Brian Bevan

[Leeds Wire]

Brian Bevan has been shortlisted for the next "Rugby League Immortals" induction. 

The release of scores of old photos of the great man coincides with this accolade and you can see the photos on the Warrington Guardian website. 

Some of these pictures are absolutely wonderful!

http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/16372812.never-before-seen-pictures-of-warrington-wolves-great-brian-bevan/#gallery0

 

[deluded pom?]

A more unlikely looking superstar you'll never see.

[Rupert Prince]

I cannot see why he was not listed earlier. I never saw him play, but I believe he was all stuck together by sticky tape and bandages. Freakish. But amazing. And played all his games in UK. I believe but not sure he and Boston played on opposite wings and generally never marked each other.

Re. Boston and great photos I recall one of Billy's 7 tries against I think Dewsbury.  Great photo, and the faces in the background.

[Father Ted]

Bevan and Boston  were both right wing men. Truly greats of our game. Bevan looked older than most young lads grandads. Brilliant wingers both of them. As has been said, can't understand why Bevan hasn't been in the Hall of Fame for decades.

[bromleybulldog]

Some fantastic archive pictures there. Must surely be a book to be made out of that lot. And how about the size of some of the crowds there!!! Incredible.

[Just Browny]

1 hour ago, Father Ted said:

Bevan and Boston  were both right wing men. Truly greats of our game. Bevan looked older than most young lads grandads. Brilliant wingers both of them. As has been said, can't understand why Bevan hasn't been in the Hall of Fame for decades.

Ted, Bevan was one of the original 1988 inductees to the Hall of Fame. I think this is about recognition in Australia which, as you say, is long overdue.

Great photos - thanks LW.

[Futtocks]

2 hours ago, Rupert Prince said:

I cannot see why he was not listed earlier. I never saw him play, but I believe he was all stuck together by sticky tape and bandages. Freakish. But amazing. And played all his games in UK. I believe but not sure he and Boston played on opposite wings and generally never marked each other.

Re. Boston and great photos I recall one of Billy's 7 tries against I think Dewsbury.  Great photo, and the faces in the background.

The sticky tape was because he used to tape padding on his knees and elbows, as a precautionary measure. It also make him look more knobbly in the limbs, but team-mates said that, shirt off, he was more powerfully-muscled than it appeared when kitted up.

[Blind side johnny]

2 hours ago, Father Ted said:

Bevan and Boston  were both right wing men. Truly greats of our game. Bevan looked older than most young lads grandads. Brilliant wingers both of them. As has been said, can't understand why Bevan hasn't been in the Hall of Fame for decades.

He never played professional RL in Australia, I believe. It is the Australian HoF that the nomination is for.

[Blind side johnny]

53 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

The sticky tape was because he used to tape padding on his knees and elbows, as a precautionary measure. It also make him look more knobbly in the limbs, but team-mates said that, shirt off, he was more powerfully-muscled than it appeared when kitted up.

He was a stoker during the war.

[fieldofclothofgold]

I was a 14 year old boy and me and my mates shook hands with him as he was walking up to the dressing rooms after the 1961 championship final 

[Futtocks]

22 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

He never played professional RL in Australia, I believe. It is the Australian HoF that the nomination is for.

He played eight games for Eastern Suburbs, before he joined the navy, which took him to England and being turned down by Leeds.

Astonishingly, his sole score at Easts was a 2-pointer off the boot. 

[alan30058]

Most people have heard of him but not many had the pleasure of seeing him in his pomp.
I thought I would share my few memories....
My first game ever was as a young lad of 10 and the game was Feathersone Rovers at home in the cup 2nd round ( February 1961)
Donning my new Wires scarf and armed with a massive wooden rattle( ex Air Raid Warden's) I was ready for my indoctrination.Just as I was setting off my Dad shouted to me "Don't forget to look out for the number 2 winger Bevan he's the best player that has ever played for us" wow that was some statement and I couldn't wait to see this super hero !
Well here I was at Wilderspool and the atmosphere was electric as Wire entered the arena to the roar of a packed crowd.

Then shock horror I realised Bevan wasn't playing but instead some old man who was bald with no teeth ,thin as a rake and swathed in more bandages than an Egyptian mummy was on the wing instead.!
Oh well not to worry I watched the game and was still captivated for life with my beloved Wire.
Even though we lost 13-10.
I got home and told my Dad all about the game and how we probably got beat because Bevan never played and I then described this old man who had taken his place.
Suddenly I felt a clip around my ear as Dad told me that WAS Brian Bevan !!!
Happy days happy memories. 

[Futtocks]

Well done for the rattle, too - not enough of that sort of thing in the modern game.

[Blind side johnny]

2 hours ago, Futtocks said:

He played eight games for Eastern Suburbs, before he joined the navy, which took him to England and being turned down by Leeds.

Astonishingly, his sole score at Easts was a 2-pointer off the boot. 

Thanks, my mistake.

[The King Of Leon]

I saw him play at Parkside for Blackpool against Hunslet but he was at the very end of his career but my Dad told me all about him and the tries he scored for Warrington.

[corvusxiii]

An old boy(long since dead) told me about this guy Brian playing at Featherstone I think. You couldn't see him for bandages. The general view was he should not have been on a rugby pitch. This was not healthy. And then he got the ball....  It was then they all understood.

[latchford albion]

Brian Bevan was named in the Aussie team of the (last) century so he has definitely been honoured in his homeland already.

 

I saw him play at Wilderspool twice in the early seventies: once in an amateur sevens tournament (for Radiation Creda?) and once in a testimonial.  John Bevan was on one wing, Brian on the other.

[Futtocks]

He also equalled McDonald Bailey's 100 yards world record of 10.2 seconds in a timed sprint.

Bailey later played one single game for Leigh.

 

[Leeds Wire]

10 minutes ago, latchford albion said:

I saw him play at Wilderspool twice in the early seventies: once in an amateur sevens tournament (for Radiation Creda?) and once in a testimonial.  John Bevan was on one wing, Brian on the other.

Parry Gordon's testimonial?  We couldn't go to that game and my Dad said it was the last chance to see the great Bev.  My parents and grandparents had told so many tales about him that I assumed they were rather tall stories.

I watched John Bevan instead in the early 80s and that was enough for me; without realising how truly remarkable his namesake Brian had been.

[latchford albion]

8 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

He also equalled McDonald Bailey's 100 yards world record of 10.2 seconds in a timed sprint.

Bailey later played one single game for Leigh.

 

Not that it matters but Mac ran that time for metres not yards. Arthur Rowe, the British record holder in the shot, had a very brief rugby career.  Was that also with Leigh?

[latchford albion]

4 minutes ago, Leeds Wire said:

Parry Gordon's testimonial?  We couldn't go to that game and my Dad said it was the last chance to see the great Bev.  My parents and grandparents had told so many tales about him that I assumed they were rather tall stories.

I watched John Bevan instead in the early 80s and that was enough for me; without realising how truly remarkable his namesake Brian had been.

I couldn't remember whose it was but Parry Gordon's seems a good shout.

[absentee thoughtlord]

He might have had the appearance of a retired bank clerk, but he remains the greatest winger ever to play the game - the records say so. 740 tries in 620 games. 

I'm sure if God picked a legends XIII he would be first on the team sheet.

 

[Rupert Prince]

16 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

He was a stoker during the war.

Indeed that would keep him fit.

[FullFat]

12 hours ago, latchford albion said:

I couldn't remember whose it was but Parry Gordon's seems a good shout.

I'm pretty sure it was Parry Gordon's testimonial, my dad took me to watch too and I remember asking him who the old man was and why was everyone cheering whenever he got the ball.  If I remember correctly (and that's not sure by all means) I think they let him score at some point in the game and everyone went nuts!

[Rupert Prince]

13 hours ago, Futtocks said:

He also equalled McDonald Bailey's 100 yards world record of 10.2 seconds in a timed sprint.

Bailey later played one single game for Leigh.

 

I think the quickest player I have seen holding a rugby ball was Martin Offiah so it would be an interesting  comparator to judge. 

(I seem to recall, going back a few years  I think, Bill Burgess of Barrow being lightening quick)