Gwynn Evans (13 August 1915 – April 2001) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er. Evans was a right-handed batting who bowled right-arm medium-fast. He was born in

Bala Bala may refer to: Places India *Bala, India, a village in Allahabad, India * Bala, Ahor, a village in the Jalore district of Rajasthan * Bala, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India Romania * Bala, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedinţi ...

, Merionethshire.

Sporting career

Evans first appeared in

county cricket Inter-county cricket matches are known to have been played since the early 18th century, involving teams that are representative of the historic counties of England and Wales. Since the late 19th century, there have been two county championship ...

for Denbighshire in the 1933

Minor Counties Championship The NCCA 3 Day Championship (previously the Minor Counties Cricket Championship) is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national cou ...

against Lincolnshire. He played Minor Counties cricket for Denbighshire from 1933 to 1935, making a total of ten Minor Counties Championship appearances for the Welsh county. Later, while studying for his degree at

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

, Evans made his first-class appearance for Oxford University against Gloucestershire in 1938. He played first-class cricket for the university in 1938 and 1939, making sixteen appearances. In his sixteen matches, he scored 468 runs at an average of 19.50, with a high score of 63 not out. This score came against the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1939. An all-rounder, he took 51 wickets with the ball, which came at a

bowling average In cricket, a player's bowling average is the number of runs they have conceded per wicket taken. The lower the bowling average is, the better the bowler is performing. It is one of a number of statistics used to compare bowlers, commonly use ...

of 28.68, with best figures of 6/80. These figures, one of two

five-wicket haul In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by critics as a notable achievement, equivalent to a century from a batsman. Takin ...

s he took for the university, came against

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

in 1939. On the back of his performances for Oxford University in which he gained his Blue, Evans was offered a trial for the latter half of the 1939 season by

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, making his debut against the touring West Indians at Cardiff Arms Park. Following this match there was talk of him becoming a long-term replacement for Jack Mercer, but with the start of World War II and the subsequent cancellation of county cricket, this was not to be. In his brief time with Glamorgan, Evans scored 164 runs at an average of 12.61, with a high score of 36. With the ball, he took 5 wickets, although these came at a fairly expensive average of 66.20. Following the war he opted not to continue his cricket career, but instead to focus on a career in teaching. Having moved to Leicestershire, Evans impressed enough in local club cricket there to play for

in the 1949 season. Making his debut for the county against the touring New Zealanders, he made nine further appearances for Leicestershire in that season, the last of which came against former county Glamorgan. In his ten first-class appearances for the county, he scored 192 runs at an average of 14.76, with a high score of 65 not out. This score came against Gloucestershire. With the ball, he took 16 wickets at an average of 41.50, with best figures of 4/49. During the 1949 season, Leicestershire captain Stuart Symington abruptly left the county following the County Championship match against Lancashire. Evans was called upon to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

the county for the remaining six matches of that season. He died in April 2001 in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, Leicestershire.

References

External links

Gwynn Evans
at ESPNcricinfo
Gwynn Evans
at CricketArchive {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Gwynn 1915 births 2001 deaths Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Cricketers from Gwynedd Denbighshire cricketers Glamorgan cricketers Leicestershire cricket captains Leicestershire cricketers Oxford University cricketers Welsh cricketers Welsh educators People from Bala, Gwynedd