Queanbeyan's Darren Southwell: 45,000 Balls and Counting in Cricket Journey
Queanbeyan's all-time leading wicket-taker Darren Southwell has a standard response whenever he is congratulated on his remarkable tally of more than 700 senior scalps. "People say to me 'that's a lot of wickets', and I say 'yes, that's a lot of overs, and a lot of balls'", Southwell explains with a wry smile.
A Quarter-Century of Dedication
As of early December, Southwell's wicket count stood at a robust 720, a number that continues to climb most weekends as the 43-year-old fast bowler tirelessly steams in with the new ball, just as he has done for the past 25 years. The exact number of overs he has bowled in that quarter-century remains a mystery, but Southwell offers some insight into his relentless workload.
"You've got seven one-dayers each season, there's 70 overs, and then the two-dayers, and that's not counting T20s", Southwell said. "That was about 10 seasons in a row where I was pushing over 300 overs in the season."
Even taking a conservative approach to Southwell's bowling problem, his tally lands somewhere north of 7000 career overs, which would put him up towards 45,000 balls bowled. This staggering figure does not factor in the twice-weekly two-hour net sessions that Southwell has prioritised for the majority of his career.
Training with Purpose
"It's training, I didn't care about batting in the nets I just ran in and bowled", Southwell said. "I want to get my line and length right for the weekend. Sometimes the batters would slog you in the nets, they didn't always take their training properly."
As a bowler, Southwell turned these challenges into opportunities. "I'm thinking that's okay, because it makes me work on my line and length for the game and that's all I did for about five seasons when I was about 16 or 17", he recalled. "If they slog me out of the nets, I go get the ball and focus again. They're just slogging, they're not using their training session, but I'll use mine, I'll go get the ball, have a laugh."
It was during those late high school years that Southwell honed his craft. He began as a junior aged 10, and happily admits a burning passion for cricket outweighed his talent at that age. But he persisted, learned how to bowl a consistent length that would swing away from the batsman, and muscled his way into Queanbeyan's first grade side in his early 20s.
Longevity and Fitness
Much of his career was spent as a second-grade stalwart, where he took a career-best 9-20 a decade ago, and he is now the spearhead for Queanbeyan's all-conquering third-grade outfit, which has won 12 of the last 13 one-day premierships. Underpinning Southwell's phenomenal longevity as a fast bowler is a body that continues to hold up to the rigours of his brutal craft.
"I get the massage gun out every now and then, maybe a heat pack, otherwise I just go for a walk", Southwell said. "The jobs I've had have helped, because you're moving your body, you're lifting. I was a removalist for about six years and that helped, moving, lifting, getting the core strength."
Remarkably, Southwell has never set foot in a gym. "I've never gone to the gym in my life. I probably could've gone to the gym but I've got a mirror at home", he quipped, highlighting his natural approach to fitness.
Eyeing the Next Milestone
A new number has started to materialise in Southwell's head, a beacon on the horizon which is looking more attainable every season: 1000 wickets. "If it happens it happens, it's 280 wickets isn't it, 10 seasons, so I'll try to get it before 50", Southwell said.
"I'm 43 and there's a lot of overs in me already. I have to get it before Dad dies", he added with a touch of humour and determination. His philosophy remains simple and unwavering: "I'll stop when I stop", a testament to his enduring love for the game.
