Caroline's Cricket Blog

Name:  Caroline Atkins

Nickname:  Shaggy (Messy hair connection to Scooby-doo)

Age:  28

My Whereabouts:  I live in Taunton and am coaching in schools across Somerset and Devon. The rest of the time I'm in the nets or at the gym, but sometimes on the golf course!

Cricket Teams:  England Women, Sussex Women.

Winter Goals: Prepare a herb garden, cook better food and win in India.

 

MY ONLINE DIARY

Entry 7: December 2009

In part I've not been best pleased with December. It brought me Swine Flu which seriously hampered any chance to train and if I can't train I get grumpy.

The other disappointment this month was not winning the BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award. I take my hat off to the other nominated teams, but if we can't win it in a year where we won the World Cup, the World Tewnty20, beat Australia 4-0 and retained our Ashes then we'll never win it. That saddens me.

Still, December also brings Christmas Day, Boxing Day, the sales and New Years Eve, all of which I enjoyed immensely. Happy New Year everyone!

Entry 7: November 2009

It is difficult to explain what happened to the crest of our wave in the West Indies, but the 2-1 defeats in one day and twenty 20 cricket gave us a lot to think about.

We all prefer winning and we can all help that happen again. A side doesn't become a bad team overnight, but there are definitely lessons we can take from our trip to St Kitts and the test will be to play cricket the way we can in India in February next year.   

Entry 6: October 2009

The new job has kicked on. Planning my coaching programme got a little frustrating but I'm in schools coaching now and that's what it's all about. Guess who joins in when there's an odd number, but don't worry I'm still doing my own training as well.

As for the Mediterranean cruise, it turned out to be the best holiday I have ever been on so even if you are under 65 and don't use a mobility scooter, I'd still recommend it. 

Entry 5: September 2009

September is a transition period for cricketers. The season comes to an end, you get your weekends back and you're told to rest. Throw in a few end of season dinners and you still get to see your cricket chums but you're not playing cricket. It's a strange month and this year it brought two more variables for me.

I started a new job as a Chance to shine Coaching Ambassador and for the first time ever I went on a cruise holiday!  

Entry 4: July 2009  

What a summer! Another World Cup and more England success. This time we were at home to lift the World Twenty20 Trophy. Then we followed it up by beating the Australians 4-0 in the one day series and drew the test match to retain the ashes.

I have to admit I was exhausted by the end of July. I took a couple of weeks at home to recover before I could bounce off the walls again. Whenever I think about what we have achieved I just feel immensely proud. 

Entry 3: March 2009  

My life changed in March 2009. The dream of becoming a World Champion with the England Women's Cricket Team came true and the whole experience was amazing.

The scorecards and match reports are online for everyone to see how it happened. The best bits are the photos of the England Women's Cricket Squad lifting the World Cup Trophy. It is an image I have had in my head since I was a girl and it felt fantastic to be in the moment. 

Entry 2: February 2009  

I went to Australia two weeks before the World Cup Squad traveled. I started in Perth where I played a couple of club games to get used to grass again and snap out of indoor net mode in some heat.

I found watching the national news in Australia harrowing and inspiring at the same time. The suffering caused by the bush fires in Victoria as well as the flooding in Queensland is awful to see, but the spirit with which the people of Australia have reacted is amazing. All I can do is support the Bushfire Appeal and appreciate how lucky I am to be wrapped up in cricket.

The rest of our squad arrived looking pasty and tired, but they soon caught up with our acclimatisation and made training even more fun. With the whole squad together it meant our World Cup had started. 

Entry 1: December 2008

For me the festive season is all about family gatherings, roast dinners and taking board games too seriously. This year, it’s also about entering the last ten weeks of World Cup Preparation.

Our squad (wherever they are - across the country and down under) will be out running on Christmas Day. This tradition has been set so that amongst all the festivities, we don’t forget what we’re working towards. I can’t see how we would forget; I’m sure my teammates daydream about it as much as I do, but it’s also nice to share a Christmas Day Run with them.

Training phase’s change a little as we get closer and closer to competition time, but that aside the routine is pretty constant. I’ve been following my EIS fitness program, netting with my one to one coach and working part-time this winter, but most of all I’ve been looking forward to the World Cup.

Not much will change in the New Year. I will get a year older in January, I’ll have to say some tough farewells in February, but late in March I hope to fly home with all my teammates and a trophy. I'll keep you posted on how we're getting on from down under - come back soon!