Scoring junior pairs games may seem fairly difficult initially but it is relatively straightforward when you have done it a couple of times

A few key points :

• Each team should have a scorer – so you wont be alone when you score
• Don’t worry if you don’t get it totally correct – the most important thing is to agree the total score with the other scorer after every over.
• Its useful to have a sharp pencil to score with as the boxes are quite small . A neat handwriting is an added bonus

Please click here for a Pairs scoresheet

Screenshot of a scoresheet below

The most difficult thing about scoring is understanding the umpire’s signals and what they mean

At the bottom right hand side of our scoresheet are the umpire’s signals

• All runs that come off the bat are allocated to the batter – other runs that don’t come off the bat are classified as ‘extras’ . The umpire will only generally signal if the batter hits 4 or 6 runs, is out or if there are extras

• A wide is where the bowler bowls a ball and the ball is too wide for the player to hit the ball. In the pairs format 2 runs are credited to the batting side and are recorded in the ‘extras’ section . No extra ball is bowled. If the batters run between the wickets then the number of times they run between the wickets is added to the number of wides. If the batter hits the ball , it cannot be wide.

• A bye/leg bye is signalled when it is not a wide and the batter does not hit the ball with the bat (or glove) and the batters run between the wickets. A bye is where no part of the batter’s body is hit – a leg bye is given where the ball hits the batter’s leg or any other part of the body other than the bat (or glove) . Byes are classified as extras and it is important to note that the number of byes scored is the number of times the batters run between the wickets ie if the batters run once between the wickets only one bye is scored

• The umpire will call a ‘no ball’ if the bowler oversteps the crease or the bowler bowls the ball above the batter’s waist without a bounce . Once a no ball is bowled two runs are allocated as extras and additional runs can be scored. If the batter hits the ball, the additional runs are credited to the batter. If the batter does not hit the ball, additional runs are recorded as byes.

Each batting pair bats for 4 overs each. If they are out they merely swop ends and 5 runs are deducted from the total score. Each team starts with 200 runs (this allows for situations where the batters end with a negative score had they not started on 200 runs)

The batter’s names are recorded in the various rows – the bowler’s names are recorded in the columns.

Example – one batting pair batting for 4 overs

Buddy and Ethan are the first batting pair

First over :

Victor is the bowler and bowls the first ball to Buddy

• First ball : no run scored (usually referred to as a dot ball)
• Second ball bowled : 1 run off the bat to Buddy
• Third ball : Victor is now bowling to Ethan – no run
• Fourth ball : Victor bowls a wide – 2 extras are recorded (a cross is noted in the batters box and 2 extras are scored in the extras section – wides )
• Fifth ball : no run
• Sixth ball : no run

The total score after the first over is 200 + 1 run + 2 extras = 203

This is what the scorecard will look like after the first over

Hector is the second bowler who will bowl his first ball to Buddy (the batters swop ends after every over)

Second over :

• First ball : Bye (ie batters take a run without the bat (or glove) hitting the ball) .
• Second ball : Ethan is now facing – no run
• Third ball : Ethan is bowled . ‘B’ is entered in the batters box, -5 is entered in the wickets section . Batters swop ends so Buddy is now facing
• Fourth ball : Buddy scores 1 run
• Fifth ball : Ethan is now facing and scores 4 runs
• Sixth ball : no run

Total score = total from last over + 5 runs + 1 extra – 5 runs (wicket) = 204 runs

Third over : Victor bowls again

Buddy is now facing (batters swop ends after the over)

• First ball : No run
• Second ball : 6 runs
• Third ball : No ball (‘o’ in the batters box and 2 extras are recorded in the extras section – no balls)
• Fourth ball : 1 run
• Fifth ball : Ethan is now facing and scores 2 runs
• Sixth ball : 1 run

Total score : total from previous over + 10 runs + 2 extras = 216

Final over for the first pair :

New bowler Henry

Ethan should be on strike but the coach/ umpire may request that Buddy is on strike because he has faced fewer balls than Ethan

• First ball : Henry bowls to Buddy : no run
• Second ball : 2 runs but Buddy is run out so only 1 completed run is recorded. ‘R’ is also recorded in the batting section
• Third ball : Ethan is facing – 4 runs
• Fourth ball : 1 run
• Fifth ball : (Buddy facing) wide and they run 1 run – recorded as 3 wides
• Sixth ball : (Ethan facing ) – 6 runs

Total runs scored = 216 + 12 runs + 3 extras -5 runs (wicket) = 226 runs

Scoring for the first pair of batter is complete …

The process is repeated for the remaining pairs.

At the end of the game it would be good to work out the bowling figures for each bowler .

• O= number of overs they bowled
• M= number of maidens they bowled ie how many overs without a run scored in the over
• R= no of runs scored off their bowling (don’t include byes)
• W= How many wickets they took ( Note that runouts are not credited to the bowler)

For the batters : Total number of runs scored

Hope you enjoy scoring – scorers usually say that they find the process of scoring very fulfilling and feel the ebbs and flows of the game far more than if they were just watching.