Steve Patterson was delighted on a couple of accounts in getting Jack Leaning out during the second day of Yorkshire v Kent at Canterbury.
Patterson had Leaning caught behind for a three-ball duck at the start of the afternoon session as Kent were bowled out for 265 in their first-innings reply to Yorkshire’s 379.
The visitors then boosted their lead to 120 in two overs of batting before close in their second innings.
“It’s always nice to get your mates out,” said the captain, who finished with an excellent 3-43.
“I don’t think I could have kept a straight face had Jack stayed in for very long! So I was pleased to get him.
“But, at the end of the day, we had a job to do as a team. And we’ve gone out and done it. We’ve won days one and two. Now it’s about capitalising over the next couple of days.”
Yorkshire worked incredibly hard for reward with the ball on a low and slow pitch, with Duanne Olivier striking three times as well. David Willey, Jordan Thompson and Harry Brook also chipped in with a wicket apiece.
“It was a really good day for the lads,” said Patterson.
“It’s a difficult pitch to bowl on. There’s not a lot of pace and carry, but the way we stuck at it and ground them down to get that lead was really promising.
“If we have another good day tomorrow, it sets us up well in the game.
“We knew it was going to be a slightly different attack, and that it would be important to use the new ball.
“We managed to get that work done collectively, so it enabled us to bowl at them the way we did later on.
“Had we only got one or two while the ball was hard, it could have been a long day. But we made the most of it and got our rewards.”
On his own performance, he added: “It’s always nice when you can contribute individually to the team.
“With the attack we’ve got this week, and with Duanne still a bit undercooked having come from South Africa, it’s important as a senior lad to step up when we need it. I was pleased to chip in.
“I was also pleased the way the lads performed as a group. Harry Brook came on and did a fantastic job as well.”
