Samuel Britcher
Encyclopedia
Samuel Britcher was a cricket
scorer
and archivist who recorded the full scorecards of numerous matches played in the early years of Marylebone Cricket Club
after its official foundation during the 1787 English cricket season
.
Britcher is believed to have been MCC's first official scorer and he published an annual set of scorecards from 1790 to 1805 under the title of A list of all the principal Matches of Cricket that have been played in the year ccyy (i.e., annual series where ccyy = 1790 to 1805).
Little is known of Samuel Britcher personally but his scorecards are considered important to the study of cricket history
and especially its statistics. Britcher's work lay mostly undiscovered for two centuries and it is only in the 2000s that a full study of his records has been possible.
Keith Warsop of the Association of Cricket Statisticians (ACS) has twice in 2006 published articles in The Cricket Statistician, the quarterly journal of the ACS, which outline the importance of Britcher's scores to knowledge of the period. For example, Mr Warsop has discovered in Britcher's scorecards certain match details that were previously unknown and these have enabled him to finalise some previously incomplete scorecards.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
scorer
Scorer
A scorer in the sport of cricket is someone appointed to record all runs scored, all wickets taken and, where appropriate, number of overs bowled. In professional games, in compliance with the Laws of Cricket, two scorers are appointed, most often one provided by each team.The scorers have no say...
and archivist who recorded the full scorecards of numerous matches played in the early years of Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
after its official foundation during the 1787 English cricket season
1787 English cricket season
The 1787 English cricket season is widely seen as a watershed in the history of cricket for it marked the sport's transition from an essentially rural game into an urban and metropolitan one....
.
Britcher is believed to have been MCC's first official scorer and he published an annual set of scorecards from 1790 to 1805 under the title of A list of all the principal Matches of Cricket that have been played in the year ccyy (i.e., annual series where ccyy = 1790 to 1805).
Little is known of Samuel Britcher personally but his scorecards are considered important to the study of cricket history
History of cricket
The game of cricket has a known history spanning from the 16th century to the present day, with international matches played since 1844, although the official history of international Test cricket began in 1877...
and especially its statistics. Britcher's work lay mostly undiscovered for two centuries and it is only in the 2000s that a full study of his records has been possible.
Keith Warsop of the Association of Cricket Statisticians (ACS) has twice in 2006 published articles in The Cricket Statistician, the quarterly journal of the ACS, which outline the importance of Britcher's scores to knowledge of the period. For example, Mr Warsop has discovered in Britcher's scorecards certain match details that were previously unknown and these have enabled him to finalise some previously incomplete scorecards.