Worcestershire batsman Joe Clarke is to leave the County at the end of the season and join Nottinghamshire on a four year contract.

The 22-year-old will make his final appearance for Worcestershire in the Specsavers County Championship match against Yorkshire at Blackfinch New Road beginning on Monday.

Worcestershire CEO Matt Rawnsley said the club “did everything that we could” to hold onto the England Lions player.

However he has opted to move to Trent Bridge three and a half years after breaking into the Worcestershire senior side.

Matt Rawnsley said, “Obviously we’re disappointed that Joe will be leaving us, but I’m very confident that we did everything that we could to retain him.

“Joe wondered if we wanted him to play this next game against Yorkshire. My view was that we would always pick our best eleven and want to win matches, and he should be part of that. It will give him a chance to sign off in the way he, and we want him to, with runs and a win”

Matt Rawnsley added: “We wish Joe all the very best for the future.

“Our goal as a first class county is to produce England cricketers, and I sincerely hope that Joe goes on to play at the highest level”

Clarke is Worcestershire’s leading scorer in the Championship this season and in the Vitality Blast and played a major part in the Rapids triumph in that competition.

He has featured for the Lions for the past three winters and has been strongly tipped in the media to make the senior international breakthrough sooner rather than later.