Captain Mark Butcher handed the Brown Caps a much needed boost this weekend as he made his first outing of the season.

Playing for his club side in the Surrey Championship Butcher scored an attractive 127 for Old Mid-Whitgiftians as they were defeated by the Old Whitgiftians in the Croydon derby on Saturday.

The game saw Butcher come against former team mates Saqlain Mushtaq, David Ward and Rupesh Amin who are all playing for Old Whits this season.

While Surrey's captain still admits his troublesome knee is not yet fully recovered and elements of the game such as running between the wickets and fielding were a struggle, the innings was his first taste of competitive cricket in almost a year.

"After all the rehabilitation I've been doing since October, getting back out onto a cricket pitch was a fantastic feeling," he said.

"My knee is clearly not yet 100 per cent, but there were no adverse effects after the game, save for some heavy swelling. While it is still an ongoing recovery process, I am hopeful to be able to make my return and lead the team again soon."

Despite Butcher's effort, his side fell short with the Old Whitgiftians scoring the 273 runs required for victory with five overs to spare, thanks to a quick fire century from South African youngster Craig Morrison.

Butcher also contributed in the field, taking a catch to dismiss the OW skipper David Ward for 12.