Roy Collins
Encyclopedia
Roy Collins was an English
cricket
er. Collins was a right-handed batsman
who bowled right-arm off break
. He was born at Clayton
, Lancashire
.
debut for Lancashire
in the 1954 County Championship against Hampshire
at the United Services Recreation Ground
in Portsmouth
. From 1954 to 1962, Collins made 119 first-class appearances for Lancashire, with his final appearance coming in the 1962 County Championship against Sussex
. He also played for the Lancashire Second XI during this period, who themselves played at that time in the Minor Counties Championship, thereby allowing Collins to represent a combined Minor Counties team against the touring South Africans in 1960, a match in which he scored 96 runs in the Minor Counties first-innings.
A hard hitting all-rounder
with a reputation for quick scoring, Collins scored a total of 3,332 runs in his 119 first-class appearances for Lancashire, which came at an average
of 20.44 and a high score of 107 not out
. This score was one of two first-class centuries
he made, alongside eight half centuries for the county. An able off spin
er, Collins took 159 wickets at a bowling average
of 30.70, with best figures of 6.63. These figures, one of four five wicket hauls he took, came in his best season with Lancashire in 1961. His figures of 6/63 came against Sussex
on a drying first-innings wicket at Old Trafford. In the following match he scored his unbeaten 107 against Somerset
at the Recreation Ground, Bath
, after he was awarded his county cap. He made another century in that season, scoring a total of 858 runs at an average of 26.00, while with the ball he took 52 wickets at an average of 29.73, with that season including three of his four career five wicket hauls. He also took twice as many wickets in that season as he had in any other. The 1962 season was to be his last with Lancashire, with Collins striking 25 sixes in that season.
in 1963, making his debut for the county against Staffordshire
in the Minor Counties Championship. He played Minor counties cricket intermittently for Cheshire until 1973, making a total of 49 appearances. He had left Lancashire a season before List A cricket was introduced, a format which would have suited his hard hitting batting style. He made his List A debut for Cheshire against Surrey
in the 1st round of the 1964 Gillette Cup
at the Ellerman Lines Cricket Ground
in Hoylake
. Collins top scored in Cheshire's innings with 58, before being dismissed by Michael Willett. Surrey won the match by 62 runs. He made a second List A appearance in the 1966 Gillette Cup
against his former county at the Macclesfield Cricket Club Ground
, scoring a single run before he was dismissed by Peter Lever
, with Lancashire winning by 42 runs.
, Collins played in the Lancashire League
for Haslingden
in 1959 and Lowerhouse
from 1959 to 1968. He also played club cricket for Leek Cricket Club in Staffordshire
and for Blackburn Cricket Club and Rochdale, both in Lancashire. In his forties he played for Didsbury as an amatuer, later being invited to become first the Chairman, then President of the club. His affection for cricket continued long after his retirement from the game, with Collins working alongside the Manchester Education Committee in setting up an indoor cricket school in Withington
, which was one of the first of its kind and was used by both Lancashire and England players. He worked as a residential cricket coach for the Manchester Education Committee for 32 years.
In his early years he worked for a textile company, before setting up an insurance brokers company with his wife Doris, who was the brother of Lancashire cricketer and professional footballer Jim Cumbes
. He continued to coach cricket well into his final years, advising schools and clubs in the Manchester
area. He died suddenly on 5 November 2009.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. Collins was a right-handed batsman
Batting (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...
who bowled right-arm off break
Off break
Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
. He was born at Clayton
Clayton, Greater Manchester
Clayton is a suburb of the city of Manchester, in North West England. It is situated about 3 miles east of the city centre, on Ashton New Road. Clayton takes its name from the Clayton family who owned large parts of land around the area, including Clayton Vale, through which the River Medlock flows...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
Lancashire
Collins joined the Lancashire Cricket Federation in its foundation year. He made his first-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
in the 1954 County Championship against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
at the United Services Recreation Ground
United Services Recreation Ground
The United Services Recreation Ground is a cricket ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire. The first recorded match on the ground was on 17 August 1882 which saw Cambridge University Past and Present play the touring Australians...
in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. From 1954 to 1962, Collins made 119 first-class appearances for Lancashire, with his final appearance coming in the 1962 County Championship against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. He also played for the Lancashire Second XI during this period, who themselves played at that time in the Minor Counties Championship, thereby allowing Collins to represent a combined Minor Counties team against the touring South Africans in 1960, a match in which he scored 96 runs in the Minor Counties first-innings.
A hard hitting all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
with a reputation for quick scoring, Collins scored a total of 3,332 runs in his 119 first-class appearances for Lancashire, which came at an average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 20.44 and a high score of 107 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
. This score was one of two first-class centuries
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
he made, alongside eight half centuries for the county. An able off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
er, Collins took 159 wickets at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 30.70, with best figures of 6.63. These figures, one of four five wicket hauls he took, came in his best season with Lancashire in 1961. His figures of 6/63 came against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
on a drying first-innings wicket at Old Trafford. In the following match he scored his unbeaten 107 against Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
at the Recreation Ground, Bath
Recreation Ground (Bath)
The Recreation Ground is a large open space in the centre of Bath, England, next to the River Avon, used for recreational purposes by Bath residents and the public generally....
, after he was awarded his county cap. He made another century in that season, scoring a total of 858 runs at an average of 26.00, while with the ball he took 52 wickets at an average of 29.73, with that season including three of his four career five wicket hauls. He also took twice as many wickets in that season as he had in any other. The 1962 season was to be his last with Lancashire, with Collins striking 25 sixes in that season.
Cheshire
He joined CheshireCheshire County Cricket Club
Cheshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cheshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in 1963, making his debut for the county against Staffordshire
Staffordshire County Cricket Club
Staffordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Staffordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in the Minor Counties Championship. He played Minor counties cricket intermittently for Cheshire until 1973, making a total of 49 appearances. He had left Lancashire a season before List A cricket was introduced, a format which would have suited his hard hitting batting style. He made his List A debut for Cheshire against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
in the 1st round of the 1964 Gillette Cup
1964 Gillette Cup
-Second round:-----------------------------Quarter-finals:-------------Semi-finals:-----Final:-External links:* from CricketArchive...
at the Ellerman Lines Cricket Ground
Ellerman Lines Cricket Ground
Ellerman Lines Cricket Ground was a cricket ground in Hoylake, Cheshire. The ground was owned and operated by Ellerman Lines, a now defunct shipping company. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1957, when Cheshire played Northumberland in the Minor Counties Championship...
in Hoylake
Hoylake
Hoylake is a seaside town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, on Merseyside, England. It is located at the north western corner of the Wirral Peninsula, near to the town of West Kirby and where the River Dee estuary meets the Irish Sea...
. Collins top scored in Cheshire's innings with 58, before being dismissed by Michael Willett. Surrey won the match by 62 runs. He made a second List A appearance in the 1966 Gillette Cup
1966 Gillette Cup
The 1966 Gillette Cup was the fourth Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 28 April and 3 September 1966 . The tournament was won by Warwickshire County Cricket Club in the final at Lord's.-Format:...
against his former county at the Macclesfield Cricket Club Ground
Macclesfield Cricket Club Ground
Macclesfield Cricket Club Ground is a cricket ground in Macclesfield, Cheshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1920, when Cheshire played Staffordshire in the Minor Counties Championship. Cheshire used the ground from 1920-1931 and 1949-1984...
, scoring a single run before he was dismissed by Peter Lever
Peter Lever
Peter Lever is a former English cricketer, who played in seventeen Tests and ten ODIs for England from 1970 to 1975. He was a successful wicket taker, taking 41 victims from those seventeen Tests, and a handy batsman with a top score of 88 not out...
, with Lancashire winning by 42 runs.
Personal life
Outside of county cricketCounty cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
, Collins played in the Lancashire League
Lancashire League
The Lancashire League is a competitive league of local cricket clubs drawn from the small to middle-sized mill towns, mainly but not exclusively, of East Lancashire...
for Haslingden
Haslingden Cricket Club
Haslingden Cricket Club is a cricket club in the Lancashire League, which plays its home games at Bentgate in Haslingden. For the 2011 season its captain is Graham Knowles, and its professional is former Ramsbottom amateur Phil Hayes of England. The club has won the league on 12 occasions and the...
in 1959 and Lowerhouse
Lowerhouse Cricket Club
Lowerhouse Cricket Club is a cricket club in the Lancashire League, which plays its home games at Liverpool Road in Burnley. For the 2011 season its captain is Charlie Cottam, and its professional is South African Francois Hasbroek. The club won the league for the first time in 2005, captained by...
from 1959 to 1968. He also played club cricket for Leek Cricket Club in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
and for Blackburn Cricket Club and Rochdale, both in Lancashire. In his forties he played for Didsbury as an amatuer, later being invited to become first the Chairman, then President of the club. His affection for cricket continued long after his retirement from the game, with Collins working alongside the Manchester Education Committee in setting up an indoor cricket school in Withington
Withington
Withington is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre, about south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury, and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near the centre-to-south edges of the Greater Manchester Urban Area; in the...
, which was one of the first of its kind and was used by both Lancashire and England players. He worked as a residential cricket coach for the Manchester Education Committee for 32 years.
In his early years he worked for a textile company, before setting up an insurance brokers company with his wife Doris, who was the brother of Lancashire cricketer and professional footballer Jim Cumbes
Jim Cumbes
James Cumbes , sometimes known as Jim or Jimmy, is a former English sportsman. He played first-class cricket for four counties as a right-arm fast-medium bowler and lower-order right-handed batsman, and later served as Chief Executive of Lancashire; while he also had a substantial career as a...
. He continued to coach cricket well into his final years, advising schools and clubs in the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
area. He died suddenly on 5 November 2009.
External links
- Roy Collins at ESPNcricinfo
- Roy Collins at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...