Worcestershire wicket-keeper Joe Clarke is to play grade cricket for South Perth Cricket Club this winter.
Clarke will fly out to Australia in early October and spend five months Down Under before reporting back at New Road on March 1 for his first full season as a fully fledged professional cricketer.
He has enjoyed a successful second half of the 2014 campaign with the county Seconds and scored a county record 222 against MCC Young Cricketers in the Second Eleven Championship.
Clarke also helped England Under-19s whitewash South Africa in a five match ODI series before breaking a finger in the final game at Derby.
Clarke said: "I've got the pleasure of going out to Perth for the winter. I'm playing for South Perth Cricket Club, 'A' grade cricket.
"I've heard a lot of good things about the standard.
"I'll take out with me some of the drills myself and Bumpy (Director Of Cricket Steve Rhodes) will work on now and I'm sure they will be beneficial.
"I fixed it up through my club side and just connections and my older brother went out there last year and they (South Perth) asked if I would go over and be the equivalent of an overseas player.
"It will toughen you up as a cricketer and you gain a lot of experience from the hard nature of the cricket the Australians play. It will be a good contest.
"I'll have a long stint out there and hopefully improve my game."
*Joe will be giving his views on how he has progressed during the 2014 season to the website later in the week.
