Harold Cotton (cricketer)

Harold Norman Jack Cotton (3 December 1914 – 6 April 1966) was an Australian cricketer who represented South Australia in first-class cricket from the late 1930s to the early 1940s, taking 76 wickets in 25 matches as a fast bowler. He is primarily known for twice being no-balled by Andrew Barlow for throwing.

Cotton made his first-class debut against Tasmania at the Adelaide Oval in March 1936 in the match where Don Bradman set the Adelaide Oval first-class record of 369. He played his first two matches under the Test umpires Jack Scott and Arthur Richardson and was passed for his bowling action. The following season, 1936–37, Cotton was playing in a match against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield. Cotton was once no-balled for throwing by Barlow, who was standing at square leg in the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). It was Cotton's third match at first-class level.

Cotton took his best innings haul of 5/49 in a match against Queensland at the Gabba in November 1939.

Cotton had made more than half of his appearances at his first class career and was passed multiple times of Scott and fellow Test umpire George Borwick four times before he again crossed paths with Barlow at the MCG in December 1940, again against Victoria. Barlow called him again. Cotton's last first-class match was against New South Wales in February 1941. Cotton had never been no-balled for throwing in district cricket in Adelaide, so the two no-balls called by Barlow were the only two made against him for throwing. Cotton's no-balling spanned four years, the longest span of any bowler in senior cricket in Australia.

See also

• List of cricketers called for throwing in top-class cricket matches in Australia
• List of South Australian representative cricketers

References

• Whimpress, Bernard (2004). Chuckers: A history of throwing in Australian cricket. Adelaide: Elvis Press. p. 60. ISBN 0-9756746-1-7.