COVERED SPRING 2020

25 JOIN OUR MAILING LIST FOR ALL THE LATEST: TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK/MAILINGLIST JOEY EVISON A Nottinghamshire debut. A first professional deal. An appearance at an U19World Cup.Three feats with which any young cricketer would wish to adorn their CV. For Joey Evison, they’ve all happened over the past 12 months. The Stamford School pupil has long been viewed as a hot prospect in the game, having committed himself to cricket despite the competing attentions of both rugby and hockey. From becoming the youngest scorer of a first-team century for his school to representing the East Midlands aged 15 at the prestigious Bunbury Festival, Evison has amassed quite the list of impressive accolades in his burgeoning cricketing career. Add to that a First-Class debut aged 17 – making Evison the youngest player to represent Nottinghamshire since Bilal Shafayat – and at every turn, the young prodigy has seemed to progress to the next level ahead of time. Evison has often belied his inexperience with measured, often match-turning contributions, including a composed 45 on that First-Class debut last September. It helps that his philosophy is straightforward. “Whenever I walk onto the field, I’m focusing on contributing to the team with either bat or ball,” he says. “I don’t give any thought to what level I’m playing at. “I force myself to live in the moment; don’t dwell on what’s happened in the past or ponder what could happen in the future, just focus on the game situation and what I can do to influence it.” A wise head on young shoulders, Evison’s ascent to the professional game began at a young age. From watching his dad, Gareth, turn out for Bourne Cricket Club – a path he would later follow – to batting against his old man in the back garden, cricket was at Joey Evison’s 2019 saw him come of age. As the teenager embarks on his first full season as a professional, he explains why he’s keen to keep breaking new ground. STORY BY Daniel Robbins TOP GUN