Geelong Cricket Club veteran Hayden Butterworth plays 300 club games for the Cats
A Geelong cricketer has looked back on the most intimidating spell of bowling he ever faced from a former Test firebrand.
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“I’m going to f---king kill you, Butters.”
It was early 2013 at Kardinia Park and former Test quick James Pattinson, on the comeback trail from injury, had smoke coming out of his ears.
Bowling for Dandenong against the Cats in Victorian Premier, Pattinson had been sledged by a local supporter, who had reportedly put a few beers away by this point, early on day one of the Round 16 match.
Butterworth, then in his early 20s, who was the next batter in and was keenly watching the scene unfold, feared the booze-fuelled encouragement would only fire up the Victorian firebrand.
“He thought he’d give some free advice to Jimmy Pattinson, it was along the lines of no wonder we can’t win a f---king Ashes,” Butterworth recalled.
“(Pattinson’s) got white line fever like no other.
“A nice guy off the field, a complete psychopath on the field.”
Unfortunately, for the Cats’ top six that day, the barb would poke the bear as Pattinson then marked out a full run up.
Taking a wicket a few balls later, Butterworth was suddenly the next man in to face the assault.
“We’d played a bit of cricket together at this stage,” Butterworth said.
“I was walking out and he said to me: ‘I’m going to f---cking kill you, Butters’.
“He proceeded to bounce me the next three overs, that was one of the most intimidating times I’ve ever had on a cricket field.
“If we’re talking intensity, he’d be right up there.
“He still gets them through these days, even though he’s got an extra 25kg on him and he’s doing it for the fun of it.
“He was out for blood (that day).”
Cruising at 1-64, after the early loss of now national assistant coach Andre Borovec, the Cats would be skittled for 153 with Pattinson taking three including Butterworth’s scalp — going looking for the supporter after stumps.
More than a decade on, Butterworth can laugh about it now, as he looks back on 301 club match for the Cats, bringing up the milestone against Carlton on Saturday in a T20 fixture at Princes Park on Saturday.
In that time, Butterworth has pounded more than 8000 runs – with 11 hundreds and 43 fifties – while taking 187 wickets with the best figures of 6-63.
There’s also been a Jason Bakker Trophy – a prize he won upon his return season to Geelong after two summers at Footscray – a place in the 2019-20 Premier Team of the Year and a then club record 262-run stand with Mitch Reid, in November 2018.
Apart from two seasons with Footscray in 16-17 and 17-18, Butterworth has been a Geelong stalwart since making his debut in fourth grade in early October, 2005.
He compiled 66, also against Carlton in a nice bit of symmetry.
“I remember making 60 odd, I thought this is pretty easy, I’ll be up the grades in no time,” Butterworth said with a laugh.
“That was a bit of childish ambition I would have thought.”
However, Butterworth would grow into a first grade mainstay who’s quirky connections to Carlton would continue over the years.
Curiously, he said a losing grand final to the Blues by three wickets in April, 2019, despite making 9-409 batting first (Butterworth contributing 75), remained a career highlight.
“I don’t think we could have done too much more,” he said of that losing decider.
“Everyone knew their role that day and played a pretty faultless day, we just got outgunned by a few guys who were pretty much state players (Evan Gulbis 148 not out).”
Butterworth said with the Cats seriously in contention a few times in his career, the dream of a flag had kept him coming back for nearly 20 years.
“I think that’s been the reason why I’ve hung around the club as long as I have,” he said.
“I’ve always selfishly wanted to be part of the first team which won a premiership for Geelong.
“If we’d won the premiership (against Carlton) ... we might not be having this conversation.”
However, it’s not been a completely perfect marriage, with Butterworth shifting to Footscray in 16-17 in a last shot bid to make it as a professional cricketer.
“I was kind of at the crossroads (at Geelong), being an aspiring professional cricketer and I felt at the time there were a few things going around the club which was taking me away from that,” he said.
“It was a good time to actually take a bit of a break from the Cats, give it one more decent crack.
“I learned a lot of life lessons with moving to a new club, meeting new people and understanding all the external pressures that you put on yourself when you do that kind of stuff.
“I didn’t come off as planned but not everything does I suppose.”
Butterworth said a flag this season would be the icing on the cake, mindful of not standing in the way of several players primed to start their first grade careers, like recent debutant Henry Melville.
“I need to be more realistic about the club ... think about what they need,” he said.
“It’s been like a second home for me.
“For now the passion’s still there, I enjoy playing with guys as young as (Oliver Peake).”
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