Thomas was probably the Pattenden playing for the Duke of Dorset's XI against Wrotham in 1769 when John Minshull scored the earliest-known century in cricket history, albeit in a minor match.
This is a good example of the confusion caused when initials or first names are left out of the scorecards.
His highest score was 72 for Kent v Hampshire in 1775, when he so upset the odds that "more money was won and lost than ever known".
[1] He made a number of other good scores including 52 against the bowling of Lumpy and David Harris in 1783.
He is believed to have been an innkeeper in his native village of East Peckham, perhaps at the Rose & Crown adjoining the cricket ground.