D.C. Collins Had A Long Innings

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31277, 25 January 1967, Page 11

D.C. Collins Had A Long Innings

Although he will be remembered principally because he was a Wellington and New Zealand captain in the early 1920’5, Mr D. C. Collins, who died last week, began his first class career much earlier—in 1905-06. One of bis outstanding feats, moreover, was in his youth; in 190607, he made 53 not out for Wellington against Canterbury, batting right through an innings of 131.

A vigorous, aggressive batsman. Collins won a cricket blue at Cambridge, and on his return to New Zealand played for Wairarapa for a few seasons but came into the Wellington team in 1921-22. He led Wellington when it won the Plunket Shield in 1923-24 and was again in the side when it won in 1925-26. He made more than 1000 runs in shield cricket, at an average exceeding 43, and evidently had a particularly liking for Auckland bowling: against Auckland, he made 595 runs in 10 innings. Collins's career was regrettably short, but he took part in some memorable matches. These were more spacious days for batsmen than the present ones: in 1922-23, Wellington's match

with Auckland yielded 1554 runs, and the corresponding fixture with Otago that season which raised cricketing eyebrows all over the world. Collins made 85 in a Wellington total of 560, W. A. Baker the enigmatic B. J. Kortlang 103, and H. M. McGirr 117. R. de R. Worker scored 106 in Otago’s brave reply of 385, and then Wellington, on a perfect Carisbrook pitch, made 465 Collins 110, J. S. Hiddleston 150.

Otago set out with the unhappy knowledge that it needed 641 to win. It was a magnificent performance to score 495—J. McMullan 111 of them. In all, 1905 runs were made. The average scoring rate was 4} runs an over off the bat; this season it is under 2.

Another remarkable match In which Collins was captain was in 1925-26, when Kortlang scored a double century in the first innings against Auckland, J. Hiddleston a double century in the second, Wellington winning the match by 512 runs. For New Zealand, Collins made 102 against the 1922-23 M.C.C. team, and had an innings of 69 in the next match. But he played only 23 first-class matches in New Zealand, a career all too brief.