It’s week six of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance and Hotshots are the only unbeaten team in the Elite League, riding high four points clear at the top of the table.

This week they played Eltham Terrace Rovers, who finished second to Hotshots in the winter season and they got off to the perfect start, racing to a, 4-0 lead within the first ten minutes, as both Richard Chapman and Danny Kelliher performed a break and dishe and Tony Wilson won with a single visit clearance.

Steve Krishnan won frame five to complete the first set whitewash.

Ryan Francis stopped the rot for Rovers with the first frame in the second set but Wilson levelled it with another one visit clearance, however Rovers went on to win the last three frames of the set to take it, 4-1 making the overall score, 6-4 in Hotshots favour.

Wilson made it three dishes for Hotshots with the first frame of the last set for his hat-trick and Chapman made it, 2-0 in the set to claim the bonus point but Rovers secured the next two frames to send the set into a final frame decider.

Fittingly, it was left to the two captains, Darren Porter and Neil Hall to battle it out to see who will win the match and it was Hall who held his nerve to give Hotshots the frame, the set and the overall victory, 2-1 & 9-6.

Wilson was the only unbeaten player and he was supported by Chapman and Hall, who both won two of their three frames.

Just behind Hotshots in second are Eltham Terrace Club A, after they narrowly beat bottom team, Bellegrove Flyers.

The first set was close but Terrace just edged it, 3-2 but Flyers came back, shocking Terrace with a, 4-1 triumph in the second set.

It had the desired effect, as Terrace turned it around and won the last set by the same score for an overall, 2-1 & 8-7 victory.

Allstars joined Terrace on fifteen points but are third after they annihilated Pickwick, 3-0 & 11-4

It was a disaster for Pickwick, as they lost the first eight frames, giving Allstars the bonus point and Pickwick didn’t help themselves by potting two fouled blacks.

Despite the size of the victory Ritchie Mitchell was the only player to win all three frames.

Leapfrogging Pickwick into sixth are Eltham Terrace Nuthouse who recorded a remarkable, 2-1 & 9-6 victory over Hustlers Simply Lovleh.

Nuthouse got off to a great start with Shane O’Reilly dishing from a dry break in the first frame and Jon Syta made it, 2-0.

Simply Lovleh levelled the score with George Covington also clearing up from a dry break but Louis Wilbourne secured the set for Nuthouse.

The second set swung one way then the other, with Simply Lovleh eventually taking it, 3-2 to tie the match at one set and five frames all.

The first two frames of the final set were shared but Nuthouse took the last three to win the set and the match.

Simply Lovleh have slipped to fourth, four points ahead of their opponents.

Behind Hotshots things are looking very close in the Elite League, with three points separating the next four teams.

SLKPA Tier Two East is also shaping up to be a close run thing, with five points separating the top four.

New Eltham remain top but they didn’t have it all their own way as bottom side, Bellegrove A gave them their toughest game of the season.

Jack Taylor, John Skuza and Joe Hills gave Bellegrove the first set by 3 frames to 2.

New Eltham took advantage in the second set, taking the first two frames but Steve Hughes and Skuza levelled it, before New Eltham won the decider to make it all square going into the final set.

Hughes won the first frame of the final set to put Bellegrove, 6-5 up but the league leaders took the next four frames to win the match, 2-1 & 9-6.

New Eltham said that Bellegrove played incredibly well and don’t deserve to be bottom of the table, surely their first win is just around the corner.

The two teams behind New Eltham, North Heath Social Club and Royal Oak both failed to win this week, giving the league leaders a three point lead.

Royal Oak’s loss against CSC Mr’s & Miss Q’s was crucial, as it meant that CSC joined them on thirteen points but CSC go above them into third.

John Cochrane won the first frame for Royal Oak but CSC took the next nine to win the first two sets and gain the bonus point before the start of the final set.

CSC also took the first frame of the last set but Royal Oak gained some credibility by winning the final set, 3-2 to grab a point in the, 2-1 & 11-4 defeat.

Despite the margin of victory there was only two unbeaten players, Martin Hart and Jamie White.

It was a great performance from Eltham Terrace Rack Pack, who bounced back from a poor start to the season to beat North Heath, 3-0 & 10-5.

Captain Steve Unwin led from the front, winning both of his frames but Adam Watts and Alex Dobbins both went one better with unbeaten hat-tricks, with Dobbins’ including a superb break and dish, all on his debut.

Although they are second bottom, Rack Pack are only five points behind their opponents in second.

There is only two points between the top three in SLKPA Tier Two West, with Sharks two points ahead of both Woolwich Wolfpack and Rose Inn.

Sharks hold on to pole position with an impressive, 3-0 & 11-4 triumph over Fox & Hounds.

The first and third set was close, with Sharks edging them, 3-2 but the damage was done in the middle set, which they whitewashed.

Kevin Dempsey won both of his frames for the victors but team mates, Jeff Laporte and Eno Idiong went one better with three out of three.

Woolwich Wolfpack had a slightly easier night, as Bellegrove Superstars only had three players, which would explain why it was all over by 9:40.

The result was never really in any doubt, with Wolfpack taking the first set, 4-1 then whitewashing the next two for an overall, 3-0 & 14-1 trouncing.

Crayford Social Club Rugrats close the gap on Rose Inn to six points, after a, 2-1 & 9-6 triumph over them.

The first set went to form with Rose Inn taking it, 3-2 but Rugrats fought back hard and won the first three frames of the second set to take it and go, 5-3 up, however Rose Inn secured the last two frames to make the match all square going into the final set.

The first two frames of the final set were shared but Rugrats dug deep and took the last three frames to record a much needed victory.

Ian Cruwys was the inspiration behind the triumph, winning all three of his frames and he was supported by Steve King, with an unbeaten brace.

Apart from Hotshots, New Eltham Club are the only other unbeaten team in the league and they are sitting top of SLKPA Tier Three.

This week they became the first team this season to hit twenty points, after they beat newcomers, Red Barn.

New Eltham Club took a, 4-1 first set lead but Red Barn pulled it back by winning the second set, 3-2 before the league leaders finished it off with a victory in the final set by the same score, for an overall, 2-1 & 9-6 triumph.

Three points behind New Eltham Club are Academicals, who continued their amazing run of form with a win over bottom side, Lord Kitchener.

Academicals won the first set, 4-1 and went on to win the second set, 3-2 before Lord Kitchener pulled one back with a, 3-2 win in the final set, to give Academicals the, 2-1 & 9-6 triumph.

Fighting Lord Kitchener for the wooden spoon are Real Hustlers, who were beaten by the in-form Bexleyheath Working Mans Club, 3-0 & 10-5, putting them into fourth.

Two points ahead of Bexleyheath are New Eltham Social Club, who put in a solid performance to beat Happy Hustlers.

The first set was very close with New Eltham Social Club just edging it, 3-2 but they turned on the style in the second set, whitewashing it, 5-0 before Hustlers stole the final set, 3-2 to give New Eltham Social Club the, 2-1 & 10-5 triumph.

For more information on the SLKPA including league tables visit our website at www.slkpa.com or contact our Secretary, Paul Gafa on 07443 456662 or secretary@slkpa.com with any queries.

The league is looking at potential sponsors; any interested parties can also contact Paul Gafa.