THE two heavyweight teams of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance met in the team knockout final last week in what proved to be a see-saw battle right down to the last ball on the table.
Championship winners The George IV A found themselves 3-2 down to Hotshots after the first set of five frames, but then bounced back with James Sheed producing a fine dish to level the scores at five frames apiece.
There was little to separate these teams in the league and the cup final was going to be no different.
Sheed again got The George's noses in front before Steve Krishnan and Rod Altes swung it back in Hotshots' favour.
With Naftali Ayieko missing an important ball, Charlie Mehmet had the chance to win it for Hotshots.
But after cutting a fine black in, the cue ball raced around two cushions and nestled in the corner pocket to make it 7-7 and ensure heartbreak for Hotshots.
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Craig Mallinder broke off the final frame for The George and embarked on an impressive clearance, only to miraculously snooker himself on the black.
Tony Bailey approached the table with the balls lying awkwardly and pulled off a cool and calculated clear up to land the cup 8-7 for Hotshots, much to the delight of his team mates.
Meanwhile, The Blue Anchor A played The Fox Under the Hill in the end of season play-off to see who would be playing premier league pool next season.
This game could never be called a classic, but it was a hard-fought, scrappy affair with the tone being set from the first frame when Allan Formosa from The Fox potted the black in mid-clearance, thus losing the frame.
The first set finished 3-2 to Blue Anchor and when they took the next two frames it looked like they were going to go all the way and keep their place in the top flight.
However, The Fox's Steve Cole, who was the only player to win all three frames on the night, pulled one back with Chris Gaunt also winning to make the score 5-4.
But The Blue Anchor were to win only one of the remaining six frames, giving The Fox Under the Hill an 8-6 victory, promotion, and a place in this winter's premier division.
New teams are always welcome into the league with the window now open for recruitment into the summer season.
Friendlies can easily be arranged for any new teams considering playing in the SLKPA on Thursday evenings.
For more information, visit slkpa.com or call Paul Gafa on 07753 926291.
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