The victors triumphed over Ba 1-0 in a tense final to finally please their fans, who had waited almost two decades for their team to claim a major championship.
Suva went ahead early through Nathan Shivam, a school teacher by trade, in the third minute and that proved to be the winner as they held on for a famous victory.
Coach Gurjit Singh said his players had worked very hard for their success and were deserving champions.
“Suva badly needed a victory and the boys have worked hard to finally win after 17 years,” he said.
“We knew Ba was a good side heading into the final. The key for us was to attack well and be hard to play through as Ba were always going to be dangerous.”
Singh, who had a spell in charge of the Fiji national team at the 2011 Pacific Games, believes the title triumph could set the platform for several more over the coming months.
“The season is not over yet,” he said.
“We are currently leading in the National Football League and have two other tournaments which we need to work hard for.”
Ba president Rishikendra Kumar was disappointed with the loss and said the remaining competitions would now be the 2011 O-League representatives’ target.
“There is no doubt that Suva were the better side on the day,” he said.
“There cannot be any excuses for the loss and we will focus on the upcoming events.”
The individual awards were also dominated by Suva with Samuela Vula being named player of the tournament and Joseph Mishra earning the Golden Boot for finishing as top goalscorer.
For more on Fiji football go to www.fijifootball.com.fj

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