Ballyhale Shamrocks 1-20 Clara 1-13
Hurler of the Year nominee TJ Reid capped an incredible year with ten points to help return Ballyhale Shamrocks to the summit of Kilkenny club hurling.
Five points in either half from the roving forward secured a sixth title in nine seasons for Ballyhale at Nowlan Park.
Aside from dethroning champions Clara, Ballyhale's reward is an AIB Leinster club championship semi-final clash with Dublin's Kilmacud Crokes next weekend.
In front of around 12,000 spectators Reid was man of the match though former Kilkenny captain James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick had a storming game while ten-time All-Ireland medal winner Henry Shefflin scored two points.
Holders Clara, seeking a first ever back to back of county titles, couldn't have started much brighter. Chris Bolger helped himself to 1-01 inside the opening four minutes as Clara moved 1-02 to 0-01 up.
Conor O'Shea did well for their goal, latching onto a long ball in from David Langton before offloading to Bolger for a close-range finish.
Clara looked sharp and incisive in attack and picked off several points from distance in the opening 15 minutes.
Neal Prendergast boomed over a sublime point before Lester Ryan moved them 1-04 to 1-02 ahead.
Clara retained that two-point advantage at 1-06 to 1-04 with 16 minutes on the clock before Ballyhale finally found their feet.
And when the 2012 winners found their feet they did so in some style, scoring the next seven points in a row and holding Clara scoreless from the 16th until the 32nd minute.
Up front, Ballyhale’s big game players all came alive with Reid excellent, both in creating chances and scoring them himself.
He started at full-forward before dropping out around midfield and played a wonderful diagonal ball in the build up to Mark Aylward's ninth minute goal.
In all, Reid scored five first-half points while Shefflin hit a brace. MacCarthy Cup hero Colin Fennelly and former Cats star 'Cha' Fitzpatrick also pointed to put Ballyhale 1-11 to 1-06 up at half-time.
Clara improved in the second-half and opened the scoring after free-taker Keith Hogan picked off several important scores as they pressurised Ballyhale's defence into free concessions.
Crucially, Clara never got closer to Ballyhale than three points. Reid continued to prove troublesome with a brace of points early in the second-half and three-in-a-row in the closing minutes.
That late burst from Reid was important too as Clara had reduced the deficit to three and trailed 1-16 to 1-13 with 10 minutes left.
But four Ballyhale points in a row in all to close out the game sealed a fully deserved win.
Ballyhale Shamrocks: R Reid, A Cuddihy, J Holden, T Coogan, P Shefflin, M Fennelly, B Aylward, C Walsh, D Hoyne, J Fitzpatrick (0-02), C Fennelly (0-03), H Shefflin (0-02), E Reid (0-02), TJ Reid (0-10, 5f, 1 65), M Aylward (1-01).
Subs: B Cody for M Aylward.
Clara: K Phelan (0-01, 1f), D Nolan, S O'Shea, S Prendergast, N Prendergast (0-01), T Ryan, D Langton, L Ryan (0-01), J Langton, C O'Shea (0-02, 0-1 s/l), K Hogan (0-05, 5f), L Ryan, C Bolger (1-02), A Murphy (0-01), J Nolan.
Subs: C Prendergast for Murphy, P Nolan for L Ryan, D Prendergast for O'Shea.
Referee: G Quilty (Slieverue).
