Mark Butters has been one of the competition’s leading wicket-takers for St Patrick’s this season after crossing from Ferntree Gully. Picture: KYLIE ESLER
MARK Butters has been a revelation since arriving at St Patrick’s from Ferntree Gully near Melbourne this season.
The reserved right-arm quick has let his bowling do the talking and it has been working.
After nine rounds Butters, 31, is third in the competition’s wicket takers with 17, including two five-fors.
But the Charles Sturt University student isn’t resting on his laurels.
“I’ve been going not too bad but a few more wickets would be nice,” he said.
“It’s been terrific playing here so far.
“It’s good cricket and a good bunch of fellows.”
A former work colleague of Butters first introduced him to the Border last year by way of a mutual friend — Patties bowler Kane Arendarcikas.
He has since moved to Wodonga with his girlfriend, who hails from Beechworth, and has started to do a primary school teaching degree.
Playing on turf rather than the Ferntree Cricket Association’s synthetic surfaces has been a nice change for Butters.
So, too, has the Border traffic.
“I can’t stand going back to Melbourne now because of the traffic,” he said.
In his first year on the Border, Butters has slotted right in, not just with Patties but the competition’s representative teams too.
He was crucial in helping CAW through to the semi-final of SCG Country Cup but missed the history-making semi-final win to attend a funeral.
Butters would love to play in the SCG final but admitted that was up to coach Trent Ball.
“I hope I can play, I haven’t spoken to Bally so I might have to get in his ear,” he said.
“Taking out the final would be great, I think Tonky (team skipper James Tonkin) said it was a bucket-list job.”
Captain Heath Naughton said Butters had bolstered the team’s chances of doing just that.
“He’s been fantastic for us,” Naughton said.
“He’s getting reward for effort and has been putting the ball in the right areas.”
Naughton said, if he knew Butters, he’d be raring to go this weekend against East Albury.
“He doesn’t say much, he just goes about his business,” he said.
“But on Saturdays he’s always keen to do well.”