09/03/2026
A Waikato Valley Cricket Association Life Member, it cannot be overstated how much of an influence Mike Cotter has had on cricket in the northern parts of our region. Mike still actively attending senior club and representative fixtures earlier this season, with a very keen eye on the proceedings.
A right-arm offspinner and left hand bat, Mike represented Thames Valley with distinction from 1960/61 through to 1982/83. In 1967 Mike took 5 wickets for Thames Valley in the famous two day victory over the touring Fiji national side at Paeroa College. In 1970 Mike journeyed with the New Zealand Ambassadors team, taking 6 for 41 to skittle Argentina while also defeating Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, picking up 5 for 51 against Somers Isles (Bermuda) and claiming many wickets against the various southern US states they played. Mike also played several games for King Country/Thames Valley and Midlands/Thames Valley, precursors to the Waikato Valley we know today.
Affiliated with, and representing Paeroa throughout his life, Mike successfully led the charge on a number of projects, including being on the board that drained and levelled land for playing fields, and constructing a pavilion at Centennial Park in Paeroa. In 2016 with Dev Sangha, Mike re-established Premier cricket in Paeroa, although unfortunately senior cricket is again no longer played there. Friends of Mike freely comment on how parochial he was for local cricket, although as time wore on and playing numbers decreased, this sphere of influence naturally increased outside of Paeroa.
2007 saw Mike awarded the prestigious Sir Jack Newman award by New Zealand Cricket for his outstanding service to the development of junior cricket in the Waikato Valley, having coached young cricketers since 1961. The Waikato Valley Premier teams compete for the Mike Cotter Cup, the prized trophy in the district, and a number of his prodigies are still playing key roles in many of our club and representative teams.
On Saturday our Mens side wore black armbands against Hamilton to acknowledge Mike, and we encourage all our club to do so this weekend, along with a moments silence before their matches.
Thank you Mike
