IF you like a good father-son success story, this is the tale for you.

As a young boy growing up in the Sydney suburb of Willoughby, Charlie Stobo aspired to follow in the footsteps of his father and play state cricket.

Richard, a fast bowler, played six games for NSW in the 1980s when the star-studded Blues dominated, led by the likes of Mark Taylor, Greg Matthews and Mike Whitney and the Waugh twins Steve and Mark.

Stobo senior claimed seven wickets in total during his state career, a record that took son Charlie just two innings to equal when he made his NSW debut against South Australia in Adelaide this week.

In a remarkable maiden Sheffield Shield match, Stobo junior snared seven wickets after being plucked from first grade club Gordon.

Richard couldn’t be prouder of his son, even if it means he has to part ways with being the household’s outright highest wicket taker.

“But I’ve still got Charlie covered for runs, catches and games,” Richard grinned.

“I’m very proud of him though. The fact Charlie’s debut has come on the back of performances is terrific.

“It’s just nice to see some recognition for what has been a couple of good seasons in first grade.

“We’ve always told him to work hard and make the most of his opportunities and that’s what he has done.”

In addition to sharing the same number of wickets for NSW, Charlie and Richard are the state’s only living father and son combination.

The last was Norm and Mark O’Neill when Mark debuted for the Blues in 1982-83.

Coincidentally, the Stobo family also has a connection with the O’Neill family.

“Mark was a teammate of mine at Gordon, so I’m pleased that has matched up,” Richard said.

“You never think about records and I’ve always taught Charlie to take one game at a time, but it’s nice to see him have some success.

“The NSW selectors and coaches deserve a lot of credit as well, because they’ve provided the direction.”

Charlie’s rise to the NSW ranks is a testament to hard work and persistence.

The 21-year-old was rewarded for his toil when he claimed the O’Reilly Medal as the Sydney competition’s best player last season.

“Growing up the NSW Blues connection was always there, but then actually playing was a bit surreal to start with. It’s quite special,” he said.

“But it’s kind of nice having someone who has done a similar thing before.

“It was nice having Dad there during the game — it was good fun. You can have as many coaches as you want, but having someone at home who you can have a casual conversation with helps a lot.

“Now it has happened, hopefully I can get another crack at it.”

You can guarantee Charlie won’t get too far ahead of himself, because his father won’t let him.

From experience, Stobo senior knows you can’t take anything for granted in state cricket.

“A lot of extremely good players have never had the chance to play for NSW because of other players or injury, so I know how uncertain it is,” he said.

“But if the opportunity presented itself, then I would be really happy for Charlie.

“He has worked really hard through the grades and he now deserves his chance.

“It has worked out quite nicely.”