SCRUM-HALF Luke Baldwin has been frozen out by Bristol after signing for Greene King IPA Championship rivals Worcester Warriors.

Baldwin is the second Bristol player to be told to leave the Ashton Gate outfit with immediate effect after agreeing to join Warriors at the end of the season.

Bristol’s director of rugby, Andy Robinson, says the 24-year-old former Saracens man will have no further part to play in his club’s promotion challenge.

Warriors are one point above Bristol at the top of the Championship table — and the two teams are expected to be battling it out for the one promotion spot in the end-ofseason play-offs.

Warriors are well stocked in the scrum-half department reached the 2013/14 Championship play-off final and made 25 appearances.

Baldwin said he was ‘incredibly excited’ about joining Warriors and beginning the next chapter of his career at a club with ‘a very bright future’.

He has also written an open letter to Bristol’s fans to explain the reasons behind his departure.

He said: “Having witnessed the progress of the club (Worcester) this season it is obvious there are some very successful times ahead and I cannot wait to be part of those.“

But Bristol chief Robinson said he was disappointed not to have re-signed Baldwin, who was dual registered with Bedford Blues from 2011 to 2013.

with Jonny Arr and Charlie Mulchrone vying for the firstteam spot and Jean Baptiste- Bruzulier having captained the Cavaliers and played a big part in Worcester’s British and Irish Cup campaign.

Worcester also have teenage scrum-half George de Cothi, who has been involved with the club since he was six years old.

Warriors director of rugby Dean Ryan said: “Luke is an ambitious young player who possesses the hunger to continue his rugby development within a competitive environment.”

Baldwin was an integral part of the Bristol side which Robinson said: “I understand his frustration this year of not getting a starting place but I think he had been working hard and there was potential for an opportunity for him in the next couple of months.

He has seen it differently and, similar to Andy Short, he has signed with Worcester. “ Baldwin is being made available for loan until the end of the season.

Robinson said: “We can’t hide away from this — Worcester are our biggest competitor and I have made the same decision that I have made with Andy.

“This is high stakes and you need everybody who is fully on board and desperate for this team to be successful.

“We are not about taking any risks — we need