The OHAFC Veterans began their 2016/17 friendly fixtures with an encouraging 3-1 win over Tonbridge at the Bank of England Ground on Sunday morning.

Fielding a number of new faces, the OHAFC side was notable not only for the presence of father and son pair Andy and Calum Butler but also the fact that two players, including young Calum, were making their Veterans debut with a 36-year age gap between them!

Also lining up in the black and white stripes for the first time was 50 year-old Jon Sharples, who has already played a couple of 3rd XI fixtures this season following his recent return to live in London.

Conditions were perfect In Roehampton and despite a cycle race causing heavy congestion over Putney Bridge the game kicked off only slightly late, referee Giles Paul donning the famous pink top once more.

Both sides seemed evenly matched and there was little to choose in terms of chances created in the opening half an hour. Andy Butler in the Harrow goal was rarely called upon but the hosts themselves were struggling to make much headway with lone striker Jon Ingram seeing little of the ball.

It took an excellent team move to break the deadlock with a move down the Harrow left that ended with the ball being squared to central midfielder Tim Lewis, one of a number of 'guests' on the Harrow side. Tim carried the ball into the Tonbridge area, rounded the last defender and calmly tucked the ball back across goal into the far corner.

The hosts held their lead into the second half with both sides still struggling to play much free-flowing football but the game suddenly sprang to life on the hour mark with Harrow's second goal and the extraordinary scenes that followed.

Goalscorer Lewis turned provider, spraying the ball out wide to Jon Ingram and he glided past several defenders before slipping an almost non-existent challenge from the goalkeeper and rolling the ball into an empty net.

The goal prompted an extraordinary outburst from one of the young Bank of England rugby players on the adjoining pitch, who shouted over at the Tonbridge 'keeper informing him that he wasn't particularly impressed with his performance. Tonbridge skipper Dom McCarthy went over to challenge the youngster and it was five minutes before order was restored and the game could continue.

When it did so, the visitors found themselves back in the game when they pulled a goal back thanks to the hosts failing to clear their lines despite several opportunities to do so.

Thankfully, striker Ingram scored his second, Harrow's third, late on to ensure a victorious start to the season for John Wyn-Evans' side.

There were several notable performances with Ingram and Lewis involved in all three goals and Calum Butler performing with distinction at left-back on his debut.

The Vets now have a week off before returning to action against Witan on October 16th.

OHAFC Veterans XI: Andy Butler (GK), Jon Sharples, Pete Harris, Ed Thorn, Calum Butler, David Lederman, Jon Wyn-Evans (c), Tim Lewis, Rob Smith, George Thorp, Jon Ingram

Scorers: Ingram 2, Lewis