Former Somerset opener Neil Edwards joined Nottinghamshire wth a brief to establish himself as a reliable run scorer at the top of the order.

His signing was the result of a renewed effort from Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell to improve his side’s top order in LV County Championship cricket after a string of fruitless pairings in 2008 and 2009.

Edwards was a revelation in the 2007 LV= County Championship, scoring 1039 runs, but suffered a dip in form in 2008 and didn’t feature in four day cricket.

The tall left-hander was schooled by Marcus Trescothick and Justin Langer at Taunton and will draw on years of advice and observations having stepped out of their shadow.

Edwards’ sharp dry humour quickly endeared him to his new team mates and he made an early season 85 before a broken hand curtailed his season.