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Johannesburg - "All I
could think was that I
would never see my wife
and child again," said
Cape Cobras cricketer
Charl Willoughby after
he and seven team-mates
were robbed.
The still shaken
cricketer and his
team-mates were hit by
armed robbers at Nandos
in Croydon on the East
Rand on Saturday night.
At one stage, Vernon
Philander, who has been
included in the
preliminary group of 30
players for the World
Cup squad, was looking
down the barrel of a
gun.
The Cobras, who were
staying at a hotel near
O R Tambo Airport for
their SuperSport match
again the Titans in
Benoni, had decided
about 20:00 to eat out
at the chicken
franchise.
Put valuables beside
them
Just after they had
placed their orders,
three armed robbers - in
Chubb security guard
uniforms - stormed into
the restaurant.
They ordered the eight
players and four other
customers inside, to lie
down on the floor.
They had to place their
cellphones, purses,
wallets and other
valuables next to them.
Philander was standing
with his back to the
entrance, while phoning
his girlfriend, when he
heard his captain, Con
de Lange, shout that
there were problems.
The other players
involved were Dominique
Telo, Andrew Puttick,
Alistair Gray, Henry
Davids and Robert van
der Ross.
One of the robbers
pushed his firearm into
Philander's face and
told him: "Don't try to
be clever."
Their valuables were
taken, including the
keys to the minibus in
which they had arrived,
and the players were all
pushed into a fridge
before the robbers fled.
Hit them later
Coach Shukri Conrad
said: "When Con phoned
me later to tell me they
had been robbed, and I
must fetch them, I
thought he was joking."
"We had a few drinks at
the hotel later on
Saturday night to
celebrate the fact that
they were all still
alive.
"I could see in the
dressing room on Sunday
that the full impact of
what had happened was
hitting home only then.
It was all they could
talk about," said
Conrad.
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