GVBBL | Gallery | Bridesmaids no more: Hurley’s Hotel Hounds romp to Bush Bash title

Renowned for their firepower with the bat all season, ironically it was the Hounds’ bowling attack that led them to their maiden title, as they dismissed the Crushers for 83.

A clinical performance from former Tatura captain Michael Archer proved the catalyst for the Hounds’ bowling effort, as he spun a web through the Crushers’ batting line-up with figures of 4-9 from his four overs.

The chase was not as straight forward as it seemed, however, with some early Ramadan Yze magic opening the door for the Crushers to steal a famous victory.

But fortunately for the boys in light blue, Kyabram legend Paul Newman weathered the storm and went on to anchor the chase with an unbeaten 42 to see the Hounds to victory and himself to a third man of the match gong.

The culmination of a dominant season that yielded four wins and zero losses, Hounds captain Adam Ward said it was a wonderful feeling to secure the premiership for Sheppard and the crew at Hurley’s Hotel.

“It is always good (to come away with a win), you see the hard work that goes into it from ‘Sheppo’, it is a serious operation,” Ward said.

“So the most satisfying part of it for us boys is just to give him some reward for the hard work and sacrifice he has put in over the journey.

“It’s also good to win alongside this group of boys as well, we all love playing with each other, so to come away victorious today it was very satisfying.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, it was a disastrous start for the Crushers who lost marquee Andy Poppa in the first over.

With firey quick Cam Stevenson sending them down at a rate of knots for the Hounds, Henry Cullen (30) and Jake Klemm (19) went about rebuilding the Crusher cause with a timely 36-run stand.

But once the premier pair was sent back to the pavilion, the Hounds’ spin brigade of Archer, Darin Ohlsen (1-21) and Jedd Wright (1-15) took control of the game.

Unable to get the ball off the square, the Crushers lost a remarkable 7-26 to all but ruin their chance of winning their first crown.

"It was pretty handy to have the bowling attack I did behind me,“ Ward said of his team’s efforts in the first innings.

“Cam Stevenson and Corey Hickford were excellent at the start and then the spinners came on and did exactly what we needed them to do.

“Mickey (Archer) was exceptional with his four wickets, but as a group the three of them just played their part in putting on pressure and really made it hard for them to score.”

But while they did not have many runs to play with, you can never count out an attack spearheaded by the great Yze, who in his second over dismissed Ward and big-hitter Kyle Mueller in successive balls to open the door.

Central Park-St Brendan’s teammate Brendan Scott then joined the party, removing Katandra gun Wright for a duck to have the crowd on the edge of its seats.

But with Newman still at the crease, you got the sense the Hounds were in control of proceedings, as West Coburg talent Jack Potticary joined him at the crease and proved the perfect sidekick.

Picking the gaps to perfection with poise and class, the pair quickly snuffed out the Crushers’ cause to see their side to premiership glory in 16.3 overs.

Newman, who carried his bat for the third time this season, was named player of the tournament after striking an incredible 246 runs at an average of 246.

“Paulo is the in-form batter of the competition, so even though we lost a couple of early wickets, we always knew that if he was at the crease the game was in our grasp,” Ward said.

“The knock was just classical Paulo, when a scenario needs something he just stands up and gets it done, he is someone you can rely on in those clutch moments.

“He just played the game smarter than everyone else, he took his time, built his innings and put us in a position to win.”