Crossword Genius

Companion collecting a sum for friends (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

chums

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'for friends' is the definition.
(chum is a kind of friend)

'companion collecting a sum' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'companion' could be 'ch' (Companion of Honour) and 'ch' is found in the answer.
an anagram of 'sum' is 'ums' which is present in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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