Eva Collins

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Eva Collins
Collins (left) versus Madame Strebor
Born1889 or 1890
DiedUnknown
Sport country England

Eva Collins was an English snooker and billiards player. She was runner-up in the 1930 British Women's Billiards Championship, and in its successor tournament, the Women's Professional Billiards Championship in 1931.

Early life and billiards career[edit]

Ella Collins

Eva Collins was the daughter of professional billiards player George Collins, who was the all-England billiards champion in 1877 and 1888. Her sister, Ella Collins, was also a pioneering women's billiards player.[1][2]

She started learning to play in July 1902, and a few months later, at the age of 12, was the subject of an article in the Portsmouth Evening News for beating a boy of 16 in a billiards match.[3]

In 1906, Collins played two series of billiards exhibition matches against "Madame Strebor," a pseudonym used by an unknown woman player who had toured with John Roberts Jr.[4] The series held at Burroughes Hall finished 7–5 in favour of Madame Strebor.[5] Shortly afterward, Collins won 15 of 24 matches against Strebor in Manchester.[6]

Collins became a billiards instructor at the Lyceum Ladies Club.[7] As of January 1936, she had been coaching for over 24 years.[8] She used her father's cue in competition.[1]

Women's Billiards Association and Women's Professional Billiards Championship[edit]

In 1930, Collins was the losing finalist in the British Women's Billiards Championship organised by the cue sports company Burrouhges and Watts.[9]

When the Women's Billiards Association was formed in 1931, Collins was one of four professional players appointed to a committee to organise the professional championships, along with Joyce Gardner, Ruth Harrison, and Margaret Lennan.[10][11]

From 1931, the Women's Billiards Association organised the world championship, with the same trophy used in the 1930 British Women's Billiards Championship, and Collins was again a losing finalist in the first competition under the Association's control, in 1931.[12][13]

Collins played in the Women's Professional Billiards Championship each year from 1930 to 1937, but did not play in 1938, possibly due to her other commitments as a coach and referee.[14]

She also competed in the Women's Professional Snooker Championship, but never reached the final of that tournament.

Refereeing[edit]

She was the first woman to qualify as a billiards and snooker referee,[15] at a time when only around 200 men held the same qualification.[16] At the Boy's Billiards Championship in 1932, became the first woman to referee a championship match.[17]

Titles and achievements[edit]

Snooker

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent Score Ref.
Semi-finalist 1 1934 Women's Professional Snooker Championship Ruth Harrison 2–7 [18]
Semi-finalist 2 1936 Women's Professional Snooker Championship Ruth Harrison 1–5 [19]

Billiards

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent Score Ref.
Runner-up 1 1930 Women's Professional Billiards Championship Joyce Gardner 727–1,500 [20][21]
Runner-up 2 1931 Women's Professional Billiards Championship Joyce Gardner 1,185–2,000 [20][21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Holder Heading for the Finals". Leeds Mercury. 22 February 1933. p. 9 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Champion in Form". Daily Herald. 14 February 1935. p. 19. Retrieved 2 October 2023 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Juvenile Billiard Match". Portsmouth Evening News. 19 December 1902. p. 6 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  4. ^ Everton, Clive (1985). Guinness Snooker - The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 154–156. ISBN 0851124488.
  5. ^ "Sporting Paragraphs". Nottingham Evening Post. 5 November 1906. p. 8 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Ladies Matches in Manchester". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 19 November 1906. p. 9 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Women's Billiards Tournament". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 2 April 1930. p. 2 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  8. ^ Carpenter, Thelma (January 1936). "Billiards for Women". The Billiard Player. No. 181. p. 4.
  9. ^ "Midland Girl's Billiards Title". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 4 April 1930. p. 1 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Women's Billiards. Association Formed to Control the Championships". Lancashire Evening Post. 1 October 1931. p. 10 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  11. ^ "(Untitled Article)". Uxbridge & West Drayton Gazette. 18 September 1931. p. 18 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  12. ^ "Women and Billiards". Uxbridge & West Drayton Gazette. 18 September 1932. p. 18 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Women's Billiards. Association Formed to Control the Championships". Lancashire Evening Post. 18 September 1932. p. 10 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  14. ^ "In The Billiards World". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. 6 April 1938. p. 11 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  15. ^ "Quorn Hounds". Nottingham Journal. 19 September 1936. p. 10 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Women Referees Soon in Birmingham?". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 15 May 1937. p. 14 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Woman billiards referee". Portsmouth Evening News. 16 December 1932. p. 3 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  18. ^ ""Trade" Snooker". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 20 February 1934. p. 12 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  19. ^ Carpenter, Thelma. "Billiards for Women". The Billiard Player. No. June 1936). p. 8.
  20. ^ a b "Women's Billiards Championship". Leeds Mercury. 23 February 1933. p. 9 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Women Professionals". The Scotsman. 23 February 1933. p. 15 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 23 October 2019.

External links[edit]

  • Miss Eva Collins plays Mr Frank Smith in a Billiard Match in aid of comfort for mine sweepers, 16 February 1918
  • Potting The Ball. Eva Collins teaching women to play at her Kensington billiards school, London, 2 November 1937.
  • Eva Collins in 1939.
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