Patterson looking to force his way into reckoning

Small wonder, too, as the Beverley-born pace bowler captured 45 County Championship wickets at 26.68.

But after the high promise of 2010, when his efforts so nearly helped Yorkshire to the title, Patterson had a challenging 2011.

Eleven appearances brought him 21 Championship wickets at 46.33 – figures that neither did justice to his talent nor took account of the problems he experienced through injury.

Now Patterson is determined to recapture the heady heights of two summers ago and to prove that, at the age of 28, he is coming to his peak.

After being left out of the opening game of the season against Kent, Patterson stands a good chance of playing in the match against Essex that starts at Headingley Carnegie today.

Iain Wardlaw did not have the best of times against Kent and could potentially make way, although Wardlaw remains a promising prospect.

However, if a change is effected, Patterson will hope to get the chance to build on his performance against Leeds-Bradford MCCU last week, when his bowling – particularly in the second innings – smacked of a man approaching his best.

Bowling from the Kirkstall Lane end with familiar industry and intelligence, Patterson was pacy, penetrative and unlucky not to procure more wickets against the students.

Figures of 3-71 from 23 overs scarcely did him justice as he cannily exploited a spicier surface than that prepared for the Kent fixture.

Whether he plays this week or not, Patterson is hopeful that a frustrating 2011 can be replaced by a fulfilling 2012 both for himself and the team.

And, as with the team, Patterson need look no further than 2010 for inspiration.

“2010 was a good year for us as a team and a few of us individually,” he reflected.

“Last year I felt was a bit of a stop-and-start year for me personally; I spent around two months sat on the sidelines with an injury right in the middle of the year when I was probably just getting to my best.

“I was kind of rushing myself back to prove myself a bit and maybe didn’t do myself justice compared to the previous year.

“But I’ve had a good winter this time and, hopefully, coming back fully fit and strong, I can repeat what I did two years ago.”

There is much to admire about Patterson the cricketer and man.

He always comes across as the sort of character you would want on your side, the sort who puts the team first and who recognises that success can only be achieved collectively.

As such, he is realistic about those occasions when, as against Kent last week, he has been left out.

“Obviously you want to play every game and it’s hard sometimes when you don’t get the nod,” he said.

“At the end of the day, it’s a tough industry, professional sport, and the management can only pick 11 players.

“If you’re one of them, great; if you’re not, you’ve just got to keep working hard. That’s all you can do.”

There is no sense with Patterson of a player resting on his laurels.

Just because he had one good summer in 2010, he realises he can take nothing for granted – particularly with the club boasting many promising up-and-coming pace bowlers.

“It is hard,” he admitted.

“There is a lot of competition for places, and I’ve been on both ends of it.

“On the one hand, I’ve played when other lads have been left out, and, on the other, I’ve been left out when other lads have played.

“The good thing about our squad is that we’ve got a lot of players who’ve known each other for a long time having come through the Academy, so people have each others’ best interests at heart,” he said.

“It’s certainly not a case of people getting one over on each other; if you get the nod yourself, you know that your mates are behind you, and it’s the same vice-versa.

“That’s what a good squad should be like.”

It is a squad undeniably enhanced by Patterson, who believes Yorkshire will soon get into their stride.

No one at Headingley has tried to pretend that Yorkshire were anywhere near their best against Kent, but Patterson believes that game could ultimately work in their favour.

“The Kent match was a bit disappointing but the way I see it is that it’s a good wake-up call going forward,” he added.

“I think a lot of people perhaps assume that, because of the players we’ve got and the stature of the club, that we’ll go straight back up, but it’s not as simple as that.

“There are some good players in the Second Division and some very good teams, and some hard-fought cricket is played.

“At the end of the day, we still got a draw against Kent and I think the lessons learned from that match will stand us in really good stead,” he added.