SLKPA hits the hallway point

 

Sharks are the Elite League leaders, having lost only one match all season they have a two-point lead at the top.

 

This week they travelled to Bellegrove, who were in fourth, five points behind their opponents. 

 

This was a hard-fought match and every bit as close as the, 2-1 & 8-7 score suggests, with every set being won, 3-2 and two of those going to a final frame decider. 

 

Dan Heinink took the first frame for Bellegrove, but Sharks battled back with Rahat Munim and Eno Idiong putting Sharks in the lead. 

 

Dan Foley equalised sending the set into a deciding frame, which Vu Son won to give Sharks a, 3-2 lead. 

 

Vu Son played the first frame of the second set, extending his team’s lead and that was quickly followed by Idiong making it, 5-2. 

 

James Couch stopped the rot for Bellegrove, but Munim secured the set with frame nine, before Dec Kelly pulled another back for Bellegrove, making it, 6-4. 

 

Some good fortune had helped Sharks along the way and there was some excellent pool from both teams. 

 

Soon the bonus point slipped away from Bellegrove, as Sharks won two of the first three in third set, making the overall score, 2-0 & 8-5 in Sharks favour. 

 

An error from Munim in the penultimate frame left Couch a long pot to clear his last few balls and tie the set. 

 

After an in off from a snooker by Naf Ayieko, Bellegrove Captain, Barry Barham cleared well to secure the point they thought they deserved. 

 

In this extremely close affair, there was only one unbeaten player, Idiong winning all three of his frames. 

 

After being in the top four all season, Bellegrove drop to sixth however, they are only four points behind second and seven behind their opponents. 

 

The two teams chasing Sharks were playing each other this week and it was a very close game between third placed Terry’s Allstars and Pickwick in second, with each set being won by the odd frame, 3-2. 

 

Pickwick took an early, 2-0 lead, but Nick Steadman pulled one back, before Paul Gafa secured the set with the fourth frame. 

 

Tony Halpin won frame five to bring Allstars back to within one. 

 

Richie Mitchell tied the match in frames at three all, then the second set swung one way then the other, including a break and dish from Derek Power in frame eight, before Steadman took the deciding frame to level the match. 

 

One all and five all going into the final set and Pickwick took the initiative with Jamie Davis and Paul Dawson winning to leave their team one frame away from victory and the bonus point. 

 

However, Allstars weren’t going down without a fight and Halpin and Dean Passer both won to set up a final frame decider. 

 

Steadman on two out of two faced Martin Storey, who hadn’t won a frame yet this evening and the frame went true to form, with Steadman recording his hat-trick to give his side the narrow, 2-1 & 8-7 triumph. 

 

Pickwick felt it was tough on them as they thought they were the better team all night, but just couldn’t get over the finish line. 

 

Steadman was the star for Allstars winning all three of his frames and Derek Power was also unbeaten with a break and dish in his only frame, whilst Dawson was the pick of the Pickwick, also scoring a hat-trick. 

 

Before this match Pickwick were ahead by one point however, this result has leapfrogged Allstars above them by one point. 

 

Hotshots have risen one place from fifth after a massive victory over Falconwood Club this week. 

 

Hotshots were on fire against the bottom team, winning each set, 4-1 for maximum points and a, 3-0 & 12-3 triumph. 

 

The first set started okay with Hotshots’ Ryan Francis taking the first frame and Akar Necati the second for Falconwood. 

 

However, Hotshots pushed on from there, with Alex and Oliver Lawrence and Richard Chapman taking the last three frames of the set. 

 

The second set went exactly the same way as the first, with all of the same players winning in the same places. 

 

This gave Hotshots an, 8-2 lead, the match and the bonus point before set three. 

 

Francis and Danny Kelliher put Hotshots into double figures with the first two frames of the third set. 

 

This time Jamie White prevented the set whitewash, before Hotshots took the last two frames. 

 

There was a hat-trick of hat-trick heroes for Hotshots, with Francis, Chapman and Alex Lawrence all winning three frames. 

 

This has left Falconwood winless at the halfway stage with four points at the bottom of the table however, New Eltham New Stars are only one point above them after they were thrashed, 3-0 & 13-2 by The Cocked Hats. 

 

Cocked Hats were one place ahead of their opponents, although there was a seven point gap, but they have now gone up one place, one point ahead of Bellegrove and eleven points clear of their opponents. 

 

Also winless at the bottom of SLKPA Tier Two West are the newest team in the league, Downham Tavern Terrors and they went to top of the table, Eltham Terrace Nuthouse this week. 

 

The first two frames were shared, but Nuthouse’s experience showed, with Leighton Aston, Dave Sparey and Jon Syta taking the next three frames for a, 4-1 first set lead. 

 

Elise Norris pulled a frame back for the Terrors however Nuthouse’s dominance continued, taking the remaining four frames of the set to win the match and secure the bonus point before the start of the third set. 

 

Paul Doherty made it five in a row for Nuthouse, with frame eleven to make the overall score, 9-2. 

 

Despite already losing the match, Terrors stunned the league leaders with, Tommy Bowden, Graham Spearman, and John Hartfield stringing three frames together to take the set and earn a point. 

 

Craig Jones took the final frame for Nuthouse making the final score, 2-1 & 10-5. 

 

It was a fantastic team performance from Nuthouse, with Trevor Biggs, Aston and Jones all winning two frames and Sparey being successful in his only frame. 

 

However, credit must go to Terrors for continuing to fight, despite already losing the match to steal a point. 

 

Terrors are now eight points behind Farmhouse, after they had to share the points against Gun Pit. 

 

Farmhouse got off to a fantastic start, winning the first three frames to take the set without reply. 

 

Charlie Mehmet and Steve Clark clawed it back for Gun Pit with frames four and five to bring it back to, 3-2. 

 

Barrie Blake extended Farmhouse’s lead however, Lionel White and Enis Dogungun levelled the score at four all in frames and put Gun Pit, 2-1 ahead in the set. 

 

John Denahy tied the set, before Nick Brown won the deciding frame of the set to give Farmhouse a, 2-0 & 6-4 lead. 

 

Gun Pit didn’t let that stop them and they whitewashed the final set to make the overall score an unusual, 2-1 to Farmhouse in sets but, 9-6 to Gun Pit in frames. 

  

Gun Pit were in fourth, but they swapped places with New Eltham New Boys after they beat third placed Academicals, 2-1 & 8-7. 

 

Academicals stay in third, but they are only one point ahead of both New Boys and Gun Pit and five points behind Bellegrove A in second. 

 

Jack Taylor and Peter Moult got Bellegrove off to a great start, winning the opening two frames against Fox & Hounds. 

 

Alan Dolan pulled one back for Fox, before Bellegrove skipper, John Skuza secured the first set. 

 

Fox Captain, Kerry Wyatt took frame five to bring her side back to within a frame. 

 

Bellegrove increased their lead to, 4-2, but Fox fought hard, and Glen Ward and Dolan won frames seven and eight to level the frame score.

 

Like the first set, the last two frames went to the skippers, making the score, 1-1 & 5-5 at the end of the second. 

 

Bellegrove seized the initiative at the beginning of the third, with Georgina Mossom taking frame eleven and Skuza scoring his hat-trick. 

 

Another hat-trick followed, with Dolan pulling one back for Fox, but Petrina Pearce gave Bellegrove the match with frame fourteen. 

 

After winning the first frame, Taylor brought it full circle with the last frame to bring up his hat-trick and make the final score, 2-1 & 9-6. 

 

Bellegrove and Nuthouse have the same, win/loss record, but Nuthouse have a two-point lead over the second placed team. 

 

Bears and Duke of Northumberland stay top of SLKPA Tier Two East, despite the game between them being declared null and void, meaning they are the only two unbeaten teams in the league. 

 

Bears were top, but the two swapped places this week, despite having 22 points each. 

 

Fifth placed Bell Ya Later travelled to Bears and Reece Stewart got them off to a good start, winning the first frame however, that would be the only frame of the set, as Bears took the other four for a, 4-1 lead. 

 

Bell Ya Later came back in the second, relying on the belles, Angie Hobbs, Jade Holmes, and Joanna Williams to bring the set home and make the score, 1-1 & 6-4. 

 

This built up the tension for the final set and it would be the team who wanted it more who would take it. 

 

On the night that was Bears, who matched the first set score, 4-1 to win the match, 2-1 & 10-5. 

 

Duke hosted bottom team Bexleyheath Working Men’s Club and the result was never in doubt with Duke thrashing them, 3-0 & 13-2. 

 

That extra point and extra frames were even more important, as Duke are only above Bears by two frames won. 

 

Leading the chasing pack, who have all played one game less than the top two, are Bellegrove Flyers, who are now five points behind the leaders after beating fourth placed Rugrats. 

 

Rugrats got off to a flyer against the Flyers, with Ashley Hewson and Steve Gibson taking the first two frames. 

 

Flyers fought back and Richard Marsh and Alan Boltwood tied the match, before Mark Porter won the deciding frame of the set to give Flyers a, 3-2 first set lead. 

 

The damage was done in the second set, with Flyers winning the first four frames of the set, making it seven in a row to give them the set and the match. 

 

Aaron Shephard won frame ten to prevent the set whitewash and bring Rugrats back to, 7-3 overall. 

 

Jay Arnold secured the bonus point for Flyers with the first frame of the final set. 

 

The next two frames were shared, giving Flyers a, 2-1 lead in the set and they looked set for maximum points. 

 

However, Rugrats had other ideas and Dylan Suggars and Steve Gibson won the last two frames to give them the set and a point. 

 

It was a real team effort from Flyers, with three unbeaten players, Peter Gray winning his only frame, Alan Boltwood scoring a brace, and Richard Marsh ending on a hat-trick. 

This result keeps Flyers in third, but Rugrats drop to fourth, after Eltham Terrace Rack Pack overtook them. 

 

Rack Pack hosted Hurricane Hustlers, who only had the bare five players available. 

 

Chris Parlett got Rack Pack off to a good start before Lee Carmen won his first frame for Hurricanes, with a well-played frame against Tony Frost to level things. 

 

Rack Pack took the next two frames and the first set, which included an impressive finish from James Cooke.  

 

Kevin England sneaked a very tight frame five to reduce the score to 3-2.

 

Rack Pack came flying out of the traps to take the first three frames of the second set, but Hurricanes fought back with good frames from Alfie Southby and Carmen, once more making it 3-2 in the set.

 

Hurricanes were,6-4 down, but they started the final set strong, securing the first three frames through Joe Kane, Southby and Carnen, who completed a brilliant hat-trick on the night.

 

Hustlers had a point on the board and were looking to share the points, but unfortunately it was not to be, with Frost winning a tight frame and Parlett showing his experience to win the decider against Michelle Brown.

 

In a game that could have gone either way, Rack Pack eventually came out, 2-1 & 8-7 winners in a match that was played in a great spirit by both teams. 

 

Rack Pack are on the same points as Rugrats but go above them with one more victory. 

 

This puts both teams five points behind Flyers in third, whereas Hurricanes are four points ahead of Bexleyheath at the bottom. 

 

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 always looking at potential sponsors and any interested parties can also contact Paul Gafa.