KOOKABURRAS have cemented their place atop the first grade ladder after claiming victory over Court House on Saturday.
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After winning the toss and electing to bat, Kookaburras were in early trouble with several wickets falling in quick succession.
Coupled with the absence of experienced campaigners Shayne Riordan and Cameron Milne, Kookaburras' hopes looked bleak midway through the first innings.
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However, a gutsy 44 from Matt Agostino helped dragged the side back into the game.
Despite the sluggish start, the reigning two-day premiers were able to recover and post a competitive total of 106.
In reply, Court House's run chase never really got going, eventually dismissed for just 50.
Kookaburras captain Kris Lodge said Agostino's innings proved invaluable.
"I thought Matt batted really well," Lodge told the Namoi Valley Independent.
"He was amongst the runs last week as well and really helped us out again this week.
"We lost early wickets and he was able to just set the benchmark for us and help us get past the 100 mark."
Lodge said "everyone chipped in with the ball" during the second innings.
"I don't think we had any real standouts with the ball - everyone just seemed to do their job," he said.
"Overall, I was pretty pleased with how the boys bowled and fielded."
The victory gives Kookaburras some breathing room atop the first grade ladder, ahead of their next clash against Albion.
"It's obviously pretty pleasing to win our first couple of games," Lodge said.
"I think we have really stepped up already this season. In the past we might have just rolled over and not really scored a competitive total.
"This time around we were able to fight back a bit and post a competitive score.
"We still have some improvements to make, but we have some good young blokes coming through, so it's pretty exciting."
Saturday's win came after Kookaburras went down to Albion in Friday night's Twenty20 action.