BALLYHEGAN’S tug-of-war team are back in training after only a short festive break as they set their sights on the United Kingdom Championships.
The competition is due to take place in Belfast in early February and any celebration of recent victories already in the bag will have to wait until the end of the current season.
By winning the 560 kilo title, Ballyhegan duly completed a clean sweep of the Northern Ireland Indoor Championships recently.
Having already won the 680K, 640K and 600K championships during preceeding weeks, the club travelled to Ballygawley with a fair degree of optimism.
Their main rivals at this weight class were Fermanagh-based team Country Club. Reigning champions, Richhill, were unable to defend this particular title due to their inability to weigh their team into this ultra lightweight class.
Nevertheless the Country Club had several athletes on their team who had won world gold medals at this weight category in Scotland earlier in the year. As a result, they were certainly not going to submit without a fight.
Ballyhegan took the first end in the final relatively comfortably, but the second was a different matter altogether. That Ballyhegan eventually took it was down to their superior fitness and teamwork, but take it they did and with it a deserved victory over worthy rivals.
So far this has not been a vintage season for the sport generally, but Ballyhegan have gone against the flow in that respect. They have assembled a squad with a sound basis of experience blended with new blood which has added a sense of vibrancy to the club.
Hopes are now high of further success in February’s UK Championships.
