The South London & Kent Pool Alliance Premier Division has reached the halfway point and Eltham Terrace Club A are still top after nine unbeaten matches.

This week they faced fellow Terrace team, Eltham Terrace Nuthouse, who have been having a decent season themselves in the top division for the first time and sitting in seventh, having picked up four wins.

The first two sets were very close with the A team just edging them both by the odd frame to take a, 6-4 lead into the final set but then they turned on the gas and whitewashed the last set, which included two dishes from dry breaks by Dan Heinink and Dan Foley, for an overall, 11-4 triumph.

It was a good night if your name was Dan, as Foley won all three of his frames and Dan Vowles was also unbeaten with two frame wins and he was joined by Paul Shrimpton.

This victory has extended their lead at the top to eleven points, as Hustlers A could only manage a, 10-5 win against second from bottom, Falconwood Social.

The score line didn’t really reflect the match, as Hustlers took the first set, 3-2 and at, 2-2 in the second Falconwood had a great chance to take the set and tie the match at five all but it was not to be and Hustlers went into the final set, 6-4 up.

Falconwood may have been demoralised by this as they lost the final set, 4-1 which included a break and dish by Mickey Clayton, to give Hustlers the victory by 10 frames to 5.

Paul Doherty had reason to cheer for Falconwood, finishing the night unbeaten.

Pickwick plunged Bellegrove’s season further into the doldrums, with an, 8-7 win to stay in third, ten points behind Hustlers.

It was a scrappy match which suited Pickwick, none more so than Martin Storey and Billy Levingbird, who both won two of their three frames, however the only unbeaten player was Bellegrove’s Paul Williams, giving his team something to shout about.

Despite picking up their seventh loss of the season, Bellegrove are still in sixth with a ten point cushion over Nuthouse in seventh.

Eltham Terrace Rovers cut the gap between them and Nuthouse to just one point after a shock victory by 8 frames to 7 over fifth placed, Hotshots.

The game started by going to form, with Hotshots taking the first two frames but Rovers won the next three frames for the set and the surprises didn’t stop there as Rovers won the next set, 4-1 to take a, 7-3 lead into the final set.

Rovers were looking for just one frame for victory, finding it with Lee Osborn in the twelfth frame and they should have gone onto win by more but they didn’t get another frame in the set, allowing Hotshots back into the match.

Falconwood Club are two points ahead of Hotshots in fourth, after they sneaked an, 8-7 win over bottom team, Crayford Social Club Rugrats.

It was a tight match but both teams ended the evening with a player on an unbeaten hat-trick, Rugrats’ Steve Gibson and Kieran Evans for Falconwood.

SLKPA Division One was a very close affair with three of the four matches ending, 8-7, the only one that didn’t was between the division leaders, Bellegrove Social Club and North Heath Social Club.

Bellegrove are 27 points ahead of North Heath and it really showed as they ran away, 12-3 winners, although North Heath will be ruing missed chances, as they missed the black in four of the frames they lost.

Jason Brunton and Dave Jandu were the inspiration behind the victory, both scoring three out of three.

CSC Mr’s & Miss Q’s stay in second but lose ground on Bellegrove after they were beaten by bottom team, Royal Oak Addicks.

CSC looked to be cruising to victory after they took the first set, 4-1 but Addicks battled back and won the next set by the same score to tie the match at five all.

The last set swung one way then the other, with the first four frames being shared to take the game into a final frame decider, which Mick Gormley held his nerve to give Addicks the, 8-7 victory.

Despite the loss CSC's Lee Bushell was triumphant in all three of his frames.

Even though they lost, Glenmore Arms hang onto third, one point behind CSC.

Eltham Terrace Rack Pack were the victors, with Chris Unwin making a rare appearance, claiming the dramatic final frame decider to give his team the, 8-7 win.

The other winners for Rack Pack were Steven Heather and Dan O’Rourke, who won two of their three frames and Jamie Walkey going one better with an unbeaten hat-trick.

Rack Pack are now one point behind Bellegrove A, who are in fourth after their own, 8-7 triumph over Foots Cray Social Club.

Bellegrove were, 7-4 up before Sirhat Bulbul clinched the match and they should have won by more but lost three of the last four frames to scrape the victory.

Pat Melia was in fine form, winning all three of his frames and he was backed up by Nathan Lampen and Terry Mitchell, who both won two of their three frames, with Lampen’s including a break and dish in the second set.

I’m starting to sound a bit like a broken record but Sharks are still unbeaten at the top of SLKPA Division Two and have won all eight games by scoring ten or more frames.

This week it was made easy for them, as Greyhound Elite only had three players, meaning they had to give away six frames.

So technically, Sharks only needed two frames for victory and you would have thought they’d have got it in the first two frames but Lewis Brind caused an upset in the second frame, however that was all the Greyhound managed all night, with Sharks annihilating their opponents, 14-1.

Jeff Laporte was the only Shark to taste defeat, with Kevin Dempsey, Eno Idiong, Arif Salih and Chris Mackenzie all winning their three frames, including byes and Ben Brown won his only frame.

Fox & Hounds are 23 points behind Sharks in second , after they beat bottom team, Plumstead Radical Club.

I’d like to say it was a game of two halves but I’d be lying so I’ll adapt the cliché and say it was a game of three thirds, as each set was won, 4-1, with Fox taking the first, Radical the second and Fox the third for an overall, 9-6 triumph.

Given the nature of the game you might assume that there were no unbeaten players but you’d be wrong, as Alan Dolan was the only player to win a frame in each set.

It was a tough match, as Bellegrove Flyers took on Academicals, with the latter winning the first two sets, 3-2 to take a, 6-4 lead into the final set.

However Bellegrove dug in and won the first three frames of the final set to go, 7-6 up, before Chris Bracey equalised to send the match into a final frame decider.

Flyers Captain, Keith Smith, who had won both the frames he had already played, faced Gary Mason, who hadn’t won in his previous two frames and the records were upheld, with Smith recording his hat-trick to give his side the narrow, 8-7 victory.

Smith was supported by Rich Sheppard on an unbeaten brace and Paul Dawson, winning two of his three frames.

A special mention to Academicals’ Jenny Pearmund, who played extremely well to win her only frame.

Flyers have nipped into third place, five points ahead of Rose Inn, who didn’t play this week, whilst Academicals are in fifth.

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.