[1] He was a key figure in the development of cricket in South Australia after emigrating to the colony in the 1840s and was the first curator of the Adelaide Oval.
[1] His father was a farmer and John played cricket for sides such as Leeds, Bearsted and Yalding, where he played alongside players such as Alfred Mynn and William Hillyer and Ned Wenman, all of whom were key players in the great Kent sides of the day.
He emigrated to Australia in 1846 and established a public house, the Kentish Arms, at Lower North Adelaide.
[2][4][5] In South Australia Cocker became an important part of the development of cricket in the colony.
He became the first curator of the ground which became the Adelaide Oval and has been referred to as the "father of South Australian cricket".