JAMES Tomlinson is loving life back in the LV County Championship first division – despite losing the opening match to Sussex.

Hampshire’s experienced left-armer took 4-37 with the new ball during an impressive fightback at The Ageas Bowl in the season’s curtain-raiser.

It has whetted the appetite for the rest of the summer after three seasons in division two.

“When we won the second division title at Cardiff people asked what the difference was between the divisions and I said you can sum it up in one word – intensity,” said Tomlinson, who will lead Hampshire’s attack against Warwickshire at Edgbaston tomorrow in the continued absence of Jackson Bird.

“It’s hard to recreate that over three seasons in division two, you do forget.”

Sussex’s pace attack included the first division’s leading bowler of last year in Steve Magoffin as well as new signings Ajmal Shahzad and Tymal Mills, who Hampshire’s batsman reckoned to be bowling at more than 90mph at times.

“It was absolute carnage and has reminded me of 2008-2011 when I was a bit younger, the adrenaline was pumping and I was facing Flintoff here,” continued 32-year-old Tomlinson.

“It’s been a real grind to get back here but I’m loving every minute of it. We’ve shown we’ve got fight and good players. Sussex are a decent and experienced first division team that I think will have a great year. They were really up for it but we fought them hard.

“We showed spirit. We could easily have folded and been chasing a million but were in the game until the final day. It bodes well for the rest of the season.

“I think we’ve shown the fight required. The Sussex game was an unbelievable cricketing lesson for everyone out there. If we play like we have done over the last few days it’s going to be an epic season.”

Hampshire are aiming to bounce back from their 92-run defeat against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. But they are still without overseas signing Bird, who was expected to be fit for the second match after missing this week’s opener with a shoulder strain sustained in a friendly ten days ago.

The good news is that Andre Adams is in the squad after improving his match fitness in taking 2-73 from 15 overs in the Second XI’s three-day defeat against Somerset at Taunton Vale last week.

Brad Wheal, who took 2-38 in the same game, is also added to the team that lost to Sussex. Hampshire are likely to choose between Chris Wood and 34-year-old Gareth Berg, who bowled 39 overs against Sussex in his first game after a year out injured.

Warwickshire were the only team without a game in the first division last week, when their three-day draw against Durham UCCU featured centuries for Ian Westwood and Rikki Clarke.

Varun Chopra is Warwickshire’s new captain following the retirement of Jim Troughton. Warwickshire will be without Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott (England) as well as Chris Woakes, who was ruled out of England’s tour of the Caribbean with a foot injury.

Hampshire (from): J Adams, Carberry, Smith, Vince, Dawson, Wheater, Ervine, Berg, Wood, Briggs, Tomlinson, A Adams, Wheal