EXMOUTH and Devon scorer Rachel Tozer will be on Test match duty this season when England play New Zealand at Lord’s.

Rachel has been one of the Devon County Cricket Club’s panel of scorers since 2006, initially with Harold Shaw and more recently sharing the duties with Peter Langford.

Having qualified some time ago as a level-three scorer through the Association of Cricket Officials, Rachel can officiate at the top level of the game.

And it doesn’t come much more top-level than a date at the home of cricket for a Test match.

“I have scored at Lord’s before when Devon won there in 2008 in the Minor Counties KO Cup, and that was pretty special,” said Rachel.

“Doing a five-day Test match is something much bigger and a great honour for a club scorer.”

Rachel was invited to score at the match on May 21-25 by Andy Scarlet, the scorebox manager for the ECB at Lord’s.

Rachel first became involved in cricket scoring as a teenager having become interested in the game through her brother Jeremy, late father John and granddad Ted, who played his first game for Exmouth in 1919.

John and Jeremy both played for Exmouth and Saturday afternoons were inevitably spent at whichever cricket ground they were playing at with mum Lynda.

“At first I would read a book, then spent two years in the tea hut helping gran and granddad – Doris and Ted – doing the teas,” said Rachel.

“I started scoring some midweek matches in the mid-1990 and within a couple of years was helping with the 1st XI when the regular scorer wasn’t available.

“When the opportunity came to take over doing the 1st XI book, I took it.”

Rachel said while there was an element of if-you-can’t-beat-them, join-them about her involvement in cricket at first, she is a massive fan of the game now.

“On a beautiful summer day there are few places better than Exmouth cricket ground with a game going on and being involved in it,” said Rachel.

“You get to go to some lovely grounds and I have been lucky with Devon to go all over the country.

“Best of all, you get to meet some nice people wherever you go and enjoy their company while enjoying the cricket.”

Neil Gamble, Devon’s chief executive, said Devon were delighted Rachel had been honoured with an appointment at Lord’s which reflected well on the county club.

He added: “Over the past few years ECB have been using more people to help out at matches at Lord’s and when Christine Drew from Dorset was invited last year we hoped it would not be too long before Rachel was asked.”