Allan Evans (Australian sportsman)
Encyclopedia
Walter Allan Evans was an Australia
n sportsman who played first-class cricket
for Western Australia
and Australian rules football
for Perth
in the West Australian Football League
(WAFL).
, Evans was brought up in the Western Australian goldfields
.
during adolescence.
When he made his WAFL debut with Perth in 1917 it was as a rover but he soon developed into a prolific full-forward
, despite standing at only 170 cm. In 1921 he was the league's top goalkicker
with 64 goals, despite Perth finishing with the wooden spoon
. This tally included 13 goals against East Fremantle
, where he kicked all but one of his team's goals. He topped Perth's goalkicking for a second time in 1922 and then every year from 1924 to 1927. His best season total was 69 goals, which he managed in 1927. His performance that season earned him selection in the Western Australian squad which competed in the Melbourne Carnival
, however Evans didn't play a game. At the end of the year he announced his retirement but made a comeback in 1929 and scored enough goals to again be Perth's leading forward. He then retired permanently, having played 153 games for Perth and once for Western Australia, when Essendon
toured Western Australia in 1924.
at district level but was used more as a bowler when picked for Western Australia. He took part in most of Western Australia's first-class fixtures during the 1920s and was also twice selected to play for an Australian XI, against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club
. Statistically he had his best season in 1926/27 when he took 15 wickets at 14.20, with eight of those wickets had coming in a match against South Australia
. During his first-class career he had the distinction of twice dismissing Wally Hammond
, while the England great had been playing for the MCC. His biggest scalp however was undoubtedly Don Bradman, who despite averaging over 100 for the season was sent back to the pavilion by Evans for just 27, in Western Australia's match against the Australian XI in 1929/30.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n sportsman who played first-class cricket
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...
for Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
and Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
for Perth
Perth Football Club
The Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The club plays its matches at Lathlain Park.-History:...
in the West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
(WAFL).
Biography
Although born in QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Evans was brought up in the Western Australian goldfields
Eastern Goldfields
The Eastern Goldfields is a figurative area used in speech to describe a region of Western Australia.-Name:The name is derived in two parts from, Eastern in relation to its location from Perth and Goldfields as the name suggests comes from the mining of Gold in the region...
.
Australian rules football
He captained a Boulder City schoolboy team while in the country and played with North Perth when he moved to the capital cityPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
during adolescence.
When he made his WAFL debut with Perth in 1917 it was as a rover but he soon developed into a prolific full-forward
Full-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
, despite standing at only 170 cm. In 1921 he was the league's top goalkicker
Bernie Naylor Medal
The Bernie Naylor Medal is an Australian rules football award which is given to the leading goalkicker at the end of each home and away season in the West Australian Football League. It is named after South Fremantle full-forward Bernie Naylor...
with 64 goals, despite Perth finishing with the wooden spoon
Wooden spoon (award)
A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
. This tally included 13 goals against East Fremantle
East Fremantle Football Club
The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
, where he kicked all but one of his team's goals. He topped Perth's goalkicking for a second time in 1922 and then every year from 1924 to 1927. His best season total was 69 goals, which he managed in 1927. His performance that season earned him selection in the Western Australian squad which competed in the Melbourne Carnival
1927 Melbourne Carnival
The 1927 Melbourne Carnival was the sixth edition of the Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition....
, however Evans didn't play a game. At the end of the year he announced his retirement but made a comeback in 1929 and scored enough goals to again be Perth's leading forward. He then retired permanently, having played 153 games for Perth and once for Western Australia, when Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
toured Western Australia in 1924.
Cricket
As a cricketer, Evans was an all-rounderAll-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
at district level but was used more as a bowler when picked for Western Australia. He took part in most of Western Australia's first-class fixtures during the 1920s and was also twice selected to play for an Australian XI, against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
. Statistically he had his best season in 1926/27 when he took 15 wickets at 14.20, with eight of those wickets had coming in a match against South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
. During his first-class career he had the distinction of twice dismissing Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
, while the England great had been playing for the MCC. His biggest scalp however was undoubtedly Don Bradman, who despite averaging over 100 for the season was sent back to the pavilion by Evans for just 27, in Western Australia's match against the Australian XI in 1929/30.