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Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – Charl Willoughby presently stands 13th on the list of southern African-born wicket-takers in first-class cricket … and now he has the chance to break into the top 10.
The Somerset left-arm seamer, 35 but much nearer 36, recently signed a two-year contract extension at Taunton, where he willingly trundles away on one of the most batting-friendly surfaces in England.
Fitness permitting, that will take him at least into his 38th year, and present him with the opportunity to move a few notches higher on the list of South African (or Zimbabwe-born) leading wicket-takers in the first-class arena.
Willoughby, once of Boland and the Cape Cobras and holder of two Test caps for the Proteas, currently boasts 751 scalps.
He is not going to challenge Mike Procter, who leads the way with 1417 wickets in an illustrious career spanning 1965-88, or next-placed Allan Donald (1216).
But he should threaten a few just ahead of him, considering that only one of the top 12 -- Claude Henderson in that very 12th slot – is still playing.
The Leicestershire left-arm spinner, who coincidentally also formerly represented Boland, the Cobras and South Africa, is 38, although slow bowlers obviously tend to be able to have longer career spans than fast bowlers.
Henderson had 773 career wickets after the latest round of County Championship matches, and it is not clear how much longer he intends playing for.
But immediately above both he and Willoughby, for instance, are the long retired Vintcent van der Bijl (767), Garth le Roux (838) and Rodney Ontong (845).
The Cape Town-born Willoughby has taken more than 270 of his first-class wickets for Somerset alone, and he proved his continued appetite in the last round of four-day matches, bagging a first-innings haul of six for 101 as the title-chasing side (lying third on the table and never having previously won the Championship) beat Nottinghamshire by 10 wickets.
It was his first “five-for” in some 11 months, and compatriot and new-ball partner Alfonso Thomas bagged 5/40 in the visitors’ second turn at the crease.
Willoughby’s second and last Test for South Africa – he became a British citizen earlier this year – was back in 2003 at Edgbaston, a high-scoring draw against England.
While useful in “swing” conditions, it was often felt he could have done with an extra yard in pace to be more consistently involved in the Test arena.
Cape Town – Charl Willoughby presently stands 13th on the list of southern African-born wicket-takers in first-class cricket … and now he has the chance to break into the top 10.
The Somerset left-arm seamer, 35 but much nearer 36, recently signed a two-year contract extension at Taunton, where he willingly trundles away on one of the most batting-friendly surfaces in England.
Fitness permitting, that will take him at least into his 38th year, and present him with the opportunity to move a few notches higher on the list of South African (or Zimbabwe-born) leading wicket-takers in the first-class arena.
Willoughby, once of Boland and the Cape Cobras and holder of two Test caps for the Proteas, currently boasts 751 scalps.
He is not going to challenge Mike Procter, who leads the way with 1417 wickets in an illustrious career spanning 1965-88, or next-placed Allan Donald (1216).
But he should threaten a few just ahead of him, considering that only one of the top 12 -- Claude Henderson in that very 12th slot – is still playing.
The Leicestershire left-arm spinner, who coincidentally also formerly represented Boland, the Cobras and South Africa, is 38, although slow bowlers obviously tend to be able to have longer career spans than fast bowlers.
Henderson had 773 career wickets after the latest round of County Championship matches, and it is not clear how much longer he intends playing for.
But immediately above both he and Willoughby, for instance, are the long retired Vintcent van der Bijl (767), Garth le Roux (838) and Rodney Ontong (845).
The Cape Town-born Willoughby has taken more than 270 of his first-class wickets for Somerset alone, and he proved his continued appetite in the last round of four-day matches, bagging a first-innings haul of six for 101 as the title-chasing side (lying third on the table and never having previously won the Championship) beat Nottinghamshire by 10 wickets.
It was his first “five-for” in some 11 months, and compatriot and new-ball partner Alfonso Thomas bagged 5/40 in the visitors’ second turn at the crease.
Willoughby’s second and last Test for South Africa – he became a British citizen earlier this year – was back in 2003 at Edgbaston, a high-scoring draw against England.
While useful in “swing” conditions, it was often felt he could have done with an extra yard in pace to be more consistently involved in the Test arena.
