William Addams Williams Evans (September 1853 – 23 April 1919) was a Welsh churchman who played for the

Wales national football team ) , Association = Football Association of Wales (FAW) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , Coach = Rob Page , Captain = Gareth Bale , Most caps = Gareth Bale (111) , Top scorer = Gareth ...

, in the first two international matches in 1876 and 1877 before a long career as a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

minister.

Early life and education

Evans was born in

Usk Usk ( cy, Brynbuga) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks th ...

, Monmouthshire, the son of the local vicar and the grandson of

William Addams Williams William Addams Williams (10 August 1787 – 5 September 1861) was a Welsh lawyer, landowner and politician. He was a Member of Parliament for Monmouthshire from 1831–41. Family He was the eldest son of William Addams Williams of Llangibby C ...

Llangibby Castle Llangybi (also spelled Llangibby) is a village and community in Monmouthshire, in southeast Wales, in the United Kingdom. It is located south of the town of Usk and north of Caerleon, in the valley of the River Usk. In 2011 the village itsel ...

, the County Magistrate for Monmouthshire, after whom he was named. After completing his education at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into ...

, Evans went up to St John's College, Oxford in 1872. Evans graduated in 1877 as a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

and was then ordained as a Church of England curate.

Church career

Evans served as a curate at Barwell in Leicestershire for six years before brief periods at All Saints, Northampton and his last English parish at Harrowden,

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

. In 1885, he returned to Monmouthshire becoming

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Llandegveth Llandegveth ( cy, Llandegfedd) is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. Location Llandegveth is located between Cwmbran, in Torfaen, and Usk in rural Monmouthshire. History & amenities Llandegfedd Reservoir, located nearby is named ...

in 1886, where he remained until his death in 1919.

Football career

Whilst at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

, Evans played for the university football team but failed to win a

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

. In 1876, he replied to an advertisement placed by Llewelyn Kenrick in " The Field" seeking Welsh players to represent their country in a match against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. Evans was the only player from South Wales selected for the first Welsh international XI, with the others all from

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

(other than

John Hawley Edwards John Hawley Edwards (21 March 1850 – 14 January 1893) was an English footballer who made one appearance for England in 1874, before going on to play for Wales in 1876. He was a member of the Wanderers team that won the 1876 FA Cup Final. Ca ...

who was born in Shrewsbury in England and had previously represented the

England national football team The England national football team has represented England in international football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in England, which is affilia ...

). The match was played at

Hamilton Crescent Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club. Hamilton Crescent hosted the 1872 Scotland v England football match, first international football match, betw ...

Partick Partick ( sco, Pairtick, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and ...

, the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club on 25 March 1876 and the Welsh were well defeated, conceding four goals without reply. Evans played at right back and acquitted himself well, with the match report commenting: "Evans and Kenrick, the backs, played splendidly for Wales". The return match came on 5 March 1877 at the

Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground ( cy, Y Cae Ras) is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C. It is the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches, having hosted Wales' first home ...

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

, with Evans retaining his place in defence. The Scots were again victorious, winning 2–0, but Evans had the misfortune to concede an

own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...

for the second goal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, William 1853 births 1919 deaths People from Usk Sportspeople from Monmouthshire People educated at Shrewsbury School Alumni of St John's College, Oxford Welsh footballers Oxford University A.F.C. players Wales international footballers Association football defenders 19th-century Welsh Anglican priests