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.
In a must win encounter for both sides Ballyea showed the greater hunger to come good against an underwhelming Newmarket side that finished with fourteen men.
