Harold Butler (cricketer)
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 England (ENG) |
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| Batting style | Right-hand bat | |
| Bowling type | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| Tests | First-class | |
| Matches | 2 | 319 |
| Runs scored | 15 | 2962 |
| Batting average | 15.00 | 10.54 |
| 100s/50s | -/- | 0/4 |
| Top score | 15* | 62 |
| Balls bowled | 552 | 56935 |
| Wickets | 12 | 952 |
| Bowling average | 17.91 | 24.44 |
| 5 wickets in innings | 0 | 46 |
| 10 wickets in match | 0 | 6 |
| Best bowling | 4/34 | 8-15 |
| Catches/stumpings | 1/0 | 112/0 |
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Test debut: 26 July 1947 |
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Harold James Butler (born March 12, 1913, Clifton, Nottinghamshire, died July 17, 1991, Lenton, Nottinghamshire) was a fast-medium bowler who was the best bowler for Nottinghamshire during the period on either side of World War II. This period was one of major decline for the county, which fell from over fifty years near the top of the table to one of the lower-ranked counties, largely because the pitches at Trent Bridge were incredibly placid in dry weather and recovered very quickly after rain, so that the spin bowlers upon whom most English counties relied in the 1940s were practically helpless there.
Butler was always expected to compensate for the loss of Harold Larwood to retirement after persistent injuries and the decline of Bill Voce's powers, but although himself a very fine bowler, there was no way he could do the work of two men on such unresponsive pitches. Not nearly as fast as Larwood but similar in pace to Voce, Butler's chief merit lay in his accuracy and ability to move the ball off the seam, which allowed him to make the most of even slight help from the pitch. He could also vary his length according to the conditions, as shown when he went on his only overseas tour to the West Indies. His physical strength, however, was always very doubtful and he suffered as much as the much faster Larwood from major injuries. Almost certainly his susceptibility to injury on relatively soft English pitches made selectors firmly believe Butler could never last the length of an Australian tour - although from about 1946 to 1950 he was when fit the country's best opening bowler after Alec Bedser.
Butler first played for Nottinghamshire in 1933, when they were devastated by the loss of the previously irrepressible Larwood. He took five for 36 against Yorkshire as that county, invincible for over a year, lost on the first innings. After than, he was in and out of the eleven until 1937, when a superb eight for 15 in a treacherous pitch against Surrey made his place secure. In 1938 he was heading the first-class averages when injury ended his season, and the following year took 105 wickets and came under notice as a bowler of considerable class. However, his career was interrupted suddenly by the war, during which he served in India and played two first-class matches.
In 1946, with England's formidable pre-war pace bowling gone, Butler bowled well enough to be clearly the best man on ability to open with Bedser, but he was judged unable to withstand the rock-hard Australian pitches and was left at home. 1947, however, showed him at his best on some of the most placid pitches in cricket history, and deadly on reponsive wickets at Sheffield and Ilkeston. he was selected for the fourth Test at Old Trafford and bowled superbly even if the pitch was helpful. Although injury kept him out of the Fifth Test at Kennington Oval, Butler took 106 wickets and was perhaps unlucky not to be named a Cricketer of the Year by Wisden. He was chosen to tour the West Indies, but after bowling well in one Test injury and malaria kept him out of the others, and in 1948 he was remarkably ignored for any of the five Tests despite not doing quite as well as in 1947.
Apart from 1950, when his manful bowling brought 95 wickets (and one again wonders how he was ignored for a struggling England side in the Tests), the rest of Butler's career was a succession of injuries, and at the beginning of 1954 he was advised by his doctor to retire.
His career average of 24 and a half runs a wicket may not look outstanding for its time, but Trent Bridge pitches were so placid compared to other county grounds - and recovered so fast after rain in those days of uncovered pitches - that in reality Butler must be judged a really good bowler, deserving of far more than two Tests.
