Mark Keown

My last post looked at NZ's greatest men's sports teams. This time I will look at the women. I will not include rowing pairs like the Evers-Swindells but if I did they would win hands down. The candidates are: Netball world champ teams 1. 1967 World Champs Winners 2. 1979 World Champs Winners (with Australia and Trinidad/Tobago) 3. 1987 World Champs Winners 4. 2003 World Champs Winners Softball world champ winners 1. 1982 World Champ Winners Rugby world champ winners 1. 1998 world champs winners 2. 2002 world champs winners 3. 2006 world champs winners Cricket world cup winners 1. 2000 world cup winners So how does one pick out of these. None of these are truly global sports. However, softball is played by Japan, USA, Canada along with Australia meaning it is the closest probably of the sports above. Cricket is also more international that netball with the Asian nations playing. Rugby is a late comer. So my order is: 1. 1982 Softball world champ winners 2. 2000 cricket world cu...

So who stands alongside Peter Snell on the female side of things as NZ's greatest sportswomen thus far. The candidates. 1. Yvette Williams (gold medal long jump 1952 Melbourne and a swag of other athletics medals and acheivements) 2. Elsie Wilkie (winner of 2 world's bowls champs and in 1977 beat three of NZ's best male champs) 3. Sarah Ulmer (winner of gold in women's pursuit 2004, world records, and other commonwealth golds) 4. Erin Baker (winner of 8 world triathlon titles [sprint and ironman] over her career and a duathlon title!) 5. Sandra Edge (netball midcourt legend) 6. Irene van Dyk (netball shooting superstar) 7. Caroline Evers-Swindell (rowing gold 2004 Olympics and numerous world champ titles) 8. Georgine Evers-Swindell (rowimg gold 2004 Olympics and numerous world champ titles) 9. Analise Coberger (silver winter Olympic gold 1992 plus other world titles) 10. Susan Devoy (Squash 4x World Champ; 8x British Champion plus many other events) 11. Beatrice Faumuin...