England's great keeper dies

Between 1946 and 1956 the names C.Washbrook and T.G.Evans both graced the England Test scorecard at the same time. Both popular, successful players in an England team studded with stars. In the past week, both have passed on.

Following closely on the death of Cyril Washbrook last Tuesday, Godfrey Evans died Monday morning in Northampton Hospital after suffering a heart attack. He was 78.

Thomas Godfrey Evans was England's first choice wicket-keeper for over a decade playing 91 Tests, one of the series of great Kent keepers to represent their country (others included Leslie Ames and Alan Knott). He debuted for Kent in 1939, but then missed much cricket due to the Second World War.

His technique was impeccable, both standing up and back, and his enthusiasm, courage, and unflagging energy made him one of the finest wicket-keepers of his or any time. He had superb reactions, and this, combined with his natural athletic ability, allowed him to make some astonishing catches, diving full length down the leg side to quick bowlers, and sometimes diving well in front of the popping crease to take bat-pad catches from spinners.

At the County level, he regularly kept to Doug Wright, whose quickish leg breaks beat the bat frequently, and would challenge all but the best. He habitually stood up to Alec Bedser, a feat few would attempt with the ball seaming and swinging at fast-medium pace. Christopher Martin-Jenkins wrote of him : "Of stocky build and a quicksilver character. his darting movements flowed from his natural exurberance, and he made acrobatic catches that few others, and certainly no other contemporary could have reached." He was an enterprising and attractive lower order bat, with two Test hundreds to his name.

Excellent footwork combined with a good eye allowed him to improvise to great effect but he could defend stubbornly when needed. Uncharacteristically he for many years held a slow scoring record, taking 95 minutes to get off the mark in a Test against Australia in 1947, a record broken only this year by Geoff Allott of New Zealand.

His courage was never in doubt, and was amply demonstrated in 1955 in the Old Trafford Test against South Africa. He broke a finger in two places when keeping in the first innings, but not only continued behind the stumps, but all but saved the match by scoring 36 out of a 49 run last wicket stand, using just one hand for defensive shots.

In 1960, after his retirement from the game, he was awarded a CBE for his services to the game. He worked in a variety of professions after ending his days as a player, including running a pub, but he was best known in his latter days as the jovial white-haired mutton-chop whiskered gentleman who acted as an advisor to bookmakers laying cricket odds. Former England team-mate Trevor Bailey, speaking on BBC radio yesterday, said he was "a wonderful man to have on tour. He loved a party."

Flags were flown at half-mast at St Lawrence's Ground, Canterbury yesterday, and a minute's silence observed before the start of Kent's National League match against Leicestershire.

Godfrey Evans played 91 Tests for England between 1946 and 1959, making 173 catches and 46 stumpings. His 219 Test dismissals was a world record for a wicketkeeper until beaten by Alan Knott almost twenty years later (and subsequently bettered by Rodney Marsh and Ian Healy). He scored 2439 Test runs at an average of 20.49, the higher of his two hundreds being 104. In all first-class cricket he scored 14882 runs at 21.22, held 816 catches and took 250 stumpings.

Source :: CricInfo365