him; but the gentlemanlike and proper feeling of the better style of
boys prevailed, and the eleven knew their own interests too well to
part with him, so the apology was made, and he retained his position.
The affair came to the knowledge of two of the masters, Mr. Dupuis
and Mr. Abraham, and they gratified their warm sense of approbation
by giving Patteson a bat, though he never knew the reason why, as we
shall see in one of his last letters to one of the donors.

His prowess at cricket must be described in the words of his cousin,
Arthur Duke Coleridge, who was at this time in college: 'He was by
common consent one of the best, if not the best, of the cricketers of
the school. The second year of his appearance at Lord's Cricket
Ground was the most memorable, as far as his actual services were
concerned, of all the matches he played against Harrow and
Winchester. He was sent in first in the Harrow match; the bowling
was steady and straight, but Patteson's defence was admirable. He
scored fifty runs, in which there was but one four, and by steady
play completely broke the neck of the bowling. Eton won the match
easily, Patteson making a brilliant catch at point, when the last
Harrow man retired. Full of confidence, Eton began the Winchester
match. Victory for a long time seemed a certainty for Eton; but
Kidding, the Winchester captain, played an uphill game so fiercely
that the bowling had to be repeatedly changed. Our eleven were
disorganised, and the captain had so plainly lost heart, that
Patteson resolved on urging him to discontinue his change of bowling,
and begin afresh with the regular bowlers. The captain allowed
Patteson to have his way, and the game, though closely contested, was
saved. His powers of defence were indeed remarkable. I saw the
famous professional cricketer Lillywhite play once at Eton in his
time, and becoming almost irritated at the stubbornness and tenacity