Brian Bevan

Brian Eyrl Bevan (24 June 1924 – 3 June 1991), also known by the nickname of "Wing Wizard", was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who became the only player ever to have been inducted into both the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame and British Rugby League Hall of Fame. An Other Nationalities representative wing and the record try scorer in the history of the Rugby League European Championship, Bevan scored a world record 796 tries, mainly for Warrington. In 2008, the centenary year of rugby league in Australia, he was named on the wing of Australia's Team of the Century (1908-2007). Bevan was the only player chosen in the team who had never represented Australia in a test match.

For the English footballer, see Brian Bevan (footballer).

Brian Bevan
Personal information
Full nameBrian Eyrl Bevan
Born(1924-06-24)24 June 1924
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died3 June 1991(1991-06-03) (aged 67)
Southport, Merseyside, England
Playing information
PositionWing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1942–46 Eastern Suburbs 8 0 1 0 2
1946–62 Warrington 620 740 34 0 2288
1962–64 Blackpool Borough 42 17 0 0 51
Total 670 757 35 0 2341
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: [1][2]

Sydney

The 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 when the Second World War had begun in 1939 he had decided to join the Royal Australian Navy, which restricted his appearances for the club. Ironically, Bevan, who would go on to break try scoring records in English club football, never scored a try for Easts.

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 in the Australian Football League.

Britain

He arrived on board HMAS Australia in Britain in 1946, and all he had with him was a letter of recommendation which was written by former Eastern Suburbs Test winger Bill Shankland.[3] 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 then decided to try his luck with the Warrington club. 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 then returned home to Australia for several months in order to complete his Navy service, before returning to Warrington.

In 1946–47, his first season, he scored 48 tries for the club - 14 tries more than any other player in the league. Within four years at the club he had surpassed the club's try scoring record of 215 set by Jack Fish over thirteen seasons. On five occasions Brian Bevan was the top try scorer in Britain. 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 Britain. 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 Britain, Bevan scored a hat-trick of tries or more in a single game 100 times. Twice he scored seven tries in a 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.

Brian Bevan played right wing, i.e. number 2, in Warrington's 19-0 victory over Widnes in the 1949–50 Challenge Cup Final during the 1949–50 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 6 May 1950, in front of a crowd of 94,249, and played right wing in the 8-4 victory over Halifax in the 1953–54 Challenge Cup Final replay during the 1953–54 season at Odsal, Bradford on Wednesday 5 May 1954, in front of a record crowd of 102,575 or more.[4]

He scored a try in Warrington's 8-14 defeat by Wigan in the 1948–49 Lancashire County Cup Final during the 1948–49 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 13 November 1948,[5] played in Warrington's 5-28 defeat by Wigan in the 1950–51 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1950–51 season at Swinton on Saturday 4 November 1950.[6] and scored a try in Warrington's 5-4 victory over St. Helens in the 1959–60 Lancashire County Cup Final during the 1959–60 season at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 31 October 1959.

He played for the British Empire XIII against New Zealand on Wednesday 23 January 1952 at Stamford Bridge in London.

In all he scored 796 tries in his career in Britain in competitive matches, a world record by a rugby player of either code). He scored 740 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.[7]

Bevan played most of his career in Britain, and was never selected to represent Australia in a test match, although he did mesmerise Kangaroo touring sides with his guile and skill for almost two decades.

Post-playing
Statue of Brian Bevan at the Halliwell Jones Stadium

In 1988 Brian Bevan was inducted into the British Rugby League Hall of Fame. The 'wing wizard', as he is commonly referred, died in Southport, England in 1991, aged 67. Thousands turned up for his memorial service a month later which was held on the pitch at Wilderspool which was at the time the home of Warrington.

The Brian Bevan Wall at the Halliwell Jones Stadium

Bevan was featured on a British stamp in 1995, one of a series of five to commemorate the centenary of Rugby League. In September, 2005 he was also inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame.[8] 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 Wilderspool Stadium, then moved to the club's new ground, 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.[3] Bevan was also inducted into the Warrington Wolves Hall of Fame.[9]

In February 2008, Bevan was named in a list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the National Rugby League and the Australian Rugby League to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.[10][11] 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.[12][13]

In June 2018, Bevan was named on a shortlist of ten players for potential induction into the NRL's The Immortals, with two to be selected and announced in August of the same year.[14] While the NRL made a surprise announcement that they were making five inductions rather than the planned two on the night, Bevan was not among those raised to Immortal status.[15]

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References
  1. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. Gate, Robert (2003). Rugby League Hall of Fame. Stroud: Tempus. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7524-2693-8.
  3. Carr, Andy (2014). "Bevan, Brian Eyrl (1924–1991)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  4. "Mud, blood and memories of the day when 102,575 made history at Odsal". independent.co.uk. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  5. "1948-1949 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  6. "1950-1951 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  7. 2005 Annual Report Archived 5 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine - Australian Rugby League (p. 51)
  8. Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame Archived 18 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Hall of Fame at Wire2Wolves.com (archived)". wire2wolves.com. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  10. "Centenary of Rugby League – The Players". NRL & ARL. 23 February 2008. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  11. Peter Cassidy (23 February 2008). "Controversy reigns as NRL releases top 100 players". Macquarie National News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  12. Todd Balym (17 April 2008). "Johns, Meninga among Immortals". Fox Sports Australia. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
  13. "Team of the Century Announced". NRL & ARL. 17 April 2008. Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
  14. "Immortals shortlist announced". NRL. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  15. "Five rugby league greats named as Immortals, including three pre-WWII players". Australian Broadcasting Commission. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.

Further reading
  • Gate, Robert (2002). The Great Bev, The Rugby League Career Brian Bevan. London: London League Publications. ISBN 1-903659-06-X.
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