Hayes was born in
Auckland. He made his
first-class debut for
Auckland in December 1946. After only two first-class matches, and with the team looking for someone to support the aging
Jack Cowie, he played in a trial match in January 1949 for the New Zealand side that toured England that year. He took five wickets for 73, and was selected for the tour led by
Walter Hadlee. He took 26 wickets at a bowling average of 33 before a groin injury in July ruled him out for the remainder of the tour, playing in none of the test matches.
John R. Reid rated him as the fastest bowler of the 1949 English season. Nicknamed "Haybag", he made his Test debut against
England at
Christchurch in March 1951. He played against the touring West Indies team in 1951–52, but his job obliged him to miss the tour to
South Africa in 1953–54. He played at home again against the touring
English team in 1954–55, and toured to Pakistan and India in 1955–56. He missed playing in New Zealand's first Test victory, against the
West Indies at Auckland in March 1956, and played his last four Tests on the tour to England in 1958, ending his Test career in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford. He was never on the winning side in a Test Match. Hayes was
New Zealand Cricket Almanack's Player of the Year in 1958. He played his last first-class match for the New Zealand Governor-General's XI against
the touring MCC in Auckland in February 1961. ==After cricket==