Captain Jacob Smith and his troops will arrive in Napier about 7pm today after their 5.20pm flight home from Christchurch.
"He's [Shrimpton] always been my mentor for years," said Smith of the stalwart who was his Heretaunga Building Society Cornwall CC premier men's club coach for three seasons before the 24-year-old bar manager left the Bay to play for East Coast Bays CC in Auckland under a year-long contract.
Former legspinner Shrimpton was captain of the CD Stags in the 1969-70 and 1972-73 seasons as well as from 1976-77 to 1978-79.
He was at the helm of the White Ferns side when they won the 2000 World Cup.
Smith said the team would savour victory for a fortnight before they host zone one winners Bay of Plenty, from March 11-13 at Nelson Park, Napier, in their first defence this summer.
The winners will keep the cup until next summer.
A feeder union to the Northern Districts Knights, BOP last etched their name on the Hawke Cup from January 2013 to February 2014.
Only Smith and CD Stags seamer Kurt Richards had been in previous Bay teams in losing challenges to Marlborough so the conquest on Saturday meant a lot to them.
"It's an awesome feeling. A lot of youngsters in this team don't appreciate it," he said, emphasising many older players had never realised the dream of playing in a challenge game, let alone winning it.
The bragging rights for minor association supremacy, dating back to 1910, returns to the Bay after a drought going back to the 2008-09 season when they beat Hamilton before successfully defending it against Northland and Canterbury Country. The Bay lost it to Manawatu the following summer.
After a wobbly day one last Friday on a temperamental wicket at Milner Park, the challenge had all the hallmarks of an OK Corral-type shootout.
"Everyone was caught up in the moment in the morning [Friday] when we were put in to bat so we didn't turn up at the park until almost lunchtime," Smith said, commending GC Pretorius for bringing them back into the game from an anaemic first-innings 122 runs although they conceded a three-run first-innings deficit seven overs before stumps.
Opener Smith (79 runs) forged a partnership with No4 Rupert Young (20 runs from 53 balls) to post a target of 248 runs. North Otago crashed for just 93 runs in 42 overs.
With the wicket offering turn, the Bay's three spinners profited.
Schaw said: "I know past coaches have been questioning my selections but we've proved to everyone ... the balance of the team is pretty right."
