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Hampshire's line-up for the 2008 season

WRITE us off at your peril - that's the message to other teams and doubters from determined Dimitri Mascarenhas as he leads Hampshire Hawks into a challenging new season.

The Hawks have been given little chance by some experts this year following the retirement of influential captain and Aussie spin king Shane Warne.

However, new skipper Mascarenhas, speaking at the club's pre-season press day on Tuesday at the Rose Bowl, said he and his team-mates are ready to prove the doom merchants wrong.

The England one-day international star said: "We have read about how we are going to struggle this season and it has spurred the guys on in the dressing room. We still feel we have a good bunch of guys that can do well."

He added: "I have learned a lot from Warney, but I will be doing a few things my way. We will still play an aggressive brand of cricket, but we will not have Warne to bowl teams out on the final day. We will have to look to do it another way."

Along with Warne's departure, fellow spin bowler Shaun Udal has moved to division two favourites Middlesex and top seamer James Bruce has quit to pursue a career in the City of London.

However, Hampshire have brought in another Shane to bolster their bowling attack in New Zealand paceman Shane Bond.

Hampshire and England star Kevin Pietersen is backing Bond to do well. He said: "Shane is one of the fastest in the world and one of the few that swing the ball in. He has a very good strike rate and I can see him being as successful as Stuart Clark was last season for us."

The big-hitting batsman - a major target of the new Indian Premier League - is aiming to be in the Hampshire line-up on Friday, May 2, in a day-night game at the Rose Bowl with Somerset in the Friends Provident Trophy.

Bond, meanwhile, made his debut for Hampshire in their opening County Championship game against Sussex at the Rose Bowl yesterday and was among the early wickets.

He said before the game: "I have settled in well here and I am looking forward to sharing the new ball with Chris Tremlett. I am sure we will complement each other."

Opening the County Championship against the reigning champions will prove a stiff test, but it is one new skipper Mascarenhas is ready for. He said: "They are the team to beat and it is always a tough game, but we are looking to get the season off to a good start."

On Sunday, the Hawks - beaten finalists in last year's Friends Provident Trophy - travel to Taunton to face Somerset in their opening group game in this season's competition. All-rounder Sean Ervine is expected to be back in the line-up after recovering from a hamstring injury.

One competition that Hampshire have an added incentive to do well in this season is the Twenty20 Cup as the finals day will be staged at the Rose Bowl.

Mascarenhas said: "The Twenty20 is a competition we have seriously under-performed in so far and it is strange because we have one of the best one-day sides in the country. This year, for sure, we will be trying even harder to make the finals."

At close of play on the first day's play of the County Championship fixture against Sussex at the Rose Bowl, Sussex were all out for 332, with Murray Goodwin scoring 121. Hampshire were 4-1 after five overs with Carberry the first victim, getting trapped LBW by Martin-Jenkins after putting just two runs on the board.

9:27am Thursday 17th April 2008

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