Cooper made his debut for Staffordshire in the 2001 MCCA Knockout Trophy against the Derbyshire Cricket Board.
[2] In 2001, he made his List A debut against the Worcestershire Cricket Board in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy.
It was however in the 2002 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy that Cooper was to stand out with the ball, taking 11 wickets to emerge as the tournaments leading wicket-taker,[3] despite playing just three matches.
It was in the 1st round match against Hertfordshire that Cooper took his only five wicket haul in List A cricket, taking figures of 5/42.
[6] On 15th Nov 2022 Richard Cooper was included in the England Over 50's team to tour South Africa in 2023