Three weeks into the South London & Kent Pool Alliance summer season and only six of the 25 teams have an unbeaten record, with none scoring the maximum points possible. 

In the Elite League an unbeaten record had to go, as the two remaining unbeaten teams and the top two, Hotshots and Eltham Terrace Club A faced each other. 

With that in mind this match was destined to be a close one and it didn’t fail to deliver, with each set being won by the odd frame, 3-2. 

Hotshots took the first two sets for the match, but both teams were still fighting for points in the final set, with Dan Foley for Terrace and Hotshots Richard Chapman both recording break and dishes. 

The last set went to Terrace, but it wasn’t quite enough, with Hotshots finishing, 2-1 & 8-7 winners to stay top of the table. 

Terrace dropped to third leaving the way open for Pickwick to jump into second by just one point, after their victory over Terrace’s neighbours, Eltham Terrace Nuthouse. 

The first two frames were shared but Nuthouse won the next three frames for the set and a, 4-1 lead. 

Pickwick won the first two frames of the second set to bring it back to, 4-3 and this proved to be the springboard for them to take the set, 3-2 however, Nuthouse were still, 6-4 up. 

Inspired by this Pickwick went on to whitewash the final set to win the match, 2-1 and steal the bonus point, 9-6. 

Pickwick’s Paul Gafa was the only unbeaten player, winning all three of his frames. 

Foxy Meatballs jumped into fourth, picking up their second victory, with a comprehensive, 3-0 & 12-3 triumph over Falconwood Club. 

George Taylor won his only frame, but the dangerous duo of Steve Dixon and Elliott Giles top scored with unbeaten hat-tricks. 

The Bull Tavern have finally kickstarted their season with their first win and their opponents, Sharks have replaced them at the bottom of the table. 

It was a tight match but the Bull had too much fight for Sharks, finishing up, 2-1 & 9-6 winners. 

Tony Bailey top scored for the victors, winning both of his frames, but despite finishing on the losing side, Sharks Captain Rahat Munim was the man of the match with three out of three, including a dish. 

In SLKPA Tier Two East there is only one unbeaten record left, after Rose Inn beat Fox & Hounds, the only other team that was unbeaten in the division. 

Fox won the first two frames and went on to take the first set by 3 frames to 2. 

Rose pulled it back with the first two frames of the second set, to take the lead for the first time. 

Fox equalised with the next frame, but that turned out to be their last, as Rose Inn won all of the remaining seven frames, to win the match, 2-1 & 11-4. 

Neil Shelton top scored for Fox, with two wins out of three, and Rose Inn’s Dean Greany-Parr, Leighton Aston, Jack Wilson and Brett Wilson all achieved the same score, but Lewis Hearn went one better with an unbeaten hat-trick. 

Fox & Hounds drop one place to third, allowing New Eltham New Stars to leapfrog them into second by two points. 

New Stars won the first set against Rugrats Guardians, 3-2 and they extended that lead to, 6-2 with the first three frames of the second set, giving them that set as well. 

Dave Beshaw prevented the whitewash, but Steve Pearce won the tenth frame to give New Stars a, 7-3 lead going into the final set. 

Guardians staged a revival, winning the first four frames of the last set to win it, and tie the match at seven all, sending the race for the bonus point to a final frame decider. 

Steve Pearce beat Aaron Shephard to give New Stars the, 2-1 & 8-7 triumph. 

Despite finishing on the losing side, Beshaw was the only unbeaten player, winning all three of his frames. 

Just Bellegrove poured even more misery on Duke of Northumberland by picking up their first victory of the season and inflicting Duke’s third loss in the process. 

Steve Heather won the first frame for Duke, but Bellegrove won the next four for the set. 

Jason Brunton made it, 5-1 but the second set followed the same pattern as the first, with Duke winning the next four frames to tie the match at one set and five frames all.

Bellegrove won the opening two frames of the last set, but Heather won his third frame of the night to halt Bellegrove’s charge. 

However it was short lived as Peter Gray won the penultimate frame to give Bellegrove the victory and the bonus point, before Phil Tworek won the last frame to make the final score, 2-1 & 8-7. 

Joining Heather on a hat-trick was Bellegrove’s Brunton. 

Just Bellegrove have jumped to fourth, two points ahead of their opponents at the bottom. 

Tier Two West still have two unbeaten teams, Crayford A and Bellegrove A however, Crayford missed out on being the only team on maximum points from three games, after they dropped a set in their, 2-1 & 9-6 triumph over Academicals. 

Despite this Crayford remain at the top of the table and Academicals are resigned to the bottom. 

Two points behind Crayford are Bellegrove A, who played second bottom, Sea the Angles, who picked up their first point to stay level on points with Academicals. 

Despite the six points between the teams, Sea the Angles had Bellegrove running scared, with Angie Hobbs and Claire Stork winning to send the set into a final frame decider, which Bellegrove Captain, John Skuza won to give his side the opening set, 3-2. 

The tables were turned in the second set, with Dan Brown joining Hobbs and Stork in the winner’s enclosure, giving Sea the Angles the set, 3-2 to tie the match at, 1-1 & 5-5. 

Bellegrove won the first two frames of the final set, but Angles pulled one back, before Peter Moult sealed the victory for Bellegrove, with Angles winning the last frame to make the score a respectable, 2-1 & 8-7. 

Joe Hills won all three of his frames for Bellegrove, with Moult and Steve Hughes supporting him with two out of three each, to help their team to their third win in a row. 

Sea the Angles feel they are getting better game by game, with their results supporting this and even though they have lost every game so far, they have had a different player each week score a hat-tick, with Stork achieving this week’s. 

Eltham Terrace Rack Pack Rovers won the first three frames against Rugrats to take the set, then Mark Burton prevented the whitewash, beforeGraham Levingbird made it, 4-1 by winning his only frame. 

That quickly became, 6-1 as Rack Pack Rovers won the opening two frames of the second set. 

This time Pat Firth prevented the whitewash, which sparked a minor comeback, as Rack Pack Rovers only managed to take the set, 3-2. 

Two sets and, 7-3 up Rack Pack Rovers were pushing for maximum points, but Rugrats had other ideas, winning the first four frames of the last set to tie the match at, 7-7 and send the battle for the bonus point to a final frame decider. 

Burton couldn’t reproduce his heroics from the first set, leaving Ernie Wellhausen to secure the, 2-1 & 8-7 triumph for Rack Pack Rovers. 

Three more players joined Levingbird unbeaten on the night, Tony Frost, Dave Avery and Wellhausen, who all scored a brace. 

Rack Pack Rovers go into third, but are on the same amount of points as their opponents, only being ahead by winning one more match. 

The two teams at the top of SLKPA Tier Three, New Eltham New Boys and Greyhound are both unbeaten, after winning their opening two games. 

New Boys remain top despite not playing this week and Greyhound join them on seven points, after this week’s victory over Royal Oak however, New Boys are ahead by just two frames. 

It was a family affair for Greyhound, with Shelton D’Costa and his nephew Kaylem both winning two frames in their 3-0 & 10-5 triumph over fellow new comers, and if that wasn’t enough Shelton’s brother, Danny went one better with three out of three, with team mate, Ken Hoang joining him on the same score. 

Bexleyheath Working Man’s Club picked up their first win of the season, after beating Real Hustlers, 3-0 & 9-6 to go two points ahead of their opponents at the bottom of the table. 

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.