The hosts started the NSW Country Cricket under 16s championship decider in the field and looked on top after the first two sessions as the visitors limped to 7-121 nearing second drinks.

But some late order hitting from Nick Hay (39 not out off 29), Jack Heuston (21 off 22) and Ethan Short (19 not out off 9) lifted Central Coast to 8-202 from their 50 overs.

The final two partnerships were telling.

The eighth wicket bought Central Coast 48 runs while the ninth wicket partnership between Hay and Short was unbeaten at 33.

Western never really wrestled back the momentum from that point onward.

Heuston caught Western opener Blake Weymouth leg before wicket with a length delivery that stayed a touch low while Bailey Brien nicked behind soon after in Short’s first over.

Brien’s dismissal then brought Brock Larance to the crease.

Sensing the moment, the Central Coast outfit swarmed on Western’s star bat, a tactic that clearly made the normally nonchalant Larance a tough edgy.

He battled to the final the middle of his bat on his way to 18 before Lachlan Cork (2-16) managed to sneak one under a typically powerful looking drive from the Dubbo batsman, knocking over his off stump.

The middle-order pairing of Sam Hall and Ben Mitchell tried valiantly to resurrect the Western innings with the bat, taking the score to 3-114 in pursuit of 203 for victory, but it wasn’t to be.

Mitchell fell for 43 and then Hall went soon after for the same score, triggering an epic collapse that resulted in Western being dismissed for 132.

The hosts lost their final seven wickets for just 18 runs.

Heuston capped a fine all-round game with figures of 3-20 in the final, while Tom Owen bagged match-best figures of 3-16.

With the ball for Western, Brien (2-18) and Ben Wheeler (2-16) proved both economical and dangerous, while Mitchell was the hosts only other multiple wicket-taker with 2-42.

Mitchell’s first wicket, and another scalp to towering Lithgow quick Tanvir Singh (1-48), helped Western begin the final well, reducing Central Coast to 2-13 before the country cricket powerhouse slowly rebuilt its innings.

Before the late-order hitting, Jake Holmes top scored with 58 off 120 balls while Jo Liddle’s 26 proved a handy contribution in setting up the title-winning total.