Originally from County Durham, wicketkeeper Richard Coughtrie was first spotted by Gloucestershire director of cricket John Bracewell when playing against the county for Oxford Brookes University. He had made his first class debut for Oxford MCCU in 2009, but as cricket began to take precedence over his studies after he signed a two-year contract with Gloucestershire in November 2010 he reduced his semesters to allow him to be a full-time member of the county's squad.

Coughtrie's opportunities were initially limited by Jon Batty's presence in the squad. Coughtrie took the chance to make runs for Gloucestershire's Second XI, scoring several half-centuries in both Trophy and Second XI Championship matches, including 74 against Glamorgan in the final match of the 2010 season.

Batty's decline in form saw Coughtrie become the first-choice wicketkeeper in four-day cricket from the latter half of the 2011 season. Against Glamorgan in September of that season he equalled the record for catches in an innings for Gloucestershire with six victims at Bristol. He joined Jon Batty, Jack Russell, Barrie Meyer, Andy Wilson and Harry Smith who all share the record.

He has worked closely with Russell, honing his technique and earning high praise from the legendary 'keeper, who gushed that the young Coughtrie had "a wonderful mixture of natural talent and strong dedication". Russell is a fitting mentor for Coughtrie, who remembers watching his wicketkeeping hero on television as a child. As a keeper, his particular strength lies in standing up to the stumps to spinners and medium pacers.
ESPNcricinfo staff