Sport
17 April, 2025
Colts Phelans’ Ben Evans to play for Hunwick after cracking home season
Fresh off his magnificent man-of-the-match performance in the Maryborough District Cricket Association (MDCA) A grade grand final, Ben Evans has landed in England for the upcoming cricket season.
It will be Evans’ second voyage across the world in consecutive seasons, where he will be playing for Hunwick Cricket Club, 45 minutes out of Newcastle.
After considering the chance to play overseas for some time, Evans said the trip lived up to expectations.
“It’s always been in the back of my head, I know a few people who have gone over before and said it was a great experience,” he said.
“I pulled the trigger pretty late, I think it got to January the year before and I thought I left it a little too late but found a club over there and away I went.
“The first time I went over there, I was an out-and-out leg spinner and was batting 11 back home and they batted me at four.
“I got a lot of confidence from that as an all-rounder, I started batting a lot more, I made a few runs, I think I top scored for the club over there.
“It’s a lot different over there the way they play their cricket, they play a lot more cricket, it's all-white ball stuff and you have to be a bit more adaptable.”
Evans used the trip as a catalyst for a fantastic season back home, taking 23 wickets and scoring 117 runs across the MDCA season for Colts Phelans.
His campaign culminated in a game-changing performance in the grand final against Carisbrook, grabbing 6/57 to help bowl Colts to the premiership.
Evans said he’s hopeful he can make a similar impact on England’s variable conditions.
“I was up in the air about it, and I thought I’ll go back, it’s a lifetime opportunity, if I don’t do it now, I won’t do it again,” he said.
“The conditions are different, the bowlers bowl differently because of the conditions, the ball swings a lot more and you have to adapt your game.
“It can get a little bit one-dimensional when playing in Australian conditions sometimes, you get used to batting and bowling a certain way.
“Going over there definitely forced me to think about my game a little bit differently, I like to play off my back foot a lot but over there you can’t do that.”
As he completes his final preparations for the upcoming season, Evans said he’ll make the most of the opportunity on and off the field.
“A lot of it is the cricket but also it will be a good travel and a life experience for me,” he said.
“I made some great friendships over there that I didn’t just want to leave and never go back to.
“A big part of cricket for me these days is the social side and the relationships you develop through cricket.
“Over in England, they have a big culture around the cricket clubs.
“It’s all connected to the villages and the local pubs so lots of people come down and watch the games and know everyone.”