Rising to the Challenge by Roland Butcher & Bridgette Lawrence

Rising to the Challenge (Cricketer's Autobiography in Dust Jacket)

The First Autobiography of Roland Butcher, the First Black Cricketer to Play Test Cricket for England

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Rising to the Challenge
• Authors: Roland Butcher & Bridgette Lawrence
• Publisher: Pelham Books / Stephen Greene Press, London
• Publication Date: 1989
• ISBN-13: 9780720718751
• ISBN-10: 0720718759
• Edition Details: First published 1989.
• Binding: Publisher's green cloth boards with an illustrated, photographic dust jacket.
• Physical Format: Octavo hardcover, 176 pages. With photographic plates.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Boards: The green cloth boards are clean, with sharp corners and a straight spine. The page block edges are lightly toned.
• Interior: The text block is clean and tight, with no markings seen. The pages are lightly toned, with slight cream colouring to the end of the text block.
• Provenance: No inscriptions, bookplates or stamps. The printed dedication reads: 'For my Grandmother, Marie Stuart, and my Aunt, Olga Butcher'.
• The Dust Jacket: Present and protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover. The jacket is clean and bright with glossy lamination, and the spine and back panel are clean. The flap carries the About the Author text.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published in 1989, Rising to the Challenge is the autobiography of Roland Butcher, who played for Middlesex for sixteen years and became the first Black cricketer to play for England. It was written with Bridgette Lawrence and covers his career up to 1989.

Butcher recounts his life in English and West Indian cricket, including his Test experiences, the 1981 season and the pressures he faced along the way. Born in Barbados and settled in England from the age of thirteen, he offers a personal view of a pioneering sporting career.

A collectible copy for those who follow the history of the game, the Caribbean contribution to English cricket and the story of Black sportsmen in Britain.

Author Profile: Roland Butcher

Roland Butcher was born in Barbados in 1953 and came to the United Kingdom at the age of thirteen. He played county cricket for Middlesex and was the first Black cricketer to play for England. In 1987 he won the Walter Lawrence Trophy for the fastest century of the season, measured by balls faced.

He retired from professional cricket in 1990 and later took up coaching. His later memoir, Breaking Barriers, published in 2025, continues the story told here.

Roland Butcher autobiography · first Black cricketer to play for England · Middlesex cricket memoir · Rising to the Challenge Roland Butcher · 1989 cricket biography first published · West Indian cricket book