William Evans (Australian sportsman)
Encyclopedia
William Thomas 'Poley' Evans (9 April 1876 – 19 July 1964) was an Australian sportsman. He captained Queensland
at first-class cricket
and represented Australia in rugby union
. He was born in Indooroopilly, Queensland
and died at Buranda
, Queensland.
's first British Lions to tour Australia
at the Sydney Cricket Ground
on 24 June 1899, the inaugural rugby Test match played by an Australian national representative
side. He scored a try in that match and is listed on rugby records by the name 'Poley' Evans. Four weeks later he played in the second Test in Brisbane
. His performance in that match was noted as excellent by the press. He made a state appearance for Queensland
that year against those same tourists. Poley's younger brother Lew Evans
also represented for Australia from 1903 to 1904.
When he returned to cricket in 1902 it was as a wicket-keeper and he kept wicket for all but one of his first-class matches from that point.
Queensland didn't play in the Sheffield Shield during Evans's career so most of his appearances were in Brisbane, when they took on touring states. He regularly captained Queensland and even had the honour of captaining an Australian XI for a first-class match against South Africa in 1910.
When Evans made his first-class debut in 1899, it was as an all-rounder
. Bowling right arm overarm, he took 7/70, despite his opponents the South Australians amassing 582 runs. It was the first ever time the two states had met at first-class level and thus Evans has the distinction of being the first Queenslander to take a five wicket haul against South Australia.
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
at 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...
and represented Australia in rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. He was born in Indooroopilly, Queensland
Queensland
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...
and died at Buranda
Buranda, Queensland
Buranda is a locality in the southern Brisbane suburbs of Greenslopes and Annerley, in Brisbane, Australia.The location is an important transport hub for southern Brisbane. Logan Road and Ipswich Road pass through the area as does the South East Busway with a station called Buranda busway station. ...
, Queensland.
Rugby union career
Evans, who played on the wing, won two caps for Australia at rugby in 1899 as a winger in the national side. His debut game was against Matthew MullineuxMatthew Mullineux
Matthew Mullineux MC was an English rugby union scrum-half who, although not capped for England, was selected for two British Lions tours. He gained one cap during the 1896 tour to South Africa and captained the 1899 tour of Australia...
's first British Lions to tour Australia
1899 British Lions tour to Australia
The 1899 British Isles tour to Australia was the fourth rugby union tour by a British Isles team and the second to Australia; though the first tour in 1888 was a private venture, making the 1899 tour the first official undertaking of Australia...
at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
on 24 June 1899, the inaugural rugby Test match played by an Australian national representative
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
side. He scored a try in that match and is listed on rugby records by the name 'Poley' Evans. Four weeks later he played in the second Test in Brisbane
Brisbane Exhibition Ground
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground , is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially for Ekka . The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland...
. His performance in that match was noted as excellent by the press. He made a state appearance for Queensland
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
that year against those same tourists. Poley's younger brother Lew Evans
Lew Evans
Llewellyn John "Lew" Evans was a rugby union player who represented Australia.Evans, a fly-half, was born in Brisbane, Queensland and claimed a total of 3 international rugby caps for Australia. His debut game was against New Zealand, at Sydney, on 15 August 1903...
also represented for Australia from 1903 to 1904.
Cricket career
Evans, who often batted with the tail, made just one first-class century. It came against New South Wales at the Brisbane Cricket Ground in 1908, when he came in at number nine in the batting order and scored 103 not out.When he returned to cricket in 1902 it was as a wicket-keeper and he kept wicket for all but one of his first-class matches from that point.
Queensland didn't play in the Sheffield Shield during Evans's career so most of his appearances were in Brisbane, when they took on touring states. He regularly captained Queensland and even had the honour of captaining an Australian XI for a first-class match against South Africa in 1910.
When Evans made his first-class debut in 1899, it was as an all-rounder
All-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...
. Bowling right arm overarm, he took 7/70, despite his opponents the South Australians amassing 582 runs. It was the first ever time the two states had met at first-class level and thus Evans has the distinction of being the first Queenslander to take a five wicket haul against South Australia.
Published references
- Collection (1995) Gordon Bray presents The Spirit of Rugby, Harper Collins Publishers Sydney
- Howell, Max (2005) Born to Lead - Wallaby Test Captains, Celebrity Books, Auckland NZ