The 16-year-old only returned from last week’s Under 17 National Championships on Friday, but he was straight back into the swing of things with an impressive 43 in just his second Illawarra first-grade match.  

Zahra-Smith played a key role in helping ACT/NSW Country to the joint-title at the National Championships in Brisbane, with Thursday’s final against Queensland washed out, and Dapto captain Jye Phillips said it was clear he had carried the confidence gained in Brisbane into Saturday’s match. 

“It’s been a really good start to the season for us,” Phillips said. “Beating Bally in the first Twenty20 and then beating a new Wests team this week was really good.

“It was awesome for Jayden, coming back from two weeks in Brisbane, flying home on Friday and playing on Saturday. He was our player of the match.

“You can see the confidence is in him, he’s hitting the ball well. He wasn’t the only one though, the whole batting lineup got going and played with confidence.”

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Zahra-Smith’s innings came after Dapto restricted Wests to 9-178. Experienced bowler Dale Scifleet led the way for the Canaries with figures of 3-18 on what was a good batting wicket. 

“All of the bowlers stood up on a flat track. Dale did an awesome job, he’s a very good player to have in your side, he knows a lot about cricket and helps me out a lot in the field. He’s a great person to learn off and pick his brain.” 

While it was Zahra-Smith who led the way early, it was veteran Richard Marsh who steered the team through the middle overs.

Batting at number five, Marsh headed to the crease after Zahra-Smith fell, with Dapto sitting at 3-75. Marsh scored a patient 46 to guide the team to victory inside 42 overs. 

“It was a good knock from Marshy, he’s another experienced player. We have a few young players, so it’s good to have those old heads like him in the side to provide that experience.”

The result came as Illawarra cricket was marred by rain for the second-straight week. Clashes between Helensburgh and University, Wollongong and Balgownie and Keira and Northern Districts were all washed out.

Corrimal and Port Kembla were able to take the field, however, with Port Kembla claiming a 54-run victory. 

After reaching 6-184, Ayaz Khan stepped up with the ball for the Blacks, claiming 4-13 off 10 overs as Corrimal were bowled out for 130.