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Scoring big hundreds is nothing new to Leon Garrick.

The only player without international experience in a 16-man West Indies training squad in preparation for the first Test against South Africa, Garrick has made headlines with his phenomenally heavy scoring in the Busta Cricket Series.

Two weekends ago, the diminutive opening batsman and Chris Gayle were commanding attention around the Caribbean when they were marching to a record first-wicket partnership of 425 against West Indies B. Garrick's contribution was an unbeaten 200.

The following weekend he fashioned an impressive 172 against Barbados. Television replays suggested he was hard done by the umpiring verdict.

Even before those two monumental scores, the 24-year-old right-hander was a model of consistency throughout the tournament, passing fifty on four occasions.

He starts today's Shield final with an season aggregate of 765 runs, which has been bettered only by the remarkable Carl Hooper (889) and Gayle (769).

What the season has revealed is that Garrick has shown the tenacity to bat for long periods of time.

His double hundred at Jarrett Park stretched more than eight hours and his 172 at Kensington occupied 7 1/2 hours.

You have to spend time at the crease. The longer you bat, the more runs you score, was Garrick's simple explanation for his rich form.

It is something he is accustomed to.

In the 1996 Nortel West Indies Youth Championship in his native Jamaica, he and Barbados captain Shirley Clarke staged a fascinating showdown for the Brian Lara Trophy an award that went to the batsman with the highest score in the competition.

Clarke started the ball rolling with an unbeaten 150 in the opening series against Guyana. Garrick responded with 151 against the same opponents in the third round. In the same series Clarke countered with 196 against Trinidad and Tobago; and in the fourth round Garrick came back with an innings of 184 against Barbados.

The next year, Garrick burst on to the first-class arena with such fanfare that, before the end of the season, he was in a West Indies 13-man squad for a One-Day International in St. Vincent.

In only his third first-class match, he hit a century against a Trinidad and Tobago attack that included Ian Bishop. A few weeks later, he made another ton, against the touring India side.

Sadly, Garrick lost form and focus over the next few seasons.

The runs dried up in 1988 and 1999 and he was not even considered for the 2000 season.

The 2001 season therefore represents a huge personal triumph.

It's a good, good feeling to come back again. I am hoping to carry on, said Garrick, who resides in the northern Jamaican parish of St. Ann's.

He admitted that it was his fault why he was so unproductive in recent times.

I lost focus a bit and there was a lack of concentration, but now I am working very hard and making use of the opportunity, he said.

Never for one moment did he feel his time had passed in spite of the fact that other Jamaicans in his age-group had displaced him in the team and were making favourable impressions.

Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ricardo Powell and Marlon Samuels were commanding attention and all gained international recognition.

Garrick believed in himself, but now that he has bounced back, he does not want to set unrealistic goals.

My goal from ever since was to represent the West Indies team, but at the moment I am playing for my country Jamaica and I am just going to take it from there step by step, he said before news of the announcement in the West Indies training squad.

His inclusion signals a big step towards attaining his dream.

© The Barbados Nation