Northants scorer Terry Owen 'honoured' to play a part in Jimmy Anderson's final Test

But it was also a pretty memorable occasion for Northants scorer Terry Owen, who had the honour of recording the details of the match as official scorer – including Anderson’s 704th and final Test wicket.

Owen, who has been a first team scorer at the County Ground since 2018, was selected to record the details of last week’s Test, which ended before lunch on the third day in an emphatic innings and 114-run win for Ben Stokes’ side.

Despite the one-sided nature of the encounter, it will have a special place in the history books as it marked the final England appearance of Anderson.

And Owen is delighted and honoured to have played a part in such a wonderful and memorable occasion.

"It was a terrific experience and quite an honour, a once-in-a-lifetime moment, especially with it being Jimmy Anderson's final game and seeing all of that,” said Owen.

"It was a very good three days, although it probably would have been nice if it had lasted a little bit longer.

"I found myself on Thursday night thinking ‘don't take any more wickets, I want to come back tomorrow'!"

Thankfully for Owen, the West Indies hung in well enough to take the Test into a third day, and he was able to savour that extra couple of hours.

Owen is an experienced scorer, having been on the first-class list since 2015, and he has been in place in the scorers box at the County Ground for first team matches for six years.

So how did his selection for the Lord’s Test come about?

It is Lord’s officials who select scorers for the Tests there, and they ask members of the Association of Scorers to Professional Cricket.

Owen admitted it was a special moment when he got the call, and said: “There is basically a kind of a pecking order and I was the next cab off the rank.

"You want to perform at the highest level, and it can't get much better than that, which is the bottom line.

"I have umpired at quite a high level, and scoring at the highest level in a Test match at Lord's is the pinnacle really, it is most prestigious and will take a lot of beating."

So, how does the Lord’s scorers box compare to the one at Wantage Road, which is situated adjacent to the press box at the back of the stand above the old indoor school at the David Capel End of the ground.

The scorers room at Lord’s is situated below Father Time and the clock tower, between the Mound and Tavern Stands, and Owen admitted: “There is no comparison!

"I have actually scored The Hundred at Lord's before, so I knew what to expect.

"But the big difference was the constant hum and buzz for the full duration of the match from 10.30am to close of play in the evening.

"It was a constant buzz, it was a terrific atmosphere and a great occasion."

Anybody who listens to Test Match Special on the BBC will be no stranger to the reputation Lord’s has for providing special lunches and teas for international matches… so did Owen get to sample these too?

"I have scored at Lord's a few years ago, and I have eaten in the dining room,” admitted Owen.

"But because of the 30,000 people that are there and the security, the food is brought to the box. But it is still very nice!

"Plus, one of the scorebox team, his wife makes beautiful coffee and walnut cake, so I can say you do get rather well fed on these occasions.

"You have no way of going hungry!"

Overseeing a Test at Lord’s was very different to Owen’s first experiences of scoring – which were in 1960 for Kettering Southgate CC!

But he admits that some old habits die hard.

"I started scoring for a team called Kettering Southgate, and that was with three HB pencils, a rubber, and a Slazenger scorebook,” he recalled.

"It's all now computerised and it is a very powerful system, but most of us resort to paper back-up just in case the technology fails us!

"That’s because I assure you when that does happen, and it does, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you think 'OMG' and other exclamations!!”

As well as scoring, Owen is also an accomplished umpire who has been on the Northants umpiring panel for 30 years.

He is clearly a huge cricket lover, so did he ever play the game?

"I did play, but not with any great distinction,” admits Owen. "Jason Holder when he played for us in 2019, he said to me 'Terry, I bet you were some kind of cricketer?!

"I said, 'yeah I was Jason - I was a bit of an all-rounder... I couldn't bat, couldn't bowl, and couldn't field...' that brought a smile to his face.

"So I was keen but the ability wasn't there.

"I see these people now, players like Harry Brook, and I am deeply envious of their talent, but my forte was on the admin side of cricket clubs!"

And that skill for admin means that Owen’s name will feature alongside that of Brook, Anderson, Stokes, Joe Root and the rest when anybody looks back at the scorecard of last week’s Test at Lord’s.

And Owen is looking forward to getting his hands on a very special souvenir to mark the occasion.

"I have my name on the scoresheet," he said. “And when I go down to Lord's for The Hundred, I will pick up the final printout of the completed scorecard they do.

"I shall be getting one of those along with other little mementoes."