Alan Butcher

Infobox Cricketer


nationality = English
country = England
country abbrev = ENG
name = Alan Butcher
picture = Cricket_no_pic.pngbatting style = Left-hand bat
bowling style = Left-arm medium pace,
Slow left-arm orthodox
balls = true
tests = 1
test runs = 34
test bat avg = 17.00
test 100s/50s = -/-
test top score = 20
test overs = 12
test wickets = -
test bowl avg = -
test 5s = -
test 10s = -
test best bowling = -
test catches/stumpings = -/-
ODIs = 1
ODI runs = 14
ODI bat avg = 14.00
ODI 100s/50s = -/-
ODI top score = 14
ODI overs = -
ODI wickets = -
ODI bowl avg = -
ODI 5s = -
ODI 10s = -
ODI best bowling = -
ODI catches/stumpings = -/-
date = 1 January
year = 2006
source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/9323.html

Alan Raymond Butcher (born January 7, 1954) is a former English cricketer who is part of a family known for its strong cricketing connections. Although only selected to play for England on one occasion, he was lauded for his skills in First Class Cricket and was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1991. He coached Surrey between 2005 and 2008.

Early years

He was born in Croydon in 1954 and played his earliest organised cricket with Beckenham under-11's. His parents moved to Australia where he spent five and a half of his formative years during which time he played for Glenelg youth team. His performances there won him their Junior Cricketer award for outstanding play and a selection to the South Australia under-15 team. Had his parents stayed in Australia, he would likely have joined the senior side and later been eligible to play for Australia as his adopted country. However, his parents chose to move back to England.

Cricketing career

Alan was a left-handed opening batsman with an aggressive play style and a fondness for hitting shots off the back foot, although he started his career as a left-arm fast-medium bowler.

He started playing for Surrey in 1972 as a bowler, and started opening the batting for them in 1975. He stayed with Surrey for 15 years. When Grahame Clinton joined Surrey in 1979, the two formed a successful and longstanding opening partnership. They shared in 19 century opening stands for Surrey, including one of 277 against Yorkshire in 1984. ["Surrey County Cricket Club First-Class Records 1846-2000, Limited Overs Records 1963-2000", compiled by The Surrey Statistics Group, published by Surrey CCC.]

In 1979 he was picked to play for England against India in a Test match at The Oval but he did not settle and only managed scores of 14 and 20. He was not selected for England again, in spite of the opinion of the then England captain Mike Brearley who rated him one of the top players of fast bowling in the county game, a view supported by many others. During his time with Surrey, he averaged between 1,300 and 1,700 runs each season.

In 1986 Surrey declined to renew his contract and he seriously considered retiring as a cricket player. However, Glamorgan County Cricket Club approached him with an offer of a team place which he accepted. He eventually rose to captain Glamorgan in 1989, before retiring in 1992. He made 22667 runs in first-class matches in 684 innings, with 46 hundreds and a high score of 216 not out. His most productive season was 1990, when he scored 2,116 runs at 58.77. He also took 141 wickets in his career at 38.53, with a best innings analysis of 6/48.

He followed his active playing career with coaching roles at Essex and Surrey. However, he made a surprise comeback as a player for Surrey in 1998 at the age of 44 when injury left them short of players. He scored 22 and 12. Having been the Assistant Coach, he was appointed the chief Coach for the 2006 season. He left his post following Surrey's relegation from the 1st Division of the County Championship in 2008.

Cricket in the Family

Cricketing is a strong tradition in Alan Butcher's family. His two brothers, Martin and Ian, both played first class cricket and both of his sons have gone on to do so. The youngest, Gary, has played for Surrey and Glamorgan. His eldest son, Mark has found fame playing for Surrey and was for some time a mainstay batsman for England, not suffering the one-Test fate of his father. In 1991 Mark and Alan played against each other in a Sunday league match at The Oval. Mark is the current Surrey County Captain and Alan is a former County Coach.

His daughter Bryony Butcher, one of twins, plays for Essex under 15's, Kelvedon and her school, Honywood Community Science School. Her sister, Ceri Butcher, used to play cricket, but is more interested in gymnastics. The twins have won many sporting awards, such as Bryony winning "athlete of the year".

Notes

References

* [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/9323.html Cricinfo profile]
* [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154428.html Wisden Cricketer of the Year article]