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John Cocks (cricketer)

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John Cocks
Personal information
Full name
John James Crofts Cocks
Born18 February 1895
Colchester, Essex, England
Died26 May 1927(1927-05-26) (aged 32)
at sea, off the coast of Turkey
BattingUnknown
RoleWicket-keeper
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1925/26–1926/27Europeans
1926/27Army
1926/27Southern Punjab
1926/27Northern India
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 8
Runs scored 97
Batting average 12.12
100s/50s –/–
Top score 33
Catches/stumpings 6/2
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 9 November 2023

John James Crofts Cocks (18 February 1895 – 27 May 1927) was an English first-class cricketer and an officer in the British Army, and later the Royal Air Force.

Cocks was born at Colchester in February 1895 and was educated at Haileybury.[1] Cocks was commissioned into the Welch Regiment as a second lieutenant on probation in March 1914,[2] with him being confirmed in the rank following his graduation from the Royal Military College in July 1915.[3] He served in the First World War with the Welch Regiment, being promoted to lieutenant in July 1916.[4]

After the war, Cocks was granted a short service commission in the Royal Air Force as a flying officer in March 1923.[5] Whilst serving in British India, he made his debut in first-class cricket for the Europeans cricket team against the Sikhs at Lahore in the 1925–26 Lahore Tournament, before making two further appearances for the Europeans against the Parsees and the Hindus in the 1926–27 Bombay Quadrangular Tournament. He made a series of first-class appearances in November 1926 against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club, making an appearance each for the Europeans, the Indian Army, the Rawalpindi Sports Club, Southern Punjab, and Northern India.[6] In eight first-class matches, he scored 97 runs at an average of 12.12, with a highest score of 33; as a wicket-keeper, he took six catches and made two stumpings.[7]

Cocks was the owner of an Airco DH.9, which he had assembled from two different DH.9's. Whilst returning to England from India using his plane, Cocks and his passenger, L. A. C. Rowston, were killed when the plane crashed off the coast of Turkey, fifteen days into their journey home which had begun on 11 May 1927.[8][9] A search was conducted by the Turkish authorities, but neither the plane nor their bodies were recovered.[10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Milford, Lionel Sumner (1910). Haileybury Register, 1862-1910. R. Clay. p. 667.
  2. ^ "No. 28814". The London Gazette. 20 March 1914. p. 2449.
  3. ^ "No. 29228". The London Gazette. 13 July 1914. p. 6841.
  4. ^ "No. 29723". The London Gazette. 25 August 1916. p. 8400.
  5. ^ "No. 32810". The London Gazette. 30 March 1923. p. 2420.
  6. ^ "First-Class Matches played by John Cocks". CricketArchive. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Player profile: John Cocks". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Missing Airmen: Search by Turkish Soldiers". The Irish Times. Dublin. 7 June 1927. p. 7.
  9. ^ "Missing Airmen: Turkish Embassy's Report". The Irish Times. Dublin. p. 7.
  10. ^ "The Missing British Airmen: Search Unsuccessful". The Irish Times. Dublin. 14 June 1927. p. 8.
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