For the second week running the race for the South London & Kent Pool Alliance Elite League title has been blown wide open, with the league leaders losing and the teams around them capitalising.

First played third as Falconwood Club met Bellegrove with only one point between them but you would never have known given the 3-0 & 13-2 score line in Bellegrove’s favour.

Bellegrove were absolutely unplayable all night, preying on Falconwood’s mistakes with Clive Black, George Covington and Craig Mallinder all winning their three frames and Kevin Smith was victorious in his only frame.

This victory leapfrogs Bellegrove over Falconwood, pushing them to third with Bellegrove only taking second as Hotshots recorded their own emphatic victory to join Bellegrove on 28 points but they go top having won more frames.

Falconwood’s other team, Falconwood Social were the victims going down, 3-0 & 12-3.

They started the better taking a 2-1 lead in the first set but Hotshots battled hard, winning the next two frames for the set and they made it five in a row to take the second set, finally winning it by 4 frames to 1, before going on to whitewash the final set.

It was a bad day at the office for Falconwood as five Hotshots players remained unbeaten, with Benji Creffield taking his only frame, Richard Chapman returned to winning ways scoring two out of two, with Neil Hall joining him and Andre Cox and Danny Kelliher recorded the maximum three frame wins.

Glenmore Arms B hauled themselves back into the chase with a 2-1 & 8-7 win over Eltham Terrace Club A to go three points behind them in fifth.

The first set was close with Glenmore winning it by the odd frame, 3-2 but the next two sets were a different story, as Eltham won the second, 4-1 and Glenmore took the last set by the same score.

In what is likely to be their last game there, Pickwick managed to give their home a good send off as they were triumphant in their basement battle with Royal Oak Addicks.

The away side gave themselves an uphill task, having just four players and it was just too much for them to overcome as Pickwick ran out winners by 3 sets to 0 and 10 frames to 5 despite not having a great night themselves.

Dean James came away with some credit by playing and winning all three of his frames for the home side.

Pickwick are now ten points ahead of Addicks, who are fourteen points away from the play-off position, so their fate could be sealed next week.

The race for promotion into the Elite League is also getting interesting, with the top two teams in both SLKPA Tier Two East and West playing each other.

In Tier Two East Royal Oak took on Crayford Social Club Rugrats and extended their lead to six points with a 2-1 & 10-5 triumph.

It was all square going into the final set, after both teams won one of the first two sets, 3-2 but the Oak kicked on in the last set with a whitewash.

Phil Tworek and Paul Clements won two of their three frames for the Oak but John Cochrane went one better with an unbeaten hat-trick.

Glenmore Arms lead the chasing pack and are now two points behind Rugrats after beating Eltham Terrace Rack Pack, 2-1 & 9-6.

Rack Pack won the first set, 3-2 but Glenmore took the second, 4-1 and the third, 3-2 to leave Rack Pack at the bottom of the table, however there are only eight points between them and Rugrats in second.

North Heath Social Club leapfrogged Bellegrove A after beating them by 2 sets to 1 and 9 frames to 6.

Bellegrove had the better start winning the first three frames but North Heath came back and won the last two frames of the set before going on to take the second set, 4-1.

The last set was in the balance when North Heath’s Paul Baker cut the black into the corner pocket and narrowly avoided potting his opponent’s colour in the middle, only being saved by the jaw to give his side the victory.

The tussle between Bellegrove Social Club and Eltham Terrace Rovers, at the top of SLKPA Tier Two West could not have been closer, with each set going down to a final frame decider.

In the first set Martin Luff made it one all with a superb break and dish but Chris Hobbis, playing his first frame in the SLKPA, put Rovers back in the lead, then Steve Knight equalised before Ryan Francis gave Rovers the first set.

The second set followed the pattern of the first until Jason Brunton and Martin Hession won the last two frames in the set, the only time in the match where two frames in a row were won by either team, to give Bellegrove the second set.

Francis put Rovers one up in the final set but Knight equalised with his hat-trick but debutant Hobbis also won his third frame of the night to reinstate Rovers lead, however Brunton tied the set and the match, at one all in sets and seven all in frames.

The top spot was in the balance and it was down to Luff, who was on two out of two and Darren Porter, winless on the night so far and seeking revenge on Luff for the earlier break and dish and it was Porter who turned the table to get his win and keep his side at the top of the table, with the 2-1 & 8-7 triumph.

Rovers are now four points ahead of Bellegrove but are ten points ahead of Eltham Terrace Nuthouse in third, who scored a big win against bottom team, Greyhound Elite this week.

Nuthouse had the perfect start, whitewashing the first set, 5-0 but Greyhound took the first two frames of the second set and the comeback was on, only briefly however, as Nuthouse took the next three frames to tie up the second set.

The final set looked to be going the same way as the first until James Fickling won the penultimate frame before Craig Jones took the final frame to give his team the 3-0 & 12-3 triumph.

Zoe Healy’s season is going from strength to strength, scoring her second hat-trick in a row and she was joined by Shane O’Reilly and Dave Sparey this week.

Greyhound are rooted to the bottom, thirteen points adrift after Pickwick Academicals shared the points with Fox & Hounds.

A depleted Fox nicked the first set, 3-2 but Academicals fought back well and the whitewash was on the cards in the second until Clive Forrest won the final frame, on his way to three out of three.

Academicals looked odds on for the final set, taking the first two frames, which included Paul Thomas achieving his unbeaten hat-trick but Tracy Serff was unfortunate against Ernest Chin and he started the fox’s revival.

Forrest tied the set and Neil Shelton won the final frame decider to give Fox the victory in sets, 2-1 but Academicals won more frames, 8-7 to score the bonus point.

Rising Sun have guaranteed promotion from SLKPA Tier Three, going fourteen points clear of fourth placed, Crayford Social Club 2 with twelve to play for, after they beat them, 3-0 & 9-6 this week.

Although Rising Sun came away with all four points Crayford can come away with some credit as they took them to the edge in each set with every one being won, 3-2.

Crayford even looked like taking the second and third sets, going 2-0 up in the second and 2-1 up in the third forcing final frame deciders in both.

Both sides had one unbeaten player, Steven Aldridge for Crayford and Rising Sun’s Arif Salih, both winning all three of their frames.

This win gives Rising Sun a remarkable nine wins in a row, in a so far unbeaten season and are looking for just one more victory from their last three matches to win the division title in their first season in the SLKPA.

The race to join them in Tier Two is a tough one as nine points separate seventh from second.

Currently in the driving seat are fellow debutants, Rose Inn but only by one point after this week’s, 2-1 & 9-6 victory over Orpington Sports Club.

Dean Greaney-Parr was the inspiration behind the triumph, winning all three of his frames.

Sitting in third, the final promotion place and one point behind Rose are fellow newcomers, Bellegrove Flyers.

They join Crayford on eighteen points but go above them courtesy of one more win, this week’s triumph against Plumstead Radical Club.

It was a good team performance from the Flyers, with Richard Marsh taking all three of his frames and Keith Smith and Sirhat Bulbul scoring an unbeaten brace to give their team a 2-1 & 10-5 victory.

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 with any queries.

The league is looking at potential sponsors; any interested parties can also contact Paul Gafa.