William Moule

Infobox Historic Cricketer


nationality = Australian
country = Australia
country abbrev = AUS
name = William Moule
picture = Cricket_no_pic.pngbatting style = Right-hand bat
bowling style = Right-arm medium
tests = 1
test runs = 40
test bat avg = 20.00
test 100s/50s = 0/0
test top score = 34
test balls = 51
test wickets = 3
test bowl avg = 7.66
test 5s = 0
test 10s = 0
test best bowling = 3/23
test catches/stumpings = 1/0
FCs = 9
FC runs = 137
FC bat avg = 11.41
FC 100s/50s = 0/0
FC top score = 34
FC balls = 207
FC wickets = 5
FC bowl avg = 21.19
FC 5s = 0
FC 10s = 0
FC best bowling = 3/23
FC catches/stumpings = 7/0
debut date = 6 September
debut year = 1880
last date = 6 September
last year = 1880
source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/6658.html

William Henry Moule (born January 31, 1858 in Brighton, Victoria, Australia; died August 24, 1939 in St Kilda) was a lawyer, a politician and a cricketer.

Moule's cricket career was short, and though he played a few times for Victoria, most of his first-class appearances were on the 1880 tour of England with the Australian team under William Murdoch. He played in the one Test match of the tour, a hastily arranged match at The Oval which was the first Test in England, mainly because Fred Spofforth was injured; he batted at No 11 and was the sixth bowler tried. That seems to have done little justice to his abilities, for with three wickets for 23 runs he was the most successful bowler in England's first innings and his 34 in Australia's second innings helped in a last-wicket partnership of 88 with his captain that avoided an innings defeat.

Moule had been educated at Melbourne Grammar School and took a law degree at Melbourne University, being called to the bar in 1879 and going into practice the following year. He rose to become a county court judge specialising in insolvency cases, retiring in April 1935, at which point he was the longest-serving member of the bench.

Moule had a short-lived but sensational career as a politician. Standing on a free trade platform in the Victoria state election of 1894, he beat the sitting member, the long-time minister and future premier of Victoria, Sir Thomas Bent. Bent was accused of various forms of corruption, and there had been some difficulty finding a candidate who would stand against him. As a member of the legislature until 1900, Moule chaired royal commissions on law reform and on factory and shop law.

Moule married Jessie Osborne in 1885. His son, Osborne Moule, was killed in the First World War at Lone Pine, one of the main actions of the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign.

External links

* [http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/6658.html Cricinfo article on William Moule]
* [http://www.brightoncemetery.com/HistoricInterments/150Names/moulew.htm William Henry Moule (1858-1939)] Gravesite at Brighton General Cemetery (Vic)