Northampton Saints have confirmed that Cornish Pirates scrum-half Tom Kessell will join the club in the summer.

The 25-year-old has made over 100 appearances for the Championship outfit since 2011.

Kessell recently signed a short-term deal with Bristol that will see him move to the West Country side for the end-of-season playoffs.

"Joining the Saints is a fantastic opportunity for me," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "I'm really looking forward to working with the calibre of players that the club's already got. Hopefully I'll be able to develop as a work in progress, take any opportunity that I can get, and be the best that I can."

Northampton opened up a nine-point lead at the top of the Aviva Premiership table on Saturday with a 21-13 win at rivals Bath.