Buckley Ridges secures English County batsman Ian Cockbain
The right-hander has played a lot of cricket in Melbourne, including at Beaumaris and Bonbeach, and has been briefed about the Bucks by fellow County player Steve Mullaney.
South East
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WHAT a winter boost for next summer for Buckley Ridges.
The Bucks have moved to overcome restrictions imposed by COVID-19 by signing Gloucestershire player Ian Cockbain, ensuring the club is well positioned for another tilt at a flag in 2020-21.
Australia is like a second home to Cockbain.
His wife, Amy, is Australian and he has extensive experience playing in Australia, in district and club cricket in Melbourne and in Adelaide.
Born in Liverpool, he started playing cricket with Bootle CC, before moving up to play for Lancashire’s 2nd XI, where he was picked for the MCC Young Cricketers XI in 2008.
He transferred to Gloucestershire in 2010.
Cockbain is delighted to be joining Bucks and told treasurer and chief recruiter Chris Rattle that he was recently briefed on the club by Nottinghamshire’s skipper and former Buckley captain-coach Steven Mullaney.
“I spoke with ‘Mulls’ a few weeks back and he really enjoyed his time with you guys. I’m looking forward to getting over,” he said.
Cockbain, 33, and Amy had their first child, a boy they named Leo, on June 19. They were married in Cape Town, South Africa, where he also played some cricket.
A free-scoring batsman, he played 51 first-class matches for Gloucester, making 2382 runs at 29.77, including four centuries.
He has a top score of 151 not out.
In more recent years Cockbain has played as a T20 specialist for the county, with a top score of 123 against Middlesex (he forged a 99-run partnership in 11 overs with his skipper, former Victorian and West Australian Michael Klinger.)
In 2016 Cockbain was the third-highest scorer in the English NatWest T20 Blast competition, behind his captain Klinger and Glamorgan’s South African Colin Ingram, before an unusual incident in the nets cruelled his first-class career.
He was appointed captain of Gloucester’s T20 side after Geraint Jones retired in July 2015 but in his first match as skipper misfortune struck: his wrist was broken by an errant full toss in the nets on the second morning of the match against Leicestershire and he was sidelined for several weeks.
It prompted Jones to immediately come out of retirement and resume as captain.
Cockbain played for East Torrens in Adelaide’s district competition for three seasons — 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2019-20 — scoring 1776 runs at an average of 44.4.
He later had stints with Beaumaris and Bonbeach Tangy.