Prior to the game around 4000 tickets had been sold, but walk-up crowds boosted sales to 8730 people for the Panthers clash against the Canberra Raiders.

Played under the recently-installed new field lights on Carrington Park, the Canberra Raiders led by eight points going into the final minutes of the game.

But, a nail-biting final two minutes saw the Panthers score two tries and snatch victory away from the Raiders by 24 to 20.

The crowds’ cheers could be heard across the CBD.

Bathurst Regional Council mayor Graeme Hanger has declared the partnership with Penrith Panthers an outstanding success.

“Ten minutes before the kick-off there was a 40 metre line of people waiting to get in the gate,” he said.

Cr Hanger said it was thanks to 12 school visits in Bathurst in the week leading up to the game that many families decided to come along to see the Panthers in action.

Council has invested significantly into the grounds and facilities at Carrington Park since it signed its initial five-year deal (since extended until 2028) for Panthers to play one game a season in Bathurst.

Along with new field lights, that are suitable to televised games, the past 12 months have also seen council invest in an LED scoreboard and toilet block for the grounds.

In 2015, Carrington Park’s playing surface was completely renovated.

Cr Hanger said the investment in the grounds and partnership with the Panthers had paid off, with player feedback that the ground was “hard and fast”.

“Anthony Griffin the [Panthers] coach told me this ground was miles better than two of the Sydney grounds,” he said.

Council has never confirmed how much the Panthers partnership is costing the city but, Cr Hanger said it was “worth it”.

“It’s been worth the outlay, the fact that Penrith Panthers commit and believe, you can’t put a price on that,” he said. “Of course it’s worth it.”

Cr Hanger said thanks to Fox Sports’ live broadcast of the match, thousands of people would have heard Bathurst mentioned numerous times during the game.

“This puts Bathurst on the map,” he said.

“Other regional centres would give their right arm for this.”

Cr Hanger said of the 4000 tickets sold prior to game day, that two-thirds were purchased by people from outside the 2795 postcode.

The Panthers’ first game in Bathurst in 2014 saw them lose 18-16 to the Cronulla Sharks, while in 2015 they smashed the Gold Coast Titans 40-0.

Last year the Panthers also played against the Canberra Raiders and again snatched victory away in the final minutes of the match with a field goal winning the game 19-18.