Hobart Hurricanes become BBL champions for the first time [Watch]

Hobart Hurricanes scripted history, beating Sydney Thunder by seven wickets in the Big Bash League (BBL) final at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Monday, January 27. This was the Hurricanes' first title in 14 editions of the tournament, made all the more sweet by their huge margin of victory.

The Thunder batted first in the final and put up a decent total of 182-7 in their quota of 20 overs, thanks largely to openers Jason Sangha (67) and David Warner's (48) 97-run partnership. Seamers Riley Meredith and Nathan Ellis picked up three wickets each for the Hurricanes.

In response, the Hurricanes were boosted by opener Mitchell Owen's swashbuckling century (108 off 42 deliveries), which took the game away from their opponents. The hosts cruised to victory in 14.1 overs with seven wickets to spare, putting up a thoroughly domineering show.

The winning moment came when Ben McDermott scooped Nathan McAndrew for a boundary past short fine leg. You can see the video here:

Hobart Hurricanes ended the league phase on top of the table

The Hurricanes were clearly the best of all the teams in the BBL this season. They finished the league phase at the top of the standings with 15 points from 10 matches. They won seven and lost just two games this season.

In the Qualifier, they beat Sydney Sixers by 12 runs. In the final, they competed against the Sixers' cross-town rivals, the Thunder, who had ended the league phase in the third spot.

Owen was awarded the Player of the Match in the final for his stunning performance. Thunder skipper David Warner ended the season as the leading run-getter with 357 runs in 11 innings.

The Thunder had a dreadful time last season, finishing with the wooden spoon. However, with Warner's return as captain, they almost scripted a memorable comeback.