Sports broadcaster Clare Balding has dedicated her debut novel to the widow of Wales rugby icon Eddie Butler . Butler, who played for Wales 16 times in the 1980s and went on to become a hugely respected commentator and journalist and was for many "the voice of rugby", died suddenly in 2022 while on a charity trek in Peru. The former Pontypool RFC captain and his wife Sue were good friends with Balding, and the broadcaster has now included a touching tribute to the Butlers in her book which is set in Wales. The dedication in the novel simply reads: "For Sue and in memory of Ed". Balding's novel, Pastures New, tells the tale of Alex whose life is turned upside down when she unexpectedly inherits a rundown farm in Monmouthshire . You can read the Walesonline tribute to Eddie Butler here Speaking to BBC Radio Wales the author said: "It's such a lovely place to represent, and it's so easy to write about people who are, by their nature, kind and generous. "I had the first copy of it in my hands and I took it and I gave it to [Sue], and I said 'You might want to look at the beginning and you might want to read the acknowledgements as well'. And we cried, a lot". Read our in-depth interview with Eddie Butler from 2020 Keen-eyed readers may spot references to other Welsh rugby legends in the book with a Welsh Terrier dog called "Jiffy" - the nickname of Jonathan Davies who Balding worked with and befriended while covering rugby league . There is also a lamb named Barry John, and another dog called G, for Gareth, which Balding said "could be Gareth Edwards or Gareth Jenkins - you know, take your pick". Balding said she and Sue Butler did a lots of walking in the Monmouthshire countryside while she was writing the book, and said she also spent time with local farmers to get an understanding of the issues faced by people living in farming communities. She told the BBC : "I hope it reflects how difficult farming life is and how much we should value farmers and what they do to protect our landscape. Also how hard they work, that things are always going wrong on farms and you're constantly firefighting. "It's really, really hard for anyone to break even, let alone make money. So how do you do that if you're not Jeremy Clarkson, coming in with millions already?"