Giftion Wray stands beside proud mother, Ava Palmer, who displays some of his awards. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Giftion 'Tashawn' Wray has an irrepressible passion for bat and ball. But the young cricketer isn't merely playing games - he's using his talent to mentor schoolchildren.

A former member of the national Under-19 team and a member of the St Ann cricket outfit, Wray has been volunteering at his alma mater, Walkers Wood All-Age School.

On specific days, he assists students in honing their cricketing skills, along with the school's coach. According to the pace bowler and batsman, passing on sport techniques is as important as learning them.

Willing to help

"I help them to learn the basics because it really doesn't make sense that I have the knowledge and skills and keep them secret. If I can help, I will," he told The Gleaner.

It was at this very school that Wray sharpened his technique before moving onto Vere Technical Highg where he joined the school's cricket team.

"I used to play cricket for my school and that was when I started my stint on the Under-19 team," he said. "At Vere, I got the Best Player award for my performance."

In his Lime Gate community in Walkerswood, he is viewed as a cricket genius. His mother, Ava Palmer, said she was one of the few who paid little attention to his talent when the signs were glaring. In fact, she believed the sport was simply a family pastime.

Bigger ambitions

"In the evenings when I would come home and not have anything to do, I would just join in with him and play cricket," she told The Gleaner. "I didn't know he would reach this far. I just thought it was purely fun."

The former backyard batsman now has his sights set on bigger ambitions, like a call-up to the senior team in the future.

"My experience on the Under-19 team was very good. I learnt a lot and I met and spoke to cricketers like Brian Lara," he said.

In August, the 19-year-old (he was 18 when he qualified for the Under-19s) will leave the island for United States city Orlando for cricket duties.

"I was invited to play cricket there in the summer after being invited by the Central Florida Cricket Association. I am really looking forward to this," he said.

Till then, he gives self and time to other budding cricketers. To those students, he is a star and role model. But Wray sees himself as just a lanky lad with the weighty responsibility of shaking up his little side of Jamaica.

latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com