Mark Butcher's twentieth hundred for his county and his 31st in all first-class cricket resurrected Surrey after they had sunk to 98 for six upon winning the toss against Glamorgan at St.Helen's in Swansea. David Harrison, the former England A seamer claimed four of the first five wickets to fall, but the visitors ended the opening day in reasonable health - on 316 for nine - after 26.4 overs were lost to bad light followed by rain in the final session.

The Brown Caps were indebted to a seventh wicket partnership between Butcher and Martin Bicknell, who put on 152 in 40 overs to erase Surrey's previous 7th wicket record for this fixture - 127, set in 1983 by Monte Lynch and Graham Monkhouse on the same ground - from the history books.

The visitors opted for a second spinner at the expense of seamer Neil Saker, who played a vital part in his side's undoing of Somerset at Bath. But the opening salvos saw the fast bowling prosper.

Jonathan Batty departed to the fourth ball of the match, his first, when a thick edge flew to David Hemp at gully. Scott Newman fell leg-before to one that Alex Wharf skidded on before Harrison ripped the heart out of the Surrey batting by removing Mark Ramprakash, Alistair Brown and Rikki Clarke in the space of 15 deliveries.

A peach, which seamed and lifted, accounted for Ramprakash, who was closing in on 1,000 first-class runs for the season. Brown's stay, which was as short as it was sweet, ended when he was caught at second slip. Clarke edged a lazy on-side shot to backward point before Wharf got in on the act again by having James Benning caught behind off some extra bounce.

When the hero of Sunday's C&G Trophy match at Bristol went for eleven in the 24th over the visitors found themselves on 98 for six. They even looked in danger of being bowled out for their lowest score in the championship since making just 136 in their first innings at Trent Bridge last July.

But after two hours, in which Harrison and Wharf had bowled unchanged, there was some respite, which Butcher took full advantage of with some savage cut shots in addition to a top-edged pull for six. The veteran of 71 Tests for England reached his second hundred in four championship innings, off 149 balls, with an on driven four off Mark Cosgrove in the 63rd over.

Bicknell made 59 before, trying to angle the ball through point, he was caught in the gully. In four hours, Butcher, who made 230 against Glamorgan at Cardiff the last time he faced the Welshmen, in September 2001, made a chanceless 136, which included 20 fours and that six, before being eighth out, lbw to Robert Croft in the 71st over.

Nayan Doshi's was the only other wicket to fall, when he charged Croft and was snapped up at mid-on by Dean Cosker. Ian Salisbury finished with an unbeaten 31 thanks to some long-handle shots that brought him four fours and a straight six.

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