My School Sport: Mark Butcher (19 Aug 1998)
Where did you go to school
19-Aug-1998
19 August 1998
My School Sport: Mark Butcher
By Gareth A Davies
Mark Butcher, the Surrey and England opening batsman who was Man
of the Match in the fifth Test at Headingley, reflects on his
early career
Where did you go to school? I went to Cumnor House School in
Purley from the age of five to 13 and after that, Trinity School
in Croydon.
Did other well-known sportsmen attend your hool? Alistair Brown,
the Surrey batsman, my brother Gary, and the Wasps wing Shane
Roiser.
Did you enjoy your schooldays? Yes, up to a point. Cumnor House
had very good sports teachers, one of whom was Steve Kember who
played football for Crystal Place and Chelsea, and managed
Crystal Palace. My father, England cricketer Alan, was also
there. He used to take football in the winter, and Steve would do
the cricket in the summers.
Which sports did you play at school? All of them, but mainly
football, cricket, rugby and athletics. I represented Croydon at
football a few times, and played for a Sunday youth side for five
years, playing mainly in central midfield. Up to the age of 14, I
had aspirations to take football further, but with the switch to
Trinity, where they didn't play football, it took a backseat to
cricket.
What was your most memorable cricketing performance at school?
Playing for the under 15 side at Trinity. I scored 150 batting,
and then came on to bowl and finished with nine for 12.
How did your cricket career progress? I started in the school
under 11 side when I was seven and played for Surrey under 11s
through to under 19s, and was always an all-rounder. I spent most
of the school summer holidays with my brother, Gary, at the Oval
when my dad was playing for Surrey. The choice of career
certainly wasn't a shock to our parents. Surrey offered me a
contract at 17.
Who were your sporting heroes as a child? Cricket-wise, Ian
Botham and a lot of the West Indian cricketers -Michael Holding,
Larry Gomes, Viv Richards. In football, Kenny Dalglish. I
supported Liverpool when I was younger, but since I never saw
them at Anfield I learned the error of my ways and switched to
supporting Crystal Palace. I also admired the decathlete Daley
Thompson.
Were you academically inclined? Not as much as I should have been
- cricket always held sway. I got five GCSEs then packed it in.
Your advice to schoolchildren interested in pursuing a career in
sport? Manage your time as regards sport and academic work - I
didn't. You can't guarantee getting to the top of your
profession, so my advice is enjoy your sport, work hard at it,
but at the same time also put the effort into your academic work.
Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)