Billie Irwin

New Zealand netball player

Billie IrwinPersonal information

Born|  10 May 1942
Netball career
Years|  Club team(s)|  Apps
|  New Zealand national netball team|

Billie Irwin is a former netball player who played for the New Zealand national netball team when it won the 1967 World Netball Championships.

## Netball career

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Billie Irwin was born on 10 May 1942. She played netball for Rotorua, as one of a formidable defensive pairing with Tilly Vercoe, which was known as "Billie and Tilly". The coach of Rotorua was Taini Jamison and she picked the pair to be in the national team when she became its head coach. Beating Australia 40-34 in its final match, New Zealand won the 1967 world championships in Perth, Australia, its first win in the world championships. Irwin and Vercoe came to be known as "The Black Wall", because of their defense and the colours worn by the team.[1][2][3][4]

The 1967 world championship team was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.[5]

## References

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1. ^ "When they were Queens - the 1967 world champion Silver Ferns reunite". locker room. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
2. ^ "Billie Irwin". Silver Ferns.
3. ^ "Celebrating 50 years: New Zealand wins GOLD for the first time". Silver Ferns. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
4. ^ "Rotorua Netballers 60s-70s New Zealand Netball Team 1967". Facebook. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
5. ^ "Netball, 1967". New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

* v
* t
* e

New Zealand squad at the 1967 World Netball Championships (1st place)

Players|

* Judy Blair (c)
* Ann Boelee
* Margaret Gardiner
* Pam Hamilton
* Joan Harnett
* Billie Irwin
* Sandra James
* Elizabeth Rowley
* Mirth Solomon
* Tilly Vercoe

Team officials|

* Taini Jamison (head coach)

## External links

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* 1967 World Cup game between New Zealand and Australia

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