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Full name Roland Orlando Butcher
Born October 14, 1953, East Point, St Philip, Barbados
Current age 55 years 2 days
Major teams England,Barbados,Middlesex,Tasmania
Nickname Butch
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak
Fielding position Wicketkeeper
Other Coach
Height
5 ft 7 in
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Tests
3
5
0
71
32
14.20
160
44.37
0
0
9
0
3
0
ODIs
3
3
0
58
52
19.33
68
85.29
0
1
5
0
0
0
First-class
277
428
43
12021
197
31.22
17
65
290
1
List A
273
245
25
4899
100
22.26
1
27
84
0
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
ODIs
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
First-class
277
307
182
4
2/37
45.50
3.55
76.7
0
0
List A
273
26
39
1
1/18
1/18
39.00
9.00
26.0
0
0
0
Career statistics
Test debut
West Indies v England at Bridgetown, Mar 13-18, 1981 scorecard
Last Test
West Indies v England at Kingston, Apr 10-15, 1981 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut
England v Australia at Birmingham, Aug 22, 1980 scorecard
Last ODI
West Indies v England at Albion, Feb 26, 1981 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span
1974 - 1990
List A span
1974 - 1990
Profile
Barbados-born Roland Butcher secured his place in history when he became the first black player to represent England, making his Test debut at Bridgetown in 1980-81 (the headline in the local paper was "Our boy, their bat"). A batsman capable of playing the most thrilling, attacking innings, Butcher was sadly, and frustratingly, inconsistent, his compulsion to hit every ball hard and far usually his undoing. For every onslaught there were a dozen disappointments. More than once he saved his contract with Middlesex with a brilliant hundred. Butcher moved to England at the age of 14, joined Middlesex in 1974 and was picked for two ODIs against Australia in 1980 on the strength of county form. A run-a-ball fifty in the second game, allied to an unbeaten half-century in the Gillette Cup final that September, secured him a place on the tour of the Caribbean, but his technique against fast bowlers was exposed and he was never considered again. In 1983 he suffered a sickening injury which threatened his eyesight when struck by George Ferris, but he returned and continued to entertain and frustrate until he retired in 1990. One blemish in his final years was a brief involvement with the planned rebel tour of South Africa in 1989 - he withdrew when media reaction threatened the success of his benefit. As a fielder, he was among the best, either swooping in the outfield or, in latter years, in the slips. After retiring he pursued business interests as well as coaching a variety of sides, including Tasmania and Bermuda. In November, 2004 he was appointed director of sports at the University of the West Indies' Cave Hill Campus. He was a good enough footballer to play semi-pro for Stevenage and Biggleswade.
Martin Williamson
