Joining us most weeks in order to bring some ‘balance’ to our website and content will be our friend Liv, the founder of Livstyle Lifestyle – a little corner of the internet where she shares the highs, the lows and the downright ridiculous moments of life as a self-proclaimed cricket widow – hence The Cricket Widows Club!
From the double header weekends, to the 3 hour post-match analysis. This is where Liv documents the chaos, the laughs and everything in between. If you or your partner knows the feeling of planning life around a fixtures list, you’re in the right place!
Follow Liv @LivStyleLifestyle on Instagram
Pre-Season Panic – A Cricket Widows Survival Guide
Happy International Women’s Week!!
And what better way to celebrate than by thanking YOU for the amazing response to my first ever blog post last week! It sounds cliché to say, I couldn’t do it without you, but honestly there’s something so powerful about women supporting women, and I massively feel that in our little club. You lot gave me the shove I needed, and I love you for it!
Pre-Season Panic Mode.. is that a thing?
Reality check- it’s March, and I’m currently trying to panic book a quick getaway before the summer takeover of cricket. But time is moving so fast, and somehow, every available weekend is vanishing before my eyes.
I had Easter Bank Holiday locked in for a trip up to the Lakes, pretty safe bet I thought… only to be informed that the season starts that weekend. Of course it does. 🫠
Me: “No worries, we’ll just go up Saturday night and have Sunday and Monday.”
Cricket: “Think again”. Double header weekend. First of the season.
Just another thing I’m going to be hoping for every year- an early Easter- it’s the only full bank holiday we get… or not! 😐
Essential Pre-Season Prep 🏏
No, not training. Not ground prep. Our pre-season- the one for Cricket Widows (CWs) who are about to lose their plus-one to the sport they love more than life itself.
We are talking top 10 tips for being ready for the season..
- Fixtures List = Your Life Calendar
Write it down, highlight it, stick it on the fridge- because your plans now revolve around it. Pick your battle weekends- you know the ones where they’re playing against their mates and a four-hour post-game debrief in the clubhouse is inevitable. - Plan Your Solo Weekends
You need to accept that your plus-one is MIA till September. Accept it. Don’t think about it again. That’s how it is and you’re going to have a great time whether or not! Be sure you have your own fun planned- it doesn’t have to be wild, it could be a long walk in the fresh air but be content and happy in what you’re doing. - Get dates in the diary!
Commit to it. Nothing better is going to come along. You’re on your own and you need to have things planned in to look forward to! A hike, pub crawl, day trip- tie down your friends/family for weekend fun staggered over the season. - Download Play-Cricket (Yes.. Really)
Even if you don’t care, you will end up checking the scores. It’s your summer scroller! Plus you know when the games over! 🤫 - Get Your Match Day Bag Ready
We are seasoned pros now. You can never pack too much! Layers, sunglasses, umbrella, picnic blanket, chairs, snacks. Hot chocolate weather or ice cream weather you need to be prepared. - Cricket Widow Socials = Essential
Plan at least one match day with fellow CWs down at the club.. because boundary-side wine & whinge sessions make everything better! If you’re new to the scene or don’t really know anyone at the club.. if the CWs I’ve come across are anything to go by they get you when you don’t feel someone ever will, they are absolutely lovely and are a real good laugh. Pack a picnic, pour a drink, and let the chaos unfold. - Pre-Schedule Date Nights
The Friday nights with no T20s.. lock them in! Cricket will be 80% of the conversation but hey, at least you get a meal out of it! - Book a Holiday
If you can squeeze in a Monday-Friday trip, do it. If not? sod em.. go all out on a girls’ trip. We are not missing out on our summer sunshine, they’re doing what they love all summer, so can we! - Perfect Your “Interested” Face
Vital for surviving the post-match analysis you did not ask for. Nod. Smile. Look impressed. Bonus points if you throw in a “That was a shocking LBW decision” for effect. - SAVE THE DATE – 10th MAY!
I’m sorting at least one of your Saturdays- get May 10th in the diary for the Cricket Widows Otley Run! 😜 Shadow batting with one hand and a drink in the other.. sounds about right for a Saturday! Trust me, you won’t want to miss it!
If you know a newly recruited cricket widow who’s about to experience their first season, send this their way! Welcome to the club we’re in for a good season! 🤓
With thanks to Liv @ Cricket Widows Club !
