This month, we’re looking back on the careers of several black cricketers who made an enormous impact during their time at Middlesex. We continue our series today by shining the spotlight on Roland Butcher…
Roland Orlando Butcher was born in Barbados on 14th October 1953 and moved to England at the age of 14.
Based in Hertfordshire, Butcher got involved with Stevenage Cricket Club when the 3rd XI needed players. Alongside his education at Shepalbury, he was playing for the first team by the time he was 15 and represented North Hertfordshire Schools.
He played 550 times for Middlesex – making 277 first-class appearances and 273 List-A outings for the Seaxes – helping the Club win 12 trophies.
He made his first-class debut at the age of 21 during an eight-wicket win over Yorkshire at Middlesborough in June 1974 and played List-A cricket for the first time a month later in a John Player League match against Essex at Lord’s.
It took 34 matches for Butcher to register his first century for the Club. It came in 1978 against Gloucestershire, a county which he had played second team cricket for before joining MCC Young Cricketers in the early 1970s
In 1982, two years after he became England's first black cricketer, Butcher made his highest score in a Middlesex shirt – 197 against Yorkshire in a drawn match at the Home of Cricket.
Despite that 197, his most important knock for Club came on the south coast in a 1987 County Championship clash against Sussex at Hove.
Middlesex managed to dismiss Sussex for 286 on day one before we were bowled out for 251 in reply. Butcher made 36 as wicketkeeper-batter Paul Downton top-scored with 93.
Sussex ended the second day on 41/0 – leading by 76. In those days, County Championship matches were three days long, so on the final day, the home side declared on 220/3 and set Middlesex 256 to win in around half a day…
Early wickets fell in the Middlesex chase, so when Butcher joined Wilf Slack, there was still a lot of work to do.
Butcher went on the attack, pummelling the Sussex attack to all parts of the ground as he and Downton edged Middlesex closer to victory.
He brought up his century off just 73 balls and went on to help Middlesex win the game – falling for 117 after being caught by Alan Wells off the bowling of Garth le Roux.
This knock unsurprisingly saw Butcher go on to win the 1987 Walter Lawrence Trophy for the fastest century of the season in England.
All-in-all, he scored 16,920 runs for the Club – including 17 centuries. He also took 346 catches and was awarded a benefit year in 1989 – 10 years after he was awarded his county cap.
He played for Suffolk a year later before calling time on his career.
