Jason Evans: Still as good as it gets
Jason Evans will be eyeing another BSA Masters title in 2024.
By: Wade Pretorius
Everyone knows it’s tough at the top. Well, anyone who’s been at the top knows this.
Every match you walk out to play as one of the best to have played the game, is a match that has the opposition desperate to claim victory and add their own story of how they took down Goliath.
Jason Evans is a bowls Goliath. And he knows a thing or two about the look in the eye of the opposition who are doing their utmost to write their own once in a lifetime tale of the time they beat the champion.
If you’ve ever seen Evans in one of these contests, you’ll notice a very similar posture to how he acts when he’s about to face off for the gold in the BSA Masters or JBA Masters.
He’s just that type of character.
And yes, he even loses now and then. It look a six years to knock him off his JBA Masters perch. He recently won the JBA Champion of Champion title four years on the trot and to really show just how good he is, he was recently the triple defending BSA Masters champion. He nearly snuck into the 2023 BSA Masters final after a slow start but finished with a bronze to end his reign as the undisputed singles champion.
None of this success seems to have gone to his head as he’s willing to chat and listen to any bowler that crosses his path.
Recently I observed him after a tournament where a dad brought his teenage boy over to chat to Jason. Evans is probably used to be interrupted like this and he got up graciously and walked outside where it was quieter.
I observed as Evans laughed and joked with the aspiring bowler for some time. Probably longer than would’ve been deemed necessary. Evans then shook hands and wished the youngster well.
Off he walked. The amazement in young bowler’s eye was there to see. But Evans didn’t walk off back to his seat. He walked back to his bag and scrounged around before lifting out a green and gold Proteas cap.
The South African great then returned to the boy and handed it over. It quickly went straight onto his head. Evans once more said his goodbyes.
When quizzed on the moment, Jason shrugged and said; “He’s just a youngster and loves the game. I thought it would be nice for him to have something.”
Nothing more on the story. Nothing at all. It was just a moment taken by Evans to instil some further passion into the game.
Sure, with his reputation - which is rightly earned if you look at his CV (which is far too long to rattle off here) of success which stretches back to the early 90s - there comes criticism particularly when it comes to international tournaments.
But it would appear foolish to argue against his inclusion - who else has his record? Evans isn’t the type to get bogged down by the keyboard warriors but rather, he’ll stick to his processes and knows that things at the highest level can change at any minute. And don’t think you’ll find him gloating or remarking to those naysayers.
Perhaps they have short memories too. Evans won two bronze medals at the World Indoors in 2022 - one with Colleen Piketh in the pairs and one in the singles. It’s an achievement he holds dear to his heart.
“That was definitely one of my better weeks. It’s not easy playing on those surfaces against players of the highest level with so much more experience. We were going there as rank outsiders given the lack of international bowls during that time. And I guess, I just held my own,” he says.
And yes, even Jason Evans does lose the occasional game here and there. But you won’t find any kicking and screaming … no, you’ll probably see him give you that wry smile and a wink.
“Ah mate, it wasn’t my day,” he is likely to say.
I guess, for Jason Evans he’s only too happy to be the centre of someone else’s tale of victory.
Perhaps, he’ll head for his guitar and microphone and sing a sad song or sit around for a bit of banter safe in the knowledge that tomorrow is likely to bring about another win.
