Nottinghamshire’s in-form spinner Liam Patterson-White conceded his tally of wickets in this season’s LV= Insurance County Championship campaign has exceeded even his own expectations, but maintained his role as a bowler remains the same amongst an abundance of seam talent.
The 23-year-old is part of a 13-man squad to take on Derbyshire at The Incora County Ground (19 - 22 July, 11am).
Patterson-White has taken 31 red-ball wickets this campaign, with Dane Paterson, Toby Roland-Jones, Matthew Potts and Michael Neser the only bowlers to claim more scalps in Division Two.
Across both divisions, Simon Harmer (40) is the only spinner to have taken more wickets up to this point.
But the left-armer maintains his role in the side hasn’t changed, with his focus on supplementing the wealth of fast-bowling talent available to Steven Mullaney.
“Being a spinner in England can be tough, especially on wickets that favour seamers - and our fast bowling attack is one of the best in the country,” he said.
“My first role is to hold up an end. I speak to Ant Botha [Assistant Coach] a lot about attacking with my bowling and defending with the field. It’s not hunting or looking for wickets per se, but holding an end up until the wickets follow.
“Batters might think I am the one to go at; sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. A lot of times this season it has fallen for me. Whether it is luck or skill, I don’t know, but you do need a bit of luck on the odd occasion.
Notts head into the gameweek against Derbyshire having most recently secured a draw against Glamorgan.
Lyndon James, Joe Clarke and captain Mullaney stunted a victory charge from the Welsh county to earn a share of the spoils, a result which Patterson-White views as a marker of the Green and Golds' progression since a fateful triumph against Derbyshire 15 months ago.
“The Notts from a few years ago might have folded, but the culture and environment has changed,” Patterson-White said.
“We thought it was as good as a win to get the draw. We were behind the eight ball, and to show some fight was really good for us.
“You always need to get the ball rolling with these things. That win against Derbyshire last year at their place really did set it off, and it made us believe that we could compete again.
“The fact we are top now by 21 points is credit to all the lads and how hard we’ve worked. It shows the character of everyone arounf the club, and we are desperate to keep the momentum going.”
The Notts Academy graduate has added incentive to beat Derbyshire, given the clubs’ historic ties.
Having played for his home county through the age groups, he is all too aware of the importance of the fixture and its meaning to those connected with the club.
But little will change by the way of preparation as Notts seek an extension to their lead atop the Division Two table.
“We take every game as it comes, and none are more important than others. We still want to stamp our authority on every single game,” he said.
“But I grew up with Forest and Derby as the rivalry to look out for in football, and this is the cricket equivalent, so it's always a big game
“Me and Fletch [Luke Fletcher] always talk about how big it is, and how good it is to roll them over. There is an added edge, but we still go out and try to perform as we do every week.”
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