SHANE Warne believes his Hampshire players can keep the county on course for TWO titles while he recovers from his broken hand.

Hampshire skipper Warne and first-team manager Paul Terry have yet to decide who will stand in as captain for the back-to-back championship games at the Rose Bowl against Somerset, which starts at the Rose Bowl tomorrow, and Yorkshire.

The Hampshire Hawks also take on totesport National League rivals Lancashire Lightning at the Rose Bowl before Warne returns, possibly in time for the final Twenty20 group game at home to the Kent Spitfires on July 15.

Hampshire are third in the county championship second division with two games in hand, and second in the National League.

Warne said: "After these two games we'll be at the halfway stage and if we win the next couple of games we're in real good shape to make a run at winning both titles.

"We've played extremely good cricket. Last year we only won one (championship) game until the last game of the year against Derbyshire, and the last game of the year is the last game of the year.

"But I'm not giving myself any credit. I don't think it's got to do anything with me - it's to do with the group of guys that is sick and tired of underachieving.

"We've got a talented squad, there's no doubt about that. It's just a matter of getting everyone to start delivering consistently.

"I tell players when it's their turn to bowl and make the odd field placement, but if the guys don't want to do anything about their form and work hard to become the best player they can and play with intensity it won't happen."

Victory against Somerset would give Hampshire five championship wins, which was enough to get Gloucestershire promotion last year.

But Hampshire will need at least ten to secure the second-division title - so Warne will not stand for a repeat of this month's capitulation at home to Nottinghamshire.

He added: "We've had two bad performances. One was the Notts game here, where we lost in a couple of days, and the other was the one-day game against Essex, which was very disappointing.

"That was a poor performance but having said that, we bounced back straight away both times and to beat Essex in two and a half days was an excellent win, it shows the boys have got some character.

"We didn't have a crisis meeting after those defeats, but we said a few home truths to a few people as a squad and they responded well.

"I couldn't have asked for a lot more; when you play so much cricket you're going to have the odd bad game here and there.

"It's about how you respond and the guys showed a lot of character."