Sheffield Cricket Lovers' Society Year Book 2020

9 www.sheffieldcricketlovers.org.uk at the crease SPEAKERS 2018-19 BY ROGER ALLUM What would the current England selectors give for an opening batsman of Alan Butcher’s ability? A consistently strong performer for Surrey and latterly Glamorgan, he was rated by Mike Brearley as ‘one of the country’s top three players of fast-bowling’. And yet he played in only one Test – against India at the Oval in 1979. When he walked out to bat on the first day of the match, the chairman of selectors, Alec Bedser, pulled him to one side and said, “Don’t do anything stupid”. Alan took him at his word and by the time he was out he had scored 14 runs in 30 overs! Speaking at the Society’s Pie and Pea Supper at the Copthorne Hotel, Alan said his disappointing performance at the Oval was overshadowed by the fact that another Butcher – Roland – was picked ahead of him for the 1981 West Indies tour with a batting aggregate that was half his 1,760 for the 1980 season. Alan may not have won over the Test selectors but his son, Mark, most certainly did, winning 71 caps. When Alan captained Glamorgan against Surrey in a Sunday League match in 1991, it was the first time that a father and son had played against each other in a competitive game involving two first-class counties. And Alan was pleased to report that his team won the match! He could also celebrate being named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. During his 21-year career Alan faced some of the fastest bowlers the game has ever seen. His personal memories of Michael Holding wreaking havoc in his Lancashire and Derbyshire days are still vivid: not a fielder in sight in front of the bat; a run-up that started just in front of the sightscreen; and an opening partner (Grahame Clinton) who was more than happy for Alan to face the music when ‘Whispering Death’ had the ball in his hand. Special mention was also made of his long-time Surrey teammate, Sylvester Clarke, whose quick arm and steepling bounce were the nemesis of quality batsmen the world over. Alan recalled how Sylvester would target back-pedalling tailenders with unplayable balls as punishment for not staying in their crease! In the Q & A session, Alan said that the secret of playing bowlers with unorthodox actions (such as Mike Procter and Les Taylor) was to focus on the release point of the ball and ignore the extraneous arm-flailing; captaining Viv Richards at Glamorgan was an absolute pleasure and a confidence booster; and his three-year stint as Zimbabwe’s coach was a gamble worth taking, as he relates in his book The Good Murungu?: A Cricket Tale of the Unexpected (2016). Father & son run-in - or out! 1 November 2018 Alan Butcher Former cricketer/coach Alan Butcher