There’s no place like home for Fulton
Peter Fulton was so eager to be a cricket head coach, he would have considered moving to another province. Luckily for the former Black Caps opener his perfect job popped up when Canterbury, the only first-class team he played for, advertised their head coaching role.
Fulton will step away after just 11 months as New Zealand batting coach, to guide his beloved Canterbury. The 41-year-old is a Canterbury cricket great, playing 16 domestic seasons, and finishing as the province’s first-class leader in matches (121), runs (8719), catches (128) and matches as captain (66).
The Canterbury job was highly sought after with 30 New Zealand and international candidates featuring on the long-list. Previous coach Brendon Donkers reapplied for the position and impressed, but Canterbury Cricket chief executive Jez Curwin said Fulton was the standout applicant.
When Canterbury advertised the job, Fulton’s interest was piqued and said the chance to be a head coach for a team that was close to his heart was a powerful lure.
‘‘I want to be a head coach. It’s quite different being assistant to being a head coach. There’s quite a difference what you actually have to do and the different responsibilities and everything that goes into being a head coach. That was something I wanted to do,’’ he told Stuff.
Fulton relished his time as Black Caps batting coach with the major highlight being the 2-0 home test series win over a powerful Indian side in February, clinched at his Hagley Oval home in Christchurch.
Fulton was contracted as Black Caps batting coach through to the T20 World Cup in OctoberNovember, which is almost certain to be postponed because of Covid-19. When the Canterbury head coaching job came up it was the ‘‘perfect storm’’.
Spending time away from wife Libby and young daughters,
Hazel, nearly four, and Daisy, one, hadn’t been easy, but Fulton said it came with the territory as an international cricket coach. Being able to spend more nights at home as Canterbury coach was the ‘‘cherry on top of the cake’’.
Fulton is a proud Canterbury man and leading the province’s flagship team in all three forms and overseeing the next generation of talent was appealing.
‘‘If I’d had to go somewhere else to get a head coach role at some stage I think I probably would have done that, but the fact I can do it for the team I played all my career for is a nice feeling.
‘‘I’m also well aware what I did as a player doesn’t count for anything really as a coach. I’ve got a different job to do now. I’m keen to do well because I know how important it is [for
Canterbury to succeed].’’
Fulton is highly motivated to help develop Canterbury firstclass cricketers into future Black Caps and get the province performing strongly across all forms and competing for titles.
Canterbury, by their own high standards, have struggled since Fulton retired after the 2016-17 summer, where the redand-blacks achieved the Plunket Shield and one-day double.
‘‘It has been a little bit lean the last few years, but there’s plenty of talent in the province and there’s plenty of talent coming through in some of the younger kids as well.’’
Canterbury advertised for their assistant coach position this week, previously held by Dion Ebrahim, and Fulton will naturally have a large say in whom they decide to go for.
Fulton hadn’t put a foot wrong in the interview process and wowed the panel with his competitive desire and ambition for the playing group.
‘‘Sometimes you’ve just got to go with the feeling on these things,’’ Curwin said. ‘‘He was the standout applicant in the process and that’s why he got the role. The players have brought in to what he was talking about and saying as well. That’s really important too.’’
Fulton inherits a settled Canterbury squad, boosted by the addition of fringe Black Caps allrounder Daryl Mitchell, who was hungry to do well after moving from Northern Districts.
He confirmed legspinner Todd Astle, who retired from red ball cricket in February, would remain concentrating on the white ball forms, and wouldn’t play Plunket Shield.
Fulton starts in the Canterbury role on August 1.
Peter Fulton