THE death of former Indian leg-spinner Subhash 'SP' Gupte last Friday has given cause for his remarkable exploits as Rishton pro to be remembered this week.

Gupte, who was 72, took 149 wickets in 30 Tests between 1952 and 1961 and for four of those years he was the spin wizard of the Lancashire League.

Rishton's Eric Whalley played with him as 15-year-old in 1956 and he remembered: "I tried to keep out of his road in the nets, you just had no idea where the ball was going to go. He was able to make it talk."

At times in those years he could actually make it shout as he produced a string of remarkable figures.

In his first season at the club he took 115 wickets at an average of 7.82. A year later was his best ever haul with 136 at 9.5. In 1956 he took 113 at 10.82 and his final season saw 108 sent back at 12.41.

Within those figures were some remarkable displays, not least the Worsley Cup triumph in 1955 when he took all ten Todmorden wickets as Rishton did the double.

That season he also took nine wickets against Bacup, Accrington and Lowerhouses as he bamboozled and bemused the poor Lancashire League batsmen.

"People loved to turn up and watch SP," added Whalley. "I'd say he is the best bowler that I have ever seen. He also scored a couple of 50s as a slogger but when you are as good at bowling as he was, the runs don't really matter.

"He could be a bit temperamental, he was a bit hot-headed but he was always a very popular player. We have all been remembering and the flag has been at half mast. He kept in touch with the club after he left but we have not heard from him for a while."

Gupte had not been keeping well for the past month and he was suffering from diabetes. He was rated as one of the best leg-spin bowlers in the game's history and died in his sleep in Port of Spain, where he had lived for several decades after retiring from international cricket.

His best test performance was in the 1958-59 Kanpur test against the West Indies, in which he claimed nine wickets for 102 runs in one innings. He is survived by wife Carol, a son and a daughter.

The Lancashire League has been home to many great cricketers but there are few who have made as big an impact as the great Gupte.