COVERED WINTER 2019

27 @TRENTBRIDGE LIAM PATTERSON-WHITE mers, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Patterson-White would have everything go his own way. But, on a day when receiving his first cap and stepping out as a Nottinghamshire first team player should have left him feeling invincible, just a couple of hours later he was laid up in hospital. “It was a bit of a rollercoaster of a week,” relives Patterson-White. “My dad came down for the first day to see me on the pitch for just an hour. “Then by lunch I was in hospital with tonsillitis. “It was one of those weeks where I thought ‘I’ve worked this hard to get where I am now, I’m not going to let some illness take it away from me’.” Having recovered enough to take part in the second day of play, the 20-year- old debutant was dismissed for a six- ball duck by EnglandTest spinner Jack Leach. However, in true Patterson-White style, another facet of his game came to the fore. “Obviously I didn’t get off to the best start,” he says. “Being able to overcome all of that and play the match was more of an achieve- ment than anything because I thought ‘this is what the real drive and passion is about’. “I had to dig deep and make sure I was able to play, and to get a five-wicket haul on debut was one of the best days I have had on a cricket pitch. “To have, in my eyes, the best red-ball spinner in the world (Ravi Aswhin) in the team and backing me to do well was hard to grasp. “The biggest thing he said to me was ‘don’t do it for us. Do it for yourself because this is the time where you’ve earned it.You need to go and make sure you’re able to keep earning it, keep that drive and keep wanting it’.” With his Nottinghamshire first-class debut under his belt, in a summer which has heralded an EnglandWorld Cup victory and a riveting Ashes series, you wouldn’t be surprised if everyone took a few months off to recover from the events of the summer, not least Patterson-White. However, that’s not in his DNA. “I’m going away to New Zealand this winter for four and a half months on a spin camp,” he says. “It’s the first time that I’ve gone away to train in the winter, and with that professional contract under my belt I think it’s a great opportunity to hone my skills and come back a better cricketer. “I’ll be based inWellington with (fellow spinners) Jeetan Patel and LiamTrevaskis. “I’ve been very closed off to the idea in recent years but now I’ve thought ‘it’s really time to kick on and try new things’.” From a young wicketkeeper to a fast bowler, from an aspiring right winger to, finally, the all-rounder he is today, Patterson-White has taken an unusual route to the first-class game. However, if the budding youngster retains his positive attitude and his desire in the coming years, he’s sure to become a favourite of the Nottinghamshire faithful for the foreseeable future. “I HAD TO DIG DEEP AND MAKE SURE I WAS ABLE TO PLAY, AND TO GET A FIVE-WICKET HAUL ON DEBUT WAS ONE OF THE BEST DAYS I HAVE HAD ON A CRICKET PITCH.” Liam Patterson-White