Born On This Day: 14th December

David ‘Butch’ White, was born in Sutton Coldfield in1935. He was the archetypal fast bowler in physique, attitude and performance. He played cricket for various Warwickshire sides in the early 1950s, then, while on National Service, was seen by Hampshire and invited for a trial in 1957, his first-class debut v Cambridge University.

He established himself as Shackleton’s opening partner in 1960 with 124 wickets at 19.10 and passed 100 again in 1961, contributing significantly to the Championship title success, including 7-61 v Nottinghamshire at Southampton. In his career, there were five half-centuries with a best of 58* v Essex at Portsmouth in 1963, and he liked that ground with its fast, hard pitches and the heaviest of rollers, taking 9-44 there v Leicestershire in 1963.

On their way to the title in 1961, Hampshire won another crucial game at Portsmouth in August. Following a frustrating draw v fellow challengers Middlesex, they met Sussex in the second match of the traditional ‘week,’ and very late on the second evening, in autumnal weather, ‘Butch’ took a hat-trick, had a man dropped from the fourth ball, got him at the end of the over and Sussex closed on 179-8 – Hampshire won by six wickets. In the following season, he went to Hove and took a second hat-trick.

‘Butch’ White should have been a serious candidate for Test selection but his only taste came in 1961/2 when he toured India and Pakistan, struggled unusually with injury, and felt he was not well-handled. He was only in his mid-twenties, but with four Test wickets at 29.75 his England career was over.

This was at least to Hampshire’s advantage as they went through the 1960s with their finest pace trio of Shackleton, White & Cottam. In 315 first-class matches for Hampshire he took 1,097 wickets at 23.36 - only five men have taken more - and in 52 limited-overs matches, he took 90 wickets at under 20 each and an economy rate of 3.68. In 1972, he went to Glamorgan for one season, playing in eight limited-overs matches. John Arlott (1979) said of him that “he can only play cricket one way – as hard as he can”. He died in Pulborough, Sussex in 2008.

Also today: Alfred Ridley (1884/5), Southampton & Arsenal footballer Don Roper (1947), and Martin Thursfield (1992-1996)