Middlesex speedster boosts Easts

BY JOSEPH ROMANOS - THE WELLINGTONIAN

Middlesex fast bowler Danny Evans thought he'd spend the summer in Wellington playing cricket and enjoying the sun.

He's been here three weeks now, has played just one game of cricket and is still waiting for the sun.

"That's not quite true," said Evans. "There have been some lovely days, but unfortunately not on Saturdays.

"We've had one game, in amazingly bitter conditions, and two washouts."

Evans, 22, has been signed by Wellington club champions Eastern Suburbs and with his cricket CV is expected to bolster an already strong combination.

In his one outing so far, Evans, wearing two jerseys and desperately warding off hypothermia, took 4-25 against Taita and impressed with the speed he mustered off his 14-metre run-up.

He is from Hartlepool in the north-east of England, but because his local county, Durham, has such fast bowling strength he looked elsewhere.

"Durham have Steve Harmison and several other good pace bowlers," he said.

"It was going to be hard to break into that team.

"Then an opportunity came to sign for Middlesex in 2007, so I grabbed it.

"It was a gamble. I didn't know if I would like living in London, and how I would find the team, but it's turned out well.

"I made my first-class debut at Lord's in 2007 and got [former New Zealand batsman] Craig Spearman out in my first over, so that was a pretty promising start."

Unfortunately for Evans, who has played 15 first-class games, his 2009 season was blighted by injury.

The former England under-19 representative said the best batsmen he had bowled to had been Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash. Among the bowlers, he said he had learnt a lot watching Harmison and was always impressed with South African speedster Allan Donald's aggression.

He spent last season playing club cricket in Perth, where he thrived on the heat. Rather than spend this northern winter at home doing fitness training, he thought he would head south again.

"A mate of mine up north, James Lowe, had two seasons with Easts and spoke very enthusiastically about the club, so when an opportunity arose, I grabbed it."

Besides his playing commitments – if there is ever another fine Saturday – Evans is doing club and school coaching.