Hadspen left it beyond doubt down to the absolute final ball of its TCL Premier League tilt to end Longford's season-long streak in an intoxicating grand final for the ages.
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The defending champions kept trying and trying again to upset the unflappable Tigers that had won all 13 competition matches entering its last-gasp hurdle on Saturday.
Four times Hadspen lost on November 9, December 14, February 15 and February 29.
Another two times on November 21 and December in the T20 competition too.
That was until the next one 364 days later.
"Words can't really describe what's happened, really to be honest," Hadspen captain-coach Liam Reynolds said.
"I think for the neutral spectator, that game had it all. They had it, we had it.
"To win like that, nine wickets down, it's a fairytale. I can't be any more prouder of our guys for the hard work we have done."
The one-wicket victory was not without its fair share of high drama in a shocking finish.
Neither team had gained the ascendancy 35 overs deep into Hadspen's run pursuit.
The Cheftains were surviving on 7-145, still requiring 21 more runs. Five deliveries later, the Tigers dismissed Reynolds (14), who was forced to move five spots down the order to No.9 after battling illness all day.
That good work from Bradley Arnol's first wicket was forgotten when the fifth-change bowler conceded 11 runs over five balls that included a waist high no-ball hit for six over long leg followed by a further two no balls.
That incredibly put Hadspen just seven runs away, which the target was reduced only down to six after a tight 37th over when offspinner Yeshan Wickramarachchi had Campbell Fraser lbw for nine off six balls.
Prolific wicket-taker Kyle Strochnetter held his nerve for the next three balls that over, collected a leg bye, but found himself back on strike entering the third-last over.
Two dot balls was a promising start from Arnol's third over, but four wides in six balls erring down the leg side to No.11 left-hander Strochnetter that included the winning run handed Hadspen a bizarre way to win a title.
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The tense finish did not end quite there.
The celebrations on the pitch of gritty Chieftains hero Nathan Balym, who was left unbeaten on 35 off 80 balls, saw Tigers keeper Jackson Blair throw down the stumps with Strochnetter wandering away.
Longford's fraught appeals for a run out were denied after umpires ruled the ball dead and the batsman not attempting a run.
"It definitely feels very shattering for the whole group that is obviously feeling very flat. After having such a successful year to go down like that is very agonising," Blair said.
The minor premier could feel aggrieved, but the match was surrendered when their momentum was lost after striking pressure.
Thanuka Dabare, who smashed 104 off 47 balls last grand final, hit five fours for 25 off 13 balls in the midst of an early collapse.
Hadspen lost four wickets in the space of 12 balls on its way to 6-50. But man-of-the-match Beau Hills powered away to a crucial 42 off 57 balls in a 78-run stand with Balym.
"We might have got just a bit complacent through those middle stages," Blair said.
"We sort of thought if we got that seventh wicket earlier, it was going to be game over.
"We rolled through the motions a little."
That came after opening spearheads Max Magann (3-32) and Nasrullah Khan (3-45) ran through the Chieftains top-order.
That drama was not exclusively fixated on the final overs.
Longford's good start, fuelled by 22 off 20 balls from Blair, went from 0-32 to 3-41.
Dilan Sandagirigoda soon took over in a run-a-minute 65 that included six fours but five sixes until unluckily given out lbw.
For a second and third time, batsmen fell in three-wicket quick blocks that forced the Tigers to settle on a score Blair felt was 40 runs shy of par on the small University Oval.
Dabare caused the havoc late with 4-39.
The win handed Hadspen the Premier League and A-Reserve flags over Longford.
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