Roy Costan had one of the best seats in the house at not just one cricket World Cup final, but two.

And the now 65-year-old was not merely a spectator at those two showpiece Lord’s occasions 40-odd years ago, he was one of the most important people in the ground.

“I was one of the official scorers,” Roy told The Local Answer. “I scored for the West Indies in 1979 and for India four years later, I’ve got a 100 per cent winning record!”

He was also Pakistan’s scorer when they played at Lord’s as part of a three-match Test series against England in 1982 – a game Pakistan won – but remarkably those are the only three matches that Roy has ever scored in the professional game.

Just as remarkable, he wasn’t – and still isn’t – a qualified scorer.

“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it,” he laughed. “It wouldn’t happen today but it did back then.”

So how did a then just-turned 22-year-old get to score one of the biggest games in the history of the sport, when a Viv Richards-inspired West Indies proved too strong for an England side that included the likes of Ian Botham, David Gower and Geoff Boycott.

“My first job when I left school aged 18 was working for the MCC,” said Roy, who is originally from Surrey before making the move to Gloucestershire in the late 80s.

“I worked there for 18 months. I remember I wrote to the Sports Council, the FA and the MCC looking for a job.

“Although I’d left the MCC by the time of the 1979 cup final I still knew quite a few people.

“In those days touring teams used to have the option of bringing a scorer or bringing an extra player. Most brought the extra player so they always needed a scorer and somebody at the MCC asked me if I’d score the World Cup final.

“They knew I played club cricket and I used to do a bit of scoring – I preferred it to umpiring – so I thought I knew what I was doing!”

Even so, there’s a big difference between scoring a club game you’re playing in to scoring at a packed Lord’s in a match that’s been watched by cricket fans the world over, so it’s not surprising that Roy admitted: “It was very nervewracking.”

Fortunately, Roy wasn’t on his own.

“Eddie Solomon was the England scorer, he was very good,” continued Roy. “In those days there were no laptops, we just checked everything all the time. You just went on the umpire’s signal even if you thought they’d made a mistake or forgotten to signal.

“All three matches went fairly swimmingly, I don’t think there were any complaints.”

Roy has some great memories of those three matches, of course, quite apart from the actual cricket.

“I remember having lunch in the main restaurant at the back of the pavilion in 1979,” he said.

“The scorers and the umpires – Dickie Bird and Barrie Meyer – were sat together on a table in the middle of the room and the England and West Indies teams were sat either side of us.”

The West Indies, as expected, held too many aces for England that June day and they were strong favourites to retain their crown four years later. India, however, had other ideas.

“That was a fantastic day,” recalled Roy. “Nobody thought India had got enough runs but then Viv [Richards] skied one up in the air. The catch was taken just below me. Madan Lal took three wickets and the West Indies were beaten.”

A year earlier it had been Pakistan enjoying the cheers at the home of English cricket after an emphatic 10-wicket win over the home side.

“Mohsin Khan got a double century,” said Roy. “Their manager Intikhab invited me into their dressing room after the game. It was a bit weird because although I was scoring for Pakistan, I was obviously an England supporter.”

In the late 70s and early 80s England’s cricketers were household names, of course, and as well as the aforementioned Botham, Gower and Boycott, they could call on the likes of Bob Willis, Graham Gooch and John Emburey.

They were all players right out of the top drawer and Roy was lucky enough to actually play with a number of cricketers who also represented England.

“I played for the MCC, their teams are generally made up of club cricketers,” explained Roy, “but if we were short a couple of the younger players on the Lord’s groundstaff would play.

“I played with both Dermot Reeve and Neil Smith, the son of MJK Smith. I took a catch off Neil Smith to win a game.”

Roy also played with Richard Hutton and recalled: “He’d only recently played for England. I was at slip, he was only medium pace but the ball whizzed down, those players were a different level.”

Roy also remembers opening the batting with future New Zealand captain Ken Rutherford.

“He got out for two and I made 50, I always say he made a classy two and I made a scratchy 50,” he laughed. “I also remember my first game, I was run out for 19, I didn’t like to say ‘no’!”

Roy, who also bowled medium pace, played for Eagle Star, for whom he worked, for many years once he moved to this part of the world and had a year playing at Gotherington, the village where he has lived for the past 21 years, before hanging up his whites some 15 years ago.

He was treasurer at Gotherington for 13 years and is a life member of the club.

He is a Gloucestershire life member and an MCC life member, too, so retains very close links with England’s number one summer sport.

Lord’s will always have a special place in his heart, however, and not just because of the three high-profile matches he scored.

He’s taken on a number of other roles there too.

“I ran the scorebox for a Benson and Hedges Cup final,” he said. “That wasn’t an easy job. In those days we used metal numbers and we had to make sure we didn’t drop them onto the spectators below!

“I’ve also been the tannoy announcer at a John Player League game and I was on ground duties when the MCC played the Rest of the World in 1987. That was the match when Roger Harper pulled off that brilliant run out of Graham Gooch.”

He’s also worked the turnstiles at Lord’s and while he’s clearly a big fan of all things cricket, he likes his football too.

“Growing up, I was a big fan of Sutton United,” he said. “I used to go and watch them home and away. I didn’t go to their famous FA Cup win over Coventry City in 1989 but I saw them play Leeds United in 1970. We lost 6-0, Allan Clarke scored four.”

Roy, who is a Cheltenham Town season-ticket holder, enjoyed playing football as well as watching it. He played for Sutton United Supporters Club back in the day and also played for Eagle Star once he moved to Gloucestershire, having previously played cricket and football for Eagle Star in London.

He says he was “probably better at cricket than football” but still enjoys both sports and three or four years ago he qualified as a cricket umpire.

So did he think about going on a cricket scorers’ course?

“I did think about it,” he said, before adding with a laugh, “maybe one day.”