Bill Playle

William Rodger Playle (1 December 1938 – 27 February 2019) was a New Zealand cricketer who played eight Tests for the national team between 1958 and 1963, making 151 runs as a specialist batsman.[2]

Bill Playle
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Rodger Playle
Born(1938-12-01)1 December 1938
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Died27 February 2019(2019-02-27) (aged 80)
Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia
NicknameBuckets[1]
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off-break
RelationsCyril Crawford (uncle)
International information
National side
Test debut5 June 1958 v England
Last Test15 March 1963 v England
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 8 85
Runs scored 151 2888
Batting average 10.06 21.87
100s/50s 0/1 4/9
Top score 65 122
Balls bowled – 118
Wickets – 1
Bowling average – 94.00
5 wickets in innings – 0
10 wickets in match – 0
Best bowling – 1/11
Catches/stumpings 4/- 81/-
Source: Cricinfo, 4 March 2019

Cricket career

In New Zealand

Bill Playle's first-class career started with Auckland in 1956–57 at the age of 18. After scoring only 355 runs in 13 matches in two seasons[3] he was selected to tour England in 1958 as a 19-year-old, but he made only 56 runs in the five Tests, batting in the middle order. In the second innings of the Third Test at Leeds, in an attempt to avert defeat, he "gave a remarkable stonewalling display, for he stayed three and a quarter hours for 18, during which time he limited himself to seven scoring strokes".[4]

He was the top scorer in the 1961–62 season with 510 runs at 72.85,[5] including 116 not out against Otago. His last three Tests were as an opener against England in 1962–63, when he made his only Test score above 25, scoring 65 in 202 minutes in a lost cause in the Second Test at Wellington.[6]

In Australia

After the 1963–64 season in New Zealand he moved to Australia, where he played as an opening batsman for Western Australia from 1965–66 to 1967–68, making his highest first-class score of 122 against Queensland[7] and 116 against Victoria, both in 1965–66, when he made 583 runs at 41.64 in the Sheffield Shield.[8]

Death

Playle died in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, on 27 February 2019.[2][9]

See also

References
  1. The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket, Oxford, Melbourne, 1996, p. 422.
  2. "Bill Playle, former New Zealand batsman, passes away". International Cricket Council. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  3. Bill Playle, batting by season
  4. Wisden 1959, p. 252.
  5. Batting averages 1961–62
  6. "2nd Test, England tour of New Zealand at Wellington, Mar 1-4 1963". Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  7. Western Australia v Queensland 1965–66
  8. Sheffield Shield batting averages 1965–66
  9. "William Playle death notice". Sydney Morning Herald. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
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