Farmhouse break SLKPA duck

Farmhouse are the newest team in the league, and it’s taken them eight matches, but they have now recorded their first victory in Division Two, a narrow, 8-7 triumph against Sea the Angles, who have been going well this season. 

Now that Farmhouse have secured their first victory, all of the 25 teams in the SLKPA have won at least one match this season. 

Sea the Angles stay in third, five points behind Royal Oak, who didn’t have a game this week. 

Farmhouse have closed the gap between them and their opponent’s sister side, Anglesea Arms to just seven points, after Anglesea suffered a massive loss against New Eltham New Boys. 

The, 13-2 trouncing meant that New Boys leapfrogged Royal Oak to top the table by eight points. 

All of the teams in Division Two only have four games left, so it looks like Farmhouse and Anglesea Arms will be battling for the wooden spoon, whereas the fight for the title should be between New Boys and Royal Oak, although Sea the Angles may have something to say about that. 

The fight to avoid relegation into the second division got hotter this week, as Rugrats Guardians secured their third win of the season over fellow strugglers Academicals to reduce the gap between the two teams to just nine points. 

It was a real topsy-turvy basement battle, with Academicals starting well, taking the first frame, but Guardians turned it around and won the next four frames for a, 4-1 lead. 

Academicals fought back and took the next four frames to re-take the lead, but Luke Matthews prevented the set whitewash to tie the match at five all. 

Another four frames were strung together by Guardians to make it five in a row and give them the match, before Dean Williams prevented the set whitewash to make the final score, 9-6 to Guardians.

On the same points as Academicals are Just Bellegrove, who suffered a, 10-5 loss to Eltham Terrace Rack Pack this week. 

Steve Unwin lead his side to a great win against a below par Bellegrove side by winning both of his frames, with Steve Heather also scoring an unbeaten brace. 

Tony Frost refused to be outdone and went one better than his teammates by winning all three of his frames. 

While Just Bellegrove are battling to avoid relegation, sitting in equal eighth, Rack Pack are in third place and chasing promotion to the Premier Division. 

Guardians may have picked up their third victory of the season this week, but Falconwood Club and Bellegrove A’s defeats this week mean they have also won three matches but are 14 and 18 points ahead of Guardians respectively. 

Bellegrove A were comprehensively beaten, 11-4 by New Eltham New Stars to leave Bellegrove in sixth. 

James Pope won all three of his frames to help keep New Stars in fourth place, on the same points as Rack Pack. 

Falconwood went to top of the table, Pickwick and won the first frame, but Pickwick won five in a row to gain the upper hand. 

Paul Durranxe won frame ten with a brilliant long black while his cueing was hampered to give Pickwick a, 7-3 lead and they thought they had the match won, but three unanswered frames from Falconwood including a break and dish by Akar Necati brought them back to, 7-6. 

Nerves were jangling but Martin Storey held his to give Pickwick the victory in the penultimate frame and Paul Gafa secured his hat-trick in the last frame to give his team the, 9-6 triumph. 

Ian Stringer did his best to keep Falconwood in the match by winning all three of his frames. 

Pickwick are the first team in the division to break 100 points, finishing this week on 104 and Eltham Terrace Nuthouse were so close to becoming the second, missing out by one frame with a, 9-6 win over Fox & Hounds. 

The first set looked to be going to form, as Nuthouse took a, 2-0 lead, but Fox fought back winning the next two frames to send the set into a deciding frame, which Tom Wyatt won to give Fox a shock, 3-2 lead. 

This spurred the Nuthouse into action, and they won the next four frames to take a, 6-3 lead. 

Kerry Wyatt prevented the set whitewash by winning frame ten and brought her team back to, 6-4. 

Jon Syta and Dave Sparey won the first two frames of the last set to give Nuthouse the match however, Glen Ward and Clive Forrest tied the set for Fox. 

Kerry Wyatt was looking for her hat-trick to reduce Nuthouse’s lead to just one frame, but Alex Biggs had other ideas and took the final frame to extend Nuthouse’s victory to, 9-6. 

Nuthouse’s unbeaten run continues to ten matches; however, they remain five points behind Pickwick at the top, but are 17 points ahead of Rack Pack and New Stars behind them. 

Allstars have also extended their unbeaten run at the top of the SLKPA Premier Division after beating The Fox this week. 

Allstars made the better start, taking the first three frames to win the set, but The Fox fought back, with John Shepherd and Paul Donohoe winning to bring it back to, 3-2.

Richie Mitchell and Craig Mallinder made that, 5-2 then Steve Dixon brought it back to, 5-3 before Tony Halpin and Jamie Simmons extended Allstars lead to, 7-3. 

The third set mirrored the second, with Mitchell and Mallinder taking the opening frames, this time Tony Stork prevented the set whitewash, before Stacey Redman and Halpin won the last two frames to make the final score, 11-4. 

Allstars ended the match with three unbeaten players; Redman, winning two frames and Mitchell and Mallinder with hat-tricks for the second week running. 

Allstars also broke 100 points this week, ending up on 108, fourteen points ahead of Hotshots, after they only managed an, 8-7 triumph over Bellegrove. 

It was a good start by the Bellegrove, winning the first two frames, but it all went downhill from there, with a mixture of great pool from Hotshots and silly mistakes by Bellegrove, giving Hotshots the match by reaching eight frames by the eleventh. 

With the match lost, Bellegrove were looking to pick up a couple of frames from the last four to make it more respectable, especially as Bellegrove were sitting in third, just behind their opponents. 

Now it was time for Hotshots to make some mistakes, with Bellegrove capitalising on them and Kieran Evans performing a break and dish to help his team win all of the last four frames to bring the score back to, 8-7. 

Bellegrove are now fourteen points behind their opponents, but only three points ahead of their nearest rivals, Bull Tavern, after they beat Crayford A, 9-6 this week. 

This result meant that Crayford drop to ninth, after their sister side, Rugrats won their second match of the season against bottom team, Rose Inn.

Rugrats whitewashed the first set, 5-0 but Rose Inn didn’t let that dishearten themselves and they won the second set, 4-1. 

Jack Wilson and Dean Greany-Parr won the first two frames of the final set to tie the match at six all, but Pat Firth, Scott Shephard and Steve Gibson won the last three frames to quash Rose Inn’s hopes of two wins in a row. 

How close these two teams are in the table and the tightness of this match was reflected in the fact there was only two unbeaten players, one from each side, with Greany-Parr winning two frames and Gibson going one better with a hat-trick. 

There is now only five points between the bottom three teams and seven between them and The Fox sitting in the first safe from relegation spot. 

Sharks rise up the table has continued, after they leapfrogged their opponents, Eltham Terrace Club A by two points into fifth, with a, 10-5 triumph over them. 

Going into the Christmas break the SLKPA Committee would like to wish all of its players a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. 

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.