Cottrell attended Kingston Grammar School before going up to St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He won a Blue for hockey at Cambridge University and also played for Cambridgeshire,[1] but was more prominent as a cricketer, playing for the university side from 1966 to 1968 and captaining the team in 1968.
Cottrell was principally a medium-pace bowler. He took 20 wickets at an average of 38.80 in 1966 and 18 at 43.72 in 1967.[2] His best season was 1968, when he took 22 at 25.36, including his best figures of 4 for 31 in his final first-class match, against Oxford University.[3] He was the team's most effective bowler, but gave himself only 163 overs in 12 matches.[4]
He sometimes scored useful runs in the lower order. His highest score was 81 against Nottinghamshire in 1967[5] when, after Cambridge were 69 for 6, he and Chris Pyemont added 142 for the seventh wicket at better than a run a minute.[6] Later that season he made 50 in an hour against the touring Indian team.[7]
Cottrell played for Surrey Second XI from 1966 to 1970. In their 17-run victory over Warwickshire Second XI in 1967 he took 4 for 2 and 5 for 48.[8] He also played a few games of Minor Counties cricket for Cambridgeshire in 1976.
Cottrell became a school teacher. He taught at Stowe School, where he was housemaster of Cobham House from 1990 to 2000.[9]