TALENTED all-rounder Ed Barnard will leave Worcestershire at the end of the season after he signed a three-year deal with Warwickshire.
The 26-year-old rejected the offer of a new contract with the Pears to make the move to Edgbaston and end more than 15 years of involvement with the club.
Barnard’s future has been in doubt since reports of Warwickshire’s interest emerged a fortnight ago. He could be joined at Edgbaston by team-mate and Blast captain Moeen Ali who is also being courted by Warwickshire.
A product of the Pears youth academy, Barnard has been a regular member of the first team for seven years, making more than 200 appearances so far for Worcestershire, scoring in excess of 4,000 runs and taking more than 300 wickets across all formats.
He was part of the club’s success in winning the County Championship Division Two title in 2017 and the Vitality Blast in 2018.
“I will be forever thankful to everyone involved with Worcestershire from back in my academy time to the present day,” Barnard said.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have had the opportunities to represent this terrific Club and develop into the cricketer I am today. I will always cherish the friendships and special memories made on and off the cricket pitch.”
Disappointed club chiefs have reflected on Barnard’s decision to play his cricket elsewhere but head coach Alex Gidman wished him well for the future.
“He has made significant progress in the last few years at Worcestershire and has become an integral part of our team in all formats,” he said.
“Ed wants to finish the season very well with us, and we look forward to enjoying our last few months with him before he moves on.”
Steering group chairman Paul Pridgeon, who first worked with Barnard as a 12-year-old at Shrewsbury School, added: “As a club through our academy, we work hard to help local players get the best out of their ability and are extremely proud of our record in producing first class cricketers.”