The earliest instance of the term "scratch team" recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary[1] is a restaurant guide in 1851 (London at table, by an anonymous author, referring to "'a scratch team' of servants"[2]).
James Pycroft's The Cricket Field – one of the earliest books about cricket – "...that is the time that some sure, judicious batsman, whose eminence is little seen amidst the loose hitting of a scratch match, comes calmly and composedly to the wicket and makes a stand;..."[3] Another early and notable use of the term is from 1874, when The Wanderers, who had just lost an FA Cup match for the first time, were due to play a match against Upton Park.
[4] In the words of the contemporary report, "unfortunately the Wanderers failed to put in an appearance.
In order, therefore not to disappoint a large number of people who had assembled to witness the play, a scratch team was chosen to represent the missing team.
[5] The Barbarians is an example of a rugby club that only fields scratch (invitational) teams.