John Cockett

John Cockett was a middle-order batsman who forced his way into the Cambridge University side late on in his final year (1951) and cemented his place with 43 in his first match, 71 in his second and then 121, against Sussex, in his third. He won his Blue that year but picked up a pair in the Varsity match. He played one more first-class match, for Minor Counties against the Australians in 1953, again recording a pair, although he made 40 for Somerset in a trial match in 1954. He went on to play for Buckinghamshire for more than a decade. Cockett really excelled at hockey, winning Blues in 1950 and 1951 and making his England debut as a half-back while still at university. He represented Britain in the 1952 Olympics when they beat Pakistan to win bronze and also in the 1956 Melbourne games where they lost the bronze-medal play-off to Germany.
Martin Williamson