Edward Mulcock


Edward Mulcock was a New Zealand cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Canterbury [cricket team|Canterbury] and Otago between the 1936–37 and 1943–44 seasons.
Ted Mulcock was born at Christchurch in 1909 and educated at Christchurch [Boys' High School]. A tall, medium-paced in-swing bowler with an "easy" bowling action, he became the third bowler to take a hat-trick in the Plunket Shield when he took 8 for 61 for Canterbury in Otago's second innings in December 1937. In his next representative match a few days later, he took 6 for 53 in Wellington's first innings. Despite Mulcock's bowling figures, Canterbury lost both matches.
Mulcock played in a total of 12 first-class matches, nine of which were for Canterbury. He made his first-class debut in December 1936, playing in a fixture which started on Christmas Day against Auckland at Lancaster Park, Canterbury's home ground. He played in all three of Canterbury's fixtures in the Punket Shield during the season and was also selected for a combined Canterbury and Otago side to play the English [cricket team in New Zealand in 1936–37|touring MCC side] in March 1937. He played in all of Canterbury's Shield fixtures for the following two seasons, taking 44 wickets for the side in his nine representative matches for the province.
During World War II Mulcock served in the New Zealand Army. He played some wartime cricket, appearing twice in minor matches for a Combined Services XI against Canterbury and once for the provincial side against an Otago XI. In February 1943 he played a first-class fixture for a South Island Army side against North Island Army, taking two wickets in the match. His final first-class match was for Otago
against Canterbury at Lancaster Park in December 1943. Despite Mulcock's five-wicket haul in the first innings of the match, Otago lost by an innings. In total, he took 55 wickets in first-class matches at a bowling average of 22.43 runs per wicket. Generally batting last in an innings, he scored 47 runs with a highest score of eight not out.
Mulcock worked as a teacher, working away from Canterbury for five cricket seasons in the early 1930s. He retired in 1974, having been the headteacher of Banks Avenue primary school in Christchurch for 18 years. He played club cricket until he was more than 65. He died at Christchurch in July 1994 aged 85.