ALL-ROUNDER George Rhodes will leave Worcestershire at the end of the season to join Leicestershire.

The homegrown 25-year-old ace has signed a three-year contract with Worcestershire’ Specsavers County Championship Division Two rivals.

Rhodes made his senior debut for Worcestershire in a Royal London One-Day Cup match against Yorkshire at Headingley in June 2016.

To date he has represented Worcestershire 46 times across all formats of the game, scoring 745 first class runs with four half centuries.

He was part of the side in last week’s three-day encounter against Australia, is currently a member of the Vitality Blast squad and will continue to play for Worcestershire for the remainder of the season.

Chief executive Matt Rawnsley said: “We would like to thank George for his contribution to the Club and wish him the very best for the future.”

Three generations of the Rhodes family have played first-class cricket, including George’s father Steve and grandfather Billy.

George Rhodes, who also plays for Malvern-based Barnards Green, said it was a “very tough decision” to leave his hometown club.

“I am delighted to be signing for the Foxes,” Rhodes said.

“I met Paul Nixon (director of cricket at Leicestershire) recently and know Matt Mason really well from his time at Worcestershire.

“They sold me the vision of the club over the next few years which I cannot wait to be a part of.

“I like to play a key role in any game of cricket, whether it be with the bat, ball and in the field.

“I am relishing the opportunity across all formats of cricket for the Foxes, and look forward to contributing to the team's success in the future. “I have enjoyed my time at Worcestershire and thank everybody who played a role in my development.

“It's been a very tough decision to leave Worcestershire as a homegrown player, but I feel it is a good time in my career to make the move to Leicestershire.

“I’d also like to thank the staff at Leicestershire and my agent, Andrew Ford, for making this move possible. I look forward to meeting with the rest of the squad and coaching staff.”