Florence Hall, Trelawny— Jamaica Scorpions spinner Patrick Harty, growing in stature as a first-class cricketer, says his father has been an inspiration in guiding his career.

Patrick (Sr), regarded a good seam bowler at the club and parish level, made his name for St Ann CA in the 1980s and ’90s.

“He [my father] is a major influence; he was the person who introduced me to cricket. I’m grateful to him for that, and even now he gives me a lot of advice,” the 29-year-old told the Jamaica Observer.

“He bowled medium pace and a bit of off spin, and he could bat. He’s definitely one of my mentors and somebody that I look up to,” the former West Indies Under-19 representative continued.

The younger Harty, a former York Castle High schoolboy, played cricket for home parish St Ann CA before moving to the Corporate Area where he switched to Kingston Cricket Club.

The slow left-arm orthodox bowler made his first-class debut away to Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the regional four-day cricket season opener, but sent down 36 wicketless overs in the drawn encounter.

He opened his account in the next match, claiming four wickets in the draw against visitors Windward Islands Volcanoes. Three more followed in the third-round loss to Barbados Pride, also at Sabina Park.

In spinner-friendly conditions away to defending five-time champions Guyana Jaguars, Harty had another four-wicket haul as the visitors eked out a rare win in that country.

The boost in confidence was evident as he picked up a career- best 4-43 in the first innings of the ongoing fifth-round encounter against visitors Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium.

The left-arm finger spinner displayed immense skill on a good batting surface.

“I think it’s going well right now; I’m making progress as the season goes along. It was not the best of starts, but the coaching staff and the players have given me positive energy, and I’ve been using that to fuel my performances,” Harty said.

Particularly admirable against the Hurricanes was his control in windy conditions at the venue located on Jamaica’s north-western coast.

“I assessed the conditions quickly and tried to use them to be as effective as possible. It wasn’t really a spinning wicket but once you bowl in [certain] areas and use the windy conditions to my advantage I knew it would bear fruit,” the St Ann native explained.

“I’m getting more accustomed to this level of cricket and as time goes along I want to remain consistent as I’ve been the past couple of innings. I’m just looking to perform well and to help the team as much as possible and put us in positions to get as many points as possible,” he told the Observer.