Top cricket scorers may record first strike (18 July 1997)

Friday 18 July 1997

Top cricket scorers may record first strike

By Peter Deeley

THE masters of statistical pedantry who keep score at the 18 county cricket grounds have displayed an unexpected militant streak by threatening the first strike in the 130-year history of county cricket.

The scorers who have charted in minute detail the ebb and flow of the county game are angered at the loss of a traditional perk and a series of other alleged snubs by the Lord`s authorities.

"There is anger, frustration and resentment that the England and Wales Cricket Board are running roughshod over us," Keith Booth, Surrey`s scorer, said during a break in play at Guildford yesterday.

The nine-match programme of Sunday league games planned for Aug 31 could be lost if a strike motion is supported at an emergency meeting of the Association of County Scorers this month.

Under the Laws of Cricket, matches can only proceed with an appointed scorer available for consultation with umpires. It is unlikely that suitable replacements could be found in time.

The scorers are not unanimous, however, with Vic Isaacs, of Hampshire, saying he will resign if the motion is passed, describing the idea of industrial action as "abhorrent".

The strike threat is the culmination of a slow revolution throughout the 1990s in the normally tranquil scoreboxes of county crick- et which began with the introduction of computers to replace traditional scorecards and pencils.

Some older scorers stepped down, unable to cope with the technology, and those who stayed are angry that they do not receive any of the financial benefits from the new ball-by-ball scoring system available on Ceefax. They are particularly annoyed that for the third year in a row the job of administrator/scorer on this winter`s England tour has gone to an outsider and not, as used to be traditional, to a county scorer.

The association will debate a motion that criticises the England and Wales Cricket Board over the appointment of the scorer to England touring sides.

The resolution says scorers are "particularly resentful of a) the appointment for a third consecutive winter of a scorer from outside the county circuit and b) the manner in which that appointment has been made and announced".

Mr Booth said of the planned strike: "We want simply to remind them that the scorers are there and that we are a professional body. I feel strongly about this, because a tour is regarded as a jewel in the crown, if you like, for a county scorer."

Scoring has been an integral part of county cricket since its inception in the 1860s. Old prints show runs being recorded by whittle marks on sticks and until recently the job was largely the preserve of retired county cricketers.

Only one county, Middlesex, still chooses to have a former player - Mike Smith. The remainder are mainly retired people whose common denominator is a love of cricket and a good head for statistics.

A few still do it for the love of the job, getting nothing but out-of-pocket expenses, some get a minor payment and a handful have a year-round appointment, working in the club offices in winter.

Ted Lester, chairman of the Association of County Cricket Scorers, said: "We are not militants. We just feel that we are given too little consideration."

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/)