Samuel Britcher (date of birth unknown; died c. 1805, probably in London) was a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

scorer In cricket, a scorer is someone appointed to record all runs scored, all wickets taken and, where appropriate, the number of overs bowled. In professional games, in compliance with Law 3 of the ''Laws of Cricket'', two scorers are appointed, ...

and archivist who recorded the full scorecards of numerous matches played in the early years of

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influenc ...

after its official foundation during the

1787 English cricket season The 1787 cricket season in England is noteworthy for the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) after the opening of Thomas Lord's first ground in the parish of Marylebone, north of London. MCC soon became the sport's governing body wi ...

. 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 The sport of cricket has a known history beginning in the late 16th century. Having originated in south-east England, it became an established sport in the country in the 18th century and developed globally in the 19th and 20th centuries. Inte ...

and especially its statistics. Britcher's work lay mostly undiscovered for two centuries and it is only in the 21st century 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.

References

Bibliography

* Samuel Britcher, ''A list of all the principal Matches of Cricket that have been played'' (1790 to 1805), annual series *

David Rayvern Allen David Leonard Rayvern Allen (5 February 1938 – 9 October 2014)Michael Dow"David Rayvern Allen obituary" ''The Guardian'', 26 October 2014 was a cricket writer and historian, as well as a radio producer and presenter, a speaker and a musician. Hi ...

, ''Samuel Britcher, The Hidden Scorer'', 1982 * ''Britcher's Scores 1790-1805'', 2002 reprint (ed. Christopher Saunders) with accompanying volume by David Rayvern Allen 1805 deaths Cricket historians and writers Cricket scorers Year of birth unknown {{england-cricket-bio-1800s-stub