{"product_id":"rising-to-the-challenge-roland-butcher-1989","title":"Rising to the Challenge by Roland Butcher \u0026 Bridgette Lawrence","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRising to the Challenge (Cricketer's Autobiography in Dust Jacket)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe First Autobiography of Roland Butcher, the First Black Cricketer to Play Test Cricket for England\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBibliographic Specifications\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e Rising to the Challenge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors:\u003c\/strong\u003e Roland Butcher \u0026amp; Bridgette Lawrence\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pelham Books \/ Stephen Greene Press, London\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1989\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780720718751\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0720718759\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEdition Details:\u003c\/strong\u003e First published 1989.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e Publisher's green cloth boards with an illustrated, photographic dust jacket.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePhysical Format:\u003c\/strong\u003e Octavo hardcover, 176 pages. With photographic plates.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e English\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOfficial Condition Report\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Book:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very Good Plus (VG+)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eExterior \/ Boards:\u003c\/strong\u003e The green cloth boards are clean, with sharp corners and a straight spine. The page block edges are lightly toned.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInterior:\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e No inscriptions, bookplates or stamps. The printed dedication reads: 'For my Grandmother, Marie Stuart, and my Aunt, Olga Butcher'.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Dust Jacket:\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSynopsis \u0026amp; Historical Value\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eButcher 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor Profile: Roland Butcher\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoland 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe retired from professional cricket in 1990 and later took up coaching. His later memoir, Breaking Barriers, published in 2025, continues the story told here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoland 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\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pelham Books \/ Stephen Greene Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58798549762351,"sku":"TCB-000496","price":120.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0458\/5524\/4438\/files\/rising-to-the-challenge00870_cover_1.jpg?v=1794059877","url":"https:\/\/timeless-collectible-books.com\/products\/rising-to-the-challenge-roland-butcher-1989","provider":"Timeless Collectible Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}