As Wade Park faithful watched on in suspense, the young playmaker hit it sweetly as it looked on track to sail over the black dot.

But instead of sailing over it, the Steeden clanged off the centre of the cross-bar and bounced back towards the field of play.

The opportunity would be Hawks' last to snatch the game from the premiers as the men in black held on for a gritty 18-16 victory in boggy conditions.

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The match was a far cry from the side's previous meeting at Mudgee when Panthers wiped the floor with Hawks 48-0.

"They were impressive considering the score in the first game," Panthers' prop Dave Sellers said.

"Our game plan in the second half was to control the ball and get their bigger fellas moving. We backed our fitness to come over the top."

It was a clash of the titans in the middle as neither side lacked star power in the forward packs. The muddy conditions also turned the game into a middle thirds battle, rather than a shootout between the backs.

Sellers, who was excited to see his side bounce back from a loss to Mudgee last week, says his men might have fallen victim to a soft part in their schedule.

"No disrespect to Lithgow, but we've played them twice in five weeks and we've also had two byes," he said.

"The Mudgee hit out was our first tough game in a while, and then there was that one. We'll get better as we get into the back half of the season."

The home side flew out of the gates with back-to-back tries to Saul Houma and Mitch Watts, but Bathurst hit back with a pair of their own as Desi Doolan and Jedd Betts found the line.

Hawks took a two-point buffer into the dressing sheds, but it was Doug Hewitt's squad that did more damage in the 49^th minute as winger Malik Blenman became the second outside back to pounce on a Hewitt grubber from close range.

After Hawks' enforcer Nathan Potts was sent to the sin-bin for a ruck infringement, Hewitt's boot made a further impact as a towering bomb saw fullbacks Ryan Manning and Josh Rivett collide in the air, with the ball bouncing into the in-goal for Abel Lefaoseu to pounce on in the 65^th minute.

The collision caused Rivett to leave the field with what looked like a serious ankle injury.

Fortunately for Hawks, Hewitt botched the ensuing conversion from right in front of the sticks, leaving the door ajar for a comeback.

When Potts returned to the field, Hawks launched an assault at Panthers' territory and after Ethan McKellar danced across the field into space, he found a surging Ryan Manning who flicked it off to Duncan Young for a four-pointer... then came the aforementioned Westcott conversion.

The hosts tried hard to create more chances in the dying stages, but Panthers' defence was suffocating as Heta's troops ran out of time.

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