Alan Evans | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Full name | David Evans |
Nickname | The Rhondda Legend |
Born |
Rhondda, Wales |
14 June 1949
Died | 11 April 1999 Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales |
(aged 49)
Organisation (see split in darts) | |
BDO | 1973-1988 |
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. |
World Cup (Team)
1975
1977
David "Alan" Evans (14 June 1949 – 11 April 1999) was a Welsh professional darts player and former World No. 1 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 that darts had gained big popularity in the early 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.
Evans was one of the first players to appear on televised darts in reaching the final of the 1972 News of the World Championship - the first event to be shown in the UK, which was broadcast on ITV. In 1973 and 1974, Evans reached the final of the darts event on Yorkshire Television's The Indoor League on ITV.
Evans won the 1975 British Open, which was the first televised darts event on the BBC, and later in the year won his biggest singles tournament in winning the 1975 World Masters. At the time, the World Masters and 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 in Nottingham in 1978. He defeated Alan Glazier before losing to eventual champion, Leighton Rees in the quarter-finals. At the 1979 World Championship, at Jollees in Stoke-on-Trent, 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.