WELL these things happen. Thoroughbreds get complacent and lose races to dray horses. Crossmaglen have some good bloodlines to call upon but yesterday's win, the most famous in their history, was fashioned out of sturdy steadfastness rather than silky skills. Bellaghy must be wondering, what hit them.

Crossmaglen snatched their first provincial club championship in extraordinary circumstances. Those of us who raised our eyebrows should have known better. Cross have been surprising us all year, beating experienced outfits like Burren and Castleblayney on the way to this, a welcome and happy day for a club who have suffered, so much.

The early start to this Ulster final replay at Clones caught lout some of the more careless devotees, including this scribbler. Obligingly, Bellaghy and Crossmaglen kept all the drama in reserve for the second half when the game ignited in sudden and dramatic circumstances.

They got to the break with little hint of the surprise which was to follow. Bellaghy led by five points to one having squandered a fistful of scoring chances. The Derry side made several amendments to their line up since last Sunday and were surprised perhaps to find that Crossmaglen were offering a different tactical challenge. Instead of stockpiling all their tall men in the middle third of the pitch Crossmaglen were adhering to a more conventional formation. As a result Bellaghy saw plenty of ball but found it difficult at times to thread it into the right places.

Bellaghy generally have a problem, with the stature of their forwards who, with the exception of Joel Doherty, are quite small. As such they look for good low ball delivered coolly. Under the tigerish attentions of the Crossmaglen defence such ball was seldom forthcoming and Bellaghy flustered their way into the lead, amassing three of their first half points from Joe Cassidy frees.

A measure of Bellaghy's problem's up front is the meagre return of just two points from play by their forwards over the hour.

As so often before this winter, the spark of the Crossmaglen attack was, Oisin McConville. He scored the game's opening point from a free after six minutes and despite missing enough placed balls to risk being, hung as the villain of the afternoon he produced enough conjuring tricks to be the difference between victory and defeat for Crossmaglen.

In the latter stages of the first half with Bellaghy playing well and confidently it was McConville who eased the pressure by winning an unlikely assortment of challenges and dancing and jinking his way into dangerous positions.

Around him, however, the support was somewhat lacklustre. After the interval Crossmaglen decided that enough was enough and reverted 1-6 the wall of height school of midfield play with Colm O'Neill drifting out and, the half forward line, falling back a bit.

The reversion to type was an instant success. Oisin McConville was presented with a series of kickable frees in the opening minutes of the second half. He missed three before succeeding with a close in effort after just three minutes. In all he missed a dispiriting four out of five kicks during the third quarter and it was a marvel to see him lift his head each time and increase his work rate from general play.

Crossmaglen dominated the third quarter but must have despaired at times of ever getting back on terms. McConville kicked another free in the 13th minute but by then they had amassed six wides and looked as if they were beginning to stutter.

An extraordinary passage of play just a short while later looked as if it would turn the entire game around. Damien Cassidy converted a free from the hands to restore Bellaghy, to a three point advantage. From the kick out, however, the ball fell to Jim McConville hoovering up around midfield. He hoofed a perfect pass to his brother Oisin who jinked and squirmed his way through a forest of Bellaghy defenders before scoring a great goal.

The Armagh contingent in an 8,000 crowd raised the roof in delirium. Bellaghy felt the need to punctuate the action and before Kevin O'Neill's kick out had landed a Crossmaglen player was writhing on the ground clutching his face. The subsequent fruitless investigations by the seven officials gave Bellaghy time to regroup. Critically, it seemed they took the next score of game, another free from Joe Cassidy.

The game hung like that for almost five minutes, Bellaghy clinging to their one point lead and looking as if they would bring all their expertise and experience to bear in the business of shutting the game down.

There was life left in Crossmaglen though. Cathal Short produced an equalising point having been fed by lively substitute Michael Molloy and minutes later Short was placed beautifully by Jim McConville but squeezed the ball wide as O'Neill came rampaging out of goal.

With just two minutes left Bellaghy worked the ball patiently from the left wing across to the right where Paul Diamond, joining the attack, picked off a lovely point. We, began packing our bags and contemplating the road home.

Cathal Short had other ideas however. A long ball from midfield looked to be a lost cause but Jim McConville chased it anyway and at full stretch got a palm to it, changing his and the ball's direction and taking out two Bellaghy defenders in the process.

With the crowd screaming for Crossmaglen to take their point the ball was played across the face of the goal, transferred via two defenders into the hands of Short. The Bellaghy defence was all over the place by now and Short tucked the ball away with aplomb.

Fittingly it was Oisin McConville who added the grace note which put Crossmaglen three points clear and into an All Ireland semi final against Laune Rangers. That insurance score sparked an ugly melee in the middle of the field involving over a dozen players. A Crossmaglen mentor was felled in the fracas, punches and kicks were thrown. Nobody was booked. Just another day at the office, in some respects.

. Tyrone's Brian, Gormley was sent off yesterday while playing in a club game. Gormley received his marching orders in the final minute, of Carrickmore's division one league semi final against Drumquin and depending on the referee's report, could miss the rest of the season. For the record, the game ended in a draw.