At International Cricket Tours, there’s nothing we love more than seeing our tours inspire lifelong cricket fans – and Karen is a perfect example.
Karen joined us on our tour to Sri Lanka earlier this year, taking in the ODI and T20 series, but her cricket journey actually began a few years earlier with a holiday to St Lucia.
“My husband took me to a T20 game while we were on holiday in 2019. The atmosphere was amazing, and after that I started showing an interest in cricket. We went to watch The Hundred in Southampton when we got home and from there I was hooked.”
Fast forward a few years and that interest has become a real passion. Together with her husband, Karen has followed England Women around the country, travelled with ICT to Sri Lanka, and this summer embarked on an incredible Women’s Cricket World Cup road trip.
A World Cup adventure
From 12 June through to the Final at Lord’s on 5 July, Karen and her husband travelled the length of England to watch an astonishing 21 of the tournament’s 33 matches.
Their journey included:
- England vs Sri Lanka
- West Indies vs New Zealand
- Netherlands vs Bangladesh
- India vs Pakistan
- New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
- England vs Ireland
- South Africa vs Pakistan
- Scotland vs West Indies
- New Zealand vs Ireland
- Australia vs Netherlands
- Pakistan vs Bangladesh
- West Indies vs Sri Lanka
- New Zealand vs Scotland
- Sri Lanka vs Ireland
- England vs West Indies
- South Africa vs Netherlands
- England vs New Zealand
- South Africa vs Bangladesh
- Australia vs India
- Semi-final: Australia vs West Indies
- Semi-final: England vs South Africa
- Final: Australia vs England
Along the way they covered around 1,600 miles by car, spent 17 nights away from home, travelled into London by train for the closing stages, and squeezed every last moment out of their annual leave.
“We both work full-time and this pretty much uses all of our holiday allowance, but to us it’s a brilliant way to spend it. It’s been a pleasure supporting women’s cricket this year and seeing it get the exposure it deserves.”
The magic of Women’s Cricket
One of Karen’s standout memories came whenever India were playing.
“Seeing the sea of blue shirts and hearing the Indian support is something else. It’s such a privilege to be part of those matches. We were disappointed India didn’t go further, but the atmosphere was incredible.”
Her enthusiasm is exactly what makes following cricket so special. It’s not just about the action on the pitch – it’s the people, the travel, the different grounds and the unforgettable experiences shared along the way.
And she’s not finished yet…
With the World Cup coming to an end, Karen isn’t putting her feet up anytime soon.
“Once the Women’s World Cup is over, we’ll move straight into The Hundred—we’ve already got tickets for multiple games!”
Stories like Karen’s are exactly why we do what we do. Whether it’s your first overseas tour or your twentieth match of the summer, cricket has a wonderful way of creating memories that last a lifetime.
Thank you, Karen, for sharing your incredible journey with us. We can’t wait to see where cricket takes you next!
