Sue Drinkwater was a lady at Lord’s for four days last week.

And a very important lady she was too because she was the official scorer for the South African Test team.

“It was the pinnacle of my career,” said the 55-year-old, who these days scores all over the country. “It was just fantastic. I was so privileged.”

Sue, nee Downes, has come a long, long way since she first started scoring for Prestbury Cricket Club back in the mid-70s at the age of just 15 in the days when Ian Botham was announcing himself to an unsuspecting cricketing world.

“My mum used to score for Prestbury,” said Sue, “so it seemed the natural thing to do.

“My dad (Jim Downes) played for them. He was a left-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper. And my older brother Roger also played as well.

“It was a family thing and we all went along together, it was never a chore.

“I’d always loved statistics and to be able to combine it with a sport that I loved was a dream.”

Even in those early days it was clear that Sue was a square cut above the average scorers on the club circuit.

“You have to concentrate and be very diligent in your work,” she said. “I loved it right from the start. I love the unpredictability of the game. You never know what is going to happen. In the longer formats there’s the psychological aspect of matches, it’s a game of cat and mouse.”

When Sue met her husband-to-be Darryl Drinkwater, it meant more opportunities to pursue what in those days was her past-time.

“Darryl played cricket for Chedworth, so I scored for them as well,” she laughed.

In fact, she scored for the picturesque Cotswolds club situated just a big Freddie Flintoff hit off the A429 Stow to Cirencester Road for 35 years, only giving up at the end of last season when her first-class commitments meant she was unable to attend games every Saturday,

“I’ve still scored for them a couple of times this season, though,” she chuckled.

She has watched many, many cricketers of all ages and abilities play over the years, of course, but how did those closest to her compare as cricketers?

Of the left-handed Darryl, who has cut back his cricket playing this season, she chuckled: “Darryl just batted and batted and batted.

“Dad was very like Darryl, he could bat all day. Roger was an excellent captain, he had that type of mind.”

Sue, who was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to cricket, has only played very occasionally herself.

“I did winter nets with Ross ladies one year,” she said. “But there weren’t many women’s teams in those days and I decided I’d concentrate on the scoring.

“I did get the odd game for the Chedworth men when they were short.”

So how did she do?

“I was usually 0 not out,” she chuckled. “I didn’t bowl. I didn’t quite field fine leg to fine leg but they dispatched me well out of it!”

While Chedworth are still going strong Prestbury have since folded although long after Sue’s dad had called time on his cricket innings.

After Jim had hung up his spikes and gloves he decided to train as an umpire so that he could stay involved in the game he loved and he appealed to Sue to take a scorer’s course.

“I told him I didn’t need to,” laughed Sue, “but in the end I didn’t want to disappoint him so I went on the course.”

It was to prove to be one of the best things she ever did.

She was very good and now other people in high places in the cricketing world were starting to know just how good.

When a funding cutback in 2004 meant that countries on tour could no longer have their own scorer it opened a door for people like Sue.

“I was extremely fortunate,” she said modestly, “I was in the right place at the right time.”

So, what was Sue’s first international game?

“It was an Under-19 Test between England and Bangladesh at Taunton,” she laughed. “I had no idea who any of the Bangladesh players were, it was really hard work.”

She remembers who captained England’s youngsters, however.

“Alastair Cook,” she said. “I can’t remember how many runs he got but he did very well.”

So did Sue. “I decided I rather liked scoring at this level,” she said. “So I gave my details to various people and I got the odd under-19 game. They took me to quite a few county grounds and I soon realised that most clubs didn’t have any back-up scorers so again I left my details and from there I’d pick up the odd county game or tour game.”

In 2007, she was a scorer for the one-day international between England and the West Indies – “That was quite special,” she said – and in the past couple of seasons has been a regular scorer for Worcestershire.

“I job shared the 2nd XI at Worcester,” she said. “I’ve been doing some 1st XI games last season and this season because the regular scorer Dawn Pugh has been ill.”

The demands of being a scorer meant that Sue, who has also worked as an electronic scoreboard operator at Lord’s, could no longer work as an IT training manager so come the end of September when the players bowl their final ball of the summer season Sue will be on the lookout for some part-time work over the winter.

“I’ll do anything,” she chuckled. “Last winter I worked as a doctors’ receptionist. I just need something until the new cricket season starts.”

Cricket, and the England cricket team, is Sue’s passion and she has been to New Zealand twice and India to support her team. “I always score, even if I’m just watching,” she said.

The summer, of course, is very, very busy. She scored at the Women’s World Cup game between England and South Africa at Bristol this week and as well as all the scoring, Sue, who lives in Charlton Kings, is also the Scorers’ Education Manager for the ECB ACO – which stands for the England Cricket Board’s Association of Cricket Officials.

“I look after the training of every scorer,” Sue said proudly. “I write all the training material. It’s effectively a full-time voluntary job.”

All the hard work has been worth it, of course, culminating in that never-to-be-forgotten experience at Lord’s.

“Yes, it was amazing,” said Sue, who added that she doesn’t expect to be given another opportunity like that any time soon because the powers-that-be like to share the job around. “The brand new scorebox is halfway down the Mound Stand underneath Old Father Time. The view was incredible. I just wish the game had gone to a fifth day.

“I had two complimentary tickets each day and I was able to give my dad one on the first day and that was really special.

“If it wasn’t for him I’d never be in this position.”

Darryl went to all four days – “He’s always wanted to watch every day of a Test,” said Sue – and their sons Max and Luke also went for a day.

Both enjoy a day at the cricket but neither have followed in their dad’s footsteps by playing the game.

“I gave them both three initials so they would look the part on a scorecard if they were opening the batting for England,” she laughed.

“Max is M L D and Luke is L E D. And of course, Luke, with those initials, is now a lighting designer with a theatre company!”

Luke is obviously pretty switched on then… just like his mum.