Donald Butcher was an English
squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
player, and the first player to win the
British Open
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
men's title in open play.
Butcher was a professional squash player based at the
Conservative Club
The Association of Conservative Clubs is an organisation associated with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It represents and provides support to the largest association of political clubs in the country estimated at 1,100.
The Associ ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
when he played in the first British Open final in December 1930. His opponent
Charles Read, a former English professional champion, was designated open champion at the initiation of the event, which was a 'challenge' event without any preliminary rounds, with the final played under a best-of-three-legs format. Butcher defeated Read in the first match at the
Queen's Club
The Queen's Club is a private sporting club in West Kensington, London, England. The club hosts the annual Queen's Club Championships men's grass court lawn tennis tournament (currently known as the "cinch Championships" for sponsorship reas ...
9–6, 9–5, 9–5. He then won the second match at the
Conservative Club
The Association of Conservative Clubs is an organisation associated with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It represents and provides support to the largest association of political clubs in the country estimated at 1,100.
The Associ ...
9–3, 9–5, 9–3 to claim the title and make the third match unnecessary.
In 1932, Butcher successfully defended his title against
Charles Arnold, winning the first match at the
Conservative Club
The Association of Conservative Clubs is an organisation associated with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It represents and provides support to the largest association of political clubs in the country estimated at 1,100.
The Associ ...
9–0, 9–0, 9–0, and the second match at the
Bath Club
The Bath Club was a sports-themed London gentlemen's club in the 20th century. It was established in 1894 at 34 Dover Street. Its swimming pool was a noted feature, and it is thought that the swimming pool of the fictional Drones Club (also on D ...
9–3, 9–0, 9–5.
Butcher was unsuccessful in his defence of the Championship in 1933 against
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
ian player
F.D. Amr Bey and similarly unsuccessful in his challenge against Amr in 1935.
Butcher also won the British Professional Championship in 1930, 1931 and 1932.
Butcher was considered a very innovative player in his time. He deviated from the conventional up-and-down-the-wall style adopted by most players in his era, making full use of boasts (shots that come off a side wall before hitting the front wall), lobs, drop shots and reverse angles, as well as cultivating the serve. His lack of stamina during long matches was considered to be one of his main weaknesses, however, and this gave the athletic Amr Bey a key advantage over Butcher on the occasions they played.
He was the first person to make an instructional squash video, which was filmed on the doubles court of St. John's Wood in 1938.
References
External links
Article at squashtalk.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butcher, Don
English male squash players
Year of birth missing
Place of birth missing
Year of death missing
Place of death missing