Alfred Evans (cricketer, born 1884)
Encyclopedia
Vice-Admiral Sir Alfred Englefield Evans, KBE, CB
(30 January 1884 – 29 December 1944) was an English
cricketer
and Royal Navy
admiral
. Evans was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace
.
He was born in South Africa, the second son of Dr. E.W. Evans. He spent his formative years in South Africa before the family returned to England, where he was educated at Horris Hill School before joining the Royal Navy
. Evans was taught aboard the training ship HMS Britannia
, and was pointed a Midshipman
in 1900. He was promoted to Acting Sub-Lieutenant in 1901, and to Sub-Lieutenant
in 1903. In 1905, he was promoted to Lieutenant
. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander in 1914, and fought at the Battle of Jutland
, serving as Flag-Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral Sir
Arthur Leveson
, KCB
. He was promoted Commander
in 1917, and was appointed an OBE in 1919.
Evans made his first-class
debut for the Royal Navy against the Army
in 1914 at Lord's
. Following the end of the First World War, Evans played a further five times for the Royal Navy, with his final first-class appearance for the Navy coming against the Army in 1925: this match was also Evans' final first-class match.
In 1919 Evans made his debut for Hampshire
against Surrey
. From 1919 to 1920, Evans represented Hampshire in five first-class matches with his final appearance for the county coming against Middlesex
in the 1921 County Championship
.
In addition to representing Hampshirea and the Royal Navy, Evans also made first-class appearances for a combined Army and Navy side against Demobilised Officers in 1919 and for a Combined Services
side against the Gentlemen of England in 1920.
In Evans' first-class career he played thirteen matches, scoring 310 runs at a batting average
of 14.09, with one half century and a high score of 77. With the ball Evans took 23 wickets at a bowling average
of 36.56, with best figures of 4/74.
He was promoted to Captain
, to Rear-Admiral and finally to Vice-Admiral. He was appointed a CB in the 1937 Coronation Honours, and was knighted with the KBE in 1943, shortly before his death.
Evans died at Cranborne
, Dorset
on December 29, 1944.
and William Evans
both played first-class cricket. In addition his cousin John Evans
played Test cricket
for England. Evan's cousin Ralph Evans
and uncle Alfred Evans
also played first-class cricket.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(30 January 1884 – 29 December 1944) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
and Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
. Evans was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace
Seam bowling
Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers....
.
He was born in South Africa, the second son of Dr. E.W. Evans. He spent his formative years in South Africa before the family returned to England, where he was educated at Horris Hill School before joining the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Evans was taught aboard the training ship HMS Britannia
HMS Britannia
Six ships and a shore establishment of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Britannia, after Britannia, the goddess and personification of Britain....
, and was pointed a Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
in 1900. He was promoted to Acting Sub-Lieutenant in 1901, and to Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
in 1903. In 1905, he was promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander in 1914, and fought at the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
, serving as Flag-Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Arthur Leveson
Arthur Leveson
Admiral Sir Arthur Cavenagh Leveson GCB was a senior officer in the Royal Navy. He was the Rear Admiral Commanding His Majesty's Australian Fleet between 9 January 1917 and 3 September 1918 and later Commander in Chief, China Station between 10 September 1922 and 22 April 1925.-Biography:Born on...
, KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
. He was promoted Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
in 1917, and was appointed an OBE in 1919.
Evans made his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for the Royal Navy against the Army
British Army cricket team
The Army cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Army. The team played a number of first-class matches between 1912 and 1939, although a combined "Army and Navy" side had played two games against a combined Oxford and Cambridge team in 1910 and 1911...
in 1914 at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. Following the end of the First World War, Evans played a further five times for the Royal Navy, with his final first-class appearance for the Navy coming against the Army in 1925: this match was also Evans' final first-class match.
In 1919 Evans made his debut for Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
. From 1919 to 1920, Evans represented Hampshire in five first-class matches with his final appearance for the county coming against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
in the 1921 County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
.
In addition to representing Hampshirea and the Royal Navy, Evans also made first-class appearances for a combined Army and Navy side against Demobilised Officers in 1919 and for a Combined Services
Combined Services cricket team
The Combined Services cricket team represents the British armed forces. The team played at first-class level in England for more than forty years in the mid-twentieth century. Their first first-class match was against Gentlemen of England at Lord's in 1920, while their last was against Oxford...
side against the Gentlemen of England in 1920.
In Evans' first-class career he played thirteen matches, scoring 310 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 14.09, with one half century and a high score of 77. With the ball Evans took 23 wickets at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 36.56, with best figures of 4/74.
He was promoted to Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
, to Rear-Admiral and finally to Vice-Admiral. He was appointed a CB in the 1937 Coronation Honours, and was knighted with the KBE in 1943, shortly before his death.
Evans died at Cranborne
Cranborne
Cranborne is a village in East Dorset, England. In 2001 the village had a population of 779 people. The town is situated on chalk downland called Cranborne Chase, part of a large expanse of chalk in southern England which includes the nearby Salisbury Plain and Dorset Downs.-History:The village...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
on December 29, 1944.
Family
Evan's brothers Dudley EvansDudley Evans
Dudley MacNeil Evans was an English cricketer. Evans was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium....
and William Evans
William Evans (English cricketer)
William Henry Brereton Evans was a South African-born English all-round cricketer who played 66 times in first-class cricket in the early 20th century. He played county cricket for Worcestershire and Hampshire, as well as representing the Gentlemen against the Players, but he appeared most for...
both played first-class cricket. In addition his cousin John Evans
John Evans (cricketer)
Alfred John Evans was a cricketer who played for Oxford University, Hampshire, Kent and England. He was also an all-round sportsman who enjoyed success in golf and racquets.Evans was born in Newtown, Hampshire...
played Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
for England. Evan's cousin Ralph Evans
Ralph Evans (cricketer)
Ralph du Boulay Evans was an English cricketer. Evans was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace.Evans made a single first-class appearance for Hampshire during the 1912 County Championship against Essex....
and uncle Alfred Evans
Alfred Evans (cricketer, born 1858)
Alfred Henry Evans was an English cricketer. Evans was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium.-Early life:...
also played first-class cricket.
External links
- Alfred Evans at CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
- Alfred Evans at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- Matches and detailed statistics for Alfred Evans