SHANE WARNE is targeting a sixth win in as many games against Derbyshire tomorrow in his last Hampshire match for four weeks.

Warne & co maintained their 100 per cent start to the season - Hampshire's best post-war start to a campaign - as the professionals avoided a giant-killing in Cheshire yesterday.

Warne sets off for Zimbabwe to join up with the Australia squad after the Second Division championship match against a Derbyshire side that includes his Victoria teammate Jonathon Moss.

And he is determined to leave with a record of played six, won six as Hampshire skipper after his side slumped to 65 for 5 and still beat Minor Counties outfit Cheshire by 89 runs.

That clinched a C & G Trophy third round tie against holders Gloucestershire - who also won the tournament in 1999 and 2000 - at Bristol on May 29.

Warne admitted: "I would have taken five out of five at the start of the year but these games are always dangerous and I was very worried at 5 for 65. They're used to these wickets and they had us on the ropes.

"It could have been out of reach but after a good partnership between Dimi and Will it all went according to plan."

Only the Bank Holiday rain at The Oval has stopped Hampshire from winning under Warne.

"I'm very happy with the way the boys are playing at the moment," added the legendary leg-spinner. "I was disappointed we couldn't play at Surrey, we wanted a ten over slog but it was just far too wet.

"But we've got a very good squad of players together, we're starting to believe that we can win from any position, as we showed against Cheshire, where things worked out pretty well.

"We tried to rush through our overs quickly in case it rained and as it turned out it rained five minutes after the end."

Hampshire play six of their eight championship games at the Rose Bowl in the first half of the season - and Warne reckons that will be crucial. "We've played very well there, the wickets have been excellent, so Derbyshire is a very important four-day game.

"They have two very good overseas players in Jonathon Moss and Chris Rogers but the handy thing is that Michael Clarke's ready to fire. He's going to make some team pay and hopefully it's Derbyshire."

Clarke announced his arrival with a superb 75 in his first championship innings against Durham.

But he was dismissed for nought in the second innings of that match and was also out for a duck in the innings win over Leicestershire.

He managed just two in the Totesport League win against Essex last Sunday, and was out cheaply again yesterday.

Hampshire top the Second Division of the championship after winning their first two games of the season for the first time since 1990.

Those two wins have equalled their seasonal totals from the last two years, and Hampshire will tomorrow go in search of a new county record.

Never in championship history, stretching back to 1885, have they opened up a season with three successive wins.