He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler who played for Staffordshire. Archer made his Minor Counties Championship debut the week before his 18th birthday, though he would not make another appearance in the competition for five years. He made his List A debut during the 1984 season, and made a single List A appearance in every season up to 1995, as Staffordshire lost every one of their first-round National Westminster Trophy matches of that period.
A lower-middle order batsman, Archer remained the team"s captain from his second to his final match.