Nottinghamshire today signed Yorkshire's 31-year-old left-arm spinner Richard Stemp on a two-year contract.

Stemp, who was offered his release from Yorkshire at the end of last season with a year of his contract still to run, is the first player to be brought to Trent Bridge since South African Clive Rice took over as manager of Nottinghamshire.

Rice, who revitalised Nottinghamshire with his captaincy during his playing days, said: "Stemp is a lad with a bit of fire in his belly and desperately wants to win.

I need that in my players if we are going to pull things round here. He is a fighter and a winner and I am sure he can make a big impact with us."

Stemp said: "I am a very ambitious person and still have high hopes of playing Test cricket one day. I feel Notts can give me the opportunity to fulfill that aim. Spinners get better as they get older and I am confident that I still have the best years of my career ahead of me.

"It came as a bombshell when I was told by Yorkshire that I could leave. I was the first non-Yorkshiremen born in this country to be brought into their first team and from day one I was made to feel like a foreigner, but I already know a lot of the Nottinghamshire lads and will easily settle in."

Stemp is captain of Nottinghamshire Bulldogs indoor cricket team during the winter and several Notts players are in the side.

In his six seasons with Yorkshire since joining them from Worcestershire, Stemp captured 241 first class wickets at an average of 35.50 runs apiece and in the AXA League he managed 67 dismissals at 29.52. It was a somewhat disappointing record for a bowler with such a fine action who was twice included in the England Test squad.

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