No-one in the more 400-strong home crowd could have felt aggrieved had the north Londoners won a contest that was ultimately decided by three tries from the London Welsh rolling maul armoury.

Hampstead had started brightly and Craig Harper, playing at fly-half, kicked the visitors into an early lead before London Welsh scored their first try through Michael Griffiths after 14 minutes.

Harper nosed his team back in front four minutes later with a second penalty after another Welsh infringement, before Hampstead extended their advantage with their only try of the game.

The visitors secured possession from a line out and advanced a rolling maul of their own and after several phases of play near the Welsh try line, a cute inside pass from Harper saw Hampstead's man of the match Stefan Psota crash through to score.

The conversion went astray and Welsh missed a chance to reduce the deficit as a penalty kick sailed wide. However, the home side edged ahead before the break with a seven-pointer when Thomas Baldwin got the ball over the whitewash from another from a rolling maul.

The second half followed a similar pattern with Hampstead putting Welsh under intense pressure with some sublime attacking rugby that drew admiring gasps from the boisterous home support.

But Hampstead's failure to land a knockout blow ultimately proved costly and it was Welsh who notched up the only points of the second period.

A magnificent penalty kick for touch gave the home side a line out on Hampstead's 5 metre line, and it was Harry Green who secured his side another five-pointer from yet another rolling maul barely five minutes after the restart.

Hampstead felt aggrieved that a high tackle on their No. 8 Max Moncrieff went unpunished, an offence that could easily have resulted in a red card for at least one Welsh player had referee Tommy Fenton not been unsighted or been officiating with an assistant.

Hampstead thought they had clinched a valiant victory at the death when wing Alex Brook streaked clear for the line after intercepting an errant Welsh pass, only for referee Fenton to call back play for a previous Hampstead infringement.

It was a disappointing end for the a magnificent display by the North Londoners, who Welsh supporters freely admitted had given their side its sternest examination of the season.

Hampstead next play at home on the Hampstead Heath Extension (Golders Green end) on Dec. 7, when they entertain fourth-placed Grasshoppers, who stand one point above them in London 2 North West.