Brian Bevan
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brian Eyrl Bevan | |||||
| Nickname | Wing Wizard | |||||
| Born | 24 June 1924 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Died | 3 June 1991 (aged 66) Southport, Merseyside, England |
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| Playing information | ||||||
| Position | Wing | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1942–46 | Eastern Suburbs | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1946–62 | Warrington | 695 | 740 | 1 | 0 | 2222 |
| 1962–64 | Blackpool Borough | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| Total | 702 | 770 | 2 | 0 | 2314 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1949–55 | Other Nationalities | 16 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 78 |
| 1952 | British Empire XIII | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1954 | Rugby League XIII | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Source: Yesterday's Hero | ||||||
Brian Eyrl Bevan (1924–1991) was a legendary Australian rugby league winger of the 1940a, 50s and 60s who scored a world record 796 tries for Warrington RLFC. He is the only player ever to have been inducted into both the Australian and British rugby league Halls of Fame.
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[edit] Eastern Suburbs
Son of former Eastern Suburbs player Rick Bevan, Brian Bevan began his career playing for Easts in 1942. He made 8 appearances for the club, although somewhat ironically, failed to score a try.
[edit] Warrington
When World War II began, Brian Bevan decided to join the Navy. He arrived on board HMAS Australia in England in 1946. He had with him a letter of recommendation which was written by former Eastern Suburbs Test winger Bill Shankland. Bevan requested a trial with Leeds, which was a suggestion from Shankland, but the club decided against signing him partially due to his frail looking appearance. Shankland also recommended he try Hunslet if Leeds refused to sign him, but once again he was turned down. He decided to try his luck with Warrington. Warrington decided to give him an 'A' team trial in November in which he scored a try. The club were impressed with his first performance and decided to play him in the first team a week later. The club then decided to sign him on a permanent basis on a £300 contract. He went home for several months to discharge from military service.
In 1946–47, his first season, he scored 48 tries for the club which was 14 tries more than any other player in the league. Within four years at the club he had surpassed the club try scoring record of 215 set by Jack Fish over thirteen seasons. On five occasions Brian Bevan was the top try scorer in England. His best season for try scoring feats was in 1952–53 when he amassed a total of 72 tries. Only Albert Rosenfeld has scored more tries in a single season in England. Rosenfeld holds the top two most tries in a season with 78 in 1911–12 and 80 in 1913–14. He was the 1946–47 Northern Rugby Football League season's top try-scorer with 48. The 1953–54 season saw him become the highest try scorer in the game's history when he passed the 446 tries mark set by Alf Ellaby.
In his career in England, Bevan scored a hat-trick of tries or more in a single game 100 times. Twice he scored seven tries in a single game for Warrington, which is still a club record. During his sixteen year career with Warrington he helped the club win the Challenge Cup twice, three RL Championships, a Lancashire Cup and six Lancashire League titles. He played his last game for Warrington on Easter Monday, 1962. He came out of semi-retirement to play for Blackpool Borough between 1962–64.
He played for the British Empire XIII against New Zealand on Wednesday 23/1/1952 at Stamford Bridge.
In all he scored an incredible 796 tries in his career in England in all competitive matches (a world record for tries by a rugby player of either code), 740 of which were for Warrington, in 620 appearances (both club records). In 1961 he returned to Australia to play for an Eastern Suburbs seven-a-side competition for Keith Holman's testimonial.[1]
The 'wing wizard', as he is commonly referred, died in Southport, Merseyside, England in 1991, aged 66. Thousands turned up for his memorial service a month later which was held on the pitch at Wilderspool Stadium which was at the time the home of Warrington RLFC.
Brian was the brother of Owen 'Ozzy' Bevan who played for Sydney club the St George Dragons as well as Warrington, and is the great uncle of Paul Bevan who plays Australian rules football for the Sydney Swans.
[edit] Accolades
In 1988 Brian Bevan was inducted in to the British Rugby League Hall of Fame. In September, 2005 he was also inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame.[2] He is the only player to have been so doubly honoured.
A statue of him was erected in the middle of a roundabout close to Warrington's old Wilderspool ground. This was moved to the club's new ground when they relocated to the Halliwell Jones Stadium in 2004, which also includes a mural showing Bevan's face made from 'Primrose and Blue' bricks, the traditional Warrington colours.
In February 2008, Bevan was named in a list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.[3] [4] Bevan went on to be named as one of the wingers, along with Ken Irvine, in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century. Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panel's majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players.[5][6]
He was also featured on a British stamp in 1995, one of a series of five to commemorate the centenary of Rugby League.
[edit] References
- ^ 2005 Annual Report - Australian Rugby League (p. 51)
- ^ Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame
- ^ "Centenary of Rugby League – The Players". NRL & ARL. 23 February 2008. http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/the-players.aspx?cat=3&list=true. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
- ^ Peter Cassidy (23 February 2008). "Controversy reigns as NRL releases top 100 players". Macquarie National News. http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/02/22/Controversy_reigns_as_NRL_releases_top_100_players. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
- ^ Todd Balym (17 April 2008). "Johns, Meninga among Immortals". Fox Sports Australia. http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23557351-23214,00.html. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
- ^ "Team of the Century Announced". NRL & ARL. 17 April 2008. http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/news--reviews/media-releases/team-of-the-century-announced.aspx. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
[edit] Further reading
- Gate, Robert (2002). The Great Bev, The Rugby League Career Brian Bevan. London: London League Publications. ISBN 190365906X.
[edit] External links
- Brian Eyrl Bevan biography
- Brian Bevan at rugbyleaguehistory.co.uk
- Brian Bevan at rlhalloffame.org.uk
- Brian Bevan at eraofthebiff.com
- Brian Bevan at warringtonwolves.org
- France defeated in ‘Battle of the Boulevard’
- Bev makes Warrington debut
- Floodlit feast at Odsal
- Hall of Fame at Wire2Wolves.com
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