Leo Cooper Watson (30 July 1885 – 21 November 1961) was an English-born cricketer. He played one first-class match in New Zealand for Otago during the 1911–12 season.
Watson was born at St Helens in Lancashire in 1885.McCarron, Tony (2010). New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010, p. 136. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 5 June 2023.) His father was a groundsman in the county and the family lived at Salford for a time where his older brother, Harold, played cricket before migrating to New Zealand in 1905.Notes by Long Slip, Otago Witness, issue 2732, 25 July 1906, p. 58. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 19 February 2024.)
Leo Watson followed his brother to the Dominion in 1909, leaving London on the SS TurakinaPersonal notes from London, Otago Daily Times, issue 14680, 13 November 1909, p. 14. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 19 February 2024.) and played cricket for the Carisbrook club in Dunedin before leaving for Wellington the following year.Cricket, Otago Witness, issue 2958, 23 November 1910, p. 60. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 19 February 2024.) By 1911 he was living at Christchurch and playing club cricket for the Sydenham club.Canterbury Association, The Press, volume L, issue 15138, 30 November 1914, p. 4. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 19 February 2024.) His only first-class match was a December 1910 fixture between Otago and Canterbury played at Lancaster Park in Christchurch. Watson scored 10 runs in each innings and did not bowl.Leo Watson, CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
Watson went on to play for and captain the Sunnyside club at Papanui in Christchurch.Papanui news, The Press, volume LXIX, issue 20772, 4 February 1933, p. 4. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 19 February 2024.) He grew tomatoes for a living and died in the city in 1961 at the age of 76.
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