Roland Orlando Butcher
Freedom of the City of London,Head Coach UWI, UEFA Licensed Coach, International Cricketer,West Indies Senior Men’s and Youth Selector, Cricket Commentator
In 1980 Roland Butcher became the first black West Indian to play One Day International Cricket for England. This was followed in 1981 with him also becoming the first black West Indian to play Test Cricket for England. His first Test Match for England was against the West Indies in Barbados the place of his birth, at Kensington Oval.
In his attacking exhibition style twenty year professional career with Middlesex County Cricket Club he scored over 12,000 runs, 17 centuries, winning 6 County Championships and 6 One Day trophies.
Apart from playing the game he loves Roland is also an English Cricket Board Level 3 Coach and played and coached in Australia, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Bermuda and other countries in Europe as a high Performance Coach for the ICC.
Mr. Butcher recently retired as the Head Coach at the Academy of Sport UWI Cave Hill Campus, having been the Director of Sports overseeing the development of all sports, a position that he held for nine years since returning from England in 2004 having resided there for 37 yrs.
Mr. Roland Butcher is a Patron of the Arthur Wharton Foundation, Honorary Patron African Caribbean Enhancement (ACE) Program Charity, Ambassador Big G Sports Global, Director Barbados Football Association, Director Barbados Cricket Association, Barbados Cricket Selector, Chairman of the Sir Everton Weekes Centre of Excellence, Member of Cricket West Indies Cricket Committee, Member of the BCA Cricket Development Committee, BCA Scholarships Committee, BCA Clubs Assistance Committee, and Member of the UWI Cricket Management Committee. He also served as a member of the Barbados National Sports Council Board, Manager and Coach of the Vice Chancellor’s team on different occasions, and Manager of the Barbados under fifteen Cricket Team. In addition to being a Level 3 cricket coach, he is also a U.E.F.A (B) License Football Coach and worked in this capacity for 10 years with Arsenal Football Club and Reading Football Club. For the past 20 yrs I have worked for the BBC, Sky Sports, Talk Sport, Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) the Line and Length Network and Cricket 360 as a cricket and football commentator and analyst, on Regional and International sport. He is also President of the Barbados Royals Girls Cricket Club,Director of Roland Butcher Sports Consultants, Roland Butcher Soccer Academy and Roland Butcher Cricket Academy. He is the co- author of his Biography Rising To The Challenge and Author of Achieving Excellence Caribbean Soccer Coaching Manual.
