Tasmanian devilment can help Scots put the Lions in a spin

Saltires import ready to fly high after freak plane injury

LUKE Butterworth ventured to Scotland this summer as much for the experience as for the cricket, pursuing a well-worn path for Australians to broaden their minds and their repertoire with a stint in a faraway land.

"All of the cricketers who had been over before told me I'd have a ball," he states. Boarding in Greenock, where he is also playing for the local club, has provided an instant home from home for the all-rounder and his wife.

An innocent abroad, by his own admission, it would have been no disgrace if he had endured a minor mishap brought on by the cultural divergence. Backpacker's Bunion. Tourist Tummy. Instead, Butterworth has sat out half of the Saltires' fixtures to date in the Clydesdale Bank Pro 40 through a freak calamity incurred in familiar surroundings - aboard a plane.

"I was taking a nap when we were flying down to face Surrey and I kicked out at the seat in front of me," he reveals. "My toe caught the metal bit." Blood was gushing everywhere, as he describes for extra effect. Just what you need on the other side of the world. "It was a total freak."

Brought back to earth with a bump, the 27-year-old will look to help Scotland achieve lift-off when they host Surrey Lions at the Grange today. Winless in their initial four games, and with another awkward encounter against Durham in Edinburgh tomorrow, the time has arrived for the team to stem their own bleeding or face the inevitability of another season at the foot of the standings.

The struggles have not been entirely unexpected given the youth of the line-up. However, with old hands Neil McCallum and Fraser Watts reinforcing the squad after enforced breaks, there is little sense of despair. The siege mentality, us against the world, is being fully deployed.

Butterworth is well-used to being among the Us squaring up to Them. A member of the Tasmanian state side since 2007, he acknowledges the chip carried collectively on their shoulders against the established order of the Australian mainland. "Especially against New South Wales and Victoria," he reflects. "They've got a lot bigger population than us to choose from so it's good to stick it to them.

"In Tassie, we enjoy beating the mainland in anything. It's definitely something that drives our cricket team."

It made it all the sweeter when the island state lifted the Sheffield Shield this year for only the second time in the 119-year history of the country's premier first-class competition."We're lucky at the moment in that we've a good group of blokes who all played junior cricket together within two or three years of each other," declares Butterworth, who was man of the match when Tasmania finally broke its duck in 2007. "We're all turning 26, 27, and we're winning things together. Blokes like George Bailey, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus, Tim Paine, we all grew up together. We're doing well, getting championships, and people are taking notice."

Finishing as the competition's leading wicket-taker this year has heightened his own profile. These are dark days for Australia in the wake of their failures in the Ashes and at the World Cup. Rejuvenation seems inevitable. Places are up for grabs. There is an incentive to excel.

This week, the Aussies will finalise their squad for a forthcoming A-team tour to Zimbabwe. Butterworth - along with Bailey, a previous Saltires import - was named in the initial 24-man panel, three years after he failed to shine on his last call-up. "I didn't go that well after that," he confirms. "I had a couple of poor years. But I'm a bit older. I've a bit more experience for going in this time." Earning a baggy green cap remains the ultimate ambition.

A summons on national duty could mean a premature end to his Scottish expedition. He hopes an accommodation can be reached. The sight-seeing agenda remains incomplete, while he is also keen to expand his competency in conditions that throw up quirks distinct to those in his homeland. "The wickets are different to in Australia," he outlines. "That enhances your skills, for batting and bowling. That can only be a good thing."

Without a competitive scalp to his name, this afternoon would be an opportune moment to acquire a taste for the unknown. Surrey Lions breezed to a seven-wicket victory over Gordon Drummond's men two weeks ago at the Oval, fuelled by an innings of 96 from Steven Davies.

It is too soon, Butterworth, claims, to lose faith. "There's been times in the games where we've had chances to win," he underlines. "That's a good sign. We've just not made that step. But it's a big weekend this. Hopefully we can get at least one win and play some really good cricket."

Time yet to collect some worthy souvenirs from the detour overseas.