James Bevan

James Alfred Bevan (15 April 1858 – 3 February 1938) was a Wales international rugby union three-quarter who played club rugby for Clifton RFC and Newport. He is best known for being the first Welsh international captain, whilst at Cambridge University.

For the British diplomat, see James Bevan (diplomat).

James Bevan

Birth name	James Alfred Bevan[1]
Date of birth	(1858-04-15)15 April 1858
Place of birth	St Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Date of death	3 February 1938(1938-02-03) (aged 79)
Place of death	Leytonstone, London
School	Hereford Cathedral School
University	St John's College, Cambridge
Rugby union career
Position(s) Three-quarters Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1877–1880 1882 1880–1881 Abergavenny RFC Cambridge University R.U.F.C. Clifton RFC Newport RFC () National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1881 Wales[2] 1 (0)

Early life

Bevan was born in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, the son of Elizabeth (née Fly) and James Bevan. His parents were from Grosmont, Monmouthshire, Wales, and came to Victoria during the gold rush of the early 1850s. He was a childhood friend of Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia; their fathers were partners in a coaching business.[3] On 11 January 1866, Bevan's parents died when the SS London sank in a gale in the Bay of Biscay.

He was sent back to Wales after being orphaned to live with paternal relatives. He attended Hereford Cathedral School.[4]

Rugby career

Bevan played for Abergavenny[4] before attending university at St John's College, Cambridge.[5] Bevan played for Cambridge University R.U.F.C., and while with Cambridge was selected to captain the first Welsh international, against England.

The Rugby Football Union insisted that the England vs Wales match be played on 19 February 1881. This was the same day that Swansea were playing Llanelli at Neath in a semi-final cup-tie thus depriving Wales of several players. This was Wales's first international, organised before the Welsh Rugby Union was set up. The players had never played together before, though one player, Major Richard Summers, was selected for Wales on his performances a couple of years earlier for his school, Cheltenham College, in matches against Cardiff and Newport. No formal invitations to play were sent out to the Welsh XV. Two of those expected to appear did not turn up, so bystanders, university undergraduates with tenuous Welsh links who had travelled to London to see the match, were called in to play for Wales.

It was a humiliating defeat for the Welsh team and Bevan never played for Wales again (under modern scoring values Wales lost 82-0). A month after the match the WRFU was founded at the Castle Hotel, Neath on 12 March 1881.

Bevan later became an Anglican clergyman.[5] From 1899 to 1936 he was vicar at St George's church in Great Yarmouth.[6]

The James Bevan Trophy was named in his honour to celebrate 100 years of Test Rugby.

International matches played

Wales[7]

• England 1881

Bibliography

• Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.

References

1. Newport RFC player profile Archived 17 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
2. WRU player profiles Archived 17 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
3. Judith Brett (2017). The Enigmatic Mr Deakin. Text Publishing. pp. 15–22.
4. Smith (1980), pg 24.
5. "Bevan, James Alfred (BVN877JA)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
6. James Bevan biography Clifton RFC
7. Smith (1980), pg 463.