All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

114 George Collins Kent v Nottinghamshire, 1922 County Championship Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover on 16, 17, 18 August 1922 (3-day match) Kent won by an innings and 69 runs Umpires: B Brown, GA Fuller Kent 351; Nottinghamshire 120 (GC Collins 6-18) and 162 (GC Collins 10- 65) Nottinghamshire second innings G Gunn b Collins 6 WW Whysall lbw b Collins 2 JR Gunn b Collins 4 *AW Carr c Freeman b Collins 0 J Hardstaff lbw b Collins 49 WRD Payton c Hubble b Collins 42 GM Lee c and b Collins 1 SJ Staples b Collins 19 +TW Oates c Ashdown b Collins 8 F Barratt c Freeman b Collins 19 TL Richmond not out 7 Extras (b 2, lb 1, nb 1, w 1) 5 Total (all out, 54.3 overs) 162 Fall of wickets 1-6, 2-12, 3-12, 4-13, 5-96, 6-98, 7-113, 8-130, 9-147, 10-162 Kent bowling: GC Collins 19.3-4-65-10, WH Ashdown 5-0-8-0, AP Freeman 20-7-55-0, FE Woolley 7-2-15-0, GJ Bryan 3-0-14-0 Kent: JL Bryan, HTW Hardinge, J Seymour, FE Woolley, AF Bickmore, GJ Bryan, WH Ashdown, GC Collins, JC Hubble (wk), LHW Troughton (capt), AP Freeman Allrounder George Collins is one of the less august names among those who have taken an all-ten. In fact, going into the Nottinghamshire game, after 85 first-class matches he had taken fewer than 150 wickets and never taken more than five wickets in an innings. It’s probably not too unreasonable to call him a journeyman cricketer – somebody who doesn’t hit the heights too often, but makes valuable contributions when needed in support of some of the more talented players. Tall and heavily-built he was a versatile left-handed batsman who could bat anywhere and defend or attack as necessary. With the ball, after a long bounding run, he bowled right-arm fast-medium and on his day delivered a potent outswinger. Collins was born in Gravesend, Kent in 1889 into a cricketing family, his grandfather, father and uncle all having played for the county. Joining the Tonbridge Nursery in 1908 he made his county debut in 1911 but couldn’t cement his place in a powerful Kent team, and left the staff at the end of the 1913 season. Rejoining in 1919 he was a first-team regular from 1920 until 1926 before slipping out of the side.