Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1950-2011 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
55 boxes
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
William Howard Frindall was born on 3 March 1939 in Epsom, Surrey. He had four children - Raymond, Stuart, Vanessa and Alice, and was educated at Tadworth County Primary School and Reigate Grammar School, going on to study architecture at the Kingston School of Art.
Frindall spent 43 years as the scorer for Test Match Special on the BBC, replacing the previous scorer, Arthur Wrigley, who died in October 1965. During this time he covered all of England's home Test series for the BBC, and meticulously recorded the scores onto paper using different colours to differentiate between the batsman and scores, also highlighting important entries.
Frindall developed a method of scoring Test matches that he believed originated in Australia. When becoming Test Match Special's scorer in 1966, he revised and redesigned the ball-by-ball method of play that commentators relied upon. The method followed basic conventions of the standard system as described in former MCC Secretary Colonel R S Rait-Kerr's textbook Cricket Umpiring and Scoring, and used three different types of scoresheet: a ball-by-ball record of play, a cumulative record of bowling analyses and extras, and the innings scorecard. This method became widely popular, so much so that Frindall in later years sold scoresheet templates to prospective cricket scorers.
Frindall also wrote a weekly column for the Daily Express, also providing scores to other major national newspapers. He also was editor of the Playfair Cricket Annual for 23 years, and worked on the Wisden Book of Test Cricket, Guinness Facts and Feats, England Test Cricketers: The complete record from 1877 as well as releasing an autobiography, Bearders: My Life in Cricket, in 2006. He was appointed an MBE for services to cricket and broadcasting in 2004, and died in 2009.
The centrepiece of the collection is the original scoresheets that Frindall created whilst scoring for the BBC. They include all of England's home series from June 1966-2008, and a selection of overseas Test matches on England tours from 1975-2008. Frindall also covered all England's home one-day internationals from 1972-2005, and England matches/finals of the World Cups of 1975-1983, and 1996-2003. The collection contains files of scoresheets, statistics and newspaper cuttings relating to tours not involving England, player and team statistical files, newspaper cuttings, photographs, and files relating to books Frindall wrote and published throughout his career.
Repository
Archival history
BF 1950-2011 Fonds 55 boxes Frindall , William Howard , 1939-2009 , cricket scorer
William Howard Frindall was born on 3 March 1939 in Epsom, Surrey. He had four children - Raymond, Stuart, Vanessa and Alice, and was educated at Tadworth County Primary School and Reigate Grammar School, going on to study architecture at the Kingston School of Art.
Frindall spent 43 years as the scorer for Test Match Special on the BBC, replacing the previous scorer, Arthur Wrigley, who died in October 1965. During this time he covered all of England's home Test series for the BBC, and meticulously recorded the scores onto paper using different colours to differentiate between the batsman and scores, also highlighting important entries.
Frindall developed a method of scoring Test matches that he believed originated in Australia. When becoming Test Match Special's scorer in 1966, he revised and redesigned the ball-by-ball method of play that commentators relied upon. The method followed basic conventions of the standard system as described in former MCC Secretary Colonel R S Rait-Kerr's textbook Cricket Umpiring and Scoring, and used three different types of scoresheet: a ball-by-ball record of play, a cumulative record of bowling analyses and extras, and the innings scorecard. This method became widely popular, so much so that Frindall in later years sold scoresheet templates to prospective cricket scorers.
Frindall also wrote a weekly column for the Daily Express, also providing scores to other major national newspapers. He also was editor of the Playfair Cricket Annual for 23 years, and worked on the Wisden Book of Test Cricket, Guinness Facts and Feats, England Test Cricketers: The complete record from 1877 as well as releasing an autobiography, Bearders: My Life in Cricket, in 2006. He was appointed an MBE for services to cricket and broadcasting in 2004, and died in 2009.
The centrepiece of the collection is the original scoresheets that Frindall created whilst scoring for the BBC. They include all of England's home series from June 1966-2008, and a selection of overseas Test matches on England tours from 1975-2008. Frindall also covered all England's home one-day internationals from 1972-2005, and England matches/finals of the World Cups of 1975-1983, and 1996-2003. The collection contains files of scoresheets, statistics and newspaper cuttings relating to tours not involving England, player and team statistical files, newspaper cuttings, photographs, and files relating to books Frindall wrote and published throughout his career.
Scoresheets: England Home Test matches, 1966-2008; England Home Limited Over Internationals, 1972-2005; Cricket World Cups, 1975-1983 and 1996-2003; files on international cricket series in Test nations, 1965-2008; player and team statistical files, newspaper cuttings, scorecards, match programmes, correspondence, car parking passes, photographs, statistical packs, press releases, book proofs.
Files dated less than 30 years old are closed to the public. Records dated 30 years or more from the last date in the file are open. Please contact the MCC Library prior to visiting.
Reproduction/photocopying of scoresheets is not permitted.
English
http://mcc.adlibhosting.com/Details/archive/110008130
Catalogued by Robert Curphey, MCC Archive Cataloguer. The following sources were used to compile an administrative history of the collection: Frindall, William Howard, Frindall's Score Book III: England v West Indies 1976, Birmingham: Lonsdale, 1976 Frindall, William Howard, Bearders: My Life in Cricket, London: Orion, 2006 'Bill Frindall' http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/294128.html 'Bill Frindall' http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/feb/02/obituary-cricket-bill-frindall 'Bill Frindall website' http://web.archive.org/web/20131016122623/http://www.beardedwonder.co.uk/index.html
Compiled in accordance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000. Descriptions are indexed using the UK Archival Thesaurus and UNESCO Thesaurus and meet the National Council on Archives' Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
March-November 2015 Leisure Leisure time activities Sport Ball sports Frindall , William Howard , 1939-2009 , cricket scorer Cricket
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Scoresheets: England Home Test matches, 1966-2008; England Home Limited Over Internationals, 1972-2005; Cricket World Cups, 1975-1983 and 1996-2003; files on international cricket series in Test nations, 1965-2008; player and team statistical files, newspaper cuttings, scorecards, match programmes, correspondence, car parking passes, photographs, statistical packs, press releases, book proofs.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Files dated less than 30 years old are closed to the public. Records dated 30 years or more from the last date in the file are open. Please contact the MCC Library prior to visiting.
Conditions governing reproduction
Reproduction/photocopying of scoresheets is not permitted.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in accordance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000. Descriptions are indexed using the UK Archival Thesaurus and UNESCO Thesaurus and meet the National Council on Archives' Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English