Bob Cottam
Encyclopedia
Bob Cottam is a former English
cricket
er who played in four Tests
from 1969 to 1972. Cottam was a right-handed batsman, who bowled right-arm fast-medium
. The cricket writer, Colin Bateman, noted that "Cottam's ability to bowl sharp seamers or cutters at a reduced pace on turning wickets made him a useful tourist, and his four England caps came on two tours of the Indian subcontinent
".
, Cottam began his career at Hampshire
in 1963 and used his height, stamina and accuracy to good effect with the new ball. He took 100 wickets in a season on three occasions and took 9 for 25 against Lancashire
in 1965. Although ideally suited to English conditions, his only Test caps
came on tours of the subcontinent
, to Pakistan
and Ceylon
under Colin Cowdrey
in 1968/9, and India
and Pakistan in 1972/3 under Tony Lewis
. It was a testament to his skill that he took 14 wickets at 23.35 in his four tests, and he was unlucky to miss out on home selection. He switched counties to Northants
in 1971, his style of bowling evolving to concentrate on remorseless accuracy, and continued to be a prolific wicket taker. He took over a 1,000 first-class
wickets in all, at an average of 20.91. Although skilled with the ball, he was a confirmed tail ender with the bat, recording just one half century in 289 first-class matches.
He turned to coaching after retiring from the playing arena, appointed as Warwickshire
's manager and then Somerset
's director of cricket, before being picked by David Lloyd
to serve as England's bowling coach between 1998 and 2001. He also played minor county cricket for Devon
. His son, Andy Cottam
, played first-class cricket for Derbyshire
and Somerset.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played in four Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
from 1969 to 1972. Cottam was a right-handed batsman, who bowled right-arm fast-medium
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
. The cricket writer, Colin Bateman, noted that "Cottam's ability to bowl sharp seamers or cutters at a reduced pace on turning wickets made him a useful tourist, and his four England caps came on two tours of the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
".
Life and career
After attending school in WembleyWembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
, Cottam began his career at Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
in 1963 and used his height, stamina and accuracy to good effect with the new ball. He took 100 wickets in a season on three occasions and took 9 for 25 against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
in 1965. Although ideally suited to English conditions, his only Test caps
Cricket cap
A cricket cap is a type of soft cap, often made from felt that is a traditional form of headwear for players of the game of cricket, regardless of age or gender. It is usually a tight-fitting skullcap, usually made of six or eight sections, with a small crescent shaped brim that points downwards...
came on tours of the subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
under Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
in 1968/9, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan in 1972/3 under Tony Lewis
Tony Lewis
Anthony Robert Lewis CBE is a former Welsh cricketer, who went on to become the face of BBC Television cricket coverage in the 1990s, and become president of the MCC. Lewis attended Christ's College, Cambridge and played for Cambridge University. He also played county cricket for Glamorgan, and...
. It was a testament to his skill that he took 14 wickets at 23.35 in his four tests, and he was unlucky to miss out on home selection. He switched counties to Northants
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
in 1971, his style of bowling evolving to concentrate on remorseless accuracy, and continued to be a prolific wicket taker. He took over a 1,000 first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
wickets in all, at an average of 20.91. Although skilled with the ball, he was a confirmed tail ender with the bat, recording just one half century in 289 first-class matches.
He turned to coaching after retiring from the playing arena, appointed as Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
's manager and then Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
's director of cricket, before being picked by David Lloyd
David Lloyd (cricketer)
David Lloyd is a former English cricketer who played county cricket for Lancashire and Test and One Day International cricket for England. He also played semi-professional football for Accrington Stanley...
to serve as England's bowling coach between 1998 and 2001. He also played minor county cricket for Devon
Devon County Cricket Club
Devon County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
. His son, Andy Cottam
Andy Cottam
Andrew Colin Cottam was an English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a left-arm slow bowler. He played in 2 Under-19 Tests in 1992 and 13 first-class matches between 1992 and 1996. His father is the cricketer and coach Bob Cottam.In 1990 Andy Cottam started playing for Somerset Second...
, played first-class cricket for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
and Somerset.