Herbie Collins

COLLINS, MR. HERBERT L., who died in Sydney on May 28, aged 70, took part in 19 Test matches for Australia between 1920 and 1926. First appearing for New South Wales in 1912, he was a prominent member of the Australian Imperial Forces team in England in 1919, being captain for much of the programme after C. E. Kelleway, because of some disagreement, dropped out. During that tour Collins scored 1,615 runs, including six centuries, average 38.45, and with slow left-arm bowling took 106 wickets for 16.55 runs each.

A bookmaker by profession, he was widely known as "Horseshoe" Collins by reason of his good fortune in connection with racing and in winning the toss at cricket. He was one of the great Australian team in England in 1921, when a broken thumb caused him to miss two of the Test matches, and he captained the side in England in 1926 when, handicapped by neuritis, he did not display his true form. A batsman possessing exceptionally sound defence and seemingly unlimited patience, he spent four hours fifty minutes over 40 runs in the Old Trafford Test match of 1921 when, following a blank first day through rain, an England total of 362 for four wickets, declared, left Australia with nothing to hope for but a draw.

In all Test matches he scored 1,352 runs, average 45.06, and hit four centuries, the highest being 203 against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1921 and 162 against England at Adelaide in 1920-21. In 30 Sheffield Shield games for New South Wales he obtained 2,040 runs, highest innings 146, for an average of 41.63.