The A-Z of Derbyshire Cricket: V is for Venkat - Srinivasaraghan Venkataraghavan

In the absence of any Derbyshire cricketer whose name began with the letter U, we move quickly on to the V category. Unusually, in such a small group, all three have something worthy of consideration, though one is a clear winner by some margin.

Matthew Vandrau was born in England but brought up in South Africa and made his Derbyshire debut at the age of 21 in 1990. Over the seasons from then to 1997, there were occasions when he looked on the verge of a breakthrough and becoming a regular in the side. He looked a composed and classy batsman and a first-class average of twenty, while not spectacular, suggested a player of talent - one possibly better than the position that he filled in the order.

He was a good fielder too, while seven five-wicket hauls in 59 first-class matches (twice going on to ten in a match) showed off-spin ability that was above average. It never happened though and he drifted out of the first-class game at the age of 28 when, in fairness, he was a long way from the worst player on the staff and would doubtless have prospered from greater opportunity. In missing out on that, he was in good company over my years of following Derbyshire cricket....

Just after the second world war, Pat Vaulkhard made a belated debut for the county at the age of 35, having played for Nottinghamshire in a few games before the conflict. He quickly showed himself to be an attractive batsman with a penchant for six hitting, usually from a well-timed 'punch' with minimal backlift over the arc between mid-off and mid-on. That aggressive nature, the product of an amateur status that left him less in fear of his place than others, often saw an early demise, but supporters enjoyed the days when Vaulkhard got going.

In that 1946 season he made his only first-class century, against his former club at Trent Bridge. He made the most of it and went on to a score of 264, for a long time the second-highest score in the club's history before being overtaken by Chesney Hughes last season. His partnership with Denis Smith that day, a small matter of 328 runs, remains the club's highest for the fourth wicket.

Yet neither can match the number one, an outstanding off-spinner from India at a time when his country was awash with them and he couldn't establish a permanent role in the national side.

Srinivasaragahavan Venkataragahavan was not a name that rolled easily off the tongue, nor was it one you saw on the back of many shirts, even had such a thing existed back in the 1970s for supporters. There was a joke around that time that the Derbyshire innings rarely lasted much longer than the time it took to spell his name in full, though we were all happy to use the shortened form of 'Venkat'.

He was a class act. He had 450 wickets before he came to England with the Indian touring side of 1971, then took 63 wickets on a tour where he was the fourth in ranking of a never surpassed quartet with Bedi, Chandrasekhar and Prasanna. The latter was his main rival for a regular spot in the side and gave the ball more air, but Venkat was the best batsman and fielder of the four and showed himself a dogged tail end batsman with some nice shots, a talent that was required far too often for comfort. He was 28 when he arrived at Derbyshire and took 72 wickets in 1973, bowling well over 800 overs.

He scored over 400 runs and held over 20 catches too, fielding very well in the close positions, so his season was a long way from a failure. A second campaign saw a reduction to 49 wickets at nearly 40 each and question marks over his signing continued, but in 1975 he had his best summer, taking 68 wickets at just 21, at the end of which the club declined to renew his contract.

It was a strange engagement. The club's best two young players at the time appeared to be fellow off-spinners Geoff Miller and Bob Swindell and the argument was that Venkat would help them both mature and pass on the wisdom of his experience. Of course, it didn't really work out like that. Miller ended up, on his infrequent appearances, bowling at the least favourable end, while Swindell gradually drifted from the scene despite some impressive displays.

Former team mates remember a gentle, thoughtful man whose subsequent success as a top umpire came as no surprise. He didn't drive in England, instead being ferried around by colleagues who enjoyed his company and easy conversation.

They enjoyed his ability to spin the ball too. From a short run up, a quick arm action sent the ball fizzing down the wicket, often fairly flat and invariably accurate. Eripalli Prasanna might have been the more favoured off-spinner by his country's selectors, but Venkat was a fine bowler. 1390 career wickets at 24 confirms that and Derbyshire have had few, if any, better spinners in their long history.

He was just the wrong man at the wrong time, though those of us who watched him bowl long spells will remember a beautiful bowler; a man of genuine humility and a ready smile.

His umpiring success came as no surprise and he became one of the best in the world. History will not see him go down among the very best of our overseas recruits, but he was a very fine bowler indeed.