While all eyes were on his favoured Australian rivals in the high pressure final, that soon changed as Butler blazed it up.
Butler said he had always wanted to win the Lennox Heads competition after finishing second last year.
"When the final hooter went my heart almost stopped and I was so happy knowing I had won," he said.
It has been a stunning year for the pint-size rider, who took out the boys' under-12 and under-14 divisions in the New Zealand Grommet Series.
He also won an all-expenses-paid trip to the Gold Coast next year to meet his idol Kelly Slater after winning the under-12 and under-14 divisions at the Quiksilver King of the Groms comp at Gisborne's Wainui beach.
Basketball: A teams on court
Both Tauranga City A teams are expected to feature on their home courts at TECT Arena as the region hosts the Basketball New Zealand national under-15 qualifying tournament during the next three days.
Only the top four boys' and girls' teams from the tournament encompassing zone 2, which stretches from Counties Manukau down to Gisborne, will advance to the under-15 nationals in Wellington on October 8-12. Tauranga is hosting the under-13 national championships the same week.
The zone 2 qualifying tournament for the national open premierships will also be held at TECT Arena on August 10-12.
Other u-15 qualifying tournaments will be held this weekend in Auckland (zone 1), Napier (zone 3) and Nelson (zone 4).
Waikato is tipped to dominate the boys' and girls' pools at TECT Arena, with strong competition expected in both grades from Rotorua, Tauranga and Counties.
As well as Tauranga City A in the boys' grade, the hosts will have B team and development team in action. There is a full round of games tomorrow starting at 9am and running through to 7.30pm, and the same on Saturday. Sunday's playoffs start at 9am with the boys' semifinals, with the girls' grand final at 12.30pm and the boys' grand final at 4pm.
Under-15 Basketball NZ zone 2 qualifying tournament pools:
Boys' pool 1: Waikato Gold, Tauranga City A, Counties-Manukau B, Tauranga City development. Pool 2: Rotorua, Counties-Manukau A, Waikato Black, Thames Valley, Tauranga City B.
Girls' Pool 1: Waikato A, Tauranga City, Rotorua, Thames Valley, Waikato B.
Rugby: Lee reappointed
Rotorua's Kevin Lee has been reappointed as Bay of Plenty women's rugby sevens coach for another year.
After his playing days for Waikite, Lee had stints coaching the Reporoa and Rotoiti senior teams. He has also coached the Central Bay senior representatives and Bay of Plenty age-group sides.
He brings extensive knowledge of sevens to his head coach role, having coached his club sevens side and been assistant coach of the Bay of Plenty men's sevens side.
"I have a real enthusiasm for my coaching responsibilities with the Bay women's team and wish to make the Bay a genuine national title contender," Lee said.
"I am particularly excited about the direction of women's rugby with the introduction of sevens as an Olympic sport."
Bay of Plenty has put extra emphasis on developing the women's game, holding talent identification days around the region.
During June, two secondary schoolgirl sevens tournaments, along with senior women's games, were held at the Paengaroa Domain.
The Women sevens development program continues this month with two skills camps. A further step will be the establishment of a women's sevens academy.
On August 19 Lee's Bay women's team will take part in one of three Go4Gold regional tournaments in Auckland against North Harbour, Auckland and Waikato.
