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Bill Playle

1938 – 2019

Cricketer

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About Bill Playle

Lived 1938 – 2019 (aged 80). Bill Playle was a New Zealand cricketer.

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

He was the top scorer in the 1961–62 season with 510 runs at 72.85, 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.

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 and 116 against Victoria, both in 1965–66, when he made 583 runs at 41.64 in the Sheffield Shield.

Death Playle died in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, on 27 February 2019.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Also known as
William Rodger Playle

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Bill Playle's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Bill Playle?

cricketer (1938-2019)

When was Bill Playle born?

Bill Playle was born on 1 December 1938 in Palmerston North.

When did Bill Playle die?

Bill Playle died on 27 February 2019 in Coffs Harbour.

What was Bill Playle's occupation?

Bill Playle was a cricketer.

What nationality was Bill Playle?

Bill Playle was New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Bill Playle

· Wikidata: Q4910510

· DBpedia: Bill Playle

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bill Playle. https://biography.guide/bill-playle/

MLA: "Bill Playle." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bill-playle/.

Chicago: "Bill Playle." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bill-playle/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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