Still five unbeaten teams in SLKPA

Up until this week there were three teams in the top division that were unbeaten, but Hotshots hosted Sharks, so something had to give. 

This was a game between two closely matched teams, so it was always going to be a good game. 

Hotshots started the better, with Ryan Francis and Danny Kelleher winning the first two frames however, Jeff Laporte, Bruno Silva and Eno Idiong won the next three frames for Sharks to give them a, 3-2 lead.

Idiong made it two in a row to extend Sharks’ lead, then the next three frames swung one way then the other resulting in a two all draw in the set by frame nine. 

Kelleher won the tenth to give Hotshots the set and tie the match at, 5-5. 

Tony Wilson and George Treen won the first two frames of the last set to put Hotshots on the hill. 

Rahat Munim stopped Hotshots from achieving the win however, Francis and Richard Chapman took the last two frames to give Hotshots a, 9-6 triumph. 

This match was so close that there were no unbeaten players, which is unusual for these two teams. 

Despite the loss Sharks stay in fourth, seventeen points behind their opponents and league leaders, although they do have a game in hand. 

The other unbeaten side in the division, Bull Tavern have closed the gap between them and Hotshots to just one point, after their massive, 12-3 triumph over Falconwood Club. 

Falconwood couldn’t follow up their first win of the season with another and drop one place to ninth, four points ahead of Rugrats at the bottom. 

Rugrats poor start to the season continued, as they remain winless after being thrashed by Bellegrove this week. 

James Couch, Dec Kelly and Barry Barham got Bellegrove off to a perfect start, winning the opening three frames for the set. 

Steve Gibson prevented the set whitewash, but the night went from bad to worse for Rugrats, as Bellegrove won all the remaining eleven frames, for a, 14-1 victory. 

Peter Whyte joined Couch, Kelly, and Barham in the winner’s circle, with all four scoring hat-tricks. 

Rugrats are on the bottom and the only winless team in the division, whereas Bellegrove are in third, five points behind Bull Tavern. 

Pickwick made it two wins in a row with a, 10-5 triumph over Bellegrove A, which actually lifts the latter one point and one place above Falconwood in eighth. 

Pickwick stay sandwiched between New Eltham New Stars and The Cocked Hats, in sixth after they played each other this week, with Cocked Hats winning, 10-5 to reduce the gap between the three teams to three points. 

The two unbeaten teams in SLKPA Division One are, Terry’s Allstars and Duke of Northumberland, who are first and third, with eight points between them. 

Allstars didn’t have a game but Duke were playing Bears, who were one place and five points behind them. 

Last time the Duke travelled to the Bears in the summer league, they were well and truly beaten 14-1, so they went into this game looking for a big improvement.  

They made the start they wanted with John Cochrane winning a tight first frame.  

In the second, the Duke appeared to be heading into a, 2-0 lead with Phil Tworek clearing up off a dry break however, after potting a good long black, the white flicked a yellow and went in to the pocket to cost him the frame. 

The Bears then won the next two to establish a, 3-1 lead and from there the Duke were always playing catch up.  

By the end of the second set, the Bears had developed a, 6-4 lead and that soon became, 7-4 when Paul Cobbold won frame eleven.  

But the Duke dug deep to pull back into the game as, Sam Kinsville started the comeback with a clearance from a dry break, and Dave Avery and Tworek won the next two frames to tie the match at seven all.  

Paul Clements managed to grab the last frame to complete the comeback and give the Duke an, 8-7 triumph.  

Avery and Cochrane were the only unbeaten players for the Duke winning both of their frames and they were joined by Bears’ Cobbold who also won two out of two. 

It was a fantastically hard-fought match played in good spirit.

These two teams stay in third and fourth, but Eltham Terrace Nuthouse extend their lead over Duke by one point after a, 9-6 victory over Bellegrove Flyers this week. 

This means Flyers poor start to the season continues as they remain winless. 

The final game in this division was a battle at the bottom as the other two winless teams, Fox & Hounds and Eltham Terrace Rack Pack faced each other with one point between them, so something had to give. 

Rack Pack took the first set with Shaun Hammond, Chris Parlett and Tony Frost winning the first three frames without reply. 

Kerry Wyatt prevented the set whitewash, before Andy Mounger took the last frame of the set to give Rack Pack a, 4-1 first set lead. 

The second set was much closer, with the first four frames being shared, then Frost won the decider to put Rack Pack on the hill, at 7-3. 

Frost made it two in a row to record his hat-trick and give his team the match. 

Fox’s Alan Dolan won frame twelve, but that would be their last frame, as Rack Pack won the last three frames for an overall, 11-4 final score.

Alan Dolan and Kerry Wyatt were the saviours for Fox, both winning two of their three frames to score all their team’s four frames between them.

Frost was joined by teammate Mounger on an unbeaten hat-trick. 

Rack Pack were bottom, but this first win of the season lifts them above Fox and Flyers into fifth, six points ahead of Fox at the bottom and three points ahead of Flyers. 

New Eltham New Boys unbeaten run continued with an 11-4 away victory against Famhouse, which takes the only unbeaten side in the second division to the top of the table. 

They are now six points ahead of Downham Tavern Terrors, who didn’t have a game this week. 

Academicals stay third, one point behind Terrors after sending Bexleyheath Working Men’s Club to the bottom with a, 10-5 triumph. 

The Con Men lift themselves off the bottom after picking up their first win in the SLKPA, a narrow 8-7 victory over Bell Ya Later. 

This division looks like going right down to the wire, as only ten points separate second from seventh and New Boys are only six points clear at the top. 

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.