Last Updated on 19 April 2023 by Colette
This post features gifted experiences
When we were offered tickets to go and watch Lancashire Lightening play at T20 Vitality Blast at Emirates Old Trafford, I knew that my own three wouldn’t really be that interested (they are just not sports orientated at all!) so I asked Finley and Erin to go along for us instead!
The T20 season has just begun and Lancashire Lightning welcome capacity crowds back into Emirates Old Trafford for the Vitality Blast for the first time since 2019. (A T20 (or Twenty20) is a one day cricket match limited to 20 overs lasting about 80 minutes per innings with an an hour interval in between! )
The team at Lancashire Cricket have worked really hard to make the T20 home games are really good value, family event and Team Butler think their efforts have absolutely paid off
Here’s what the Butlers thought about their day at Emirates Old Trafford watching Lancashire Lightening!
Having never been to watch professional cricket before I had no expectations about going to the T20 match at Emirates Old Trafford today. However, as both Finn and Erin have recently started playing cricket we thought it might be a win for a family day out. We were not disappointed!
We opted to get the tram to Old Trafford rather than driving which was definitely a good choice, the tram literally stops at the ground and we didn’t need to worry about parking!
As we entered the grounds we were greeted by a range of food stalls and children’s entertainment. Because we had arrived ready for the start of the match we opted to come back to this at the end of the first innings.
As with any day out, Erin was desperate for the toilet as soon as we arrived. There were loads of toilets right around the cricket ground and we didn’t have to queue on either occasion that we used them. They were all pretty clean too.
Watching the match was much more entertaining than I had expected. There was good commentary, music when something exciting happened and lots of chanting and waving of planners when Lancashire Lightening hit a four or a six! I was pleasantly surprised at the pace of the match and was genuinely hooked into cheering and singing very quickly!
At the end of the first innings we headed out to the kids’ entertainment area and again we were not disappointed. There was a couple of free inflatables / climbing walls that were suitable for most children plus hoopla and hook a duck which were also free and had the chance to win prizes. Children were encouraged to have as many turns as they wanted and there was pretty much no queuing involved. We also watched some juggling entertainers and live music, all completely free with the price of your ticket!
The free activities provided a great break from the cricket, especially for Erin who had become a bit restless.
At this point we also grabbed some food from one of the wide range of food stands, there was everything from pizza to Turkish wraps but we opted for some Mac n Cheese with chips which was a winning choice! The kids absolutely wolfed it down and Finn kept talking about how good it was for ages afterwards!
There were also loads of water stations around the grounds so you could fill up your own water bottles and didn’t feel pressured to buy drinks there.
When we headed back into the match we had missed the first 10 overs of the away team’s innings but we really didn’t mind as the kids had a ball at the entertainment and we would have been disappointed if we hadn’t got to try it all out. This break also meant that Erin and Finn were really excited and engaged with the match as it was a really close final 10 overs. Happily, Lancashire came out winners, which just added to the excitement of the day!
All in all it was a fantastic family afternoon and Finn especially is desperate to go back, there are two more matches this week I think!
Upcoming Lancashire Cricket T20 Matches
Mich is right, during the half-term week, Lancashire Lightning and Thunder will share the stage during two doubleheaders with the professional women’s team, Thunder, playing in the headline slot of 7pm for the first time on Wednesday 1st June.
48 hours later, on Jubilee Weekend, the roles will be reversed when Thunder host Loughborough Lightning at 2.30pm before Lancashire Lightning take on Northants Steelbacks under the lights on Friday 3rd June.
Tickets start from just £1 for kids and are between £5 & £10 for adults which is such great value for money – especially when you factor in all that additional free entertainment for children!
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