By Graham Hardcastle, Jonathan Doidge and Paul Dyson.
Steve Patterson will, more than likely, take his 400th first-class wicket at some point during Yorkshire’s next two Specsavers County Championship matches, both of which will be special occasions.
Seven shy, Patterson could achieve the milestone against Warwickshire at York from Monday – a city in which Yorkshire have not played since 1890 – or in the following match against Surrey at Scarborough later this month, his favourite ground.
Funnily enough, the now White Rose captain made his Championship debut alongside Adil Rashid against Warwickshire at Scarborough in 2006, striking once: “That was a long time ago!” he smiled.
Fast-forward 13 years and ‘Patto’ is the heartbeat of the bowling attack.
“It’s always nice for someone who, as a young lad, bowled medium pace and wasn’t sure whether I was good enough to play at this level,” he admitted.
“To be closing in on that amount of wickets shows I’ve been able to contribute to the team.
“It’s something I was aware of at the start of the year that I wasn’t a million miles off. But when you finish, it’s more about the games you’ve won, like beating Essex last year when we were bowled out for 50 or winning the Championships.
“That’s what you play the game for. It’s not the personal things, it’s to win with your team-mates.”
Yorkshire head to York’s Clifton Park unbeaten in six Division One games, yet frustrated their last three have been rain-affected draws, most recently against champions Surrey at Guildford earlier this week.
They sit third with two wins and four draws, while Warwickshire are second bottom with one win and three defeats from five.
Patterson has taken 21 wickets in seven first-class appearances this season, including 20 in six Championship outings with this week’s 5-81 against Surrey his 2019 best.
“It would just be nice to get some wickets at home,” he continued. “Nearly all the wickets I’ve got this year have been away, so it would be nice to contribute in front of our home supporters.
“More importantly, it would be nice to get a full four days in and give ourselves a chance of winning because we’ve played some good cricket and the weather hasn’t really helped.”
On the next two games, separated by a week’s break, he said: “York will be a nice occasion and something different. I think we will be really well supported like we are at Scarborough. Hopefully that will bring out the best in us.
“Scarborough is my favourite venue. I watched my first cricket there probably 30 years ago, and it’s been a fond place ever since.”
Patterson, 35, has returned two four-wicket hauls and a five-for this season.
“I’m fairly pleased,” he said. “In a sense, I’m quite limited in what I can do as a bowler, and that helps me quite a lot because you focus only on what you do reasonably well.
“I’m not getting any younger, but I keep myself fit and do all my recovery. As long I keep doing that, I can keep contributing.”
Patterson took over the captaincy from Gary Ballance approximately this time last year. So has that job had a positive impact on his bowling?
“I don’t know really,” he added.
“Captaincy in general has given me a new motivation in that you think less about the personal milestones and more about what you can give to the team and what you can help them achieve.
“We have quite a young bunch and an inexperienced team at times. To play the cricket we have done this year is really pleasing.”
Team news
An update from the club’s physiotherapist Kunwar Bansil…
“Duanne sustained an injury to his right hip and will be assessed further today with an MRI scan. He will miss the game at York as a minimum. Once we have all our assessments in, we’ll decide on timescales and when we’re looking to bring him back. At the moment he is continually being assessed.
“We follow our usual systematic approach when it comes to assessing and managing injuries. There’s a long time left in the season so it’s important that we get him right before he returns.
“He’ll be assessed once his MRI comes back in; it’s now important we work on the timescales that he’ll be out for. There’s never a definite time scale with injuries and I appreciate from a media, supporters, coaches and importantly the players’ point of view, they always want to know. From day one that’s when you know the least about prognosis. As time goes on that’s when you get to know a lot more about time scales, but over the next few days and after further assessment, once he’s going with physical work, that’s when we can see how his injury responds. We can then be more specific about when he’s returning.
“Bresnan is going well, four weeks after getting injured. He’s going well with rehab and recovery and has started some skills work with the coaches. He’s now building his bowling volumes alongside his rehab, so he could be looking to make a return if deemed fit within the next couple of weeks.
“Fisher – From a medical point of view we’re happy with him, but we’re just waiting on the cricket side and that comes through getting some game time and miles in his legs. He needs to build confidence in his body and we need to make sure we’re 100% ready fitness wise. He’s certainly coming into contention.
“Waite – It’s disappointing for Matthew. He’s coming on with his cricket and has made a return to red ball. He’s had problems with his ankle for a couple of years now and we’ve been continually managing that problem. We felt a 4-6 week block of rehab was the right thing to do for him, to hopefully get him back on the park for the rest of the season. We’re thinking long term with a lot of these guys and what is best. We need to stay patient and to give him the opportunity to get his ankle right.
“Logan – James made a return to second-team cricket and is fit and ready for selection.
“Warner – He’s about two-and-a-half weeks on since sustaining that side injury, which usually presents itself as a six week injury. He’s an out-and-out fast bowler with lots of energy at the crease, but again we’ll follow our usual systematic approach when it comes to rehabbing injuries. I think he’s due to return at around six weeks.”
15-man squad to face Warwickshire at York
Ballance, Barnes, Kohler-Cadmore, Coad, Fisher, Fraine, Leaning, Logan, Lyth, Patterson ©, Pillans, Poysden, Tattersall (WK), Thompson, Willey.
The thoughts of Jonathan Doidge…
There was further frustration with the weather and another draw at Guildford last week. There are areas that Andrew Gale admitted that his team can improve on. Most notably, he spoke of being switched on for situations such as on the final morning, when the game looked like petering out into a draw, but the loss of Gary Ballance on the first ball of the day induced a batting collapse that led to the team following on for the first time this season.
Among the positives was the debut of Jordan Thompson, who picked up the wickets of two Test players with the ball, and then top scored with the bat, while skipper Steve Patterson was excellent in picking up five Surrey wickets.
Having felt like the season had got going with those wins against Hampshire and Kent, and then having the better of two drawn games, this felt like a bit of a backward step. On the flip side, it was the first time Yorkshire have not lost at this venue in three visits, so every cloud, etc.
The injury to Duanne Olivier wouldn’t have helped either, and he is now out of the trip to York, which is a game to look forward to for those able to take part. His absence, plus the return to Somerset of Dom Bess after an eyecatching loan spell, could leave the Tykes lighter on bowling than they would want, bearing in mind the continued absences of both Tim Bresnan and Matthew Waite. It will be very interesting to see who Patterson goes with, and if the team will rely mainly on seam, with some part-time spin.
This is a very exciting moment for the Clifton Park club. With Jack Leaning and Jonny Tattersall among their ranks, there is a current playing connection, and from speaking to club secretary Nick Kay, I know that they have been preparing for their big week for what must seem like an eternity, but they will be ready to put on a great event. Let’s just hope for four days of sunshine!
The thoughts of Graham Hardcastle…
What a memorable week this promises to be, as long as the rain stays away.
Yorkshire’s last three matches have all been heavily weather-affected draws, and we are all just desperate to see a full four days of cricket, especially given the significance of this fixture.
York have done a great job in hosting the Kia Super League games I’ve attended over the last couple of years, and it will no doubt be a popular venue – a good viewing ground with loads of space beyond the boundary.
There are plenty of York CC links within the two sides, from Yorkshire’s Jack Leaning to Warwickshire’s Jeetan Patel. A good performance from one would be more popular than the other!
Yorkshire were frustrated at their final day performance against Surrey at Guildford on Thursday when a first-innings collapse gave the hosts a sniff of victory.
But they have been playing some good cricket, and there is no reason why Steve Patterson and co can’t be celebrating their third victory from seven come Thursday evening.
Match statistics
- Clifton Park, York becomes Yorkshire’s 26th home venue on which they have played first-class cricket. It is the second ground in the city to be so used, the former Wigginton Road ground hosting a match against Kent in 1890.
- Warwickshire have not beaten Yorkshire in the Championship in a game in Yorkshire since 2011. Of the five matches since, Yorkshire have won three.
- Yorkshire have scored at least 500 in an innings in a home match against Warwickshire on five occasions, the highest being 561 for seven declared at Scarborough in 2007, but Warwickshire’s have never done so in Yorkshire, their highest being 482 at Headingley in 2011.
- Warwickshire is the only county for whom one of their bowlers has taken ten wickets in an innings against Yorkshire. In 1923 Harry Howell took 10 for 51 at Edgbaston but seven years later Hedley Verity took 10 for 36 at Headingley to make a unique pairing in matches involving Yorkshire.
Specsavers County Championship Division One table
Specsavers County Championship Division One statistics
Potential milestones
Potential batting milestones in Yorkshire v Warwickshire on 17th Jun 2019
- A Lyth needs 7 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches against Warwickshire
- MJ Lamb needs 18 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches
- TT Bresnan needs 21 runs to reach 6500 runs in First-class matches
- WMH Rhodes needs 41 runs to reach 2000 runs in First-class matches
- JM Bairstow needs 49 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches against Warwickshire
- MGK Burgess needs 60 runs to reach 1500 runs in First-class matches
- JS Patel needs 68 runs to reach 6500 runs in First-class matches
- GS Ballance needs 84 runs to reach 11000 runs in First-class matches
- TR Ambrose needs 93 runs to reach 1000 runs in First-class matches against Yorkshire
- TT Bresnan needs 96 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches against Warwickshire
- JA Leaning needs 110 runs to reach 3000 runs in First-class matches
- BO Coad needs 140 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches
- SA Patterson needs 143 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches against Warwickshire
- JM Bairstow needs 148 runs to reach 11500 runs in First-class matches
Potential bowling milestones in Yorkshire v Warwickshire on 17th Jun 2019
- SA Patterson needs 1 wickets to reach 50 wickets in First-class matches against Warwickshire
- TT Bresnan needs 2 wickets to reach 550 wickets in First-class matches
- IR Bell needs 3 wickets to reach 50 wickets in First-class matches
- SA Patterson needs 7 wickets to reach 400 wickets in First-class matches
- JE Root needs 10 wickets to reach 50 wickets in First-class matches
Yorkshire’s County Championship Statistics
The opposition
- Sport director: Paul Farbrace, First-team coach: Jim Troughton
- Captain: Jeetan Patel (CC/RL50), T20 TBC
- 2018: CC Winners Div 2, RL50 4th in North, T20 6th in North Group.
