To date, there has never been an outwardly cricket-themed task on the hit BBC1 show The Apprentice, but if there ever is to be, Nottinghamshire’s newest signing Francis Moore might be the ideal man for it.

Chichester-born Moore, 18, who has previously played a handful of 2nd XI games for Notts and Warwickshire, has not only been learning how to pursue a cricket career since childhood, but is now due to begin studying business management at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

While he naturally hopes to graduate highly, the figurehead for Moore’s current aim more Rob Lord than Lord Sugar, as he freely admits his choice of institution was based around pursuing a cricketing career.

“The decision to go to university was very much cricket-based,” he says. “We know that Cardiff Met is one of the best in the country for cricket, so that was a big turning point to go there.”

Moore has form for this sort of thing, too. Remarkably, choosing Cardiff was not the first time he had upped sticks to increase his chances of earning a professional cricket deal.

Appropriately for a man born on Christmas Day, he was gifted from a young age, and upon choosing a secondary school, the decision was made for him to attend Millfield in Somerset, around 100 miles from home.

“Having the opportunity to go to Millfield on a sports scholarship was great,” he recalls. “I always wanted to play cricket from a young age, so knowing how good the facilities and the coaches were there was a big factor.

“I grew up in Hampshire and I was part of their squad from under-9s right up to under-18s, so working with all of the coaches there and going through that system was a nice taste of what professional life could be like.

“It was a big commitment, but I knew how much I wanted to play cricket, so it felt like the right thing at the right time.”

Moore has a body of work at ECB Premier League level with Burridge of the Southern Premier League - as well as his Hampshire pathway and previous 2nd XI experience - to back up his dream.

In particular, he recalls one game against Alton in May last year where he claimed best figures of 3/20, but that only tells half the story.

With one over of the match to go, Alton required two runs to win with one wicket remaining, and Moore was thrown the ball.

“One over, two runs needed - and one wicket to win the game!” he laughs, remembering the first ball of his final over that saw Alton number seven Tom South caught behind by Burridge wicketkeeper Ed Molloy.

“It wasn’t the best ball, but a wicket’s a wicket! There were big cheers obviously, and being able to celebrate with all the boys afterwards having won the game, was special,” he says.

In the present, while Moore admits he “did not expect to earn a contract so soon,” with Notts having secured his signature before his first year in the Welsh capital even begins, he knows the possibilities of the opportunity that now stands in front of him.

“Even players like Josh Tongue and Dillon Pennington, who have improved since coming to Nottinghamshire, are a big motivator," he said. 

“I’m really excited to work with Kevin Shine, who is known as one of the best bowling coaches in the country and has done brilliant things with other seamers. Hopefully I can get the same out of it!

“With Peter Moores too, I can try and take as many batting tips out of him as possible, and also lean on his experience to take as much out of him as I can. It’s a huge opportunity.”