The OHAFC Veterans XI threw away an early 2-0 lead against arch rivals Eton in agonising fashion yesterday as a series of blunders led to John Wyn-Evans' side relinquishing what had appeared a cast-iron grip on the Derrick Moore Veterans Cup.

In front of a sizeable crowd at the Bank of England Ground the OHAFC side tore into their opponents from the first whistle and scored two excellent goals to earn a commanding lead against their shell-shocked opponents: Piers Bourke produced a superb cross following a strong run down the left allowing Dom Danos to head home from close range and Bourke himself was then teed up in similar fashion when Harry Hoffen produced another great cross from the right for the winger to head home at the back post.

At that stage it appeared as though it would be a question of how many Harrow would win by but the complexion of the match changed as first centre-half Mark Baddeley was forced off injured with a hamstring strain, then a series of changes disrupted the leaders' rhythm and suddenly Eton began to compete on much more even terms.

There still appeared little to worry about as the Harrow defence, with Nick Warner sweeping behind, looked relatively comfortable. But two very soft goals in ten minutes prior to half-time, both caused from Harrow unnecessarily giving the ball away, left the sides level at the break and the Cup firmly up for grabs.

The second half started quietly with neither side able to dominate but in the space of five minutes Harrow's afternoon took a distinct turn for the worse. A fine breakaway by Harry Hoffen saw him skip past two challenges but crudely felled by a third, referee Richard Wilson having no option but to point to the spot. Incredulously, the normally-reliable Lederman saw his spot-kick rebound off the post and out for a goalkick.

Within five minutes the effects of the miss were exacerbated when a lack of communication between Harrow goalkeeper Tindall and left-back Tweddle resulted in what should have been a harmless cross being diverted courtesy of Tweddle's outstretched leg into an empty net.

Eton sat back determined to hold onto their lead but there then followed an extraordinary passage of play concentrated entirely in the Eton half during which the leaders conceded numerous free-kicks, several of them for ugly fouls. The referee eventually located his yellow card and it wasn't long before the inevitable red was produced, the centre-half almost rugby tackling Hoffen as he tried to race away down the left wing.

Try as they might the Harrow attack just couldn't click into gear and the remaining twenty minutes saw them enjoy plenty of territory and possession but fail to create many clearcut chances. The best fell to Paul Molloy from a Lederman cross but he could only direct his header straight at the 'keeper.

It was a thoroughly disappointing defeat and one that could have been easily avoided at several points throughout the game. It also ended the season on a low note for the OHAFC, with none of the three Saturday sides or the Vets having anything to show for the hard work many have put in during the course of the campaign.

Nevertheless, credit must go to John Wyn-Evans and his side: the run to the final itself was an arduous one and they performed superbly during five and a half hours of football; sadly, the 60 minutes they didn't turn up for cost them the Cup their play deserved.

OHAFC Vets Squad for Final: Tindall; Hoffen R, Warner, Baddeley, Tweddle; Lederman, Molloy, Waugh, Bourke; Hoffen H, Danos. Subs: Wyn-Evans, Ingram, Thorn.