Devon Cricket Board - MCC honour for Devon chairman Evans

MCC honour for Devon chairman Evans

DEVON chairman Geoff Evans has been awarded one of the highest accolades in cricket – honorary life membership of the MCC.
Evans, who will be 73 later this month, has been involved in cricket almost all his life as a player and later administator.
Most of Evans’ club playing career was spent with Exeter, where he also served as club secretary and remains a life member. He saw out is days with Exmouth.
Evans (pictured) kept wicket for Devon between 1970-1978 – playing in the 1978 Minor Counties Championship winning side - and was appointed assistant secretary of the county club in 1979.
When secretary Ken Warren died unexpectedly in 1986, Evans took over and stayed in office for 23 years before stepping up to replace Roger Moylan-Jones as chairman.
Evans, who is a retired brewery executive living in Budleigh Salterton, has been secretary of the Minor Counties Cricket Association for the past 12 years.
He even found time to act as secretary of the fledgling Devon Cricket Board when it replaced the old Devon Cricket Association in the late 1990s.
It is that service to cricket which has prompted MCC to award Evans with honorary life membership. He joins an illustrious list of recent appointees, which includes Sir Viv Richards, Sean Pollock, Shane Warne, Darren Gough, Anil Kumble, Desmond Tutu and Rachel Heyhoe-Flint!
Evans, who has been an associate member of MCC for several years, said he had no idea who nominated him for the honour.
He added: “I am astonished and, as an unashamed traditionalist, of course flattered to have been honoured in such a way by the premier organization in world cricket which generously supports the game in so many different ways.
“It will be a humbling experience to find one's name appearing on the list of such illustrious recipients of a similar honour, many of whom are famous retired international cricketers.
“From a wider perspective, however, I prefer to regard this generous gesture by MCC as an acknowledgment of the importance of Minor County cricket at the top level of the game immediately below the professional counties.
“I believe I am the fortunate beneficiary of the substantial voluntary efforts made countrywide by so many who are devoting their time to the administration of the game in the non professional Counties.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to all my colleagues in Devon together with whomsoever deemed it appropriate to place my name before the MCC nominations group for consideration as a suitable candidate for this privilege which is received with much gratitude.”
MCC has around 22,000 members world wide and Evans has become one of only 320 to be honoured with life membership.
Evans said although he had been recognised for his work, there were scores of people beavering away on behalf of the game in Devon, whose contribution isn’t always rewarded.
“After such a lengthy period of involvement with Exeter CC, Devon CCC, Devon CB and MCCA, I am well aware of the attendant difficulties - and the frustrations which can sometimes arise from them - in trying to operate as professionally as possible within a largely amateur environment,” said Evans.
“I hope my own good fortune will serve as a recognition of the value of the contribution made by everyone who gives so willingly of their time in pursuit of the successful promotion of the game, whatever their sphere of activity at whatever level, particularly in Devon where we enjoy a strength of voluntary commitment not exceeded anywhere.
“Following a 23-year stint as honorary secretary of the county club, I am especially pleased that, as a result of internal re-organisation, we have been able to call upon the experience and energy of Neil Gamble as my successor to drive forward the changes which were considered necessary by the club's executive management.
“As a former honorary secretary of the Devon Cricket Board, of rather shorter duration, it is similarly rewarding to note the progress made in coping with the myriad of initiatives that seem endlessly to be demanded by the ECB.
“I believe that I am suitably qualified to comment that cricket in Devon owes a huge debt of gratitude to all those contributors in these organisations who selflessly devote their time without personal reward to ensure that, in national terms, we continue to punch above our weight.”

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