Surrey skipper Mark Butcher has admitted the start to the new Liverpool Victoria County Championship season has been his toughest period as captain.

The 34-year-old watched his side record three straight defeats to open their Division One campaign - the club's worst start since the championship began.

But a rain-affected draw with Warwickshire thanks to centuries from Mark Ramprakash and Jon Batty, followed by last week's draw at champions Sussex has put the Brown Caps back on an even keel.

Trinity School old boy Butcher smashed 179, his first century of the summer, in a 403-run stand with Ramprakash (266 not out) at Hove to bring a smile to the former England international's face.

The Croydon-born veteran had targeted a tilt at the championship title after romping to the Division Two trophy last season - suffering only two losses in the process.

And Butcher, who has delivered a timely reminder to the England selectors over his credentials, believes it is still a possibility despite the slow start.

"It has been a challenging time. I have never been in a position as captain where we have been losing regularly," he said.

"In the 30 or 40 championship games I have skippered, I think I have only ever lost once or twice, so to do it three times in three games was new to me.

"By no means are we out of it yet, but losing has to stop. There are so many points on offer for a win, so if we put two or three together the position can change dramatically."

Butcher's return to form has sparked a relative upturn in the club's championship fortunes, alongside Ramprakash's continued run blitz.

Surrey have tempered their form in the four-day game with a blistering start to their Friends Provident Trophy campaign, which saw them set a new one-day world record in piling up 496-4 against Gloucestershire last month.

The club have tinkered with the line-up for the shortened version of the game with some success, but Butcher acknowledges part of his job is to instil a squad ethos to produce consistent performances in all competitions.

"Players don't have to be best friends, but as captain you have to trust them to trust you, when the chips are down, to haul the team out of there," he added.

"Everybody has to want everybody else to succeed and that is what makes a good team.

Surrey host Kent in the championship and Essex in the Friends Provident Trophy at Whitgift School next week, and Butcher is hoping the change of scenery will help continue the recent revival.

"I think we have won every time we have played there so, if the captain wins the toss once in a while, you never know what may happen," he said.