Yorkshire v Kent: Patterson patience paying off in race for title glory

Jacques Rudolph, the South African run machine who has enjoyed another sparkling summer?

Adam Lyth, the young left-hander who is the club's leading Championship run-scorer with 1,446 at 53.55?

Or what about Adil Rashid, who has taken 53 wickets at 31.32?

According to Andrew Gale, the Yorkshire captain, the answer is none of the above.

Gale, who has enjoyed no mean campaign himself, would opt for Steve Patterson, the 26-year-old seam bowler who has taken 42 wickets at 27.35.

While the likes of Rudolph, Lyth and Rashid have hogged the headlines, Patterson has quietly gone about his business.

The unsung hero of Yorkshire's season, he has performed magnificently in all competitions.

Patterson goes into the final Championship game of the year against Kent at Headingley Carnegie, starting today, within sight of 50 wickets in his first full season.

He has been the club's most successful and consistent seam bowler and given the team invaluable control.

Patterson's strike-rate of 53.7 is fractionally superior to that of Rashid, emphasising the extent of his penetrative prowess.

Small wonder that Gale credits Patterson with having played a significant part in Yorkshire's success in Championship and one-day cricket.

"Patto is the first name on my team-sheet," said Gale. "He's reliable, a great lad to have in the dressing room and you know exactly what you're going to get from him.

"He's a very consistent performer and we haven't really seen him produce any bad days.

"As a captain, you can control a game with Patto in Championship cricket, and that's been a massive boost throughout the summer."

Patterson's wickets, along with those of 21-year-old Oliver Hannon-Dalby, who has captured 33 at 38.27, have more than compensated for the loss of Matthew Hoggard and Deon Kruis.

Hoggard left the club during the close season after failing to agree a contract extension, while Kruis hung up his boots at the age of 35, which appeared to have left Yorkshire with a lack of bite. Although Hoggard was clearly past his best at the age of 33, you could still rely on him for 40-odd wickets in a Championship season.

But Patterson's contribution has more than made up for Hoggard's departure and given Yorkshire a cutting edge they could not have foreseen going into the year.

So why has Patterson emerged from the shadows?

After all, he has been around the set-up for quite some time without ever managing to become a first-team regular.

Perhaps the biggest reason is simply that he has received more opportunities.

With the likes of Hoggard and Kruis no longer on the scene, Patterson has been thrown in at the deep end and played 13 of Yorkshire's 15 Championship games, compared with just three last year.

The confidence generated by an extended run in the side has undoubtedly benefited him immensely, as it has with Hannon-Dalby, who has also risen to the challenge of regular cricket.

Prior to this summer, Patterson had played only 15 first-class games that had brought him 22 wickets at 44.68, emphasising the extent of the transformation.

Gale believes Patterson's growing confidence is evident in his demeanour on and off-the-field.

"I've seen his confidence grow immensely over the season," said Gale. "At the start of the summer he was someone who'd shy away from responsibility in the dressing room and probably wouldn't speak out a great deal.

"He was the sort of lad that the other lads probably took the mickey out of a bit, but now he's a frontrunner in the dressing room and acting like a senior player.

"He pipes up in team meetings and tells us what he thinks, and he's given outstanding service throughout the season."

Patterson had previously been viewed primarily as a one-day performer. As such he learned to bowl wicket-to-wicket and to be conservative – qualities that have served him well in the four-day arena.

Patterson has also got wickets for other people.

His metronomic accuracy at one end has allowed his team-mates to profit at the other, and Patterson rarely gives batsmen a moment's peace.

Although he is perhaps not in England's thoughts just at the moment, there is no reason why Patterson could not aspire to play representative cricket.

Of his 42 wickets, it is worth noting that 21 have come against numbers one-to-five in the batting order, highlighting his ability to take important wickets at important times.

Patterson's statistics are sure to have caught the eye of those charged with selecting the England Lions, and such deserved recognition could be just around the corner.

This summer has been a breakthrough one for the likeable Patterson and proved him a bowler of high potential.

KENT FOCUS

One to watch

Darren Stevens: The 34-year-old has enjoyed a splendid summer in a struggling side, scoring important runs and capturing useful wickets. He made four centuries in the opening seven games and although his form has declined a little since then, he remains a dangerous customer.

Last time at Headingley Carnegie

August 16-19, 2006: Yorkshire 310 (DS Lehmann 172 (pictured right); SJ Cook 5-36) drew with Kent 230-6 (SJ Cook 71, M van Jaarsveld 61).

Head-to-head

Of the 197 County Championship matches, Yorkshire have won 84, Kent 38, and 75 matches have been drawn.

Yorkshire squad

Lyth, Rudolph, McGrath, Gale (captain), Bairstow, Brophy, Rashid, Shahzad, Patterson, Hannon-Dalby, Ashraf, Wainwright.

Title verdict

Yorkshire need to win and hope Nottinghamshire and Somerset fail to win. If Yorkshire draw with maximum points, Nottinghamshire would overhaul them with just four points and Somerset with just seven.

Weather

Predictions are for sunshine and showers.