CROSSMAGLEN RANGERS are one step away from making 1996 the most memorable year in the club's history.

They reached the final of the Ulster club football championship yesterday by demolishing fancied Castleblayney Faughs at Clones - having also collected the Ulster GAA Writers award as the top club in Ulster at the weekend.

Yesterday the Armagh team's potent mix of physical power and subtle skills destroyed Castleblayney's ambitions in a match that was littered with stunning scores, enterprising attacking play and rugged defence.

By half time the Armagh champions led 0-7 to 0-5, Castleblayney having recovered from a shaky start to peg back their neighbours.

But with Oisin McConville in spectacular form - he scored 10 points in all - there was simply no stopping Crossmaglen.

Their captain, Jim McConville glided home their goal from a penalty with seven minutes remaining, and in a stirring climax Crossmaglen's sharpshooters queued up to pick off a litany of points.

The absence of Monaghan county star Peter Duffy was keenly felt by Castleblayney, but overall they had no answer to the authority of John and Tony McEntee, Colm O'Neill and Anthony Cunningham, nor could they cope with the elusive running and unerring accuracy of Jim and Oisin McConville.

The fact, too, that their substitute Ryan Tracey was sent off in the closing stages merely served to heighten the depression that by then had engulfed the Castleblayney team.