WATCH: Bathurst's barnstorming front row pairing hold off Dubbo fightback

Stait led by example as the skipper picked up the final try of the game for Bathurst while Driver was named the home side's player of the match in the 32-20 win.

Bathurst halfback Declan Hodges also had a game to remember as he scored two tries in the space of just three minutes towards the end of the first half.

However, Bathurst had to survive a big fightback from a spirited Dubbo outfit.

Things were looking bleak for Dubbo as they went into the sheds down 26-4 but returned to the field with the wind at the their backs and put on 16 unanswered points to get the margin back within a converted try.

It was only when Stait scored inside the final few minutes that Bathurst could begin celebrating.

Dubbo halfback Jace Baker was outstanding in defeat for the visitors, earning most valuable player honours despite his side being on the wrong end of the final score.

It was Baker's second time earning the honour after doing the same in his side's win over Orange last week.

Speedster Max McAneney scored twice for Dubbo during their much improved second half performance.

Driver, who put in a big shift for the hosts, was stoked to come away victorious after missing out on an opportunity to play against Orange High School in the previous Astley Cup tie.

"I'm pretty happy. I wasn't able to play in Orange so I felt like I needed to leave it all out there in this one," he said.

"I played a whole half, and that wasn't something I went out there expecting to do. It didn't feel like a whole half but I was able to do it. I'm feeling excellent and ready to go on the weekend.

"There were a bit of nerves there in the second half but we got through it, pumped it out, and got ourselves the win."

Bathurst got off to a dream start when Connor Hodges and Harry Knight each scored down the right side of the field within the first eight minutes.

Dubbo had a chance to hit back when Bathurst coughed up the ball in their own territory but after forcing a drop out they couldn't capitalise.

Bathurst swiftly punished them when Driver barged his way across next to the uprights for a 14-0 lead.

There was some joy finally for the visitors with five minutes remaining in the half when winger Bayley Matthews was put into space for a try.

That joy was short lived when Declan Hodges scored off a solo run through the middle and then pounced on a dropped Dubbo ball near the try line to push the margin out to 20.

The visitors looked like a whole different team early in the second half as Baker's direction at halfback brought Dubbo into the match.

Tristan Keed got on the end of a perfectly placed Baker grubber to score before Max McAneney utilized his pace to race around the Bathurst defence an almost length-of-the-field try.

When McAneney scored again with a little over 10 minutes remaining, making it 26-20, the threat of an all-time Astley Cup comeback was looking far more realistic.

Dubbo came up just short of an equaliser when they knocked on literally inches from the Bathurst try line, and on their next set deep in the hosts' territory were called for a forward pass.

Bathurst were able to get the ball down the other end and find the vital match-winner when Stait decided to take a run at the Dubbo defence on the fifth tackle, successfully crashing through the line for a memorable Astley Cup moment.

BATHURST HIGH SCHOOL 32 (Declan Hodges 2, Connor Hodges, Harry Knight, Anthony Driver, Regan Stait tries; Knight 4 conversions) defeated DUBBO SENIOR COLLEGE 20 (Max McAneney 2, Bayley Matthews, Tristan Keed tries; Jace Baker 2 conversions)