Alfred Evans

Alfred Henry Evans (14 June 1858 – 26 March 1934) was an English first-class cricketer and educator. Considered one of the best fast bowlers in England at the time, Evans played in 44 first-class matches between 1878 and 1885, taking over 200 wickets. He would later became a schoolmaster at Winchester College and would found Horris Hill School in 1882, where he was headmaster until 1920.

Early life and sport at Oxford University The third son of Deputy-Surgeon-General William Evans, formerly Inspector-General of Hospitals in Madras, where he was born in June 1858. He was educated in England, firstly at Rossall School, before moving to Clifton College in 1874, where he represented the college cricket team from 1875 to 1877.

From there, he matriculated to Oriel College, Oxford. While at Oxford, Evans was a member of the Oxford University Cricket Club. It was for the club that he made his debut in first-class cricket against the Gentlemen of England at Oxford in 1878. He played first-class cricket for Oxford until 1881, making eighteen appearances. For the cricket club as a right-arm fast-medium bowler who was described while playing for Oxford as "sometimes almost unplayable", he took 107 wickets at a bowling average of 15.21; he took a five wicket haul on thirteen occasions and took ten wickets in a match on four. As a batsman, he scored 348 runs at an average of 11.22, with a highest score of 49. For Oxford, he gained his blue by appearing in four University Matches against Cambridge University, taking 36 wickets across these matches. His best figures of 7 for 74 came in the 1881 University Match. It was in 1881 that Evans was elected captain of the cricket club; during his captaincy year, he was credited with Oxford's victory over Cambridge, having taken 13 wickets for 130 runs in The University Match.

He also played rugby union at Oxford for Oxford University RFC, captaining the fifteen in the 1879–80 season. However, he resigned at Christmas following the postponement of a match against Cambridge due to frost.

Evans left Winchester in April 1888 and founded Horris Hill School at Newbury, He died suddenly in March 1934 at Saunton, Devon, having been taken ill while playing golf. He was married to Isabel Aimée du Boulay, daughter of the Winchester master J. T. Houssemayne Du Boulay. Their two sons, John and Ralph, both played first-class cricket; John would play Test cricket for England in 1921. His nephews, Dudley, William, and Alfred, also played first-class cricket.