On this weekend...
Continuing our look back through the OHAFC archives at games played on this weekend last season, three seasons ago and five seasons ago...
Last Season: March 30th 2013
Easter weekend, Club Tour to Bulgaria
A party of 14 travelled to Sofia in Bulgaria for the 2013 Easter Tour, arranged by Jack Orr-Ewing.
Two games were played over the weekend, conveniently at the Bulgarian FA's national training centre where the group were staying.
Game one was played on a beautiful sunny day with everyone in high spirits and the mood was reflected in Harrow's performance. Harry Sewell ran amok up front, scoring twice on his Tour debut and Jonathan Best, normally to be found at left back, strode forward to chip the 'keeper with surprising deftness. Will Orr-Ewing added a fourth and despite conceding twice at the other end, the tourists ran out comfortable 4-1 winners.
Game two was played on the Sunday in truly atrocious conditions. Initially kicking off in pleasant sunshine, within minutes a storm rolled in that saw the temperature plummet well below freezing, the wind pick up to near gale force levels and a steady downpour of rain and sleet. Both sets of players huddled together in groups desperate for some protection from the elements.
The home side took the lead in the first half with the Harrow defence clearly looking the worse for wear after the night before. But a late rally saw two more tour virgins on the scoresheet, Fred Coleridge-Cole and Hugo Trower, and the game was won 2-1.
Three Seasons Ago: March 31st 2012
1st XI: Won 2-1 at Winchester in their penultimate League game of the season.
Despite conceding an early goal, Harrow equalised before the break through a close-range Paul Molloy strike. Winchester were reduced to ten men in the second half after one of their players was forced to go off injured, but Harrow were made to wait until the last five minutes to score the winner, Quentin Baker connecting with a flick-on from Ed Poulter's long throw.
The win was Harrow's tenth in eleven games.
2nd XI: Beat Old Haberdashers 5-2 after extra-time in the semi-finals of the Junior League Cup. With several members of the squad moonlighting as OH footballers in Dubai, Johan Harder took charge for the day and was forced to show all his qualities as the visitors fell two down early on.
To their credit, the Blues fought back against a physical Habs side and earned extra time thanks to second half goals from Hugo Trower and Jack Robinson.
Extra-time was a one-sided affair with skipper Harder scoring twice and Ed Arghebant adding another from the spot to confirm successive Junior League Cup final appearances for the OHAFC 2nd XI.
3rd XI: No fixture
Five Seasons Ago: March 27th 2010
1st XI: Defeated KCS Wimbledon Old Boys 2-1 in a game postponed until the Sunday due to Harrow's opponents being involved in a fixture log-jam.
Quentin Baker and Ed Martins scored the two goals to earn the win and maintain the title challenge against main rivals Charterhouse.
2nd XI: Drew 2-2 with Brentwood's 3rd XI on the Hill, Johan Harder again on the scoresheet with a late equaliser and leading scorer Bemini Soyinka grabbing the opener.
3rd XI: No fixture
Other notable world events - March 29th:
- 88th day of the Gregorian calendar
- 20 days until Tour!
- 1549 Salvador de Bahia, the first capital city of Brazil, is founded
- 1871 The Royal Albert Hall is opened by Queen Victoria
- 1886 Dr John Pemberton brews the first ever batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta, Georgia
- 1943 Conservative politician and Prime Minister John Major was born
- 1943 Eric Idle, actor and member of Monty Python's Flying Circus, was born
- 1972 Portuguese footballer Rui Costa was born
- 1973 Dutch footballer Marc Overmars was born
- 1976 American tennis player Jennifer Capriati was born
- 2004 The Republic of Ireland becomes the first country in the world to ban smoking in all work places, including bars and restaurants
- 2005 Johnnie Cochran, OJ Simpson's defence lawyer in his murder trial, died
Items to diarise immediately and action appropriately - March 29th:
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Day of the Young Combatant in Chile
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Boganda Day in the Central African Republic
Have a wonderful weekend!