The 31-year-old claimed his maiden 10-wicket bag with six for 65 in the first innings and four for 46 in a Plunket Shield match at the Queenstown Events Centre on Saturday.
Butler is the competition's leading wicket-taker with 36 wickets at an average of 23.52 and was also a key man in the Otago side which won 10 games in a row to claim the twenty/20 title. On Friday he was named in the Black Caps twenty/20 side, after a two-year absence from the side.
He was travelling yesterday and could not be reached for comment. But Otago coach Vaughn Johnson said the seamer was right at the top of his game.
''Butts is in the form of his life,'' Johnson said.
''He was huge in this game.''
Johnson said part of his success was down to good maintenance. The medical team at Otago cricket have kept on top of any niggles and Butler has worked extremely hard at his fitness. That has allowed him to run in with confidence and bowl with tempered aggression.
Butler has always been able to bowl a heavy ball, which hurries up batsmen, but it has been his consistency which has stood out. He has pitched the ball in better areas and been able to sustain pressure for longer.
''He has a lot of belief and confidence at the moment and his length and line has been consistent all season. He is in a role in the four-day where we figure out our attack around him,'' Johnson said.
''Once you starting stringing together some dots, the opposition start taking the odd risk and that is where Butts has been brilliant. He has just made sure that when he comes on to bowl that he has been nice and tight and the rest of the guys have picked up on that.''
Butler helped set up the win with his fourth first-class five-wicket bag in the first innings.
Sam Wells made a triple breakthrough at the top and Butler tore through the middle and lower order, to help dismiss Northern for 217.
Opener Hamish Rutherford, who was also named in the Black Caps twenty/20 team, whacked 162 from 187 deliveries to help the Volts reach 319 in reply.
Northern Districts clawed its way back into the match through half centuries from Brad Wilson and Daryl Mitchell. Wells trapped both players lbw and Butler and Neil Wagner mopped up the tail, leaving Otago to chase 126 for victory.
Aaron Redmond steered his side to victory with an unbeaten 56.
Otago has now won 11 consecutive games of cricket. Otago drew with Central Districts in a first-class game at the University Oval which finished on December 20. Three days later, the team got its remarkable winning streak under way, with a comprehensive 82-run win against Wellington in a twenty/20 game at the same venue.
In all formats this summer, Otago has won 14, drawn three and lost two games.
The Volts are in second place in the Plunket Shield, with 95 points from eight games. Central Districts leads with 108 points from eight games. The other four sides have a game in hand but in all likelihood the title will be won by either Otago or Central.
Otago's next match is against Auckland, at the University Oval, beginning on February 14 and its final game is against Wellington, at the Basin Reserve, the following week.
Central travels to Rangiora to play Canterbury and then hosts Northern Districts in Nelson.
Central Districts dismissed Auckland for 151 in its second innings to secure a 191-run win on Saturday. Leg spinner Tarun Nethula was the hero with six for 55 from 13 overs. It was his fourth first-class five-wicket bag. Gareth Hopkins top-scored for Auckland with 43.
Canterbury held off a valiant charge by Wellington to win by 20 runs at the Basin Reserve yesterday, APNZ reported. Wellington began the day 13 without loss, in pursuit of 384 for victory. At 159- for five it did not look like it would make a good go of the chase but Grant Elliott (91) and Harry Boam (66) added 100 runs for the sixth wicket.
When Elliott went, it was left up to Boam and the tail to get Wellington home but Boam was trapped in front by Ronnie Hira for 66 and Wellington's chances of victory evaporated.
