- Samuel Britcher
Samuel Britcher (date of birth unknown; died c.1805, probably in
London ) was a significantcricket scorer and archivist who recorded the full scorecards of numerous matches played in the early years ofMarylebone Cricket Club after its official foundation in 1787.He 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 importance to the study of cricket history and its statistics cannot be understated. Unfortunately, his work lay mostly undiscovered for two centuries and it is only in the 2000s that a full study of his records has been possible.
The eminent cricket historian Keith Warsop has twice in 2006 published articles in "The Cricket Statistician", the quarterly journal of the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians, which outline the importance of Britcher's scores to our knowledge of his period. For example, Mr Warsop has discovered in Britcher's records details of a number of matches that were previously unknown; while for other matches he has been able to obtain additional details that have enabled him to finalise previously incomplete scorecards.
References
* Samuel Britcher - "A list of all the principal Matches of Cricket that have been played" (1790 to 1805)
* "Samuel Britcher, The Hidden Scorer" by David Rayvern Allen, 1982
* "Britcher's Scores 1790-1805", 2002 reprint by Christopher Saunders with accompanying volume by David Rayvern Allen
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