Warwickshire's England batsman Ian Bell has set his sights on a famous Lord's double in tomorrow's Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy final against Hampshire.

Bell, who was the Benson and Hedges Gold Award winner in the Bears' 2002 fivewicket victory over Essex the last time they played in a showpiece final at HQ, is relishing another opportunity to prove what he can do on the big stage.

The 23-year-old middleorder batsman has, like his team-mate Ashley Giles and Hampshire's Kevin Pietersen, been released by England to play for his county between the fourth and fifth Test matches against Australia.

"We had a good time last time at Lord's, and it would be nice to go out and do the same thing again," said Bell, who scored an unbeaten 65 in that win three years ago.

"It is nice to get the chance to go out and play for Warwickshire again, especially in a final like this. The guys have worked hard to get here."

There has been precious little opportunity for Bell to play for Warwickshire this summer, particularly since the intensity of England's Ashes summer kicked in, but he has stayed up to date with the Bears' progress in his absence.

"I've tried to keep in contact with those ( Warwickshire) guys as much as possible and keep an eye on it as much as I can," he said.

"Not to have to think about the Ashes this weekend will be quite a strange feeling. When Ashley and I weren't playing the semi-final all the talk was whether we would be allowed to play in the final. I hope Ash and I will be able to give it our best in the final and try to contribute for Warwickshire."

With the last Test set to start at The Oval on Thursday, Bell says he cannot dismiss the Ashes from his thoughts totally - but he assures Warwickshire supporters that he will have his mind on the job in hand tomorrow.

"Obviously I'm still thinking about the Ashes all the time," he said. "But, as a county cricketer, any time you get the chance to go to Lord's in a final it's big day. The Ashes series has been fantastic - but it won't take away that Ash and I and everyone who plays in the game will be thinking this is a big day."

Bell credits Warwickshire captain Nick Knight and coach John Inverarity - both set to end their stints in charge at the end of this season - as the major contributors towards the club reaching the final. He said: "I think Nick and John have been tactically very good. They've kept things very simple, which is good for us as young cricketers at Warwickshire."

Bell is rightly wary of the threat posed by Pietersen, who can transform the course of a limited-overs match with his dangerous middle-order hitting. Bell said: "Kev's had a great summer and is a fantastic player. I'm sure he'll be out there to smack us to all parts. But we've got some good players as well who, I hope, can combat him."

Many Hampshire hopes --especially chairman Rod Bransgrove - will be pinned on an infrequent appearance from their close-season acquisition. It is 13 years since Hampshire last reached a Lord's final - they beat Kent in the B&H - and Bransgrove can remember lending his support then to his county's great West Indies fast bowler Malcolm Marshall.