As a teenager Godfrey Evans was a good all-round sportsman, gaining his colours and captaining the cricket, football and hockey teams at Kent College, Canterbury.

He was also a very good boxer, winning all his amateur and professional fights, but at the age of 17 was forced by the Kent committee to choose between cricket and boxing.

[1] He worked on the ground staff at Dover in 1937, operating the scoreboard on the occasion that Kent made 219 runs in 71 minutes to beat Gloucestershire.

World War II, during which he was in the Royal Army Service Corps, interrupted his career but a strong first season back in 1946 earned him a Test call-up.

[6] In the Fourth Test at Adelaide, Evans shared in a vital ninth wicket partnership with Denis Compton, England were in danger of losing the Test at 255/8 but Evans played a fine defensive innings, scoring 10 not out in 133 minutes, this enabled Compton to complete his second century of the match and Hammond the chance to declare.

[10] England toured the West Indies in January 1948, Evans as first choice keeper played all four Tests scoring 128 runs at 18.28 and claiming seven victims.

[11] Of his series performance Wisden wrote: "Evans delighted the native crowds with his spectacular wicket-keeping, but as a batsman he accomplished little".

[13] On the tour of South Africa in 1948/49 Evans was dropped after 22 consecutive Tests, a record sequence for a wicket-keeper at that time.

[23] The end of series report in Wisden commented that: "Evans did not miss one Test catch, but he caught some which became chances only through lightning mental reaction plus acrobatic agility" commenting on his batting added: "Evans played one praiseworthy innings in the second Test but in others inability to curb his natural ebullience caused him to do less than justice to his talents.

His keeping was not up to his usual standards either, in the South Africa second innings at Old Trafford he conceded 13 byes, significant in a low score of 191.

[28] An MCC 'A' team toured India that winter and Evans was approached, however he declined the invitation believing that the constant cricket of the past five years had been the cause for his drop in form.

He shared a 159-run sixth wicket partnership with Tom Graveney as England scored quickly to build a 302-run first innings lead.

Again he demonstrated his quick scoring abilities with an innings of 71 in 78 minutes, the other England batsman were more cautious and the total progressed by only 84 while Evans was batting.

[33] The final Test at The Oval was a rain affected draw, Evans scored one to finish the series with an aggregate of 242 runs at 60.50, with the gloves he took eight dismissals.

[35] The third Test at Old Trafford followed the same course, ending in a draw after rain washed out the fourth day and much of the second, although it was an eventful match for Evans.

Three England players suffered injuries during the course of the innings; the third of these was Bailey who twisted his knee as he attempted to make his ground after a mix up with Evans.

Australia, after winning the toss for the fifth time in the series, chose to bat first and scored 275, Evans taking four catches.

[39] England took control of the match on the third day as the Australian batsmen struggled against spinners Tony Lock and Jim Laker and were dismissed for 162.

In the fourth Test he was promoted to number six in the batting order as England omitted Trevor Bailey and chose five specialist bowlers.

[19] In the fourth Test Evans made his highest score of the series, an innings of 37 in 36 minutes, sharing a 51-run partnership with Trevor Bailey.

[11] Wisden praised Evans, writing: "Always brimful of energy no matter how exhausting the heat of the day, he was an inspiration to the whole team and especially the bowlers.

In England's second innings Evans, with hand in plaster, batted at number eleven and scored 36 runs including seven boundaries.

[62] In the second Test Evans scored 62 during England's first innings, he shared in a 93-run sixth wicket stand with Colin Cowdrey, it was the largest partnership of the match.

The match was played on a pitch that had been re-laid only three months previous, the wicket was slow and the ball kept 'exceptionally low' according to Wisden.

[74] In the ICC Test Player Batting Rankings,[75] he was: Evans made his fourth tour to Australia in 1958/59, but it was a disappointing one for him and the team.

[76] In 1959, India toured England, in the first home series since the Ashes defeat a number of experienced players were dropped.

Norman Preston in Wisden described it as 'daring hitting' which 'reduced the hitherto keen Indian bowling to a thing of shreds and patches'.

[78] In the second Test at Lord's Evans missed four stumpings off Tommy Greenhough in the space of a quarter of an hour,[79] he otherwise kept well and didn't concede a bye in the match.

[82] After his retirement from professional cricket Evans ran the Jolly Drover pub at Hill Brow, Hampshire, then on the main A3 road, sporting the muttonchop whiskers he had admired in his grandfather.

He also appeared as himself along with Colin Cowdrey and Frank Tyson in the 1956 episode of Hancock's Half Hour titled "The Test Match".