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. This drew a large crowd and increasing media interest, even surparsing the Old Cliftonian match that was being played nearby. Collins joined the army to fight in France during World War I, but he was killed in action.
Early Life and Education
Collins was born on 18 August, 1885 in India, to Arthur Herbert Collins, a judge in the Indian Civil Service, and Mrs. Esther Ida Collins. He was educated at Clifton College, Bristol, where he held a scholarship. He had lost both parents by the time he began at Clifton College. He was a member of Clark's House which he joined in September 1897. Later, he 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. At Aldershot, in 1901 he won a bronze medal for boxing (along with EA Hughes and HP Hewett).
The Famous Match
Collins scored the highest ever recorded cricket score of 628 not out, whilst a 13 year old schoolboy in 1899. This amazing feat took place during a junior school house cricket match. After leaving school, he never wanted to be reminded of his famous innings.
The game was played on an outfield off Guthrie Road, which had both a poor surface and limited boundaries on all but one side and so on the long boundary, all hits had to be run and the short boundaries only counted for two.
On Thursday, June 22, Collins, described as small, stockily-built, and fair haired, won the toss for Clarke's House and chose to bat. Collins hit his first stroke at 3.30 p.m. and, by the close of play at 6 p.m., he had scored 200.
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 the Old Cliftonian match lost its interest and a large crowd watched the 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 AE 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 June 26, 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 June 27, 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 - he had played less than seven hours' cricket.
The pitch where the match occured is now named Collins' Piece.
The scorebook 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.
For a long while after the match, Collins was predictably public property - 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." He was!
Score Card
Clark's House - 1st Innings
| Batsman | Runs | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| AEJ Collins | not out | 628 | |
| Champion | c Monteath | b Rendall | 27 |
| Gilbert | b Crew | 9 | |
| Studdy | c Davis | b Sainsbury | 8 |
| Sheriff | b Crew | 6 | |
| Galway | b Crew | 11 | |
| Whitty | c & b Monteath | 42 | |
| Spooner | b Monteath | 0 | |
| Leake | b Monteath | 32 | |
| Raine | b Sainsbury | 14 | |
| Redfern | c Fuller-Eberle | b Crew | 13 |
| Extras | 34 byes, 1 leg bye, 10 wides, 1 no ball | 46 | |
| Total | all out, 148.3 overs | 836 |
Fall of wickets: 1-127, 2-169, 3-226, 4-268, 5-311, 6-436, 7-451, 8-?, 9-698, 10-836.
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindrea | 50 | 5 | 218 | 0 |
| Sainsbury | 32 | 7 | 166 | 2 |
| Crew | 42.3 | 5 | 165 | 4 |
| Rendall | 10 | 3 | 44 | 1 |
| Davis | 14 | 0 | 79 | 0 |
North Town - 1st Innings
| Batsman | Runs | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Monteath | run out | 4 | |
| Crew | b Collins | 10 | |
| Fedden | b Collins | 10 | |
| Sainsbury | lbw | b Collins | 0 |
| Barstow | b Sheriff | 32 | |
| Fuller-Erbele | c Galway | b Collins | 8 |
| Rendall | b Sudely | 9 | |
| Lindrea | b Collins | 1 | |
| Ratcliff | not out | 6 | |
| Robinson | b Collins | 0 | |
| Davies | b Collins | 4 | |
| Extras | 3 | ||
| Total | all out | 87 |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collins | ? | ? | 33 | 7 |
North Town - 2nd Innings
| Batsman | Runs | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Monteath | c & b Gilbert | 4 | |
| Crew | c Champion | b Gilbert | 4 |
| Fedden | lbw | b Collins | 1 |
| Sainsbury | lbw | b Collins | 13 |
| Barstow | b Collins | 0 | |
| Fuller-Erbele | b Sheriff | 15 | |
| Rendall | b Collins | 8 | |
| Lindrea | b Sheriff | 11 | |
| Ratcliff | c Champion | b Sheriff | 0 |
| Robinson | c Raine | b Sheriff | 0 |
| Davies | not out | 0 | |
| Extras | 5 | ||
| Total | all out | 61 |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collins | ? | ? | 30 | 4 |
- Collins' 628* in 6 hours 50 minutes, 1 x 6, 4 x 5, 31 x 4, 33 x 3, 146 x 2.
- Collins was dropped on the following scores: 80, 100, 140, 400, 556, 605 and 619.
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. Despite the limitations on his sport that the military service caused, as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers 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 [1].
He married Ethel Slater in Spring 1914.
In the army, Collins represented the Royal Military Academy at both football and rubgy. He was commissioned into the Royal Engineers and was in the 2nd Sappers and Miners in India. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1907. When World War I broke out in 1914, he was sent to France, and was killed in action on November 11, 1914 at 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.
External Links
- War Graves Commission - the official record of his death.
- Biography at Cricinfo