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Brett Hutton
“I stopped thinking about contracts and
just focused on putting in performances
and enjoying playing cricket.The fact that
a two-year deal came at the end of it is
great, but I can’t stop there, my next aim is
to cement myself as a first class cricketer.”
Not one to shirk away from pressure
situations at a time of change in the
Nottinghamshire first team, having lost
experienced heads such as Andre Adams
and Paul Franks in recent times, Hutton
has now become something of a go-to
man.
Tasked with taking wickets and stemming
the flow of runs, often with an older ball,
as well as contributing lower order runs
at crucial points - and backing up his
fellow bowlers with safe hands in the slips
- Hutton has taken on a role vacated by
Franks, his long-time mentor.
The pair formed a close relationship from
their time in club cricket at Farnsfield
and - although they are big boots to fill -
Hutton believes recent improvements in
his game have begun to make him worthy
of the responsibility.
“The ball will only ever stay new for 15-20
overs so the ability to take wickets with
an older version is what can set one team
apart from the other,” said Hutton.
“I have worked hard on methods of
bowling with the old ball with Picky
(Bowling Coach Andy Pick), from finding
a way to get it to move off the seam or just
forcing the batsman to play as often as
possible.
“As for batting, there were a number
of times over the season where I joined
Ready at the crease with him unbeaten
on 50.
“Adding 30 or 40 run partnerships in that
situation frustrates the opposition and can
take the score up to 350 and secure more
bonus points.
“With the way we operate as a team, more
often than not going into the game with
four seamers, batting is a key part of my
role at number eight in the order.
“Fielding in the slips is always going to
be nerve-wracking as you don’t want to
drop one, especially for a fellow bowler,
but it is a lot better than grazing down at
fine leg and only being needed every now
and then.
“I feel like a completely different cricketer
from 12 months ago. I have got more skills
that I did this time last year.
“I have found a bit of extra pace, I am
bowling from taller at the crease and
generating more bounce, whilst my
technique with the bat has tightened up
a lot. I look more like a proper batsman
rather than someone who can hit a few
boundaries early on before getting out for
20 off ten balls.”
Hutton enjoyed a number of fruitful
partnerships with bat and ball throughout
his breakthrough season, most notably
with his fellow young bowlers Jake Ball
and LukeWood, with the homegrown
trio garnering over 100 first class wickets
between them.
However, it was his combination with
Read that produced one of the most
memorable moments of the season against
Durham, a show that was stolen by the
wicketkeeper-captain but also marked a
major breakthrough for the all-rounder.
“It was unreal to be involved in Ready’s
1,000th dismissal,” said Hutton on finding
the edge of Paul Collingwood’s bat.
“For him to reach that landmark is a
monumental
effort.Tobe part of just
a handful of those catches is a brilliant
memory.
“The whole match against Durham was
a bit of a blur, it ended up being a dream
fixture for the stage I was at in my career.
Getting a five-wicket haul isn’t something
that comes round easily and I wasn’t
expecting it to happen in my first proper
season.
“Backing up my maiden five-for in the first
innings with a second, career-best, haul
in the next innings was brilliant. Not just
that, being able to contribute to winning a
game we had no right to win was a special
moment.
“The whole season has been better than I
could have ever expected. I don’t think I
could have done much more with the ball,
to come away with the amount of wickets
I did in the games I played (he took 37 in
nine matches) was pleasantly surprising.”
The 2015 season has been a year in
which Hutton’s cricketing education has
advanced at a rapid rate.
“I stopped thinking
about contracts and
just focused on putting
in performances
and enjoying playing
cricket.“