JAMES Tomlinson believes Hampshire will need to up their intensity in division one.

Tomlinson has taken 143 wickets at 25 apiece during Hampshire’s three seasons in the LV County Championship’s second tier.

But after finishing with 6-48 against Glamorgan in Cardiff he is looking forward to the top-flight challenge.

“It sounds terrible because you should play all of your cricket with intensity, but that’s what it comes down to in the end,” he said. “There are some really good teams in the first division with some cracking players.

“Teams like Yorkshire – who we know quite well – play with that intensity over long periods. That is the difference.

“Every session counts in the first division. The pressure cranks up and some teams crumble.

“I wouldn’t say there is a divide, because the top few teams in division two are good teams too.

“Essex showed that towards the end. They got their act together and they showed what they can do.”

Tomlinson, one of several survivors from the team relegated under Dominic Cork in 2011, added: “It’s been a three-year project and we’ve worked extremely hard to go up.

“We haven’t had enough, especially in the bowling department in the past two years, but we’ve signed really well.

“Matt Coles gives 100 per cent every time he bowls and came away with 40-odd wickets.

“We also had a brilliant overseas player in Kyle Abbott, and Chris Wood gave us momentum and energy towards the end of the season.

“Everyone has chipped in.

“Our batting proved to be strong again.

“We saw six hundreds in the last three games, three players got 1,000 runs and Michael Carberry would have got there as well if he hadn’t got injured.”