Buckley made 55 runs off 53 balls as the Saints were bowled out for 146 at Wagga Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Coming in with his team in trouble at 5-54, Buckley ensured his team were able to compile a competitive score against a team yet to win this season.

It was more than enough, with Wagga RSL bowled out for 124.

Saints captain-coach Ryan Forsyth was pleased by how his team was able to get themselves out of a sticky situation.

“We put got ourselves in a challenging situation and we could have crumbled, and in the past that has happened a couple of times to us,” Forsyth said. “When the pressure was on, we’ve only had one win for the year, we had a few fellas stand up which was really good.

“Kyle Buckley was sensation and just like James (Elliott) he took the game on, wasn’t dictated to by the bowlers and capitalised on the opportunities he got.”

Forsyth said a run-a-ball 27 from James Elliott helped start the platform for more runs later in the innings.

The Bulldogs failed to have a batsman reach 20, captain Todd Henderson top scored with 16, as they fell 23 runs short of their target it and suffered a five-straight loss to start the season.

It was an all-round effort from the Saints bowling attack with Dave Garness, Mitch Black and Jordan Lawrence all picking up two wickets.