Career
All five brothers played first-class cricket in New Zealand. Arthur made his first-class debut for Canterbury in 1865-1866, and remained in the Canterbury team for every match for eight seasons. First-class cricket in New Zealand in the first few years consisted entirely of the annual match between Canterbury and Otago, which began in 1863-1864.
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 1868-1869 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, 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 next fifty was scored in 1871-1872 by George Savile of Canterbury.
Cotterill"s record score was beaten when Charles Corfe of Canterbury made 88 against Otago in 1874-1875, when Canterbury made 354, also a record. The first century was not scored until 1880-1881, when George Watson, also of Canterbury, scored 175.
In his last match a few weeks later, he kept wicket for the only time in his career. Cotterill was admitted to the Bar in 1873, and appointed Crown Prosecutor in Napier in 1877, a position he held until his death from pneumonia in 1902.
He was a prominent cricket administrator in Hawke"s Bay.
He had three sons, all of whom played first-class cricket in New Zealand. He was succeeded as Crown Prosecutor in Napier by another cricketer, Hugh Lusk.
