Mike Evans - Quoit champion

The English Quoit Champion of 1901, lived in Ironbridge.

William ( Mike ) Evans front row on the right.

His father also William Evans sits next to him on the left, on the back row are his brothers.

The Coalport cup on the table was commissioned to commemorate Mike becoming the English Quoit champion.

 On the 17th October 1901, in Peterborough, William Evans of Ironbridge became the English Quoits champion.  William who was known as Mike Evans for most of his life met William Kempster the Essex champion in the final.  Mike played with a 19lb quoit and Kempster’s weighed 18lb.  The final score was Evans 61 points, Kempster 59 points. 

There were quoit alleys in most small towns and villages.  They were usually near to public houses. There were two near Ironbridge, one at the All Nations and the other at the Bird in the Hand.  Jackfield had one at the General Gordon and one at the Severn Trow. There were two in Broseley - Balls Lane and the Summer House.  Quoiting Associations sprouted up as the game became popular.

A quoit alley consisted of two beds of clay mott, approximately 20 yards apart. A piece of Iron like a crow bar was sunk into the clay mott, so that only 2-3 inches protruded from the ground.  These were called pins. The quoits were cast in Iron and weighed 12-19 pounds each. The weight could be altered as holes were made in the quoits when they were cast.  The aim of the game was to knock the opponents quoit off the pin, or as far as away from the pin as possible. A player could be coached on where the quoit should be aimed. The coach was called a “Lighter”, he would light a small piece of paper and place it where he thought the quoit should land.  The player aimed for the plume of smoke.

Mike Evans played for England in many international games, as well as for his pub team.  Mike was the son of William and Caroline Evans, and he was born in 1871.  He married Emma Lewis in 1891, in Madeley.  Their known children were: William, May, Caroline, Eliza, Rose, and Lil.

Mike died on 6th September 1932, age 61.  His obituary in the local paper stated that he had played in international quoit matches for eleven years, and helped Ironbridge win the English cup three times in succession.

On his grave stone in Madeley church yard is the inscription:  “English Quoit champion 1901-1903″

 

This group of men are thought to be the Quoits team from the All Nations Public House. Mike Evans is sitting in the front row to the right of the cup.

 

Mike Evans and his wife Emma, outside their home, 48 Wesley Road, Ironbridge.  Also pictured is their grand daughter Violet Lloyd.

A Quoit can be seen hanging from a nail on the house wall.

 

Thomas Evans, brother of “Mike” went to the USA circa 1912.