John Cockett

{{Short description|English field hockey player and cricketer (1927–2020)}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = John Cockett

| image =

| country = England

| fullname = John Ashley Cockett

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1927|12|23|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Broadstairs, Kent, England

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|2|16|1927|12|23|df=y}}[https://www.felsted.org/news-events/posts-page/~board/of-news/post/in-memoriam-john-cockett John Cockett's obituary][https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28611/28611.html Cricket Archive: John Cockett]

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling =

| role = Batsman

| club1 = Cambridge University

| year1 = 1951–1953

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 8

| runs1 = 311

| bat avg1 = 23.92

| 100s/50s1 = 1/2

| top score1 = 121

| hidedeliveries = true

| catches/stumpings1 = 3/–

| date = 16 November

| year = 2022

| source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28611/28611.html CricketArchive

}}

John Ashley Cockett (23 December 1927 – 16 February 2020) was an English sportsman who was an Olympic bronze medal-winning field hockey player for England and Great Britain. He also played first-class and minor counties cricket.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/lists/102/manual |title=Olympians Who Played First-Class Cricket |work=Olympedia |accessdate=28 July 2020}}

Cockett was born in Broadstairs. He attended Cambridge University and won his Blues at both cricket and hockey. As a cricketer he was a middle-order batsman while his hockey was played as a half-back.{{cite web|url=http://content.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/11207.html|title=John Cockett| publisher=Cricinfo}} He made seven first-class appearances for Cambridge University in 1951 and made a century against Sussex in Worthing to help set up a 137 run win.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28611/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by John Cockett| publisher=CricketArchive}}{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/19/19791.html|title=Sussex v Cambridge University 1951| publisher=CricketArchive}} From 1949 to 1962, Cockett regularly played in the Minor Counties Cricket Championship for Buckinghamshire.{{cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/6/6533.html|title=Worcestershire v Surrey 1904| publisher=CricketArchive}} On leaving Cambridge Cockett became a master at Felsted School, where he taught mathematics and coached cricket and hockey.Alumni Felstedienses 12th edition 2000

At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Cockett was a member of the Great Britain hockey team, which won the bronze medal by defeating Pakistan 2–1. He played his club hockey with Chelmsford Hockey Club.{{cite web|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=oxfshlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS151998139&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|title=OUR HOCKEY CORRESPONDENT. "Hockey." Times [London, England] 27 May 1952|work=The Times}} He narrowly missed out on another medal in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics when his side finished fourth after losing 3–1 to Germany.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/john-cockett-1.html |title=John Cockett |publisher=Sports Reference |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818175236/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/john-cockett-1.html |archivedate=18 August 2011 }}

Cockett's only other first-class match was in 1953, when he played with the Minor Counties cricket team against the touring Australians which included Alan Davidson, Ray Lindwall, Bill Johnston and Richie Benaud. Cockett scored no runs in either innings.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/20/20613.html|title=Minor Counties v Australians 1953| publisher=CricketArchive}}