PHOTOS
Nick relaxing near one of the waterfalls
Nick Evans
Nick Evans and the 'dreaded ladder'
As you read this Nick Evans is either sunning himself on a beach in Antigua
or playing cricket there with Berkshire over 50s in the Viv Richards Masters’ Tournament.Nick hails from Narberth and has played cricket in the county for an amazing 60 years, many of them representing the county as an off-spin bowler. He is now 72 years young but keeps himself amazingly fit and has a ‘have cricket kit will travel’ philosophy that has seen him play cricket around the world, not only for Wales over 50, 60s and 70s but also for other counties like Shropshire, Yorkshire, Somerset, Worcester, Essex, Warwickshire and with London Nomads.
Travelling man
These tours have seen him play in New Zealand, various West Indian Irelands, South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka, the USA and many other smaller countries. In South America he played in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Peru, Chile and Argentina, with the Andes providing an even more memorable back0drop than the Preselis do at Glandy Cross!
“The facilities at some of the venues are superb,” said Nick, “and the players are as eager to develop as in any places I have played before.”
Great Wall of China Challenge
But it is not only cricket that takes Nick abroad because he recently returned from the USA, where he spent five days under canvas in the Grand Canyon, raising money for the Breast Cancer campaign. He had previously walked part of the Great Wall of China for the same worthwhile charity and was self-financing for both so that every penny he raised went to help ease the trauma of breast cancer.
Grand Canyon was scary!
“The Great Wall walk was tough,” admitted Nick, but the Grand Canyon was something else because we had to scramble backwards down rope ladders and then get back up them on the daily return journey of 12 miles in very rocky and hot conditions.
“We had to carry our three litres of water for the whole day, plus our food for the day, and it was not easy.
“The heights were really scary but I tried to focus on the amazing rock formations, rather than look at the Colorado River or its tributaries below, plus the fantastic waterfalls that cascaded down the Canyon.
Supai welcome
We spent each night in the Supai Reservation for Native Americans. They made us very welcome but there was no water system or electricity.
“We washed in the river and it was quite warm, but the ladies found it a bit primitive,” said Nick with a chuckle! “And since our meals were often eaten in the dark we had to use a torch to see our food!”
Supai is the last place where the old Pony Express still operates and Nick actually sent himself a postcard at home which now has the ‘Pony Express’ franking on it, as a special memento of an epic trip where he raised £1,500 for the ‘Breast Cancer’ campaign.
A little bit of luxury now
So now Nick is enjoying a bit of luxury in Antigua with fellow Pembrokeshire veteran Richard Harris (who wants it known that he is much younger than Mr Evans!) They are scheduled to play four matches and that includes two 20/20 games in the impressive Viv Richards’ Stadium, plus another match against the best players chosen from the other teams against whom they compete on the island.
Nick will be at least 10 years older than any other of the Berkshire players but he can still more than hold his own with his canny off-spin. He runs several times a week when he’s back home and will be able to keep up with his colleagues throughout the tour.
He is heavily involved in the county’s coaching set-up and is the Hon Assistant Secretary of the Pembroke County Cricket Club, the governing body in the county, and was deservedly made a Life Member as reward for his involvement in the management committee since 1991.
And finally . . .
But now he loves going off on cricket tours and it is great to see someone of his age being so heavily involved, not only as an administrator but also as a player. He will also continue to enjoy raising funds for the Breast Cancer campaign and who knows what his next challenge will be in that area.
We can guarantee that it will entail a physical challenge and we can only say,
“Well done ‘Evs’ – and keep flying the Pembrokeshire Flag with such distinction!”