ST JOHN'S ANTIGUA, AUGUST 4 2006 - Tonito Willett has always been considered to be bountifully talented. Since his youth cricket days many were expecting him to progress into the West Indies senior team with relative ease. Things did not work out exactly that way for him as he has had an indifferent time at the regional level.

The 23 year old seems to be taking a serious liking for 20/20 cricket in its inaugural year under the Stanford 20/20 brand. In his second innings he produced a mind-boggling gem to dispose of Antigua, the hometown favourites.

The battle was set up as a grudge game between neighbours Antigua and Nevis, the dominant cricketing force in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis. The focus was on the more notable names such as Stuart Williams, Ridley Jacobs, Dave Jopseh and Gavin Tonge. Willett, with a violent burst of batting stole the attention away with venom.

Nevis lost the toss but Jacobs asked them to bat first. They knew that with a huge vocal local crowd and an eager Antiguan batting line up, they would need to put something substantial on the board for Antigua to chase. They started in a glorious blaze, getting 42 in four overs and 84 in eight overs by the time they lost the second wicket and Willett entered the fray. When many thought the show was coming to a close they were rudely kept galvanized to the action by Willett’s power hitting display.

All told he struck eight fours and five sixes and faced 44 balls. The result? 86 unbeaten runs that catapulted Nevis to the highest score of the tournament – 213 for 3 from 20 overs.

It was an awesome display, even if the Antiguan bowlers gave him width and an unchallenging length. Willett, as those who watched him when he was much younger knew he was capable of, pounded bowler after bowler to distant parts. Had the overs not run out he would have certainly gone on to register the tournament’s first century as the innings itself was enough to knock Antigua out cold.

They responded with a fight but only got as far as 170 for 9 from their 20 overs. The difference was Willett, the wristy right hander who played shots from the very inception of his innings as if his life depended on runs piling up on the board.

The first two balls he faced from pacer Curtis Roberts were dispatched for four, two balls later another four flowed. Twice he hit Deryck Edwards for consecutive fours and the rest of bowlers came in for their share of licks intermittently.

Willett hangs on to the record for the highest individual score of the tournament and his innings, without doubt, is one of the most enjoyable, exciting and enthralling innings played not only in the Stanford 20/20 Tournament but in any 20/20 tournament.