Scratch Match
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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 principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
''"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 James Pycroft (1813 – 10 March 1895) is chiefly known for writing ''The Cricket Field'', one of the earliest books about cricket, published in 1851. Pycroft mythologised cricket as a noble, manly and essentially British activity ("Cricket is ...
'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 Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
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 is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...
is an example of a rugby club that only fields scratch (invitational) teams.


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See also

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Exhibition game An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...
, sometimes called a "friendly" or "scrimmage" *
Street football (American) Street football, also known as backyard football or sandlot football, is an amateur variant of American football primarily played informally by youth. It features far less equipment and fewer rules tha ...
, usually played by scratch Sports terminology {{sports-stub