Four weeks into the South London & Kent Pool Alliance summer season and four victories for Bellegrove A to top Tier Two West, which is a massive turnaround from previous seasons. 

 

Last summer season they finished bottom of Tier Two East, with only two wins all season, so they have already bettered that and can only go from strength to strength. 

 

This week they had a tough fixture against, Eltham Terrace Rack Pack Rovers, who should be setting their sights on the top division, after the merger between Rack Pack and Rovers. 

 

Bellegrove took an early, 2-0 lead, but Rack Pack Rovers pulled one back, before Stacy Redman sealed the first set, which ended, 3-2 in Bellegrove’s favour. 

 

That soon became, 4-2 after they took frame six however, Rack Pack Rovers fought back and won the next three frames to take the lead for the first time in the match and the set. 

 

The lead didn’t last long though, as Bellegrove won frame ten to tie the match at one set and five frames all. 

 

The last set started the same way as the first, with Steve Hughes and Rob Hearn winning their third frames of the night to give Bellegrove a two-frame advantage. 

 

Rack Pack Rovers were not lying down and won the next two frames to send the match into a final frame decider, which Terry Mitchell secured with two awesome final shots to give Bellegrove the, 2-1 & 8-7 victory. 

 

Hearn and Hughes were not the only unbeaten players for Bellegrove, as Redman scored two out of two and he was joined by Rack Pack Rovers’ Darren Porter and Ernie Wellhausen on the same score. 

 

Bellegrove’s unbeaten run continues and they are now top of the division, with their opponents four points behind in fourth. 

 

Before this week Crayford A were also unbeaten and top of the table, but they met a rampant Rugrats side this week, who should also be in the mix for a promotion place at the end of the season. 

 

Crayford took the lead in the first two sets, 1-0 and 2-0 respectively, but they ended up losing both of them, 3-2 with Josh Page winning the decider in set two to give Rugrats the set as well as the match. 

 

It wasn’t Crayford’s night because at, 4-3 up they lost the remaining eight frames, giving Rugrats the third set whitewash and maximum points, after a, 3-0 & 11-4 triumph. 

 

Each one of those points was essential, as Rugrats join Crayford on eleven points, just one behind Bellegrove, although Crayford are ahead in second, as they have won one more match. 

 

As well as securing the second set, Page also won all three of his frames alongside his skipper, Scott Shephard. 

 

There was a bottom of the table battle between Academicals and Sea the Angles, who were both winless on one point before this week. 

 

The first four frames were shared sending the set into a final frame decider, which went to Academicals, giving them a, 3-2 lead. 

 

Sea the Angles did not let that get them down, as Jo Williamson tied the match and Dan Brown put them in the lead, but Paul Doherty restored parity for Academicals. 

 

Reece Stewart and Angie Hobbs won the next two frames to give Sea the Angles the second set by 4 frames to1 and an overall, 6-4 lead. 

 

Brown made it, 7-4 with frame eleven, but this match was far from over, as Academicals fought hard and won the next three frames to take the set and the match, but the bonus point was finely in the balance, at seven all. 

 

The momentum was with Academicals and they took the final frame for an overall, 2-1 & 8-7 triumph. 

 

This was a wonderfully close match, that really could have gone either way and that was reflected in there only being one unbeaten player on each side, Doherty with three out of three for Academicals and Dan Brown became the fourth different player to score a hat-trick for Sea the Angles this season, despite them losing all four matches. 

 

Rose Inn stay unbeaten at the top of Tier Two East, after a, 2-1 & 8-7 victory over Just Bellegrove however their lead has been cut to one point, after New Eltham New Stars comprehensive victory this week. 

 

Both New Stars and Fox & Hounds have had wonderful starts to the season, but New Stars had the better of this match from the off, taking the first set, 4-1 with Clive Forrest preventing the whitewash in frame three. 

 

Ben Worden and Jeff Schofield made it, 6-1 with the first two frames of the second set, but Fox brought the set score to, 2-2 with Forrest and Neil Shelton sending the set into a final frame decider, which Steve Pearce won for New Stars. 

 

It was, 7-3 going into the last set and it was Shelton who delayed New Stars from achieving the bonus point by winning frame eleven, but his team mates couldn’t help him out, as New Stars won the last four frames to take maximum points with a, 3-0 & 11-4 victory. 

 

It was a magnificent team performance from New Stars, with five unbeaten players, Gary Dixon, Steve Knight and Schofield all winning a frame, while Worden and Paul Carroll both scored a brace. 

 

Fox & Hounds have dropped to fourth, after Duke of Northumberland picked up their first win of the season to jump three places from bottom to third, with their opponents Rugrats Guardians replacing them. 

 

After three straight defeats Duke started well, taking the first two frames and they went on to win the last two frames of the set for a, 4-1 lead. 

 

Guardians took a, 2-1 lead in the second set, making it 5-3 overall but John Cochrane and Phil Tworek won frames nine and ten for the second set, to take a, 7-3 lead into the final set. 

 

Sam Kinsville secured the bonus point with frame eleven and Duke went on to win the final set, 3-2 to take maximum points with a, 3-0 & 10-5 triumph. 

 

Despite finishing on the losing side Steve King won all three of his frames, as did Steve Heather for Duke and he was supported by Tworek, who won both of his frames. 

 

There was a tussle at the top of the SLKPA Elite Division, as the top two, Hotshots and Pickwick faced each other. 

 

As you would expect from the top two, this match swung one way and then the other, turning into a tactical battle that eventually finished at 11.45 after 3 ¾ hours of play. 

 

Pickwick won the first set in a final frame decider to go, 3-2 up, but Hotshots fought back and took the first three frames of the second set, to tie the match in sets and go, 5-3 up in frames. 

 

However, Pickwick were not letting go and won frames nine and ten to make it all square going into the final set. 

 

The last set was action packed, with the black ball being smashed around the table as well as being potted by a fluke, mentioning no names, then Ryan Francis long doubled a black to, once again tie the match, this time at, 1-1 & 7-7 to send the match into a final frame decider. 

 

Lady Luck failed to smile on Pickwick yet again, as they potted the black out of turn to hand the game to Hotshots, 2-1 & 8-7. 

 

Two players scored unbeaten hat-tricks, Pickwick’s Paul Slater and Richard Chapman for Hotshots, who remain unbeaten at the top, while Pickwick drop to fourth. 

 

Eltham Terrace Nuthouse benefitted from this by going back into second place, after a marvellous, 3-0 & 12-3 victory over Falconwood Club, to send them second bottom. 

 

Nuthouse got off to the perfect start, whitewashing the first set, 5-0 in fact Falconwood didn’t trouble the scorers until frame seven. 

 

The second set was much closer, but Nuthouse still won it by the odd frame, 3-2 to have the match and the bonus point sewn up before the third set. 

 

Nuthouse were just as ruthless in the third set, winning the first three frames for maximum points. 

 

Luckily for Falconwood Paul Baker prevented another set whitewash, before Louis Wilbourne made it, 4-1 in the set. 

 

It was a superb team performance from Nuthouse, with five unbeaten players, Paul Cook top scored with a hat-trick, then came Jon Syta, Shane O’Reilly and Trevor Biggs on two frames each and Wilbourne finished it off by winning his only frame. 

 

It was a bad day at the office for Falconwood but Baker, Akar Necati and Ryan Sullivan can come out with some credit, as their only winners.

 

Foxy Meatballs also took advantage of Pickwick’s defeat to go into third, after they beat bottom team Sharks. 

 

Meatballs didn’t have it all their own way though, as Sharks started the better by taking the opening two frames, but Meatballs won the next three for the set. 

 

Sharks regained the lead with the first two frames of the second set, and Scott Reeves secured the set in frame nine, before Adam Hewson won the tenth frame, to tie the match at one set and five frames a piece. 

 

This time the third set started with Meatballs taking the first two frames and they went on to win the last two, to take the set, 4-1 and the match, 2-1 & 9-6.

 

Sharks are now level on points with Falconwood at the bottom, while Meatballs are level with Pickwick and Bull Tavern, after they picked up their second win of the season. 

 

Bull Tavern were playing Eltham Terrace Club A, who started the season well, but after two successive defeats, including this week’s, 3-0 & 10-5 loss, they have slipped to sixth, two points behind their opponents. 

 

Greyhound are becoming the surprise package of SLKPA Tier Three, after their third victory in a row in their first season in the league. 

 

This week they beat Bexleyheath Working Man’s Club in a close match, 2-1 & 8-7 to remain unbeaten, but they are still in second place, as New Eltham New Boys are also unbeaten and one point ahead of Greyhound, after beating bottom team Real Hustlers, 3-0 & 11-4. 

 

The first set swung one way then the other, before Billy Russell won the final frame decider to give New Boys the set, 3-2. 

 

Using this as inspiration, New Boys went on to whitewash the second set, 5-0 to win the match and secure the bonus point before the start of the third set. 

 

This did not dishearten Hustlers, as it looked like they might steal the final set, after winning the first two frames of the set, but New Boys came back and took the last three frames, with Greg Fothergill winning the final frame set decider, giving New Boys maximum points. 

 

Hustlers had Sam Mossom to thank for keeping them in the match, winning half of his team’s frames and going unbeaten in the process. 

 

The backbone of the New Boys team are not just boys, but also a girl, with Melissa Barnes scoring an unbeaten brace, and they were keeping it in the family, with Michael Barnes scoring three out of three, alongside Fothergill. 

 

Now there are just five teams across the league who have yet to lose a match, with three teams still waiting for their first victory of the season.   

 

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.