 He played cricket for the Straits Settlements cricket team in 1904 and 1905 and occasionally for the Federated Malay States cricket team from 1907 to 1913.Cochrane was an agent for the Malaya Information Agency, and became Under Secretary to the Government in 1921 and then in 1925 political Adviser in Johore.He became the 17th British Resident in Perak in 1929.