Navigating Life as a Cricket Widow: Finding Balance in the Chaos

My first blog in six months! 🎉 I’ve only managed to write this because I took a day off work to get my life in check and tackle all those things I never manage to do during a normal week.

Firstly, happy new year! I hope you all had a lovely break over Christmas, which now feels like a million miles away on the 79th day of January. Like many of you, I’ve probably set some goals for the year and am already thinking, “Wow, we’re nearly a month in and… wtf?” People say to set quarterly goals, but honestly, the only thing I can think about is how much I didn’t realise cricket would come right in the middle of any goal-setting!

Holidays (aka The Fixture-Controlled Getaway)

Holidays are the obvious one. Checking the fixtures list and trying to squeeze every extra hour into a trip is a real challenge.

Can we catch a 10:30 PM flight after the game? Can we land early Saturday and go straight to the match? Which is always followed by a firm “absolutely not!”

The fixtures list completely controls our holiday plans. You end up not booking anything and turning to the girls to at least get one locked in. I currently have neither, but I know I can always rely on my Mum, Dad, and Sister (also a cricket widow).

It always makes me laugh seeing posts about having 15 years of holidays with your kids. Well, here I am, 28 years later, and my mum and dad still haven’t been on a holiday abroad alone since before we were born! Long may that continue! 😂

Houses, Moving Out & Big Life Goals

Speaking of doing things with your parents, I still live at home. I’ve been with Tyler for nearly ten years, and I’ve barely even considered buying a house. He’s played cricket more than an hour from our home village for the whole time I’ve known him. His club plays both Saturdays and Sundays all season (except for about three weekends), so it made sense for him to stay over there rather than drive home at 10 PM and back again at 8 AM the next day.

And because I’m genuinely happy and content at home, I’ve always thought, “Why would I move out into a house I’ll live in alone for half the year?” So, I’ve never really felt the rush.

This year, Tyler is returning to our home club (I’ve been waiting for this moment for TEN YEARS!), and I am SO excited! 🎉 It also means we’re thinking that a goal for us this year is to buy a house—or at least start looking.

But even that isn’t straightforward. We’d be aiming for autumn, but with full-time jobs, life admin, and cricket (and he’s captain, so we all know that’s ten times worse), I’m genuinely thinking, “When are we actually going to look at a house?!”

Mortgage appointments? There’s no chance! At this point, it feels like a hit-and-hope goal rather than a solid one—which is honestly mad when you think about it.

Weddings (aka Solo Plus-Ones)

WEDDINGS.

Has anyone got any this summer? It’s the glancing at the calendar and just knowing you’re going alone—not even bothering to ask anymore. Any wedding that doesn’t land on a Saturday is an actual godsend!

I know people go to weddings on their own, but this is different. Single people go thinking, “Ooo, I might meet someone.” We go as a +1… without the actual +1 we’re meant to be!

Your enjoyment of the day fully depends on who’s there. If the non-couply mates are there—great! If not? Down the free champagne and make a swift exit after the first dance (if you’ve lasted that long). 🍾

The Worst One: The Cup Competitions

I can just about deal with the fixtures list, but the thing that REALLY gets me is not being able to plan anything on the non-cricket day of the weekend just in case they get through to the next round of the cup.

These are the worst! The tiny bit of hope you might actually commit to something with friends, but you’re still replying with, “Well, you do it, and if we can be there, we will.”

HATE. HATE. HATE IT! 😩

January Goals vs Boss Bitch Energy

And finally… us girls being girls.

We always start the year thinking, “This is my year. We’re prioritising us. Ourselves. Me.”

And somehow, cricket—even in the middle of January—manages to wiggle right in between you and that boss bitch energy. We morph into “We’ll do it another night” or “We’ll look at next weekend,” and before we know it, the whole summer’s gone, and we didn’t do what we actually wanted to do for us.

2026 = Our Year Too

So, 2026 is for us! We’re embracing cricket, but we’re also learning to have a healthier relationship with it. Living alongside it—not letting it completely run our lives.

We’re still setting goals. We’re still doing what we want to do. And we’re making it happen—no matter how much cricket tries to get in the way.

Because guess what? Our lives matter too!!

You’re not the only one living around fixtures. Come and join a group of girls who get it. From cancelled plans to solo weddings to “we’ll see if we can make it” energy—this is your space to talk it out.

Think of it as the group chat you’ve always needed. Join us inside The Cricket Widow Club on Skool…

https://www.skool.com/the-cricket-widow-club-9006/about?ref=c6bd67991c4c420495959a673ccc26bc

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