Some sloppy defending on a treacherous snow-covered pitch saw the OHAFC 3s concede four goals at home to Westminsters 2s on Saturday and in the process spurn their first opportunity to claim the Division Five South title. Despite the 4-2 defeat, Nick Kapoor's men still have two more League fixtures, one against Saturday's victors, to claim the single point required to finish as champions.

With snow and freezing temperatures blighting much of the country, huge credit was due to the Harrow School groundsmen, referee Tini Kaja and the two sets of players for getting the game played. Despite a thin blanket of snow on the pitch, all the lines were cleared and the ground was soft enough to take a stud.

With the OHAFC a point away from claiming the title and Westminsters in third still with their own designs on claiming a place in the promotion play-offs, Saturday's game was always likely to be a keenly contested affair. Tensions between the sides rose further still following a midweek spat that saw a proposed double-header - two hour-long games instead of a single ninety-minute match as normal - abandoned following complaints to the League from Westminsters, wary of having their promotion hopes ended by a Harrow 3rd XI bolstered by unemployed 1s and 2s players.

In the event, the visitors needn't have worried. Not only did the 3s stick loyally, and quite rightly, by the players that have taken them so far this season, but they also, frustratingly, produced one of their poorest defensive displays of the season.

It took just ten minutes for the alarm bells to start ringing, as the pink shirts broke down the right and, with Harrow appeals for the ball to have gone out of play waved away by the referee, it was swept past an exposed Ilogu with minimal fuss.

The hosts responded well to the early setback and for a quarter of an hour produced some decent football on the tricky surface without managing to test the Westminsters 'keeper. Luck then deserted them when Harry Bick curled a free-kick past the wall only to watch in horror as it struck the base of one post, rolled agonisingly along the goal line before striking the other post and being hacked clear.

Although the Blues looked the better side, they continued to look vulnerable at the back and had to rely on a fine save from Ilogu as a cross from the right evaded everyone in the middle before being turned goalwards as a Westminster player arrived at the far post. Ilogu dived low to his right to turn the ball past the post.

Despite this let-off, the hosts did concede a second just a couple of minutes later as possession was sqaundered in the middle of the pitch and one pass through the inside left channel allowed the pacy Westminster forward to score his, and his team's, second.

Desperate to keep their unbeaten run intact, the Blues continued to scrap for everything, with Faber, Bick and Roberts flying around the midfield in an effort to supply leading scorer Smith with some decent service. In the end, it took a howler from the Westminsters' 'keeper to gift Smithy his first chance of the afternoon, shanking a goal kick straight to him just outside the box. Harrow's spearhead made no mistake, carrying the ball into the box and firing high into the roof of the net.

Two minutes later and the hosts came within inches of levelling things up, Connor Barrett's long throw was flicked on by Smith at the near post and Oscar Gairard just failed to react in time, the ball rolling just wide of the far post as the youngster lunged in vain to turn it in.

With Harrow failing to capitalise, Westminsters took full advantage moments later when yet further hesitancy in the Harrow rearguard saw the ball ricochet off several players before falling perfectly for a forward to finish past a helpless Ilogu. It was an awful time for the Blues to concede a third, with the half-time whistle blowing two minutes later.

The icy breeze that had been blowing into Harrow faces throuhgout much of the first half dropped in the second half and conditions improved as the snow was gradually cleared from the playing surface.

Despite this, the second half began with little by way of incident, neither goalkeeper tested in the early stages. Harrow continued to look the better side in possession, and the addition of Tass von Hirsch at the back allowed the Blues to play the ball forwards with more accuracy than they had previously done so.

The first chance of the half fell to the visitors, who broke away having cleared a free-kick, the striker bundling his way through several challenges on the edge of the box before firing wide of the near post.

Harrow responded however and reduced the arrears to a single goal when good persistence down the right from Olly Roberts allowed him to cross for Smith to turn in first-time at the near post.

With Harrow tails up, it appeared as though momentum had swung firmly behind the hosts, but surprisingly the level of play then dropped and for much of the rest of the half there was little to choose between the teams. Harrow continued to press without possessing the necessary guile and quality to carve open their opponents on a regular basis.

Harry Bick wasted several opportunities to deliver free-kicks into the box despite promising positions and Gairard headed over from a corner when unmarked eight yards out.

With little sign of where the next goal was coming from, it took yet another mistake at the back to gift Westminsters their fourth and seal the destination of the points. Tass von Hirsch, who up to that point had carried the ball forwards with great effect, dallied in possession on the edge of the box and was harshly punished, muscled off the ball somewhat unfairly, the ball was slipped through to the striker to complete his hat-trick with a precise finish.

It was, as several Harrow players noted afterwards, a timely reminder that they are not unbeatable despite their excellent form and the team must continue to perform strongly in the final month of the season if the campaign is to end successfully.

Westminsters are tricky opponents who possess an excellent striker and enough defensive nous to make life hard for any side. The return fixture between the sides in April should be an excellent contest.

Before then however, the Blues face two key games, both at home: next week they play the Old Johnians in the semi-finals of the David Woolcott Trophy and the week after Easter the Old Amplefordians in their penultimate League fixture. Despite Saturday's defeat, there is still everything to play for as spring, apparently, is set to arrive.