A company which holds the contracts of Worcester Warriors’ players and some staff has been liquidated in the High Court, meaning players can now depart the club.

The winding-up petition heard on Wednesday concerned WRFC Players Ltd’s unpaid tax bill of approximately £6m, and the result sees the contracts of Worcester’s players immediately terminated.

The club now also expect to have their suspension from the rest of the Gallagher Premiership season and enforced relegation to the Championship confirmed by the RFU.

Players Ted Hill, Ollie Lawrence, Fergus Lee-Warner and Valeriy Morozov have already joined Bath on loan, with others now sure to follow them out of the door having become unemployed, joined by members of staff.

Because they had not been paid for September, all players were able to leave on 14 October, meaning that liquidation has simply brought their departure forward by nine days.

Administrators Begbies Traynor are seeking a buyer for WRFC Trading Ltd and are talking to two consortiums, but any successful takeover will bring with it the urgent task of rebuilding the squad.

Worcester’s matches against Gloucester and Harlequins were cancelled on Monday and while they remain suspended from all competitions, they could be restored to the Gallagher Premiership if a buyer is found by the middle of this month.

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Worcester owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham have become deeply unpopular figures among players, staff and fans for allowing the club to sink into such a precarious position.

The duo have also been mocked for appearing to blame the squad and supporters for the crisis that has engulfed Sixways in an extraordinary statement issued on Friday.

More on how Worcester Warriors’ financial woes unfolded:

17 August
Worcester say their directors are in “continuing dialogue” with HM Revenue and Customs after being issued with a winding-up petition.

31 August
Worcester cancel a pre-season match against Glasgow, casting doubt on their participation in the Premiership season.

1 September
Club cleared to play London Irish in their Premiership opener after heading off a likely player exodus by promising the squad would be paid for August.

2 September
Worcester fly-half Fin Smith demands answers from the club as the squad still waits to be paid. England Under-20 star Smith takes part in a co-ordinated social media campaign in which players and management call for the club to be saved.

5 September
Four Worcestershire MPs – Robin Walker, Harriett Baldwin, Rachel Maclean and Mark Garnier – call for Worcester to be placed in administration.

16 September
Worcester staff call for a change of ownership and express their anger over “continual broken promises” that have left their future in jeopardy.

18 September
Director of rugby Steve Diamond admits the Warriors’ future remains in serious doubt, saying: “There are limits to how many times players or staff can turn out on goodwill without being paid.”

26 September
Warriors suspended from all competitions with immediate effect and placed into administration.

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