Simon Francis, a right-arm fast-medium bowler, made his county debut for Hampshire in 1997 and made a handful of appearances in between Durham University commitments before he moved to Somerset in 2002. He made the most of his move, and in 2003-4 he toured Malaysia and India with England A, having previously been on England Under-17 and Under-19 tours. In 2004 he took the best figures for the county in one-day cricket, 8 for 66 in the C&G Trophy against Derbyshire. But he struggled to hold down a place and was released at the end of the 2006 season. Nottinghamshire offered him another chance and Francis joined the club in May 2007. Like his brother John - with whom he played at Somerset - he also played hockey for England at U-18 level and in his time out of the game took up a career in sales and marketing.
Cricinfo staff May 2007