A. E. J. Collins
Captain Arthur Edward Jeune (James) Collins (18 August, 1885–11 November, 1914), typically known by his initials AEJ Collins, was a cricketer and soldier, most famous for his achievement, as a schoolboy, of the highest-ever recorded score in cricket, 628 not out, over four afternoons in June 1899. Collins' record-making innings drew a large crowd and increasing media interest: spectators at the Old Cliftonian match being played nearby were drawn away to watch a junior school house cricket match.
Collins joined the British Army in 1902. He studied at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, before becoming an officer in the Royal Engineers. He served in France during World War I, where he was killed in action in 1914.
Early life and education
Collins was born on 18 August, 1885 in Hazaribagh, India, to Arthur Herbert Collins, a judge in the Indian Civil Service, and Mrs Esther Ida Collins. Both of his parents had died by the time he began his education at Clifton College, Bristol, where he held a scholarship.
He joined Clifton College in September 1897, becoming a member of Clark's House, although he later moved to North Town house. He was an excellent sportsman, being in the football XI, the rugby XV, the cricket XI, and he represented the school in the rackets pair in 1902 with RP Keigwin. He won a bronze medal for boxing at Aldershot in 1901, along with EA Hughes and HP Hewett.
The famous match
In 1899, whilst a 13 year old schoolboy, Collins scored the highest ever recorded cricket score of 628 not out. This feat took place during a junior school house cricket match between Clarke's House and North Town house.
The match was played on an outfield off Guthrie Road, Bristol, now named Collins' Piece. The ground had both a poor surface and a very unusual shape: it was very short (only 60 yards long), with a wall only 70 yards away forming the boundary on one side, while the other side was a gentle slope falling away towards the school sanatorium in the distance. All hits to the long boundary, down the slope, had to be all-run, but the three short boundaries only counted for two runs.
On Thursday, 22 June, Collins, a right-handed batsman, who was described as small, stockily-built, and fair haired, won the toss for Clarke's House and chose to bat first. Collins hit his first stroke at 3.30 p.m. and, by the close of play at 6 p.m., he had scored 200 runs.
On Fridays, lessons allowed another two-and-a-half hours' play, and by then news of an exceptional innings had gone round the school. So brilliant was his play that even an Old Cliftonian match being played nearby lost its interest and a large crowd watched Collins' phenomenal performance. Collins' innings almost ended at 400 when an easy catch was dropped, but at around 5.30 on the Friday – only some five hours after he started – he overtook Andrew Stoddart's then world-record high score of 485 to rapturous applause; by the end of the second day he remained unbeaten on 509.
The match resumed on Monday 26 June, at 12.30, but the school authorities extended the hours available for play, in a bid to speed the end of the match. As the crowds continued to grow and media interest escalated, the disruption to school life was considerable. Collins played his part, his approach described as "downright reckless" as he hit out, being dropped twice more when on 605 and 619. Collins reached 598 but he was rapidly running out of partners. On 27 June, 1899, after just 25 minutes' play, Collins lost his final partner, Thomas Redfern, caught by Elison Fuller-Eberle at point for 13, with his personal score on 628. Collins had played less than seven hours' cricket, carrying his bat throughout his side's innings.
North Town house, demoralised, were bowled out for for 87 in 90 minutes on Monday. The match resumed on Wednesday 28 June, when North Town's second innings went even worse, making 61 in just over an hour, so Clarke House won by a by an innings and 688 runs. Collins showed some ability as an all rounder, with his right-arm medium pace bowling taking 11 wickets for 63 runs.
The scorebook still hangs in the pavilion at Clifton, but the task facing the scorers was unenviable. One of them, Edward Peglar, is reported to have said that Collins's score was "628, plus or minus twenty shall we say". The other scorer for the match was JW Hall, whose father had batted with Edward Tylecote in 1868, when he had set an early world-record unbeaten score of 404, also at Clifton.
Collins became public property for a long while after the match, forever associated with his great score. "Today all men speak of him," wrote one newspaper, "... he has a reputation as great as the most advertised soap: he will be immortalised." After leaving school, he never wanted to be reminded of his famous innings; nevertheless, he has been remembered well beyond his own lifetime.
[The full scorecard is available on Wikisource]
Military Career
Collins chose to follow an army career, passing his entrance exams to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in September 1901 and joining up the following year. He represented the Royal Military Academy at both football and rubgy, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers. Despite the limitations on his sport that the military service caused, he played at Lord's scoring 58 and 36 runs in the two innings. He also joined Clifton Rugby Football Club in February 1905, but never rose above the 2nd XV. He served with the 2nd Sappers and Miners in India, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1907.
He married Ethel Slater in Spring 1914, and was sent to France when World War I broke out later in 1914. He was killed in action on November 11, 1914 at the First Battle of Ypres, while serving with the 5th Field Company, Royal Engineers, at the age of 29. His body was never found, but his name is recorded at the Menin Gate Memorial in Belgium. Before his death, he had been mentioned in dispatches. His brother Herbert (also an old Cliftonian) was killed in action in 1917.
See also
References
- War Graves Commission - the official record of his death. [Retrieved 29 Jan 2005]
- A. E. J. Collins at ESPNcricinfo [Retrieved 30 Jan 2005]
- Cricinfo report of the match [Retrieved 29 Jan 2005]
- Clifton RFC website [Retrieved 29 Jan 2005]
- Cricket Archive page on Arthur Collins [Retrieved 30 Jan 2005]
- Clifton College Register 1862-1947 - Published by The Old Cliftonian Society