and is so essential for that whole work/mum/life balance. I want to make the club a space where people can chat, have fun, and feel comfortable getting things off their chest if they need to (but that’s a whole other conversation).

Anyway, as I sat there the most relatable thing I could think of was the Cricket Widows. The fact is, we already have our own version of a 'Powered by Mates' group- we’re ‘Powered by CWs’. It’s nothing official, it’s nothing deep, but just talking, chatting, and sharing our stories (and sillies) makes us all feel that little bit better.

One of my absolute favourite things is reading the stories you lot share- ones that, once upon a time, would have seriously wound us up or made us feel a bit alone. But now, in our little crew, we’re starting to laugh at it all together because we have a whole club of people who just get it.

I’ve been thinking about how I can make this more accessible to everyone, because honestly, I feel like I’m the only one benefitting from these stories, and they’re too good not to share! So, I’m going to start posting every Monday, giving us all a space to share our weekend stories: the funny bits, the hard work, the rants- whatever you feel like putting out there.

I know reading them always makes me feel better and puts a smile on my face, so I hope it can do the same for you too.

The Otley Run Is Calling

This is also why you need to come and join us on The Cricket Widow Otley Run!

It’s happening on the 5th of July- and just to be clear, it’s not a ‘run’… it’s a pub crawl! It starts in Headingley (up North!) and ends up in Leeds. No actual running involved-unless, of course, you want to show me how you’d leg it between the wickets, in which case I’ll be right there with you!

Bit of background for you. The Otley Run happens every Saturday of the year, and the tradition is to do it in fancy dress. Loads of groups take part and the route runs down Otley Road into the city. It kicks off in the middle of the day (I’ll confirm the exact start time soon), and you can leave whenever you fancy. No pressure- it’s super casual.

We’ll be going in Cricket Whites (obviously), and I would love for you to come! I know it might feel a bit daunting turning up on your own, I get that, but grab your cricket widows from your club, your cricket mums, cricket sisters, or your best mate who doesn’t even know what a wicket is. Everyone’s welcome!

They’ll all be playing cricket anyway, so why not make it a proper social day for you to enjoy?

What Happened to the Weather This Weekend?

I’m sure we all got the stark reminder this weekend of what cricket is actually like in England! The sunshine had really lulled us into that “being at the cricket is the best thing ever” attitude… until Sunday hit and it was back to the classic: covers on covers on covers.

There was the usual sitting around until 4:30pm before deciding to give it a go, the Duckworth-Lewis rule (which is harder to get your head around than fielding positions), and the inevitable debate over whose weather app is more accurate.

I very much fell victim to it all this weekend. Drove to the club- the 2s were playing- but then they went off for rain. So, off I went to the 1s, 25 minutes down the motorway, only to arrive just in time to see the covers going back on. I sat there thinking, “I should’ve just done my own thing today… what was I thinking?!”

I ended up leaving early because the game dragged on that long- and this was after driving an hour and a half the day before for a game that lasted under three hours… and T didn’t even get to bat!

Cricket’s great. And honestly, the only advice I could have given myself was: next time, don’t go. Which… isn’t exactly helpful, haha!

From Widow to Wicket: My First Hardball Cricket Call-Up!

So I’ve had my little weekend rant, only to finish with a paragraph telling you how excited I am to have been selected to play in a cricket game of my own at Derbyshire County Cricket Ground!! I can’t believe it! I entered the Content Creators Draft for the game- more than 300 cricket creators applied- and I’ve been picked to play! I was giddy when I signed up, but as it got closer I started thinking, ‘oh shit.’ I kept telling myself, it’s fine, you won’t get picked- you’re the only one in the draft who’s never played hardball, they won’t choose you! But here I am!

Eight-week crash course in hardball incoming! (Technically seven now, because we’re in Rome this week- ahhh!) I’ve got a 3:1 coaching ratio so surely that’s enough, right?! I’m really hoping my softball skills will be a good starting point and that my fearless hockey head will come in handy… might just wear my gum shield for good measure!

If you want to follow my progress- or lack of- tune in to @livstylelifestyle. And if you’ve got any tips at all, make sure you’re on the Cricket Widows Otley Run on the 5th of July to pass them on and show me your best cover drive!

That’s a wrap on my slightly chaotic, but never dull CW update. Hope it makes you laugh, nod vigorously, or tell your mates: “Yep, that’s us.” 💛

#cricketwidow #cricketwag #thecricketwidowclub #livstylelifestyle