Arthur James Cotterill (22 January 1848 – 3 September 1902) was a New Zealand

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er and lawyer.

Early life and career

Arthur Cotterill was born in 1848 in

Colney Colney () is a village in the western outskirts of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. History Colney's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for 'Cola's' island. Colney is listed in the Domesday Book as a settl ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England. He was the eldest of the 17 children of the Rev. George Cotterill, who became

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. Arthur migrated with his parents to New Zealand, arriving in Lyttelton in November 1851. He and his brothers were all educated at

Christ's College, Christchurch Christ's College, Canterbury is an independent Anglican secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. Founded in 1850 by Reverend Henry Jacobs in Lyttelton as a school for early settlers, ...

. Five of the brothers played first-class cricket in New Zealand. Arthur made his first-class debut for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

in 1865–66, and remained in the Canterbury team for every match for eight seasons.

First fifty in New Zealand

First-class cricket in New Zealand in the first few years consisted entirely of the annual match between

and

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

, which began in 1863–64. Scores had been so low that for the first five years the highest individual score was 28, and the highest innings total was 105. In the sixth match, in 1868–69 at

Hagley Oval Hagley Oval is a cricket ground in Hagley Park in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1867, when Canterbury cricket team hosted Otago cricket team. Canterbury used the ground infrequentl ...

, Canterbury batted first. Cotterill opened the innings, played scoring shots all around the wicket, and made 72 "by a bit of really scientific cricket" before being fourth out with the score on 122 for 4. Canterbury made 211. The match ended in New Zealand's first

draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to: Common uses * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...

when Canterbury, needing 72 to win, were 55 for 7 when stumps were drawn on the second and final day. Cotterill was presented with a bat in recognition of his innings. The next first-class fifty in New Zealand was scored in 1871–72 by George Savile of Canterbury. Cotterill's record score was beaten when

Charles Corfe Charles John Corfe (1843 – 20 June 1921) was the inaugural Anglican Bishop in Korea from 1889 to 1904. Biography Corfe was one of the four "Bible Clerks" educated as an undergraduate at All Souls College, Oxford. After graduating he had ...

of Canterbury made 88 against Otago in 1874–75, when Canterbury made 354, also a record. The first century was not scored until 1880–81, when George Watson, also of Canterbury, scored 175.

Later life

In his second-last first-class match in 1873–74, Cotterill top-scored for Canterbury in each innings, with 20 and 37, but

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

won by seven runs. In his last match a few weeks later, he kept wicket for the only time in his career. Cotterill was admitted to the

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1873. In 1874, he joined

John Nathaniel Wilson John Nathaniel Wilson (1822 – 14 November 1895) was a New Zealand politician. Legal career Wilson was active as a barrister and solicitor in England. He came to New Zealand in 1859 and established a legal practice that year in Napier. He was ...

as a partner and their legal practice was known as Wilson and Cotterill. Wilson retired from the firm in January 1891. In 1877, Cotterill was appointed Crown Prosecutor in Napier, a position he held until his death from pneumonia in 1902. He was a prominent cricket administrator in Hawke's Bay. On 17 May 1877, Cotterill married Julie Moore Stuart, the eldest daughter of Robert Stuart, the first mayor of Napier, at the city's Cathedral of St John. They had three sons, all of whom played first-class cricket in New Zealand, and one daughter. His wife died in 1883. He was succeeded as Crown Prosecutor in Napier by another cricketer,

Hugh Lusk Hugh Hart Lusk (1837 – 8 September 1926) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from the Auckland Region in New Zealand. A barrister and solicitor, he represented the Franklin electorate from 18 January 1876 to 16 April 1878, when he resi ...

.''Bush Advocate'', 5 September 1902, p. 2.

References

External links

Arthur Cotterill
at CricketArchive {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotterill, Arthur 1848 births 1902 deaths New Zealand cricketers Canterbury cricketers People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch 19th-century New Zealand lawyers British emigrants to New Zealand