A NEW all-digital scoreboard has been switched on at the County Ground as a permanent memorial to former Exeter player and official Geoff Evans.

Evans, who died last year aged 77, had a career in recreational cricket that spanned more than 60 years.

Evans principal association was with Exeter where he stated playing in 1953 and finished in 1983 having returned from a brief stint with arch rivals Exmouth.

He played for Devon over a 10-year period in the 70s and 80s and featured in the side that won the Minor Counties Championship in 1978.

A stint as secretary with Exeter prepared Evans for a long career in administration with Devon CCC and the Minor Counties Cricket Association.

At the time of his death in early September, Evans was Devon CCC chairman and secretary of the MCCA.

Exeter’s ground was redeveloped in 2015-16 to create a new £800,000 pavilion and practice area.

What it lacked was a scoreboard. Evans had been working on a project to site one on the ground when he died.

Sons Matt and Greg – both keen cricketers in their younger days – and Geoff’s wife Ruth decided to finish the project and donate the finished scoreboard to the club.

The board has been working for a while and was officially switched-on by Ruth Evans during Devon’s match against Berkshire earlier this week.

Greg, who spoke on behalf of the family before the switch-on, said: “It was almost exactly a year ago that dad asked me how I felt about donating a new score board from the Evans family.

“He was considering it as a memorial to his father Wilf and his uncles Jack and Roy, all of whom enjoyed many happy years playing for this club. 

“Next month, it will be the anniversary of my dad’s death, and the score box was still work in progress when he was unexpectedly taken from us, so we wanted to pursue his wishes, and make it happen as a memorial to him.

“Given dad’s long association with the county club, and with the MCCA, there could be no more appropriate occasion than a Devon home match to be officially switching on the display.

“I hope that you all agree that the new score box looks stunning and is a great addition to the County Ground.

“I would like to thank Exeter Cricket Club for allowing us to name the box in Geoff’s memory, and in particular, Stephen Green, Andy Ellett, Mike Medway and Julian Smith, for the work that you have all put in to making this happen.”