Jeff Butterfield

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jeffrey Butterfield, England, British and Irish Lions, Northampton & Barbarians Rugby player and businessman. (Born Heckmondwike, Yorkshire - 9 August 1929; died Wicken, Northamptonshire 30 April 2004.)

Butterfield married Barbara Kirton in 1956 and they had one son, Giles. Butterfield was educated at Whitcliffe Mount Grammar School, Cleckheaton. After school Butterfield attended Loughborough College where he took a B.Sc. in Physical Education in 1951 and he later took up a teaching post at Wellingborough Grammar School in Northamptonshire. After Wellingborough, Butterfield became a science master at Worksop College and began his senior rugby career with Northampton Saints. He played for Northampton 227 times.

[edit] His Rugby playing

Butterfield is considered to have been one of the most gifted centres to have played Rugby for England. One of the most memorable features of Butterfield's game was his near-perfect timing of a pass.

As well as playing for Northampton and England, Butterfield is celebrated for his play on the British Lions' tour of South Africa in 1955 where he scored tries in three of the four matches. He later toured with the Lions in New Zealand in 1959 but here he was plagued by an injury and was unable to play in any of the matches.

Butterfield was influenced as a player by the Bradford Northern Rugby League club whom he used to watch as a child. He used to watch the pre-war international outside half, Willie Davies. Of him, Butterfield said, "Willie always carried the ball in front of him with both hands. Though he always continued to run straight when he passed. I modelled my technique on his."

In addition to his duties at Northampton he also played 54 times for Yorkshire and captained them in two County Championship finals, in 1953 and 1957.

He was capped by England in 1953 against France; here he played with a fellow Northampton player Lew Cannell. Butterfield played for England for 6 years, including 28 successive matches – in his final season he was captain. Butterfield became England's most capped back, and on his watch, England won:

• the Five Nations' Championship four times,
• two Triple Crowns and
• a Grand Slam.

[edit] In retirement

After retiring from fulltime Rugby Butterfield briefly worked the paint industry and later opened the Rugby Club in Hallam Street, London, which he and his wife, Barbara, ran for 25 years. Butterfield and his family also enjoyed skiing. His later years were dogged by ill health.