I’M SORRY!
With those two words, former Barbados cricket captain Ryan Hinds has a clear head.
And a clean record too.
Hinds, 30, also a former West Indies player, walked out of the District ‘A’ Criminal Court without a conviction Monday, escaping seven different charges of assault that could have derailed his cricketing career had he been convicted.
Hinds had been charged with assaulting Charlene Osbourne of Wanstead Garden,
St Michael, but the charges were dropped on Monday, after a heart-felt apology to the court, after which the virtual complainant decided not to offer any evidence.
“I’m really glad this is over. I’ve already paid the price for my behaviour. When I look back at it, my behavior was unacceptable,” a contrite Hinds told the WEEKEND NATION in an exclusive interview.
“What people will never know is the pain I was going through since the charges were laid. The situation had been on my mind 24 hours a day, every day, and it was affecting my play on the field. The public may have come to their perceptions about the incident, but my apology came from the heart. I am sorry for what I did.”
Hinds revealed that he has since received anger management counseling, and is a better man for it.
“I believe the counseling really helped. It let me see things much clearer about how I need to act as a man in the future,” the former Barbados skipper said.
“I didn’t only apologise to her for my actions, but also to her entire family. I felt I needed to do that to have this settled once and for all. I believe she and her family now support me 100 per cent.”
With the thought of having a criminal record behind him, Hinds is now all about putting up some big scores for Barbados.
“I want 2012 to be my best year ever. People may say what they want, but I feel if I have the right attitude and do the right things on the field, I can make the West Indies team again. That’s my main goal.”
Hinds revealed he had been fighting a silent battle with his conscience ever since the criminal charges became public.
“I really wasn’t able to perform. It was like a fog cloud over my head all the time. I’m glad its gone now, so that I can concentrate on improving myself as first a man, and secondly, a cricketer. I’m relaxed now. I want 2012 to be big for me.”
He said the local cricketing fraternity would see just how serious he was, when Barbados competes in the West Indies Cricket Board’s Caribbean T20 tournament, scheduled to be played in Antigua and Barbados from January 9-23 next year.
“Once things go right in that tournament, I’ll be ready to make a strong push to get back in the West Indies team,” Hinds concluded.
