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From the time he was a first-former at St Leonard's Boys, Ryan Hinds was always considered a jack-of-all-trades on a cricket field.

When he appeared in the 1993 BET Under-15 final, he was a tiny left- hand batsman who carried the nickname of a recent former West Indies captain.

His left-arm spin bowling was then employed on a regular basis and by the time he finished his career at that level, he was keeping wicket for the Barbados team at the inaugural Carib Cement Regional Under-15 tournament.

In short, he was capable of making a vital contribution in the game's three main disciplines.

It was, however, as a solid, well-organised batsman that he earned his reputation in the years after.

All of a sudden, his bowling came into the spotlight once again following his remarkable bag of wickets in Barbados' Busta victory over the Leeward Islands in Nevis last weekend.

His first innings haul of nine for 68 was the best ever in a regional first-class match and his match tally of 15 for 102 has been only previously matched by two others.

"Any time a get guys 15 wickets in a match, that pretty much speaks for itself," said Barbados captain Ian Bradshaw.

Moreso, as one who has only been regarded as a back-up among the Barbados bowlers, Hinds' feat would have surprised all and sundry.

He appears to be the type of bowler who delivers uncomplicated, left- arm stuff which does not spin appreciably.

So what did he really do to mesmerise the Leewards' batsmen?

"I didn't really do anything differently from the other games," he admitted.

"I just concentrated and bowled a nice decent line. I varied a lot and that is what worked for me," said Hinds, who celebrates his 20th birthday on Saturday.

Barbados' manager Tony Howard figured the young spinner's approach would always outfox batsmen who have reputations as shot-makers.

"On wickets like that, which are not very responsive, you have to work the air a little bit and get the guys to drive," Howard said.

"This is what he did. They are not very good at driving along the ground for a very long period of time. You would get two or three fours and then they would put one in the air."

Hinds has now achieved what many West Indian greats have never done, but he is adamant that his job of a bowler remains his secondary role in the team.

The former West Indies youth team captain now feels he can be regarded as a genuine all-rounder. At the same time, however, he wants to get more runs against his name.

Too often, he has promised to deliver a big innings, but gets himself out when set.

"I am not worried about my batting at the moment. I just need to concentrate a bit harder and convert the 30s and 50s into big scores - to make hundreds," he said.

"I prefer my batting over my bowling but it is a mix."

In recent years, Hinds has always delivered a fair set of overs in the Red Stripe Bowl limited-overs competition, but some have suggested that he does not get enough encouragement to bowl in the longer version of the game.

Hinds disagrees.

"In the past, there was always "Reidy" [Winston Reid] and three other senior bowlers. The other senior guys were performing, so there wasn't a chance for me," Hinds said.

"This year I have been taking my bowling a bit more seriously and, once given the opportunity to bowl, I will try and do my best for my country."

Manager Howard is satisfied with his development as a bowler.

"Ryan is coming along at just the pace he needs to. I don't think we need to push it any further than that," he said.

© The Barbados Nation