RYAN HINDS SHARES WORDS OF INSPIRATION AT HIS ALMA MATER ST. LEONARDS BOYS SCHOOL

by David Harris

Former Barbados and West Indies cricketer Ryan Hinds emphasized the importance of teamwork during a speech to the students at the St Leonard’s Boys’ School on Monday. 

Hinds, a past student at the school, made his debut for Barbados at the age of 17 in 1998, two years later he captained the West Indies under-19 side during the International Cricket Council (ICC) Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka. 

A left-handed batsman and slow left-hand bowler; Hinds set a bowling record for Barbados at the age of 20 by taking 15 wickets against the Leeward Island, his first innings figures of nine wickets for 68 runs were also a record for a Barbadian bowler in a regional first-class match. 

Hinds wrote his name into the record books against the same opponents in 2006 when he made 168 and 150 to become the first Barbadian to scored two centuries in a match during the modern era of regional first-class cricket. 

He played 15 Test matches and started his career with a half-century against Pakistan at Sharjah in 2001/2. Under Hind’s leadership, Barbados won the regional first-class competition in 2007. 

After he retired from first-class cricket, Hinds has worked as a coach at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI); at present, he is a member of the coaching staff of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and is the coach of Barbados Royals in the Women Caribbean Premier League (WCPL). 

Under Hinds’ guidance, Barbados Royals has won the WCPL in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Hinds took the trophy won by the Barbados Royals to show the students at his alma mater and made a monetary contribution to the school to assist in the purchasing of equipment; he also donated a WCPL replica jersey, and a West Indies training jersey. 

  “I think that it is crucial to motivate the youth because of what is taking place in the society. Therefore, I felt that it was important for me to give back to the school. I wanted to reinforce in the minds of the students that where a person goes to school does not prevent them from contributing to the society”, Hinds told Advo Magazine. 

According to Hinds, the theme at the school throughout the week is teamwork, and he spoke to the students about the importance of teamwork in sports and life. 

  ‘” Teamwork is an area that I am familiar with. I spoke about the ability to come together as a group and work towards goals and objectives. Teamwork in sports provides the opportunity to improve interpersonal cognitive, and emotional skills. It is applicable to all aspects of life. I give examples of how teamwork contributed to my achievements. I spoke about my experiences as a member of the St Leonard’s cricket team that played unbeaten in the CICB Schools’ League for three consecutive years and reminded the students that our outstanding performance was due to teamwork “Hinds said. 

 Another example of teamwork Hinds said took place when Barbados Royals captured their third successive title in the recently concluded WCPL.  

“Our captain Hayley Matthews could not play in the tournament, due to an operation on her shoulder, Hayley is one of the most outstanding female cricketers in the world, but each member of the team stepped up to the plate to ensured we won a hat-trick of titles. This level of performance demonstrated a high level of teamwork, and the ability of the players to be themselves while enjoying the game that is dear to them, the successful coach said.  

Hinds said he appreciated the response of the students and the staff to his speech and thanked the teachers and management of the school for giving him the opportunity to interact with the students. 

“I am thankful to Mr Franklyn who organised the event, and the principal and the members of staff for allowing me to address the students, because St Leonard’s School has played an integral role in my development”, Hinds said.  

The former Barbados captain said, his aspiration as a coach is to help cricketers discover, define, and achieve their goals.  

West Indies cricket maybe going through torrid times, but Hinds believes that the game is still firmly rooted in the psyche of the West Indian public. 

“Cricket is a unifying force in the West Indies; the game has made a profound impact on the people of the region. It is more than game; for several years, the sport has created a pathway for social upliftment for several people in Barbados and the other countries in the region. It is a part of culture whether the game is going through good  or bad times; therefore, the onus is on all West Indians to ensure that we get the game back on track”, Hinds said. 

On Friday (October,3) Hinds will make a monetary contribution to West Terrace School: “The foundation for my development began at West Terrace School, and I am going to show my gratitude to the school on Friday with a monetary donation on Friday. I am thankful that I was able to show my appreciation to the two educational institutions that played a role in my growth this week”.