Breaking Barriers – Barbados to England and Back

May 1967 – “Boy this is cold.” Were the first thoughts of a 13-year-old Roland Butcher stepping off the plane in England from Barbados for the first time.

Little did he know then, the young Butcher would go on to become the first Black player to represent his newly adopted country in Test cricket, alongside finding a love for a new sport entirely.

‘Breaking Barriers – Barbados to England and Back’ documents the fascinating and inspirational life of Roland Orlando Butcher, who writes with honesty, warmth and humour as he opens up about life beyond the pitch and the adversity he had to overcome.

Born in Saint Philip, Barbados on 14 October 1953, some 16 miles from the country’s capital Bridgetown, ‘Buffy’ grew up in a ‘tough environment’ cared for by his paternal grandmother and auntie.

Growing up playing cricket, living an outdoor lifestyle, swimming every day, Butcher had to adapt to a completely new way of life when he moved to England in 1967.

“England was only something you heard about, it was a totally different way of life. In Barbados every bit of free land was used to play cricket and here they played this weird game called football – which I found a love for and still do to this day.”

Butcher would go on to play semi-professional football for Stevenage and earn his coaching badges alongside Brendon Rodgers, eventually ending up scouting for Arsenal and with his own football academy in the Caribbean.

Meeting up with his family for the first time in 12 years, Butcher found it difficult to adapt to the new life in England.

“Those were strange times because I had to get used to a new family as well, I hadn’t seen my father for a long time, I went in 1967 and he left in 1955. I went into a new household with two sisters and two brother who were born in England who I hadn’t met, which wasn’t easy because Barbados was my home and it took a while to adjust.”

Enjoying a First-Class and List A career that spanned 548 games across 17 seasons and included more than 17,000 runs, Butcher represented Middlesex and played for Tasmania as an overseas. However, it was his England debut that would bring the headlines.

“There were a lot of people in opposition to me playing for England as a Black man but on the other hand there were more people that were in support of me, the negative publicity was in the minority, I was embraced by 99% of the country but it made no difference to me, as a child I had an ambition to be an international cricketer and that came true.”

Finding out about international selection didn’t come in the most obvious of ways for Butcher, as he details in the book.

“It’s seems ridiculous now, but back then it was the norm. The treatment of players wasn’t very high on the agenda then. I was practising at Lord’s and my wife called me saying, ‘Is it true I’d been selected for England?’ I said ‘No, I don’t think so, I’m at Lord’s, I’d be the first to know.’ My father then called around 6pm asking the same question and it wasn’t until I watched the evening news that I found out I was selected.”

In 1981, Butcher made his Test debut for England in the country of his birth at Bridgetown, Barbados in front of his friends and family.

“It was so exciting playing in front of them, that was a great feeling playing against the West Indies – the best team in the world. But a lot of excitement went out of that game when our assistant manager Ken Barrington passed away. That very much brough cricket into perspective as we’d lost a member of our team and a good friend.”

Butcher’s debut was historical in that he was the first Black man to play Test cricket for England, which is something that he didn’t really think about at the time.

“I never really saw it in that light but then when you look back I think it became more significant with what I had achieved with people calling me a trailblazer and it made me think maybe I’ve done something here that will inspire people to believe in themselves and show that colour isn’t a barrier to success.”

A year earlier in 1980, Butcher made his ODI debut against Australia at Edgbaston, breaking a record by scoring the fastest ODI half century off just 36 balls and the fastest ODI fifty by a debutant – a record that stood for an incredible 41 years.

“That game against Australia was very exciting for my whole family, playing with Boycott, Gooch, Gatting and Botham against that incredible Australian team was brilliant and having that record for so long was a very proud moment.”

With contributors ranging from Lord Botham, to Mike Brierly, Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Desmond Haynes and Sir Gary Sobers, the 71-year-old is thankful to everyone that made this book possible.

“It was time to tell my story, I was prompted by Dr Sasha Sutherland, a former student of mine, to write the book, I consulted a few people and then asked her if she would help me write it, I think she was a bit gobsmacked but she has done a fantastic job. All the people that have contributed have known me very well over the years so it makes me happy that they were willing to pen something for my autobiography.”

Following retirement Butcher has coached cricket and football, was the director of sport at the University of West Indies and has continued to help support young sportspeople fulfil their dreams. He continues his work as an Ambassador for the Ace Programme and served a year as a selector for the West Indies men’s side.

Butcher received the Freedom of the City of London in 2022, was awarded the Three Lions pin badge in the England men’s dressing room in 2024 and later this year will be inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame.

But for the extravagant shot-making batter the book was more than just an autobiography, he wants it to inspire and help the next generation for years to come.

“This is a blueprint for any person who has got to break down barriers to achieve what they want. People will see what I went through and hopefully be able to take heart from that. I want the book to live on long after me as a teaching tool for aspiring individuals, for anyone who aspires to be really good at something and can use my journey as a way of achieving what they want in life.”

You can buy ‘Breaking Barriers – Barbados to England and Back’ at Waterstones by clicking here.