Turn up for the book in Tier Three

 

Greyhound had won all five of their games so far and this week they faced third placed Royal Oak, who like Greyhound are in their first season in the SLKPA and doing very well. 

 

Royal Oak were five points behind their opponents, but they reduced that to just one point with their, 3-0 & 11-4 triumph. 

 

Even more happy than Royal Oak were New Eltham New Boys, as they remain two points ahead of Greyhound at the top of the table, without even playing this week. 

 

The two teams at the bottom of Tier Three, Real Hustlers and Bexleyheath Working Man’s Club met with Bexleyheath seven points clear of their opponents, but Hustlers 2-1 & 10-5 victory reduced that gap to five points, although Bexleyheath do have a game in hand. 

 

This division is literally split in two, with the top three battling for promotion and separated by three points and the bottom two fighting to avoid the wooden spoon.

 

There is a similar split in both of the Tier Two divisions. 

 

In Tier Two East the top three are separated by five points, while there is a two point gap between the bottom three. 

 

Top of the table, New Eltham New Stars played second from bottom Rugrats Guardians and the gulf between the two teams showed, as New Stars whitewashed the first set, 5-0 and they went on to win the first eight frames to have the match won before the end of the second set. 

 

Steve King prevented the second set whitewash, but New Stars won frame ten for a, 9-1 lead going into the final set. 

 

Martin Hart got Guardians off to a positive start in the last set, but New Stars won the next three frames to take maximum points, before Aaron Shephard took the final frame to make the overall score, 3-0 & 12-3. 

 

New Stars had three unbeaten stars to thank for their emphatic win, with Jeff Schofield winning his only frame and Dave Jandu and Paul Carroll both scoring hat-tricks. 

 

This result increases New Stars’ lead at the top to four points over Rose Inn, as they had to share the points with bottom team Fox & Hounds, who leapfrogged Guardians as a result. 

 

The first two sets were incredibly close, swinging one way then the other, and both went to a deciding frame, with Fox Captain, Kerry Wyatt leading from the front to win both and give her team a, 2-0 & 6-4 lead. 

 

Fox may have won the match, but the bonus point was still up for grabs and Rose won it in style, whitewashing the final set, to make the final score, 2-1 to Fox in sets and 9-6 to Rose in frames, giving both sides two points. 

 

Fox are now just one point behind fourth placed Just Bellegrove, who played Duke of Northumberland this week. 

 

Bellegrove only had four players and this proved decisive, as they took a, 2-1 lead but Duke were given the fourth frame and Phil Tworek won the set decider. 

 

In the second set Duke took a, 2-1 lead but Keith Smith equalised and Bellegrove handed Duke the set and the match with the tenth frame bye. 

 

The first two frames of the final set were shared, giving Bellegrove hope of stealing a point however, Duke won the last three frames for an overall, 3-0 & 10-5 victory. 

 

Tworek went on to win all three of his frames and he was joined by team mate Paul Clements. 

 

Duke are now in third, just one point behind Rose Inn and have opened up a seven point gap between themselves and Bellegrove. 

 

In SLKPA Tier Two West the divide comes between the top four and the bottom two, with Bellegrove A twelve points ahead of Academicals. 

 

Crayford A helped to make that separation so large by beating Academicals, 3-0 & 10-5 putting them in second place as a result. 

 

First played second as Rugrats faced Eltham Terrace Rack Pack Rovers, and it was an incredibly close match, with all three sets being won by the odd frame, 3-2. 

 

Rugrats won the opening two frames, but Rack Pack Rovers tied the match, before Josh Page won the set for Rugrats. 

 

Chris Parlett equalised for Rack Pack Rovers, but Rugrats took the next three frames, which included a break and dish from Steve Gibson, to win the second set and take a, 6-3 lead. 

 

Ernie Wellhausen made it, 6-4 but Dafydd Ruffell and Ashley Hewson won frames eleven and twelve to give Rugrats the bonus point. 

 

Rack Pack Rovers tied the set at two frames all, but Page worked his magic again, securing the final set for Rugrats to give them the, 3-0 & 9-6 victory. 

 

Parlett won both of his frames for Rack Pack Rovers, but Rugrats’ Hewson went one better with a hat-trick. 

 

Crayford’s win and Rack Pack Rovers loss puts them one point and one place ahead. 

 

Sea the Angles picked up their first win of the season, but they had to share the points with Bellegrove A. 

 

Donna Mullins got Sea the Angles off to a great start, winning the first frame and she was joined by Angie Hobbs in frame three. 

 

Unfortunately for them Bellegrove won frames two and four to tie the set at two all, but Jo Williams took the set decider to give Sea the Angles the first set, 3-2. 

 

Bellegrove pulled it back to, 3-3 but Hobbs, Mullins and Dan Brown made it three in a row for Sea the Angles, to give them the second set and a, 6-3 lead.

 

It then went drastically downhill for Sea the Angles, as Bellegrove won five frames on the bounce to take the final set and steal the bonus point by going, 8-6 up. 

 

Williams won the final frame to give Sea the Angles a, 2-1 victory in sets but Bellegrove scored more frames, 8-7. 

 

Sea the Angles feel that their season has finally started and that the best is yet to come, as they welcome back Danny Campbell after a break from the game. 

 

Bellegrove A stay in fourth on the same points as Rack Pack Rovers, with these two and Crayford having the same five wins from eight matches record however, there is only one point between the three teams and Rugrats have a five point lead at the top. 

 

The top two played each other in the SLKPA Elite League and Hotshots have increased their lead over Bull Tavern to four points, with an imperious, 3-0 & 13-2 triumph.

 

Foxy Meatballs closed the gap between them and Bull to two points, but they had to share the points with second from bottom, Pickwick. 

 

The first set was a whitewash, with Pickwick shocking Meatballs, 5-0 but Pickwick hit the self-destruct button, throwing frames away from winning positions and they only won three more frames in the match, giving Meatballs a, 2-1 set victory, with Pickwick picking up the bonus point, 8-7. 

 

Adam Hewson won both of his frames for Meatballs, but Pickwick’s Paul Gafa went one better, winning all three of his frames and he was supported by Ash Hall, who won two of his three frames on his return after two seasons out. 

 

Pickwick are now six points ahead of Falconwood Club, after they won only their second game of the season against Eltham Terrace Club A. 

 

Falconwood were, 2-0 up when Ian Stringer secured the first set with an incredible finish on the black. 

 

A red was covering the black into one corner pocket, so he lined up and cannoned the black off another red near the same pocket, across the top rail into the other corner pocket

 

After nine months in Australia, Tony Garrett returned to the team and remembered how to hold a cue, making it, 4-0 with a lovely long black. 

 

Barry Barham prevented the first set whitewash and Billy Levingbird made it two in a row to halve the deficit, but Akar Necati and Stringer increased it to four frames again making it, 6-2. 

 

Dave Rawlinson tied the set for Terrace, but Brett Crawley won the set decider, giving Falconwood the second set and a, 7-3 lead. 

 

Necati secured the bonus point in frame eleven, with his third frame win of the night, but Terrace won the other four frames in the set to make the score a more respectable, 2-1 & 8-7. 

 

It was a very good performance by Falconwood, with every player chipping in with at least one frame win. 

 

Eltham Terrace Club A are joined by Sharks on 15 points, after they beat Eltham Terrace Nuthouse however, they remain one place behind them, with one less win. 

 

Sharks won the first two frames, but Nuthouse equalised before Jeff Laporte put Sharks back in the lead. 

 

Sharks made it four in a row with the first three frames of the second set to take the match and go 6-2 up, but Nuthouse brought it back to 6-4 by the end of the set. 

 

Paul Cook and Louis Wilbourne won frames eleven and twelve to give Nuthouse their own four frames on the bounce and tie the match at 6-6. 

 

With the bonus point still in the balance, Rahat Munim nudged Sharks back into the lead, but Shane O’Reilly took the penultimate frame to give Nuthouse the set and tie the match again. 

 

Previously unbeaten Jon Syta faced Laporte in the final frame decider and it was Laporte who repeated his heroics from the first set to bring the bonus point home for Sharks, with the match finishing, 2-1 & 8-7. 

 

Given how tight the match was, it was no surprise that there was only one unbeaten player, Wilbourne who won his only frame. 

 

Nuthouse stay in fourth, one place and one point ahead of Terrace.

 

With only nine points between first and sixth, points are at a premium in this division and everything is still to play for. 

 

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.