All-rounder Ramaal Lewis says Jamaica and West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood has inspired his rise to the national senior cricket set-up.

Lewis, the St Elizabeth Technical High School student, made his regional four-day debut for Jamaica Franchise in the Professional Cricket League encounter against Barbados Pride which ended in a draw yesterday at Sabina Park.

“Jermaine Blackwood always encouraged me. Growing up, I said I wanted to be like Jermaine and I wanted to come through the youth ranks and I did that,” Lewis told the Jamaica Observer.

The 18-year-old , who has captained Jamaica and West Indies at the youth level, was born in St Elizabeth, but has lived in Whitehouse, Westmoreland all his life. Lewis and Blackwood, 23, who also hails from Whitehouse, are third cousins.

Lewis said Deltonio Williams, the president of Westmoreland Cricket Association, which he plays for, is also a positive influence.

Against the Pride, the debutante was tidy in both innings with his off-spin bowling, though taking only a wicket. When Jamaica batted he made only six runs after walking to the crease at number nine. Despite the inauspicious start to his first-class career, the forecast is bright.

“Ramaal’s knowledge of the game is very high. He is above the schoolboy level where knowledge is concerned and I think that’s one of the things that has helped him,” said STETHS coach Clive Ledgister.

Just before being drafted into the senior team, Lewis showed superb form with both bat and ball in leading STETHS to the rural area title. He struck a century in the semi-final of the competition and followed with another ton to go with an 11-wicket match haul in the title decider.

During his time at the Santa Cruz-based institution, Lewis mostly batted at number six or seven in the order and was more prominent with the ball. For the just concluded campaign, however, he featured at number five after a pact with his schoolboy coach.

“His batting talent has always been there, but in a [strong] programme like the one at STETHS there are a whole lot of players and sometimes it is hard to decide who bats where. He came to me this season and said he should be batting higher in the order because he believed he could contribute more with the bat. We sat down and talked about it as captain and coach and he was comfortable batting at five,” Ledgister explained.

Lewis told the Jamaica Observer that, playing in his final season of schoolboy cricket, he was anxious to leave a big mark with the bat.

“This was my last year at school and I wanted to finish my high school career on a high. I feel my hard work has paid off. I was a batting all-rounder when I just came onto the scene and then my bowling took over. Now they are equal and I feel very good about that,” he said.