Billy Bowers

Sport/Event >
Netball, positions: goal defence, goal keeper, wing defence

Date and Place of Birth >
1978, Wrexham

Coached by >
Jan Crabtree, Lyn Gunson

Biography >
Strong and determined defender who has captained both Team Bath and the Welsh national side.

Under Billy’s captaincy Team Bath won both the 2004 Super Cup and the inaugural Superleague, in 2006. She played in four of TeamBath’s five Super Cup campaigns.

An experienced Welsh international, she has played for Wales for six years, including at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games and at the 2003 World Championships in Jamaica. Captained the Welsh team finishing eighth at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

She also captained the Welsh team that won the qualifying European tournament in Belfast in 2006 to secure a place at the 2007 World Championships in Fiji.

Billy, whose real name is Ursula, followed in the footsteps of her elder sisters Edel and Imelda, who both played for Wales.

Formerly a medical sales and marketing specialist in the pharmaceutical industry, in 2006 she took up a new role as national development manager of the Welsh Netball Association. Billy has also spent 12 months working for the Canterbury Netball Association in New Zealand on development strategies.

Club > Team Bath

Occupation > Netball development manager

Competitive Records >
Commonwealth Games – 6th (with Wales) Manchester – August 2002

World Championships: 14th – Jamaica 2003

SuperCup: gold (with TeamBath) – Blackpool 2004

Commonwealth Games: eight (with Wales) – Melbourne, Australia – March 2006

Superleague: gold with TeamBath – Guildford, GB, June 2006

European Qualifying Tournament: winners (with Wales) – Belfast, June 2006