title: John Cotton (cricketer)
text: # John Cotton (cricketer)
  
  John Cotton (born 7 November 1940) is a former English cricketer. He was a right-arm fast-medium bowler and tail-end right-handed batsman who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire between 1958 and 1969.
  
  Cotton was born in Newstead, Nottinghamshire. He made his first-class debut for Nottinghamshire in 1958 at the age of 17 years and 181 days.
  
  Cotton took his best first-class bowling figures in 1967 for Leicestershire against the touring Indian team, when he "utterly demolished the tourists' batting in just over two hours", finishing with 9 for 29 and dismissing the Indians for 63. He took three wickets in four balls for Nottinghamshire against the touring South African team in 1960, and took a hat-trick on the first morning of Leicestershire's match against Surrey at The Oval in May 1965.
  
  