On top of the regular congratulations and thanks to umpires and competition organisers, the pair spoke about the rivalry between the two teams and what it means for cricket in Western Zone.

Sunday marked the third successive time Bathurst had beaten Dubbo in the WZPL grand final while the two sides have now met in six of the past seven deciders.

The two cities are the unprecedented powers in the region but Ryan and Jeffrey weren't just content with that, they want to see it benefit all of Western.

"Hopefully playing hard cricket here will lead to bigger and better things for Western Zone," Ryan said after collecting the trophy.

"Hopefully it keeps going from strength-to-strength."

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While Dubbo and Bathurst have played out some thrillers in recent seasons, the Western Zone men's side has struggled to make an impact at the Country Championships since winning three titles in five seasons between 2012 and 2017.

But with the rivalry between the two grand finalists only getting stronger and the standard on the field getting higher, players are now needing to reach new heights to catch the eye of selectors.

On top of that, sides from the likes of Parkes, Orange and Cowra are also having to improve to be any chance of ending the Bathurst-Dubbo domination in the WZPL.

"Pushing for Western Zone spots, everyone wants do well in these big games," Jeffrey said of clashes between Dubbo and Bathurst.

"When you look at the Western Zone squad over the last few years it's predominately made-up of players from Bathurst and Dubbo. It's really good opp for us to put our hands up for a Zone spot."

In a sign of the strength in depth the two two associations possess, Dubbo and Bathurst also played in Sunday's second-tier Western Zone Plate final.

Bathurst won that match but all four sides which took to the field on Sunday featured a strong mix of experienced campaigners and exciting newcomers to the representative scene.

"Looking across both sides, there's a lot of young faces around and that's good for Western Zone cricket" Jeffrey said.

"I think there will be more matches like this."

All four teams spent time together following the presentation at No. 1 Oval and then caught up over a beer at the post-match function at the South Dubbo Tavern.

Instances like that, combined with the number of Dubbo cricketers which joined Bathurst clubs as marquee players in their local Twenty20 competition this season, are proof of there being more between the sets of players than what happens on the field.

"The rivalry is awesome," Ryan said.

"We do have a lot of respect and a relationship outside of cricket with these guys now.

"I think it's a very good thing for strengthening Western Zone cricket, in that sense. This year the amount of Dubbo boys in the Bonnor Cup as well, it's really good and it will maintain cricket and keep it going strong here in Western."

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