A scratch team is a team, usually in sport, brought together on a temporary basis, composed of players who normally play for different sides. A game played between two scratch teams may be called a scratch match. The earliest instance of the term "scratch team" recorded by the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...

''"scratch, adj.". OED Online. November 2010. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/173358?rskey=APOmdQ&result=3&isAdvanced=false (accessed February 15, 2011). is a restaurant guide in 1851 (''London at table'', by an anonymous author, referring to "'a scratch team' of servants"). The ''OED'' also records the term "scratch match" – defined as an impromptu game played by scratch teams – being used in the same year in Rev. James Pycroft's ''The Cricket Field'' – one of the earliest books about cricket – "...that is the time that some sure, judicious batsman, whose eminence is little seen amidst the loose hitting of a scratch match, comes calmly and composedly to the wicket and makes a stand;..." Another early and notable use of the term is from 1874, when The Wanderers, who had just lost an

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...

match for the first time, were due to play a match against Upton Park. In the words of the contemporary report, "unfortunately the Wanderers failed to put in an appearance. In order, therefore not to disappoint a large number of people who had assembled to witness the play, a scratch team was chosen to represent the missing team." The match was lost 11-0, with each of the opposing team scoring a goal.." The term is listed in the 1913 ''Nelson's Encyclopedia'', among slang terms. The

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be les ...

is an example of a rugby club that only fields scratch (invitational) teams.

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See also