NOAH Heward has become the latest Three Pears Academy member to sign his first senior contract with Worcester Warriors.

The 20 year old winger is yet to feature this season due to injury but made his first Premiership appearances during the latter stages of the 2019/20 season, where he featured heavily in wins against Saracens, Harlequins and London Irish.

Heward announced himself by scoring a try on his debut at full-back against Dragons in a European Rugby Challenge Cup match at Sixways in December 2019 and has impressed ever since.

After two years as a member of the Senior Academy at Sixways, Heward will move up to the senior squad at the end of the season, following in the footsteps of Ted Hill, Ollie Lawrence, Andrew Kitchener, Justin Clegg and Nick David in recent years.

“We are absolutely delighted that Noah, another outstanding young home-grown product, has committed his future to the club,” said Warriors Director of Rugby Alan Solomons.

"He is a brilliant young talent, who is equally at home at full-back or on the wing and I have no doubt that, in the fullness of time, he will play for England.

"He will certainly play a critical role in the Warriors’ team in the years that lie ahead.”

Despite the delay to the end of the 19/20 campaign due to the pandemic, it offered the likes of Heward opportunities to play and despite a current hamstring injury, he is excited to return.

“It’s an honour to come through the Academy and get my first contract and move to a first team squad that is full of players who have also come through the Academy,” he said.

“I think we are building something here through the Academy that is going to help us to progress in the future.

“It was really good to get some senior experience – as it was for a lot of players – when we resumed last season after lockdown.

“This season has been frustrating because of a hamstring injury but I am keeping on top of things rugby-wise so that, when I do get back, I can hit the ground running.”

Head Coach Jonathan Thomas has been impressed – and pleasantly surprised – by the progress the winger had made before his injury setback.

“I’m really delighted that Noah has committed his future to Warriors. Before we came in as coaches we had seen a few glimpses of Noah in the Premiership Rugby Shield so we knew he was a talented prospect,” Thomas added.

“He was one of those bolters who surprised us when we first came in. There were a couple of injuries out wide on the wing, we gave Noah an opportunity and he made the position his own.

“Unfortunately he has had quite a serious hamstring injury this season. It’s important we get Noah right because he is going to be an important player for us in the future.

“We are committed to developing our Academy and Noah is one of the players at the forefront of that and who we believe has the ability to go on to bigger and better things.”