With two weeks to go of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance Tiers Two and Three summer seasons, the champions of each division have been decided, with New Eltham New Stars and Rugrats taking Tier Two East and West respectively and New Eltham New Boys winning Tier Three. 

New Boys didn’t have a game this week, but are now eight points clear at the top, after Greyhound could only manage a, 2-1 & 9-6 triumph over their nearest rivals, Royal Oak. 

This result gives Greyhound a four-point cushion over their opponents, but Royal Oak have played one more game. 

Royal Oak have also played one more game than the team below them, Bexleyheath Working Man’s Club, who beat bottom team Real Hustlers, 2-1 & 10-5 this week, to go five points behind Royal Oak, so they can still catch them mathematically however, it is unlikely. 

Real Hustlers will have to make do with the wooden spoon, yet again, after picking up just one victory all season. 

On the other hand, New Eltham New Stars have lost only one match all season and will finish champions of SLKPA Tier Two East. 

This week they played bottom team Rugrats Guardians and New Stars took a, 2-0 lead but Aaron Shephard pulled one back for Guardians, which turned out to prevent the first set whitewash, as New Stars won the last two frames of the set. 

The second set was much closer but New Stars still took it, 3-2 winning the middle three frames. 

It was, 7-3 going into the final set and Paul Carroll secured the bonus point with frame eleven. 

They went on to win the next two frames to take the final set, before Steve King prevented the set whitewash. 

Steve Pearce won the final frame to give New Stars the, 3-0 & 11-4 victory. 

It was fitting to seal the championship with such a good win, with Steve Knight and Pearce winning two of their three frames but there were two unbeaten players, Matt Prince, winning two frames and Dave Jandu on a hat-trick.

Aaron Shephard went on to win two of his three frames for Guardians, with Steve King and Martin Hart their other winners. 

They are now six points behind Fox & Hounds, one place above them and eight points away from guaranteed safety, so it is still possible to escape relegation, especially as they play Fox & Hounds in the last game. 

Just Bellegrove currently hold the safe spot, after they were beaten, 3-0 & 10-5 by promotion chasing Duke of Northumberland. 

Duke are chasing Rose Inn for the promotion play-off spot and Bellegrove are trying to keep Fox & Hounds in the relegation play-off place, so when Fox played hosts to Rose this week, we may have assumed an easy win for the second placed team. 

However, the first four frames swung one way then the other and were shared, only for Leighton Aston to win the set decider for Rose, giving them a, 3-2 lead. 

That soon became, 4-3 to Fox, after Neil Shelton and Alan Dolan won the first two frames of set two. 

Rose Inn’s Captain, Neil Mundy tied the match again at 4-4 but Fox shocked their opponents by taking the last two frames of the set to make it, 4-1 in the set and go into the third set 6-4 ahead. 

Rose Inn won the first three frames of the final set to take the set and go ahead, 2-1 in sets and, 7-6 in frames, so the bonus point was still up for grabs with two frames to play. 

The ever-dependable Kerry Wyatt and Clive Forrest won those for Fox to give them the bonus point, 8-7, despite Rose Inn winning, 2-1 in sets, meaning the points were shared, two a-piece. 

Kerry Wyatt proved her dependability, being the only player to go unbeaten on the night, winning all three of her frames. 

This means that the gap at both ends of the table has been closed to two points, with Duke two behind Rose for the promotion play-off spot and Bellegrove two ahead of Fox in the relegation play-off place. 

We know Fox have a tough run-in, facing Guardians and New Stars, but I would say Bellegrove’s is even harder, having to play the top two, New Stars and Rose Inn, so the battle at the bottom is going to go right to the wire. 

Meanwhile the fight to see who could be joining New Stars in the top flight is equally exciting, as Rose and Duke play Bellegrove and Guardians next week, then face each other in what could decide who finishes in the promotion play-off place, in the final week. 

Champions of SLKPA Tier Two West are Rugrats, after they beat third placed, Eltham Terrace Rack Pack Rovers to open up a twelve-point lead at the top. 

Rack Pack Rovers had the better start, winning the first two frames, but Rugrats rattled off the next six frames to take the first two sets.

Rack Pack Rovers then won three in a row themselves, shortening Rugrats lead to, 6-5. 

The next two frames went to Rugrats, giving them the bonus point and a, 2-1 lead in the last set, but Dave Avery tied the set. 

In the deciding frame of the set Josh Page beat Steve Unwin to give Rugrats the, 3-0 & 9-6 triumph. 

Rack Pack Rovers feel they should have got at least a point from this match, after Rugrats won each set by the odd frame, 3-2 but they can take some solace from the fact they had the only unbeaten player on the night, Dean Rider on a hat-trick. 

Despite there being two weeks and eight points to play for, it looks like Crayford A will beat Rack Pack Rovers to the promotion play-off place, after thrashing Academicals, 3-0 & 14-1 to go six points ahead. 

This annihilation gave Sea the Angles hope of catching Academicals and clinching the Relegation play-off spot instead of automatic relegation, and they seized that opportunity, picking up their third win of the season. 

This week they played Bellegrove A, who only had four players and that would prove costly at the end. 

The first two frames were shared, then two frames in a row from Donna Mullins, with a bye and Jade Holmes from Sea the Angles put them in the lead. 

Bellegrove won the last frame of the set, to leave them trailing, 3-2. 

That soon became, 5-2, with a bye in frame six and Angie Hobbs taking frame seven, leaving Steve Hughes with seven balls on the table, after she produced a clearance within minutes of gaining control of the table. 

Bellegrove pulled one back but Reece Stewart secured the set for Sea the Angles, before Bellegrove won frame ten to make it, 6-4 going into the final set. 

Claire Stork put Sea the Angles to within one frame of the bonus point however, Bellegrove won the next three frames to take the set, but more importantly, tie the match overall, 7-7. 

I said having four players would prove costly for Bellegrove and they had run out of players to finish the match, giving Mullins her second bye of the night and Sea the Angles the final frame, to win the match, 2-1 & 8-7. 

This result has all but ended Bellegrove’s chance of stealing second place, as they are seven points away from it and have the other two teams chasing it, Crayford and Rack Pack Rovers to play however, they are safe from relegation. 

Sea the Angles are now just three points away from Academicals and they play each other in a crunch game next week, before Sea the Angles play Rack Pack Rovers and Academicals face the champions, Rugrats in the final week.

Hotshots were crowned SLKPA Elite League champions last week and this week they showed us why, after going, 2-1 down to Eltham Terrace Nuthouse they turned it around and won the next six frames in a row, to take the first two sets and a, 7-2 lead, with Jamie O’Donnell and Ryan Francis saving the first set. 

Shane O’Reilly won frame ten, with a break and dish, to prevent the set whitewash and reduce Hotshots lead to, 7-3. 

O’Donnell secured the bonus point for Hotshots and Steve Krishnan made it, 9-3 giving them a, 2-0 lead in the set. 

O’Reilly brought it back to, 2-1 but Richard Chapman won frame fourteen to give his side maximum points, before Trevor Biggs won the last frame to make the final score, 3-0 & 10-5. 

As well as his break and dish, O’Reilly went on to win all three of his frames, as did O’Donnell and Chapman for Hotshots. 

This gives them a ten-point lead at the top, after Foxy Meatballs were beaten by second from bottom side, Eltham Terrace Club A, 2-1 & 9-6. 

Terrace did the damage in the first set, winning it, 4-1 and they went on to take the second set, 3-2 before Meatballs pulled one set back, with a, 3-2 victory in the third. 

Meatballs had Paul Donohoe to thank for keeping them in the game, after he won a frame in each set. 

Bull Tavern capitalised on Meatballs loss by beating bottom team, Falconwood Club, 3-0 & 11-4 to go two points behind Meatballs, so they will be battling it out to see who will be finishing second and third.

As there is only one game left in the top division, Bull will have to beat Nuthouse and wait and see how Meatballs get on against Hotshots, to see who will have bragging rights. 

Sharks have done their chances of survival in the top division the world of good, by beating Pickwick, 2-1 & 8-7 in what can only be described as a rollercoaster match. 

Sharks whitewashed the first set, 5-0 but Pickwick repeated that in the second to tie the match at, 1-1 & 5-5. 

The first three frames of the final set went to Sharks, giving them the set and the bonus point, before Pickwick won the last two frames to make the final score, 2-1 & 8-7 in Sharks favour. 

As a result, Sharks are now one point ahead of Pickwick, who occupy the final relegation spot. 

Despite their victory this week, it was too little too late, as Eltham Terrace Club A cannot catch Sharks or Nuthouse and are therefore relegated for the first time. 

Next week it will be a straight race between Pickwick, Sharks and Nuthouse to see who will join Terrace and Falconwood in Tier Two next season, with Pickwick facing Terrace, Sharks playing Falconwood and Nuthouse going to Bull Tavern, I don’t know who my money is on

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.