by David Harris

Roland Butcher the first black cricketer of West Indian extraction to play for England has written his autobiography in April. 

 The book, which is titled; Breaking Barriers… From Barbados to England and Back, is a chronicle of Butcher’s life.  

Butcher, 71, was born in East Point, St Philip, and spent his formative years in the eastern parish under the guidance of his grandmother Marie Stuart before going to England to join his parents Robert Butcher and Doreen Butcher in 1067 at the age of 14. 

A talented athlete, Butcher chose to pursue cricket over football having played semiprofessional football for Stevenage Town. 

 Butcher joined Middlesex after leaving school, and played with modest success for Barbados during the 1975 Shell Shield season, in 1979, he was fully capped for Middlesex. 

The following year he scored two brilliant match-winning innings two spectacular innings in limited-overs games, for England in the Prudential Trophy, and for Middlesex in the Gillette Cup Final. 

The latter effort clinched a place on England tour to the West Indies in 1981, Butcher made his Test debut in the third Test at Kensington Oval on March 12, the headline in one of the newspapers was “Our boy their bat”. 

Unfortunately, the fairy tale ended there. In three Test against the West Indies fierce fast bowlers, Butcher averaged only 14 with a top score of 31 runs and was dropped at the end of the series and never played for England again. 

Despite his limited career in international cricket, Butcher’ selection had an enormous impact on cricket in England; he broke the barrier and open the door for several black West Indians and non-white cricketers to follow in his footsteps. 

He suffered a horrific facial injury in 1983 when missing a hook against the Leicestershire fast bowler George Ferris, but his attractive batting and superb out fielding continued to give pleasure to the spectators. 

Retiring after a benefit in 1990, Butcher coached several teams including Bermuda and Tasmania; he appointed director of sports and the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in 2004. 

   He also served as a director of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and was also a and the chairman of the Everton Weekes Centre of Excellence. In 2022 Butcher was appointed to Cricket West Indies (CWI) men’s senior and youth selection panels, but his contract was not renewed was in January last year. 

“The book is an educational literacy cricket related initiative for distribution to secondary schools, libraries, universities, and other institutions. It is designed to educate, inspire and motivate with lessons learnt in reaching the pinnacle of my cricket career and maintaining that position as the first black man to represent England in Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket”, Butcher told Advo Magazine. 

According to Butcher the book is more than just his story, it is a celebration of resilience, breaking boundaries, and embracing identity in a world that often challenges both. 

“The book takes readers on a journey starting –starting from my humble beginnings in Barbados, moving to England at the tender age of 14, and navigating the challenges of being the first black cricketer to represent England at the international level. It is a story of determination, adaptation, and breaking new grounds in cricket and beyond”, Butcher said. 

The book examines Butcher’s life in England from a cultural and sociological perspective. 

“I did not just play cricket; I lived through pivotal moments of social change; the book explores how cricket became a platform for cultural representation and my identity as a black Barbadian shaped my experiences on and off the field. Whether you are a cricket fan or not there is something in this book for everyone. It is about overcoming obstacles, staying true to yourself, and the lessons I have learned about leadership, perseverance and growth”, Butcher explained. 

Butcher said the book is not a publication for cricket enthusiasts: “It is for anyone who had to overcome adversity or challenge the status quo. It’s an honest, unfiltered look at my life, my career, and the lessons that can inspire anyone to break their own barriers”. 

He said the book is his way of giving back to cricket, the communities that supported him, and the next generation. 

“My hope is that this book will inspire others to break barriers in their own lives”, Butcher said. 

Breaking Barriers: From Barbados to England…And Back will be released in April this year. It will be officially launched Barbados and Trindad followed by a signing tour in Britian, the Caribbean, and other cricket playing nations.    

Legendary former West Indies cricket captain Clive Lloyd responded strongly to media reports out of Australia, that talks are underway to split Test-playing teams into two divisions.

A report in the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday has suggested that Australia, England, India and the International Cricket Council’s new chairman Jay Shah are in talks to split Test cricket into two divisions so the big three nations can play each other more often.

The report noted that the concept of two tiers in Test cricket was previously floated at the ICC level in 2016, with a model where seven nations would compete in the top division and five in the second rank.

It added that any plan for a move to two divisions in Test cricket would kick in after the end of the current Future Tours Programme in 2027.

However, Lloyd does not see West Indies, currently ranked eighth out of 12 Test teams, recovering if they were confined to a tier two.

However in a regional and international zoom media meeting call yesterday, Sir Clive said the West Indies are already in a very vulnerable situation, adding that the two tier system would make them even.

Lloyd who led the Caribbean team in 125 Tests in which time they became the unofficial world champions, and in 87 One-Day Internationals and back-to-back World Cup titles in 1975 and 1979 said the Windies deserved special consideration.

Lloyd says the West Indies needs special dispensation because for years they were the cash cows for a lot of countries and that must count for something.

He said the West Indies has been in the ICC for nearly 100 years,and perhaps has been the most successful Test team over the years.

And Sir Clive added that West Indies aside, a two tier system would be bad for all smaller Test nations.

He questioned the great financial imbalance in how the world governing body distributes its funds.

He says he is yet to understand how of the ten test playing nations, three are getting 180 million and seven getting 80 million.

Article by David Harris

Chris Dehring is the new chief executive officer of Cricket West Indies (CWI) the Jamaican was selected from a pool of over 50 applicants representing Europe, Australia, India, Afghanistan, and the Caribbean. 

He replaces Johnny Greave who step down from the position in October after seven years.  

A successful businessman and entrepreneur, Dehring is the founder of SportsMax, and the co-founder of Jamaica’s first investment bank Dehring, Bunting, and Golding which grew into a financial powerhouse and was eventually acquired by Scotiabank. 

His entrepreneurial portfolio includes ReadyTV Jamaica’s first digital broadcast service, and ReadyNet the country’s first satellite internet provider. Dehring also served at Cable & Wireless where he was a member of the Senior Executive Membership Team. 

A former chief marketing officer of CWI, Dehring was the managing director and chief executive officer of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2007 in the Caribbean. 

“West Indies cricket has always held a special place in my heart. As a unifying force and a symbol of pride for our region, I am honoured to return to an organisation that holds great significance to our people. Together with the CWI team and stakeholders, I am committed to driving innovation, fostering talent, and reigniting the passion for West Indies cricket, both at home and globally”. Dehring said. 

 His tenure begins on February 1, he will be based at CWI headquarters at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. 

Meanwhile, Darren Sammy has been named the coach for all senior West Indies men’s teams and will take charge of the Test side from April 1. The former West Indies captain was named the white-ball head coach in May 2023, while Andre Coley took over the reins of the Test side at the same time.