Alan Evans
| Alan Evans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | David Evans |
| Nickname | The Rhondda Legend |
| Born |
14 June 1949 Rhondda, Wales |
| Died |
11 April 1999 (aged 49) Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales |
| Organisation (see split in darts) | |
| BDO | 1972-1988 |
| BDO majors - best performances | |
| World Ch'ship | Semi Final: 1979, 1987 |
| World Masters | Winner 1975 |
| Other tournament wins | |
| Tournament | Years |
| British Open World Cup (Team) |
1975 |
| Updated on July 1, 2007. | |
David "Alan" Evans (14 June 1949 – 11 April 1999) was a Welsh professional darts player who competed in the 1970s and 1980s.
Evans was one of the early faces of television darts and had some tournament success in the 1970s. By the time the sport gained popularity in the 1980s, Evans's form had faded and he wasn't in the limelight as much as Eric Bristow, John Lowe and Jocky Wilson - who all found more fame and success from the game.
Darts career
Evans was one of the first players to appear on televised darts reaching the final of the 1972 News of the World Championship - the first event to be shown in the UK. He also won the 1975 British Open, which was the first televised event on the BBC. In 1973 and 1974, he reached the final of the darts event on Yorkshire Television's Indoor League.
He won the Winmau World Masters in 1975 - which along with the News of the World, were the most prestigious titles in darts before the World Championship began in 1978. When the Darts World Cup began in 1977, the Welsh team of Evans, Leighton Rees and David "Rocky" Jones won the Team Championship and Overall Championship.
Evans was a participant at the inaugural Embassy World Championship. He defeated Alan Glazier before losing to eventual champion, Leighton Rees in the quarter-finals. At the 1979 World Championship, Evans won a very fiery quarter final match against Eric Bristow, by 3–1 in sets. In the semi finals, Rees defeated Evans at the World Championship for the second year in succession. In May 1979, Evans received a 12-month ban from the British Darts Organisation following an incident after an international match whilst playing for the Welsh team.
After his suspension ended, Evans came back to rebuild his darts career, and made five more appearances in the World Championship, each time losing to a legend of the game - twice to Bristow in 1986 and 1987, twice to Wilson in 1982 and 1988 and also to Lowe in 1983. With the exception of the 1987 semi final loss Bristow, these appearances were all in the first or second rounds.
On a tour of Scotland, it was reported that he finished on 3 bullseyes (150) 8 times.
Evans holds the record for the highest score achieved on the Bronze Bully charity round in the darts game show Bullseye, scoring 401 (180, 180, 41) with nine darts, doubling up to £802 for charity.
In July 1977, Evans faced boxer Muhammad Ali in an exhibition match at the Gypsy Green Stadium (South Shields), in England. Under the handicap rules of the match, Evans would only score points for hitting trebles - Ali was able to hit the bullseye to win the match and proclaim himself the Darts Champion of the World.[1]
Evans began to have health problems with his kidneys in the autumn of 1987, and left the darts circuit after the MFI World Pairs event in June 1988, which was broadcast on ITV. In June 1997, Evans played darts on TV for the first time in 9 years, when he participated against his old rival, Eric Bristow, in the Battle of the Champions event at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, broadcast on Sky Sports. Evans hit 4 180s in the match, but Bristow ultimately won 3–0 in sets.
Evans died on 11 April 1999, at the age of 49. He was constantly mentioned in televised events by commentator Sid Waddell and usually referred to the "Alan Evans Shot" (three bullseyes) when a player required a checkout of 150.[2]
World Championship results
BDO
- 1978: Quarter Finals (lost to Leighton Rees 3-6) (legs)
- 1979: Semi Finals (lost to Leighton Rees 1-3) (sets)
- 1982: 2nd Round (lost to Jocky Wilson 1-2)
- 1983: 1st Round (lost to John Lowe 0-2)
- 1986: 1st Round (lost to Eric Bristow 1-3)
- 1987: Semi Finals (lost to Eric Bristow 0-5)
- 1988: 2nd Round (lost to Jocky Wilson 2-3)
References
- ↑ Irish, Oliver (6 January 2002). "Do you remember when...Eric Bristow ruled darts?". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ↑ Edwards, Dave (6 January 2011). "Darts: Sporting giants face-off". Wales Online. Retrieved 4 January 2014.