Only one team left without a win in SLKPA

 

Bellegrove Flyers and Fox & Hounds were both winless sitting at the bottom of the first division with three points between them before this game, although Flyers did have a game in hand. 

 

It was Bellegrove who got off to a flyer, whitewashing the first set, 5-0 and Jason Brunton and Paul Thomas made it seven in a row with the first two frames of the second set. 

 

At the halfway stage Flyers were already on the hill, piling the misery on Fox, but they didn’t get disheartened, with Mel Barnes, Alan Dolan and Kerry Wyatt taking the last three frames of the set to win it and reduce the deficit to, 7-3. 

 

Neil Shelton made it four on the bounce for Fox however, they couldn’t complete the full comeback, as Brunton won the next frame to give Flyers their first victory of the season. 

 

Fox were still playing for pride and points, taking two of the last three frames to make the final score a more respectable, 9-6. 

 

The tense nature of this game made it difficult to remain unbeaten however, Brunton managed to keep his cool and win all three of his frames. 

 

So, Fox remain winless at the bottom, six points behind this week’s opponents. 

 

At the top of the table Eltham Terrace Nuthouse in second didn’t have a game, so third placed Duke of Northumberland were looking to capitalise however, they were playing top of the table Terry’s Allstars. 

 

These two were the only unbeaten teams left in the division and it started off as the close-run thing we may have anticipated. 

 

Dave Pearce and John Cochrane gave Duke the opening two frames before Paul Cook and Derek Power levelled the match. 

 

The deciding frame of the set went to Phil Tworek, putting Duke, 3-2 ahead. 

 

Alas the wheels came off for the Duke from there on in, as Allstars won each of the remaining ten frames to win the match, 12-3. 

 

Despite the large margin of victory, there were only three unbeaten players for Allstars, Derek Power and Rob Taylor, who both scored a brace, and Paul Cook going one better with a hat-trick. 

 

This leaves Allstars as the only unbeaten team in the division, with a fifteen-point lead over Nuthouse and two more over Duke. 

 

The other game in the division saw fifth placed Eltham Terrace Rack Pack host Bears, one place and seven points above them. 

 

Reeling from defeat in the summer league, Bears were looking for revenge, but the Rack Pack came out of the blocks quicker, winning the first set, 4-1.

 

Gary Mason scored Bears’ only frame in the set after Chris Parlett missed the black. 

 

The second set went the way of the Bears winning it, 3-2 for an overall, 6-4 score line in favour of Rack Pack, making way for and enthralling third set. 

 

In the end Bears proved to be too strong with John Ly taking the Rack Pack's only frame in the, 4-1 set defeat leading to an overall, 8-7 triumph for the Bears. 

 

Mason won all three of his frames for Bears while the Rack Pack's Tony Frost and Andy Mounger both bagged a brace. 

 

In the SLKPA Premier Division the bottom two, Falconwood Club and Rugrats faced each other, with just four points between them. 

 

After losing the first frame, Rugrats’ Ashley Hewson pulled it back to, 1-1 with a brilliant clearance. 

 

The next two frames were shared, before Paul Baker won the deciding frame of the set to put Falconwood, 3-2 ahead. 

 

Luke Matthews soon mad that, 4-2 but Rugrats mounted a comeback with Mark Knevett, Dylan Suggars and Hewson wining the next three frames to put their team, 5-4 up.

 

Baker won his second frame of the night to tie the match at five all going into the final set. 

 

The first four frames of the last set swung one way then the other leaving the score at seven all after the penultimate frame. 

 

It was fitting that it would be down to the captains to decide this game, as Baker faced Rugrats’ Steve Gibson and unfortunately for Falconwood, Baker couldn’t hold his nerve when it mattered and Rugrats took the match, 8-7. 

 

It was a nervy and scrappy game indicative of two teams at the wrong end of the table however, there were three unbeaten players, with Luke Matthews winning all three of his frames for Falconwood, as did Hewson for Rugrats and he was joined by Knevett, who played brilliantly for his two out of two, after a couple of weeks out of the game. 

 

The Rugrats pulled together as a team to secure their first win of the season and they hope it will propel them to bigger things. 

 

These two teams stay as the bottom two, but there is now three points between them. 

 

All the other games in the division ended, 9-6 with Bellegrove A losing to The Cocked Hats to end up on the same points as second bottom Falconwood. 

 

However, this result lifted Cocked Hats two places from seventh to fifth. 

 

At the top of the table, the league leaders, Hotshots travelled to third placed Bellegrove with six points between them. 

 

Once again, it was a very close game between the two, which started well for Hotshots, with a break and dish from Ryan Francis to kickstart a run of three frames to start the match. 

 

Bellegrove didn't give up, taking the final two frames of the set to close the gap to, 3 2 which soon became, 4-2 with a great finish from Francis in frame six. 

 

The next four frames were shared, giving Hotshots a, 6-4 lead going into the last set. 

 

Francis, Danny Kelleher and Steve Krishnan pulled Hotshots over the line with the first three frames of the set and like the first set Bellegrove battled back to take the last two frames. 

 

Krishnan won both of his frames, but Francis and Kelleher went one better with hat-tricks. 

 

There are now nine points between these teams and sandwiched between them are Bull Tavern, who travelled to Pickwick this week. 

 

The first two sets were of great quality and extremely close, with both going to a deciding frame. 

 

After Paul Slater put Pickwick one up, Jack Noble replied for Bull with a reverse dish. 

 

Not to be outdone, Paul Gafa produced a first visit clearance to put Pickwick back in front. 

 

Despite Pickwick’s great start, Naf Ayieko and Shane O’Reilly won the last two frames of the set to give Bull a, 3-2 first set lead. 

 

Dave Pile equalised for Pickwick and Slater looked like putting Pickwick back in the lead, but Dave Rawlinson produced a magnificent clearance to take the frame from a losing position and nudge Bull back into the lead. 

 

Gafa produced some more magic for another first visit clearance to tie the match at, 4-4. 

 

Joe Kane restored Bull’s lead, before Enis Dogungun made it level again. 

 

Tony Gear and Rawlinson gave Bull a two-frame advantage for the first time in the match and put them on the hill. 

 

Gafa recorded a hat-trick to pull Pickwick back to within one however, Noble sealed the victory and Kane made it, 9-6. 

 

Gafa wasn’t the only unbeaten player, although he was the only one for Pickwick and the only one to win three frames, as Rawlinson and Kane both won two frames and Ayieko was successful in his only frame. 

 

Bull stay one point behind Hotshots, whereas Pickwick drop one place to seventh, after Cocked Hats victory. 

 

Fourth played fifth as Sharks took on New Eltham New Stars, with Sharks taking the, 9-6 triumph to stay fourth, with New Stars dropping one place. 

 

New Stars sister side New Eltham New Boys are sitting at the top of SLKPA Division Two, but their lead has dropped to four points after narrowly beating Bell Ya Later, 8-7. 

 

Second played third, as Downham Tavern Terrors hosted Academicals, with just one point between them, but that didn’t show as Academicals romped to an, 11-4 triumph and the two teams swap places. 

 

Bexleyheath Working Men’s Club were bottom, two places and two points below this week’s opponents, Farmhouse.   

 

This was an incredibly close game between two teams that had only one win each so far this season and each set was won by the odd frame. 

 

Dave Flukes got Bexleyheath off to a winning start, but Barrie Blake and Nick Brown switched that around to put Farmhouse ahead. 

 

Tony Hodsdon levelled the score, before Steve Redout won frame five, putting Bexleyheath, 3-2 ahead. 

 

Fulkes and James Rickner made it three in a row for Bexleyheath, giving them a, 5-2 lead, before John Denahy and Brown tied the set, bringing the overall score back to, 5-4. 

 

The dependable Redout won another set deciding frame to put his team, 6-4 up overall. 

 

Fulkes made it three out of three for him on the night putting Bexleyheath on the hill. 

 

Farmhouse were not going down without a fight though and Brown, Steve Carpenter and Blake won the next three frames to tie the score at seven all. 

 

The deciding frame was a battle between the Steves, Redout and Farmhouse’s Jeffcoate, with Mr Dependable, Redout holding his nerve to score a hat-trick and give his team the, 8-7 victory. 

 

As well as Fulkes and Redout scoring hat-tricks for Bexleyheath, Brown did the same for Farmhouse. 

 

This result lifted Bexleyheath off the bottom and just one point behind their opponents, with The Con Men dropping to the bottom, as they had no game this week. 

 

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.