The cricketer with brains and talent!
Patrick Marlon Harty Jr, born January 29, 1991 in Moneague in the parish of St Ann, Jamaica, is a Jamaican and West Indian cricketer. The young and talented sportsman specializes in the bowling department of the sport and is a force to be reckon with, with a solid and intimidating left hand.
The 29 years old left-hander career started at the tender age of 7 as a result of watching his father playing cricket every weekend, and of course he would not be left out of the fun as he joined his dad on the pitch on some occasions. According to Patrick, “cricket ultimately chose me, I grew up watching my father play, hence the automatic choice to pursue the same path.” His junior career came to prominence when he was selected for the under-19 category where he competed in international cricket as a member of the West Indies under-19 team in 2009.
The York Castle high school and University of Technology (Utech) graduate was a stand out for both his alma maters, producing impressive and entertaining performances each time he graced the pitch. As a sports fan, he enjoys watching cricket, football (soccer), basketball, formula 1, and enjoys driving.
As a huge Manchester United fan and a sportsman himself, he too has that person that he idolizes and of course would have influence his performance on and off the cricket pitch. The always smiling and humble young star in his own words highlighted, “if I was to name my cricket idols, they would have to be Brian Lara for his style of play and the mastery of his art was second to none.” He also paid homage to Daniel Vettori, “we are both left arm spinners and he is the best at it, so I strive to be like him.” Harty also reflected on his craft explaining, “I get the most joy when I do well and my team benefits as a result by winning.”
Brains and talent
To strike a balance between sports and academics is never easy, but Harty Jr with talent and brains did not run away from the challenge or left his passion behind. For the duration of his university studies, he suit up for the Utech Knights and was not to be denied in showing off his skills at every chance he got. “I just try to give my best at both, but I was mostly focused on obtaining my degree, but tried to maximize the time I had while I trained to improve in cricket and spent alot of long hours learning and focusing on my studies” says the ‘lefty’. He was determined to excel at both. “If there was any subject topic I would have missed or not fully understand as a result of playing cricket, I would ensure that I get additional help from friends or classmates.”
At the end of his university education, Patrick graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and is Software Developer who specializes in building web applications for corporations. On the pitch, he has a batting and field average of 2.16, and bowling average 32.22. The left-arm slow bowler has the magic hand loaded with intimidation achieving career-best bagging four wickets for 43 runs for his team, the Jamaica Scorpions, as he lit up the pitch during his first-class debut February 2020.
The young, vibrant and ever smiling athlete and software professional reflected on what cricket means for him. “When I do well and my team benefits as a result by winning, cricket is most enjoyable/satisfying, it also provides an opportunity to escape from the struggles of daily life, so that is good as well.”
HP Sports Corner 