Eleven weeks into the South London & Kent Pool Alliance winter season and top of the Premier Division, Eltham Terrace Club A have finally lost their unbeaten record to Hotshots, which leaves Bellegrove Social Club in Division One and Sharks from the second division as the only teams with unbeaten league records intact.

Hotshots were in fourth and 26 points behind the league leaders but that didn’t stop them taking an early, 3-2 lead but Terrace aren’t top of the table for nothing and they won the second set, 4-1 to go into the final set with a, 6-4 lead.

However, Hotshots dominated the final set, eventually winning it by 4 frames to 1 to give them an overall narrow, 8-7 victory and inflict the first loss on Eltham Terrace this season.

Despite the victory, Hotshots drop one place as Pickwick beat Eltham Terrace Nuthouse, 10-5 to go two points ahead of Hotshots.

The first set was close with Pickwick just edging it, 3-2 but they brought out the big guns in the second set, with Mark Brinkley and Andrew Breen, on his debut, winning the first two frames of the set, before Pickwick went on to take the set, 4-1.

Brinkley and Breen kicked off the final set with wins to give them both an unbeaten brace and they were joined by Paul Gafa when he won the thirteenth frame to give them a, 10-3 lead.

Jon Syta won the penultimate frame for Nuthouse and Dave Sparey completed his hat-trick to make the score a more respectable, 10-5 with Craig Jones the only other frame winner for Nuthouse in what he described as a poor performance by them.

Despite losing themselves, Eltham Terrace Rovers have closed the gap between them and Nuthouse to just one point.

Rovers three match unbeaten run was halted by Falconwood Social, who were one place and nine points behind Rovers and only had one other win all season and that was against Rovers.

Falconwood got out of the blocks the quickest and took the first set, 4-1 before repeating that score in the second set to have the match won, with an unassailable, 8-2 lead by the end of the set.

The last set was also won, 4-1 but it was Rovers who fought back to make the score a more creditable, 9-6.

If it wasn’t for Chris Hobbis winning a frame in each set, Rovers may not have been in a position to make a comeback at all.

Falconwood’s other team, Falconwood Club also won, 9-6 to inflict Bellegrove’s ninth defeat of the season.

The match could have gone either way as it was poised at five all after the first two sets but Falconwood nicked the last set, 3-2 for the victory.

Barry Barham won both of his frames but Declan Kelly went one better with all three for the victors.

Hustlers A stay second after a, 12-3 victory over Crayford Social Club Rugrats, which leaves them ten points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Bellegrove Social Club made it eleven out of eleven to go fifteen points clear at the top of SLKPA Division One and break 100 points, with an, 11-4 win over Foots Cray Social Club.

It was a great all round team performance, with Steve Pearce and Steve Knight both scoring unbeaten hat-tricks and Dave Jandu and Tony Hodsdon each winning both their frames, with Hodsdon making a superb clearance to win the match.

Third played second as Glenmore Arms played hosts to CSC Mr’s & Miss Q’s and it was the third placed team who raced to an early, 4-1 lead but CSC took the next set, 3-2 to bring it back to, 6-4 in Glenmore’s favour.

However, some excellent tactical and attacking play gave Glenmore the final set, 4-1 for an overall, 10-5 triumph to put them on the same points as their opponents but they stay in third with one less win.

AJ Corker and Alastair Ladd were the inspiration for the victory, both winning all three of their frames.

Eltham Terrace Rack Pack turned on the style to leapfrog their opponents, Bellegrove A and go five points ahead of them.

Bellegrove seemed to be still feeling the effects of the festivities, as Rack Pack racked up the first ten frames, securing the match but they woke up in the final set, with Terry Mitchell, Steve Hughes and John Skuza, winning his first competitive frame since his stroke in April, all winning to take the final set, 3-2 making the final score, 12-3.

All five of Rack Pack’s players were in great form, with Dan O’Rourke, Steve Unwin and Fred O’Connor all winning two of their three frames but Tony Frost and Graham Levingbird went one better with hat-tricks.

Royal Oak Addicks put their poor form behind them to win the first two sets against North Heath Social Club by 3 frames to 2 and they won the first frame of the last set for a, 7-4 lead.

North Heath dug deep and won the next three frames to tie the match at seven all,sending it into a final frame decider, which Captain, Paul Baker secured for an overall, 8-7 triumph, to give them a 25 point lead over their opponents.

With Sharks having a week off it was up to the chasing pack to close the gap on the unbeaten Division Two leaders.

Fox & Hounds currently lead that pack and were 24 points behind Sharks before facing Bellegrove Flyers, who were in third place themselves.

The match was as close as the one place between them, with each set being won by the odd frame, 3-2.

Fox took the first and Flyers the second, making the score five all going into the final set, which Flyers looked like winning after taking the first two frames but Fox won the next two to send the match into a final frame decider.

Flyers Captain, Keith Smith faced Les Ryan and it was Ryan who held his nerve to win the final frame and give his team the, 8-7 victory to narrow the gap between them and Sharks to sixteen points.

Both teams finished the night with an unbeaten player, Keith Mitchell for Flyers and Fox’s Clive Forrest, both scoring three out of three.

Making the most of Sharks free week were Rose Inn, who recorded a, 10-5 triumph over Plumstead Radical Club to go above Flyers into third, by just two points.

Radical looked to be building on their first win of the season, before Christmas when they took the first three frames but Rose recovered and reeled off the next nine frames to take the match.

Frames thirteen and fourteen were won by Radical Club, making the score, 9-5 in Rose Inn’s favour, before they took the last frame for a final, 10-5 score line.

Will Turpin won his only frame for Rose, with team mate Neil Mundy going one better with an unbeaten brace.

Academicals recorded their third victory of the season with their own, 10-5 victory over bottom team Greyhound Elite.

The first two sets went in Academicals favour but only just, by 3 frames to 2 each time but they notched it up in the final set, taking it, 4-1.

Nick Morris was the only unbeaten player on the night, winning all three of his frames.

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.