With just three weeks of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance Premier Division season left, the battle to stay in the division couldn’t be closer, with just twelve points between third and tenth. 

There was a couple of remarkable results, with teams from the bottom beating teams in the top half, the best of which came from bottom team Eltham Terrace Nuthouse, who beat fourth placed, Hustlers. 

The first frame went to Hustlers but they lost the next seven and it was only George Covington who prevented the whitewash in the second set, leaving Nuthouse to take it, 4-1 and have the match won before the final set. 

Nuthouse made it, 10-2 with the first two frames of the last set but Hustlers staged a mini comeback to tie the set at two all however Jon Syta won his third frame of the night to give Nuthouse the set and, 11-4 triumph. 

As well as Syta, Nuthouse had two other unbeaten players, Zoe Healy, who won her only frame and Trevor Biggs going one better, with a brace. 

Nuthouse would have hoped this result could have lifted them up the table and it did but only by one place to ninth, on the same points as Pickwick but Nuthouse have two more wins. 

Hustlers stay in fourth, as fifth placed, Eltham Terrace Rovers also lost to a team from the lower half of the division. 

Rugrats went, 3-0 up but Rovers pulled it back to, 3-2 by the end of the first set. 

The second set see-sawed, with Rugrats taking the first and last to increase their lead to, 6-4 but they pulled away in the final set, winning the first three frames and eventually taking it, 4-1 for an overall, 10-5 victory. 

Despite finishing on the losing side, Ryan Francis won three of his team’s five frames, with Adam Coppen and Darren Porter the other winners. 

Rugrats finished with two unbeaten players, with Dafydd Ruffell and Scott Shephard both scoring hat-tricks however, Ruffell’s had the edge, as his included a break and dish. 

Rovers stay in fifth but Rugrats are now only one place and four points behind them, after overtaking New Eltham, who lost to the top team, Allstars this week. 

New Eltham got off to their usual slow start, losing the first set, 4-1 but there was no comeback this week and you wouldn’t expect it against a team of this quality however, they did give Allstars a run for their money, only going down, 3-2 in the remaining sets for an overall, 10-5 Allstars victory. 

Paul Cook was back to his best for Allstars, winning all three of his frames and he was joined by Stacy Redman. 

New Eltham had Dean James and James Couch to thank for their revival, both winning two of their three frames, as well as Paul Elford, who recorded a break and dish in the final set. 

Despite winning nine games this season, more than four of the six teams above them, New Eltham currently sit in seventh place, one point and one place above the relegation play-off spot, currently occupied by Sharks. 

There was a basement battle this week as Sharks, in eighth played Pickwick, the team immediately below them. 

It was the first game in Pickwick’s new home and it almost didn’t happen, as they had difficulty locating a cue ball but the match did go ahead and the, 10-5 score line, in Sharks favour didn’t reflect how close the match actually was. 

Arif Salih and Jamie White were the inspiration behind Sharks victory, both winning all three of their frames. 

As a result, Pickwick have hit the bottom and are now seven points away from safety, whereas Sharks are just one point away, in their first season in the top flight. 

Back to the top and third played second, as Eltham Terrace Club A played hosts to Hotshots and the match went to form, with Hotshots winning, 9-6. 

Hotshots are now 24 points ahead of Terrace and Allstars are 15 points ahead of Hotshots, so it looks like the top two are pretty much decided while the rest fight it out for survival. 

Whoever does find themselves relegated, it looks like Rose Inn will be one of the teams replacing them, as they are now 25 points ahead of the promotion play-off spot at the top of SLKPA Division One. 

This week they played bottom team Just Bellegrove and won each set, 4-1 for a resounding, 12-3 triumph. 

It was a great all round team performance, but especially from Leighton Aston, Jack Wilson and Lewis Hearn, who all won their three frames. 

Not only are Rose Inn 25 points ahead of third place but they are also 17 points ahead of Crayford Arms, in second, after they suffered another defeat. 

It was a close but scrappy game against fifth placed Academicals, who ended up, 8-7 victors. 

Crayford may not be in form at the moment, but Akar Necati is, scoring another hat-trick this week. 

Eight points behind Crayford and sitting in the promotion play-off spot are New Eltham Club, after they beat second from bottom, Bellegrove A by 9 frames to 6, but they do have a game in hand over Crayford. 

CSC Sorry in Advance have done their chances of survival the world of good, with an, 8-7 victory over Eltham Terrace rack Pack. 

After going, 3-1 down Rack Pack reversed that and took a, 4-3 lead only for it to finish all square at five all by the end of the second set. 

CSC won the first two frames of the final set, but Rack Pack pulled it back again to send the match into a final frame decider, which Aaron Shephard won to give CSC the win. 

Shephard’s triumph was his third frame win on the night and he was joined by Ross Webster. 

Rack Pack are now three points away from the promotion play-off spot, whereas CSC are nine points away from the relegation play-off place, but the teams beneath them have a game in hand. 

SLKPA Division Two was pretty much all done and dusted, with Bexleyheath Working Man’s Club and New Eltham Social Club winning the title and promotion respectively, so we were just seeing what happened in the final two matches of the league season. 

New Eltham Social Club took on Happy Hustlers and the match was much closer than the 37 points between the sides suggests. 

The first two sets went to New Eltham by the odd frame, 3-2 giving them a, 6-4 lead going into the final set. 

Jo Williams played a fantastic game in frame eleven to pull one back but Gary Heath made it, 7-5, then Claire Stork and Donna Mullins won the next two to tie the match at seven all. 

Hustlers were looking to Matt Prince to win the game but perhaps they should have put one of the girls in, as they had won five of their seven frames so far and luck wasn’t on his side, as the frame went to Harry Gooden and the match to New Eltham, 8-7. 

New Eltham’s Gary Heath was the only unbeaten player on the night with a hat-trick. 

New Eltham New Boys were looking to cement their place in the promotion play-off and were playing wooden spoon holders Real Hustlers, but they didn’t have it their own way against the team 26 points behind them. 

After losing the first set, 4-1 Real Hustlers pulled it back to, 4-3 before New Boys won the last three frames of the second set to make it, 7-3. 

Michael Barnes secured the win in the twelfth frame, but that would be the only frame they’d win in the set with Real Hustlers taking the other four to make the score a more respectable, 8-7. 
Even though they finished on the losing side both Ed Green, with a brace and Billy Russell on a hat-trick were unbeaten, as was New Boy’s Michael Barnes, also scoring three frame wins. 

So it’s as it was in Division Two and the teams now look forward to the League Cup. 

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.
 
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