JAMIE Trenchfield is anxious to play cricket for Jamaica again.

The stylish left-handed batsman and medium pacer, now 24, has fought a long battle with neglect by Jamaica’s national cricket selectors and irregular bouts of injuries that have combined to undermine the unleashing of his true potential.

But the former Jamaica Under-15 and Under-19 captain who played one regional first-class match against Barbados six years ago is set to show he is made of sterner stuff by putting in valuable performances for his country that will force the West Indies selectors to padlock doors to keep him out.

“I’m fully focused now and I want to get back into the Jamaica side, while praying for no more injuries,” the GC Foster College student told the Jamaica Observer last week.

Trenchfield, who is doing a diploma course in coaching at the lone sports college of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean, also works with Scotiabank’s Kiddy Cricket programme and assists with his father’s security business, St Thomas-based Albion Security Company Ltd.

A hamstring injury last season limited him to just three matches in the Senior Cup for GC Foster, two of which were rained out.

For the upcoming 20/20 season and leading up to the four-day championship, Trenchfield is moving back to playing for St Thomas, which he started representing in cricket —- a Junior Cup match against Melbourne Cricket Club played at Goodyear Oval, Morant Bay — when he was just nine.

At age 11, he made 98 not out, also against Melbourne, at Melbourne Oval. He seemed on course for his first Junior Cup century which would have made him the youngest centurion in the competition’s history, but his captain Derrick Humbersingh declared, citing the need for time to win the match, which eventually ended in a draw.

Moving on to Kingston College from Yallahs Primary, which he led to the National Primary Schools title, Trenchfield scored a century in his second ‘Colts’ Under-16 as a seventh grader, aged 12, and was promoted to play in the Grace Shield, batting at number four and opening the bowling.

Among the 16 centuries that he scored for KC at all levels in his six-year stay at the institution was a memorable one against St George’s College while in seventh grade. He featured in an unbroken opening stand of 202 with Christie Jones, in response to St George’s score of 198.

Trenchfield played three years for the national Under-15 team, captaining it twice as Jamaica secured the title in St Vincent & the Grenadines in 2003.

He followed that by captaining the Under-19 team, also for three years, guiding it to the title in 2004 as a 16-year-old and getting called to a West Indies All Stars 11 that included present West Indies squad members Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, Keiron Pollard, Andre Fletcher and Nelon Pascal.

“That season was special to me because we met Barbados in the final at Sabina Park and I scored a century. My highest score leading up to the final was 30, so I was glad that I came good in the final,” said Trenchfield, who had Andre Russell, Xavier Marshall, Ziggy Levy, Zeniffe Fowler, Jeffrey Scott, among others in that squad.

“I have the DVD of that innings and whenever I am feeling down and seemingly losing hope, I watch that DVD and feel better,” he said.

Trenchfield has scored heavily in domestic competitions for all teams that he has represented, including Kingston, for which he has four centuries, including a brilliant 128 in a Senior Cup match against Lucas, when he outscored former Jamaica and West Indies captain James Adams in a partnership of over 200 runs for the fourth wicket.

He also played in the Bristol League in England in 2007, 2008 and 2010.

Cricket pundits have often questioned the many chances given to other Jamaican batsmen, including Marshall, Brenton Parchment and Simon Jackson, compared to the only one handed to Trenchfield in 2006 when he scored zero and nine, batting at number five.

However, the easygoing cricketer refused to be compared with others, choosing only to highlight the view that he had not been given enough chances to perform for his country.

However, with inspiration from his longtime coach Roy McLean and parents Philbert and Carmeta, Trenchfield believes his best days in cricket are yet to come.