SHANE WARNE reckons the key to a second successful season as Hampshire captain is simple - a winning start.

Warne led Hampshire to promotion in a dream debut season as skipper last year, when the county notched five of their nine championship victories in the first two months of the season.

And he is determined for a repeat in the first half of the 2005 campaign - starting against Gloucestershire at the Rose Bowl tomorrow.

Warne said: "One of the keys to last year was the great start we got off to in both forms of the game and we'll hopefully do the same this year.

"Last year we played an aggressive brand of cricket - we were entertaining and our attitude towards every game was that we were going to win.

"We won nine games (in the championship), and should have won 11, but if we have the same win ratio this year we could go all the way.

"We're not going to make any big statements about winning everything - we can't do anything about outside influences like the weather - but we'll go into every game believing we can win it.

"You don't improve by having draws all the time, you improve by putting yourselves on the line and trying to bowl sides out and chasing targets.

"We did that last year, and if we play to our full ability there's no reason why we can't achieve some great things this year too."

Warne played in 12 of Hampshire's 16 championship matches last year, and could play in as many as 11 this season, despite being on Ashes duty for two months.

And this time around there are likely to be a few more difficult selection decisions to make following the arrivals of Richard Logan and Sean Ervine, as well as Kevin Pietersen.

"I'd like to be here for every single game but the guys won most of the games when I wasn't around last year and for the first time in a long time there's a lot of competition for spots, which is exciting.

"Before the start of every season the team that starts often picks itself but that's not the case this year, we've got a lot of ability and the expectations that people have on us from outside the club are pretty high.

"The spotlight's on us, which we'll enjoy, and we'll continue to play the way we've played and grow from last year.

"I'm looking for big things from guys like Jimmy Adams and Michael Brown, who were very good together at the top of the order last year, and my job is to get the best out of every individual.

Warne added: "I love coming back here because of the way Hampshire have embraced me and my family.

"I love the group of players we've got, we're all in together and I enjoy the Hampshire spirit, which is one of the reasons why I've committed to the club for a long period of time.

"And if we're all prepared to make sacrifices and play with passion I'm sure we can achieve our dreams."