A. E. J. Collins

A. E. J. Collins
Collins on an 1899 postcard
Birth nameArthur Edward Jeune Collins
Nickname(s)James Collins
Born18 August 1885
Hazaribagh, India
Died11 November 1914(1914-11-11) (aged 29)
Ypres, Belgium
AllegianceBritish Army
Years of service1902–1914
RankCaptain
UnitRoyal Engineers
Battles / wars
AwardsMention in Despatches
Spouse(s)
Ethel Slater
(m. 1914)

Arthur Edward Jeune Collins (18 August 1885 – 11 November 1914) was an English cricketer and soldier. He held, for 116 years, the record of highest score in cricket: as a 13-year-old schoolboy, he scored 628 not out over four afternoons in June 1899.[1] Collins's 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 the junior school house cricket match in which Collins was playing. Despite this achievement, Collins never played first-class cricket. Collins's 628 not out stood as the record score until January 2016 when an Indian boy, Pranav Dhanawade, scored 1009 in a single innings.

Collins joined the British Army in 1902 and studied at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, before becoming an officer in the Royal Engineers. He served in France during the First World War, where he was killed in action in 1914 during the First Battle of Ypres. Collins had been mentioned in despatches and also represented the Royal Military Academy at cricket and rugby union.

  1. ^ Winterbottom, Derek (1991). A Season's Fame: How A.E.J. Collins of Clifton College in 1899 made cricket's highest individual score. Bristol: Bristol Historical Association.