Somerset scorer Yvette Brangman was born into a sports-oriented family, and has been passionate about cricket for as long as she can remember. She was raised in Somerset, and her brother, Bernard, played for Somerset and Willow Cuts.

As a child she played "tip 'n' go one" - a game where the batter must run if his or her bat connects with the ball _ and by her own admission she was "pretty good" at it. When she was older she played cricket for the Somerset ladies team.

Living within sight of the Somerset Cricket Club, she naturally attended all the games, and became an avid club supporter. But spectating wasn't enough for the young woman, and in her early 20s she turned to then-Somerset scorer Neville Whitecross to learn how it was done, immediately became hooked, and never looked back.

Asked if scoring is difficult to learn, she responds: "Not if you love the game. I do, so it doesn't seem that hard to me, but somebody else might find it hard. You have to concentrate, and out-think the other person."

Miss Brangman remembers well the first time she scored a Cup Match.

"I went down there as an understudy, just to watch, and the first day was fine, but on the second day the scorer was so 'under the weather' that I had to take over. I will never forget that day. Somerset won, and I was getting all excited and trying to score at the same time."

Noting that she has been scoring for "a long time now", Miss Brangman says she also covers county games and Somerset's league games. Cup Match, however, is special because the atmosphere is so charged.

The Somerset and St. George's scorers have a special "box" to themselves, with a perfect view of the field. In St. George's the structure is concrete and fitted with number boxes and swivel panels to display various aspects of the scoring. There is also a proper toilet, an electric fan or two, and either a cooler or temporary refrigerator filled with water or sodas.

Sitting in comfortable chairs with their score books spread before them, Miss Brangman and her colleague and St. George's scorer, Lovette Dickinson, record every move the players make, and every umpire's decision.

"Both scorers have to agree," Miss Brangman notes.

While Ms Dickinson uses a selection of coloured pens in her book, Miss Brangman sticks resolutely to pencil because she feels it "looks better". The duo are good friends, and take their duties seriously for they know that theirs is the official tally for posterity. Therefore they seldom chat, and fans are not allowed in or in front of their domain. Normally, they only leave their seats during the players' official breaks, and they don't snack when the game is in progress.

"Too distracting," Miss Brangman notes.

On the plus side, both scorers receive exactly the same treatment as the players do off the field. They eat the same food at the same time, and are included along with their teams in staying in a hotel tonight and tomorrow night. They also share team transportation to and from the game.

When it's all over, Miss Brangman will enjoy the post game festivities at St. George's along with everyone else. She does not, however, go near the Crown and Anchor.

"I have worked too hard to give it away to somebody else," she says.

While her passion for the game is undiminished, the Somerset scorer says Cup Match has changed "a lot" in recent years, and not for the better.

"Years ago, when Lionel Thomas and that lot were playing, when the umpire gave them out they just went, but now players want to stand there for a few minutes before they go out. And at one time the umpires were there to umpire the game, but now while it's going on they are having conversations and laughing with the fielders."

She also says "sledging" (talking to put off the batsmen) goes on here, and that's not something she approves of either.

For all that, however, Miss Brangman says "cricket is still an exciting game", and she doesn't buy into the argument that Cup Match should be extended to three days.

"If they go out there with the intention of winning the game, they can do it in two days," she says firmly.

St. George's scorer Lovette Dickinson is equally passionate about cricket. Her whole face lights up and her eyes sparkle as she talks animatedly about the game she fell in love with as a child.

Like Miss Brangman, she played what she calls "tip to go run" as a child, but her main interest was track and field, where her sights were set on becoming a runner, and she was a member of Bermuda's Carifta team. Later, she was a member of the Pink Beach Club ladies cricket team.

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