After fourteen weeks of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance winter season, the lower divisions league seasons have finished, with all the promotions, relegations and champions decided. 

 

In the first division all the excitement came in the middle of the table, as Terry’s Allstars and Eltham Terrace Nuthouse were already promoted and Fox & Hounds and Eltham Terrace Rack Pack had been relegated. 

 

This left three teams, Bears, Duke of Northumberland and Bellegrove Flyers battling it out for the promotion play-off place and the remaining relegation spot, with only eight points separating the teams. 

 

Bears were in pole position for the promotion play-off spot, but they had the toughest task with a trip to unbeaten champions, Terry’s Allstars.

 

This was Allstars closest game of the season, with each set being won by the odd frame, 3-2. 

 

Bears had the better start, with Gary Heath winning the opening frame, but Phil O’Kane and Derek Power won the next two frames, before Shane Burnett tied the match at two all. 

 

The set decider was between Allstars’ Paul Cook and Jeff Bailey from Bears, and it was Cook who edged it to put his team, 3-2 ahead. 

 

Heath equalised with frame six however, Allstars won the next three frames to double their tally. 

 

Bailey made amends for his first set defeat to bring his team back to, 6-4.

 

Tony Halpin, with his only frame and Power won the first two frames of the third set to give Allstars the match. 

 

Dean James won his frame to pull one back for Bears, before the last two frames were shared making the final score, 9-6. 

 

Power and Cook were the inspiration behind Allstars twelfth victory of the season, winning all three of their frames to help their team win the title, 25 points ahead of their nearest rivals. 

 

Bears six points from this match put them on 93, thirteen and fourteen ahead of Flyers and Duke respectively. 

 

Arguably, Flyers had the easiest route, as they hosted Rack Pack.

 

Despite already being relegated, Rack Pack put up an incredible display, taking the first set, 4-1, winning the first four frames before Bears replied. 

 

The second set was much closer, swinging one way then the other, with the first four frames being shared. 

 

The deciding frame of the set was a repeat of frame five, with Jay Arnold beating Chris Parlett to pull his team back to, 6-4 overall. 

 

This inspired Flyers and Peter Gray, John Ufuoma and Richard Marsh made it four in a row to take the lead for the first time in the match. 

 

Rack Pack’s John Ly won the penultimate frame to tie the match at seven all and send it into a final frame decider. 

 

This was played between the two Captains, Arnold and Rack Pack’s Steve Unwin and it was Arnold who secured his hat-trick and his team’s victory, 8-7. 

 

Flyers scored eight points from this match to put them on 88, five points behind Bears and nine points ahead of Duke, with their game to go. 

 

Duke hosted Nuthouse, who were already promoted but despite being in the promotion places most of the season, Duke were now sitting in a relegation spot. 

 

Nuthouse had the better start, winning the opening two frames, but Duke fought back and won the last three frames of the set to take it, 3-2. 

 

The second set was just as close, with the first four frames being shared to send it into another set deciding frame, which Duke won again for an overall, 6-4 lead. 

 

Trevor Biggs pulled one back for Nuthouse, but Phil Tworek won the next frame to put Duke on the hill. 

 

Nuthouse weren’t lying down though, and Leighton Aston and Jon Syta won the next two frames to tie the match at seven all. 

 

The deciding frame went to Paul Clements to give Duke the, 8-7 triumph however, it wasn’t enough to prevent relegation, losing out by one point. 

 

So, Bears secured the promotion play-off spot, Flyers keep their place in Division One and Duke join Rack Pack and Fox & Hounds in being relegated. 

 

The top three in SLKPA Division Two, Academicals, New Eltham New Boys and Downham Tavern Terrors, had all already secured promotion, but we still had to decide who finished where and more importantly which team would be crowned champions. 

 

Academicals were top, four points ahead of New Boys and thirteen in front of Terrors and they were due to travel to bottom team, The Con Men. 

 

However, The Con Men couldn’t field a side and handed Academicals a walkover, 12-0 victory, keeping them in pole position. 

 

New Boys also had an away fixture, against third from bottom Bexleyheath Working Men’s Club, which went true to form, with New Boys winning, 9-6. 

 

This took them seven points behind Academicals, with Terrors game to go. 

 

In a strange twist of fate Terrors also played one of the bottom three, Farmhouse and Terrors dominated this match from beginning to end, winning the first two sets, 4-1 to take the match before the start of the final set. 

 

Alan Rossborough and Tommy Bowden won the first two frames of the last set to secure their hat-tricks and put their side into double figures.

 

Farmhouse won two of the last three frames to make the final score, 11-4. 

 

As well as Rossborough and Bowden, Peter Davies was also unbeaten, winning both of his frames. 

 

Unfortunately for Terrors the eleven points they earned for this game wasn’t enough to catch the other two teams, falling seven points short of New Boys.  

 

However, earning promotion, after finishing behind champions Academicals and New Boys in their first winter season is a fantastic achievement. 

 

Now that the first and second division have been completed, those teams have the League Cup to look forward to. 

 

In the SLKPA Premier Division, there was a top of the table clash between the top two, as Hotshots travelled to Sharks and it didn’t start well for the league leaders, going 2-1 down for the third game in a row. 

 

That almost became 3-1 when Bruno Silva looked to be taking out a difficult clearance, but he just missed the black and Hotshots Captain, Neil Hall cleared up to make it, 2-2. 

 

Frame five was a tactical battle between Hotshots’ Danny Kelliher and Vu Son from Sharks, with Kelliher taking it to put his side, 3-2 ahead. 

 

Hotshots played some wonderful pool in the second set, whitewashing it to extend their lead to, 8-2 and win the match before the start of the last set. 

 

Ryan Francis made it, 9-2 with a fabulous break and dish and Joe Kelly almost extended Hotshots lead even further but rattled his last ball, allowing Silva to clear and bring it back to, 9-3. 

 

Richard Chapman put Hotshots into double figures and Tony Wilson scored another hat-trick to put them even further ahead. 

 

Kelliher was looking to follow suit in the final frame however, Rahat Munim had other ideas, taking it to pull the score back to, 11-4. 

 

Hotshots are now fourteen games unbeaten this season and are four games away from going the whole season without losing. 

 

They are now sixteen points ahead of Sharks, who drop to third after Bull Tavern had a comprehensive, 11-4 victory over second bottom Falconwood Club to go one point ahead of Sharks. 

 

Just above Falconwood are Rugrats, who recorded a great victory against fourth placed Bellegrove. 

 

The first two frames were shared, then Rugrats won the remaining three frames of the set for a, 4-1 lead. 

 

Ashley Hewson and Dylan Suggars won the first two frames of the second set, making it five in a row to extend their lead to, 6-1. 

 

Bellegrove started to battle back and won the remaining three frames of the set to end it only, 6-4 behind. 

 

Dec Kelly won frame eleven to bring Bellegrove to within one frame however, Suggars and Jimmy Maloney won the next two frames to give Rugrats the unexpected victory. 

 

The last two frames were shared making the final score, 9-6. 

 

Rugrats are now five points ahead of Falconwood and Bellegrove are fifteen points behind Sharks. 

 

Pickwick had the biggest win of the week, 14-1 against bottom team Bellegrove A to go into fifth place, eight points behind Bellegrove. 

 

Three points behind Pickwick were New Eltham New Stars and The Cocked Hats, who faced each other this week, with New Stars running out, 10-5 winners to go five points ahead of their opponents and six behind Pickwick. 

 

With only four games left to play in the Premier Division, only New Stars, Bellegrove, Bellegrove A and Bull Tavern can stop Hotshots from being unbeatable, just as Allstars have done in the first division this season.

 

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.