30-03-16, 08:24 PM
I'm pretty sure the ball can come out either side of the engine. If the sprocket cover's off and the long pushrod removed, the ball can come with it... likewise if you take the clutch pressure plate off, the short pushrod can come with it and the ball can be loosely attached to the end of that.
If you give your bike to someone else to mend you run the risk that they may not know what they're doing either.
As Bretty says, loss of the ball bearing would mean the clutch won't disengage... the opposite of the problem you're describing. This sounds much more as if the plate still isn't on right or that you were unlucky and it didn't survive getting tightened down in the wrong position. Did you take a good look at it or spot any broken bits of alloy in middle of the clutch plates?