Butterfield began his senior rugby career with Northampton Saints and played for them 227 times. In addition to his duties at Northampton he also played 54 times for Yorkshire and captained them in two County Championship finals, in 1953 and 1957. He later toured with the
Lions in New Zealand in 1959 but here he was plagued by an injury and was unable to play in any of the matches. Butterfield was influenced as a player by the Bradford Northern Rugby League club whom he used to watch as a child. He used to watch the pre-war international outside half,
Willie Davies. Of him, Butterfield said, "Willie always carried the ball in front of him with both hands. Though he always continued to run straight when he passed. I modelled my technique on his." One of the most memorable features of Butterfield's game was his near-perfect timing of a pass. ==Later life==