During his playing days with Kilnamona, Fergal Hegarty never came close to winning a Clare SHC medal but in his first year as trainer of the Ballyea hurlers he has helped guide them to the club’s first ever senior title.
All year long Ballyea’s motto has been ‘you win or you learn’, throughout 2016 they have taken lessons from every game resulting in them being crowned the ultimate winners and 2016 Clare SHC champions.
Ballyea won the Clare Senior Hurling Championship for the first time in their eighty two year history when they overcame the challenge of Clonlara on the second time of asking in the replayed final.
Clonlara's chances of becoming Clare SHC champions are still alive, their captain John Conlon is understandably delighted to still be in with a shout of raising the Canon Hamilton.
When it looked like Ballyea were about to claim their first ever Clare SHC title Clonlara refused to panic, instead they waited for an opportunity to pounce, their patience paid off as Cathal ‘Tots’ O’Connell hit over an equaliser to send the tie to a replay.
Robbie Hogan was moments away from becoming the first man to lead Ballyea to glory in the Clare SHC, for now he’ll have to wait just a bit longer to complete the feat.
He’s been the hero before and it looked like Tony Kelly was going to be the man of the hour for Ballyea, unfortunately for him Clonlara and in particular Cathal Tots O’Connell had other ideas.
Clonlara and Ballyea will have to do it all again as a last gasp point from Cathal Tots O’Connell means there will be a replay in both the Clare SHC and SFC finals in the same year for the first time since 1982.
