This week saw the start of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance Summer 2018 season and all the successful teams in Tier Two West have started with a bang. The most impressive result came at Crayford Social Club, where Rugrats were comprehensively beaten, 3-0 & 13-2 by Rose Inn.

Rugrats didn’t do themselves any favours by only having four players, but Rose Inn were awesome, winning the first eight frames to take the bonus point with no reply.

Leighton Aston and Dean Greaney-Parr both played well but they couldn’t match Jack Wilson, who won all three of his frames, including a break and dish.

Neil Mundy and Lewis Hearn also scored three out of three but were assisted by Rugrats lack of numbers, with Mundy playing one frame and Hearn two.

Woolwich Wolfpack also earned a huge, 3-0 & 13-2 triumph against Bellegrove Superstars.

The Superstars didn’t quite live up to their name, sandwiching a, 5-0 whitewash in set two with, 4-1 defeats in sets one and three.

In the remaining game in the division, Fox & Hounds had a great start against Sharks, with Glen Ward and Les Ryan taking the first two frames but Sharks won the next two to tie the match before Fox Captain, Kerry Wyatt won the set.

However, that was the last frame her team would win for the rest of the night, as Sharks took all of the next ten frames for an overall, 2-1 and 12-3 triumph.

Sharks had three players who finished on two out of two, Arif Salih, Vu Son and Eno Idiong but Rahat Munim went one better with an unbeaten hat-trick.

The matches in SLKPA Tier Two East were far closer, except for North Heath Social Club against Eltham Terrace Rack Pack, with North Heath running out, 3-0 & 11-4 winners.

Recently relegated Royal Oak suffered a shock, 2-1 & 8-7 narrow defeat to CSC Mr’s & Miss Q’s.

Royal Oak got off to the better start, taking the first set, 4-1 but CSC won the first three frames of the second set, to take it, before Royal Oak won the last two frames to take an overall, 6-4 lead into the final set.

The eleventh frame went to Royal Oak, but CSC fought hard and took the next three frames to tie the match at, 1-1 & 7-7 sending the match into a final frame decider.

Royal Oak’s Sam Kinsville took on Luke Matthews and it was Matthews who held his nerve to win the match for CSC.

Ross Webster, Tony Lees and James Coomber all won two out of three for CSC but Royal Oak had two unbeaten players, Phil Tworek and Paul Clements, winning both of their frames, with Clements including a break and dish.

It was a surprisingly close game between New Eltham and Bellegrove A but that may have been due to New Eltham not having enough players so had to draft in Sarah Rohan.

Bellegrove took the first set, 3-2 and New Eltham won the second set by the same score to make it all square going into the final set.

The first two frames went to Bellegrove and it looked like they were going to take it when Steve Hughes potted the black, only for the cue ball to go in as well.

New Eltham went on to win the last two frames for a hard earned, 2-1 & 8-7 victory.

Paul Elford and Barry Barham were New Eltham’s saviours, both winning all three of their frames, as did Jack Taylor on his debut for Bellegrove, with John Skuza also unbeaten with a brace.

SLKPA Tier Three is a massive mix of teams, with a couple of old teams mixed in with some newly formed, (experienced players making new teams) and some brand new teams to the league.

Joining the league at the last minute, just two days before the season started were Red Barn and they gave a good account of themselves against newly formed Bexleyheath Working Mans Club.

Bexleyheath narrowly took the first set, 3-2 but Red Barn came back with a, 4-1 triumph in the second set to go into the final set, 6-4 up.

Unfortunately for them Bexleyheath regrouped and won the final set, 4-1 for an overall, 2-1 & 8-7 victory.

Lord Kitchener were another brand new team to the SLKPA and they also put up a great fight against established side Happy Hustlers, with the scoring going exactly the same as the Red Barn match, as Hustlers took the first and third sets to secure a, 2-1 & 8-7 triumph.

Hustlers relied on Claire Stork and Matt Prince for the victory, as they were both unbeaten.

If Lord Kitchener and Red Barn continue like this, I’m sure they will pick up victories and have a good season.

The biggest win in the division came with two newly formed teams, Real Hustlers and New Eltham Social Club playing each other, with New Eltham trouncing Hustlers, 4-1, 3-2, 5-0 for an overall, 3-0 & 12-3 triumph.

Academicals had the better start against fellow stalwarts New Eltham Club, taking the first set, 3-2 but it all fell apart after that, with New Eltham winning both the remaining sets, 4-1 to finish the match, 2-1 & 10-5 victors.

The SLKPA Elite League looks to be the most competitive ever, with all teams capable of taking points off each other, on paper, so I predict there won’t be many points between top and bottom come August and the prize winning and relegation places will change hands repeatedly throughout the season.

The early leaders are Hustlers Simply Lovleh, who struggled during the winter season, narrowly avoiding the relegation play-off and they have lost some top quality players to a newly formed side.

However, they did pick up Adam Hewson, who along with Kevin Smith scored an unbeaten hat-trick in their, 3-0 & 12-3 drubbing of Pickwick and they were backed up by Clive Black, George Covington and Paul Donohoe, who all won two of their three frames.

The team Simply Lovleh lost some of their players to are newly formed Allstars and they had a tough first match against the champions of the previous two summer seasons and last winter season, Hotshots.

The champions won the first two frames but Allstars showed their quality and levelled it before Andre Cox won a tense set decider for Hotshots.

The first three frames of the second set went to Hotshots to give them a 2 set lead as well as a, 6-2 frame lead but Allstars again pulled it back taking the last two frames of the set to close the gap to, 6-4.

Richard Chapman completed his hat-trick to put Hotshots, 7-4 in front, needing just one for the bonus point but they had to wait until frame thirteen, when Tony Wilson also completed his hat-trick and put his team, 8-5 up.

This didn’t dishearten Allstars though and they won the last two frames to take the final set making the final score, 2-1 & 8-7 in Hotshots favour.

This was a great game of pool played by two top quality sides, with Hotshots being slightly stronger on the night and Allstars will continue to look towards Tony Halpin, Ritchie Mitchell and Stacy Redman for inspiration, after they all won two out of three this week. Eltham Terrace Nuthouse felt they didn’t get what they deserved in the derby against Eltham Terrace Club A, losing each set, 3-2 for an overall, 3-0 & 9-6 defeat.

Despite the loss three players won two of their three frames, Shane O’Reilly, who also performed a break and dish, Craig Jones, who recorded a dish from a dry break and Louis Wilbourne.

Eltham Terrace Club A looked to Dan Heinink for their inspiration, after he won all three of his frames.

Newly promoted Bellegrove Flyers gave the winter season’s Premier Division runners-up, Eltham Terrace Rovers a fright, after they won the first two sets, 3-2. However, Rovers experience showed and they whitewashed the final set, 5-0 to leave Flyers winners by 2 sets to 1 but Rovers got the bonus point by scoring 9 frames to Flyers 6.

Highlight of the night was recent SLKPA Masters champion, Ryan Francis’ break and dish in the third set.

All in all the first shared points result of the season was a fair outcome.

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