Peter Fulton is on his way to Lord’s. The former New Zealand opener, 47, has agreed a three-year deal to become Middlesex’s head coach and is expected in St John’s Wood before pre-season begins.
He fills the vacancy left by Richard Johnson, who departed in June after a stuttering start in both the Championship and the Blast. Dane Vilas steadied the ship for the rest of 2025, guiding the side to fourth in Division Two and a One-Day Cup quarter-final, but the club wanted a permanent appointment in place well ahead of April.
Fulton arrives with a tidy coaching résumé. Since 2020 he has run Canterbury, lifting the Plunket Shield in his first campaign and taking back-to-back Ford Trophy titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25. His current side sit second in the Shield and top of the one-day table. Several of his players have stepped up to the Black Caps on his watch, a detail Middlesex see as relevant to their own pathway plans.
“I am delighted to be joining Middlesex Cricket. I have always followed county cricket and wanted an opportunity to be a part of it,” Fulton said. “The club has a rich history, and I can’t wait to arrive and get to work on building a cricket team of which the club and supporters can continue to be very proud of.”
Director of cricket Alan Coleman, who led the search, added: “I am delighted to be welcoming Peter to Middlesex Cricket, and I look forward to working closely with him over the coming years.” He described Fulton as “an ambitious, exciting and hugely talented coach, with a demonstrate proven track record of success in New Zealand domestic cricket with Canterbury. Along with this, he has helped produce a number of Black Cap players from his teams – with producing international players a key ambition of the club over the coming seasons.”
Off the field Middlesex still have hurdles. The county remains under ECB special measures after financial mis-steps and is defending a legal claim from former chief executive Richard Goatley. A fresh face, the thinking goes, might help shift the narrative back to cricket.
“I’d like to thank Canterbury Cricket for allowing an early release of Peter’s contract to allow him to join us for pre-season training. We look forward to welcoming Peter to Middlesex Cricket and Lord’s,” Coleman said.
For Fulton, 23 Tests between 2006 and 2014 provide international pedigree; for Middlesex, three seasons feel like a reasonable window to turn potential into silverware.
