Sir Stanley Cochrane, 1st Baronet (19 September 1877 – 23 October 1949) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

first-class

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

er and philanthropist.

Early life and cricket

Cochrane was born at Dublin to Sir Henry Cochrane and his wife, Margaret Gilchrist. He studied at

St Columba's College, Dublin St Columba's College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school founded in 1843 located in Whitechurch, County Dublin, Ireland. Among the founders of the college were Viscount Adare (who later became The 3rd Earl of Dunraven and M ...

, before going up to Trinity College, Dublin, where he was a member of the

Dublin University Cricket Club Dublin University Cricket Club is a cricket team in Ireland. There is evidence of cricket being played at the University before 1820 but the first record of a club dates from 1835. They currently play in the Leinster Senior League, and in the p ...

. Cochrane's father, had alongside Dr. Thomas Joseph Cantrell, invented

ginger ale Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavoured with ginger. It is consumed on its own or used as a mixer, often with spirit-based drinks. There are two main types of ginger ale. The golden style is credited to the Irish doctor Thomas Joseph ...

and made a fortune exporting it to the United States. Upon the death of his father in 1904, Cochrane inherited his millions and the Woodbrook Estate. He worked to bring regular top-class cricket to Ireland, even paying the

Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, several (or all) ...

£300 (the equivalent of nearly £37,000 in 2017) to play Dublin University in 1905. Shortly thereafter, he founded the Woodbrook Cricket Club and built a cricket ground on his estate, even constructing a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

on the Dublin/Bray railway line to serve the ground. Using his wealth, Cochrane enticed many of the leading players of the day to play for the club, including the likes of

Ranjitsinhji Colonel H. H. Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933), often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933, as Ma ...

and C. B. Fry. Cochrane was the

High Sheriff of Wicklow The High Sheriff of Wicklow was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Wicklow, Ireland from Wicklow's formation in 1606 until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Wicklow County S ...

in 1911, and was the

High Sheriff of County Dublin The Sheriff of County Dublin (or (High) Sheriff of the County of Dublin) was the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Dublin. Initially, an office for a lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the Sheriff became an annual appointment foll ...

in 1912. Attendances at the Cochrane's cricket ground were less than intended, so in 1912 he invited the touring

South Africans The population of South Africa is about 58.8 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions. The South African National Census of 2022 was the most recent census held; the next will be in 2032. In 2011, Statistics South ...

to play a first-class match there to encourage patronage, with Cochrane playing in the Woodbrook Club and Ground XI. Playing in what would be his only appearance in first-class cricket, Cochrane batted once in the match, scoring 5 runs before being dismissed by Herbie Taylor. Cochrane attempted to get the deciding

Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

of the

1912 Triangular Tournament The 1912 Triangular Tournament was a Test cricket competition played between Australia, England and South Africa, the only Test-playing nations at the time. The ultimate winners of the tournament were England, with four wins in their six matche ...

between

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and Australia to be played at Woodbrook, but this request was denied by both boards. Disenchanted by this decision, he closed the cricket ground in 1913 and opted to construct a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

War service and later life

He served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, serving in the

Royal Dublin Fusiliers The Royal Dublin Fusiliers was an Irish infantry Regiment of the British Army created in 1881, one of eight Irish regiments raised and garrisoned in Ireland, with its home depot in Naas. The Regiment was created by the amalgamation of two Brit ...

. He was made 1st Baronet of Woodbrook in February 1915, for services to sports, music and the welfare of prisoners of war. By war's end he held the rank of captain. He was a Justice of the Peace for both County Wicklow and

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

. Cochrane was diagnosed with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

in the 1920s and was one of the first people to be treated for the condition with insulin. With a strong interest in music, Cochrane had transformed the indoor cricket school on his estate into an opera house, and alongside Michele Esposito he founded the music publishing company C.E. Editions. The company folded in 1929 after Esposito's death. Cochrane died without issue in October 1949 at Bray, with his baronetcy becoming extinct.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cochrane, Stanley 1877 births 1949 deaths Younger sons of baronets Cricketers from Dublin (city) People educated at St Columba's College, Dublin Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Irish cricketers Woodbrook Club and Ground cricketers Irish justices of the peace High Sheriffs of Wicklow High Sheriffs of County Dublin British Army personnel of World War I Royal Dublin Fusiliers officers Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Philanthropists from Dublin (city)