Some Reminiscences of Old-Time Players
If I had observed strict chronological order in my reminiscences of some of the best-known players of the past, I fancy that George Collins should have been mentioned prior to this, for he is now 77 years of age. He was one of the sixteen players selected to take part in the first of the many great handicaps and tournaments promoted by Messrs. Burroughes and Watts. This took place in December, 1873—nearly half a century ago—and the last pair left in were W. Cook (scratch) and L. Kilkenny (rec. 130). The heats were 500 up, and the final was the best of two games out of three. The scratch man won, making a break of 428, unfinished, in the last game.
In the following year Collins took part in another handicap of 500 up, promoted by S. W. Stanley. There were again sixteen players, the back marker was Joseph Bennett (owed 50), and Collins (rec. 100) had to concede starts ranging from 25 to 150 points to Shorter, Richards, and seven others. G. Hunt (rec. 175) beat Stanley (scratch) in the final, and "thereby hangs a tale," which I hope to tell at some future date. In 1876 Collins was one of eleven players who took part in an American tournament at the Guildhall Tavern, in which he received 220 points from Cook, who was scratch man. This was won by Kilkenny (rec. 170), who beat Hunt (rec. 220) in the final heat.
So far as memory serves me, Collins played very few matches, and the first record I can find of his gaining an important victory was in February, 1878. This was in an American tournament of 500 up, in which eight players took part. It was promoted by Messrs. Burroughes and Watts, and was played at the Queen's Rooms, Argyle Street. Cook was at scratch, J. Bennett, Shorter, Taylor, and Stanley each received 125 points, and Collins, Kilkenny, and Green 170. Collins was in great form, and won every game except that with Taylor, thus easily securing the first prize. It is needless to follow his career further, for, though he had improved to such an extent that he was only handicapped to receive 60 points in 500 from Joseph Bennett, I cannot make out that he gained any other important successes.
Collins always played a game unlike that of any other professional that I have ever met. I have seen him make any number of long runs of spot strokes, but they were invariably put together in absolutely unorthodox style. It is doubtful if he ever made any of the long series of screw-back strokes, which most of the clever exponents of that form of scoring found to be so easy and profitable. His own ball was constantly left from eighteen inches to a couple of feet distant from the red, and he would frequently leave himself exceptionally difficult hazards, which he would bring off again and again in really extraordinary fashion. In a spot stroke break of, say, 300, he would have to play more awkward shots than Cook or Shorter would leave for themselves in making a thousand by means of pocketing the red ball, and very much the same thing was noticeable in his all-round play. He would constantly bring off marvellous gallery shots, but never seemed to trouble himself as to where the balls would be placed after the stroke. He was essentially a "double-strength" player, and, as I remember telling him more than once, played the game of a champion amateur, instead of that of a good class professional.
There has never been a better conducted professional billiard player, nor one who was more universally liked and respected. In his day, however, the game afforded a very precarious living for all but the leading members of the profession, and it is greatly to Collins's credit that he managed to bring up his family in the way he did. To the best of my belief he has never had a benefit, nor made any appeal for assistance, until he wrote to the Billiards Association and Control Council about the middle of July. That body have no power to make a donation from their funds, but I am certain that many of the members will be glad to assist individually in raising a fund. The case is an urgent one, and thoroughly deserving of help, for a man of Collins's age cannot do much to earn his own living, whilst I am grieved to learn that his wife died early in August.
[It is interesting to note that so recently as July of this year George Collins made a break of over 100.— Ed., B.P.]