New Yorkshire signing Lee Hodgson, a former Surrey all-rounder, has accepted that he cannot expect to walk into the county’s first team straight away.

The club today announced the capture of the Middlesbrough-born 22-year-old, who completed the formalities on a two-year contract on Tuesday.

Yorkshire director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon describes his new player as an “investment for the future”, while Hodgson admits he is a “bowling all-rounder”.

Hodgson said: “I am very pleased to have signed for Yorkshire. It is my home county and it was my dream as a young lad to play for this club.

“I popped in to Headingley on Tuesday to undergo a medical and want to move down as soon as I can as I cannot wait to get started.”

Although not contracted to Surrey, giving him the opportunity to talk to other interested parties, Hodgson spent the second half of last season playing for their second team.

It was a four for 44 performance with his medium-fast bowling and 85 with the bat against Yorkshire seconds at York that alerted Moxon to his capabilities.

Moxon explained: “Lee is someone who impressed us when he played for Surrey’s second team at York last year.

“He is an all-rounder who bowls at a decent pace and he has the ability to score runs. He became available at the end of the season and we regard him as a very good prospect.”

Hodgson played seven second-team games for Surrey and graduated to play two NatWest Pro40 League matches and one County Championship fixture. The right-hander hit 63 on his Championship debut against runners-up Nottinghamshire.

The former MCC young cricketer said: “I certainly wouldn’t expect to walk straight into the first team at Yorkshire but the aim is to cement my place in the first-team squad.

“The club has got a lot of plans for the future and I can’t wait to be a part of that.”

As part of his MCC duties, Hodgson fielded as a substitute in two Test matches for England at Lord’s in 2007 against the West Indies and India. He caught Windies pace bowler Jerome Taylor off the bowling of Steve Harmison.

As well as sorting out a house move down to Leeds, Hodgson will also consider a return to his former club Saltburn, where he played in the North Yorkshire and South Durham League as a teenager.

He admits that playing his first Championship game against Nottinghamshire, who fielded Charlie Shreck, Darren Pattinson, Graeme Swann, Andre Adams, Mark Ealham and Samit Patel, was a step up.

“It was tough but I showed that I can compete at that level, he said.

“Yorkshire have a few very good all-rounders and I will have to compete with Tim Bresnan, Richard Pyrah and a couple of others for a spot.”

Hodgson also scrapped plans to travel to Melbourne for a winter of grade cricket so that he could tie up the move. He will train at Headingley before joining the first-team squad in Abu Dhabi next March.