Leaders triumph in top of the table clashes

 

The Elite League’s top of the table clash was between Bellegrove and Terry’s Allstars and there was some high-quality pool shown. 

 

After Tony Stork missed a double on the black in the first frame Barry Barham took advantage and won the frame, which was followed by a win from Nikki Steadman. 

 

Allstars hit back in frame three, but Adam Coppen secured the set for Bellegrove with the next frame, before Allstars took the fifth to go into the second set just one behind overall. 

 

A break and dish in frame six by Barham kickstarted the same pattern as the first set, with the same players winning for Bellegrove to make it, 2-0 & 6-4. 

 

The third set was very different, with Allstars taking the first two frames, before Danny Foley and Coppen, with his hat-trick frame made it, 2-2 in the set. 

 

Stork produced a foul break in the deciding frame, but Bellegrove couldn’t capitalise, and Stork mopped up a good finish from the resulting dry break, making the final score, 2-1 & 8-7.

 

Even though this was a narrow defeat, Allstars have dropped to equal third, as Sharks demolished Bears, 3-0 & 13-2 to leapfrog Allstars and join Bellegrove on 21 points, two ahead of Allstars and Hotshots. 

 

Hotshots visited Duke of Northumberland, where two places and ten points separated the two teams, but it was the lower placed team who got off to the better start with Paul Clements and Dave Pearce taking the opening two frames. 

 

George Taylor pulled one back for Hotshots, but Mark Hill won the set for Duke, before Danny Kelliher made it, 3-2. 

 

Hotshots went on to take the first three frames of the second set, to make it four in a row and give them the set.

 

Hill prevented the set whitewash, but Kelliher made it, 4-1 in the set to make the overall score, 1-1 & 6-4 to Hotshots. 

 

With his hat-trick frame, Kelliher put Hotshots on the hill and Taylor gave them the bonus point with his third frame win. 

 

Clements made it, 2-1 in the set, but Elliott Giles gave Hotshots the victory, with a final score of, 2-1 & 9-6. 

 

Hotshots and Allstars are now locked together in equal third with exactly the same records, whereas Duke are still two places behind them, but are now twelve points behind. 

 

Duke were four points behind Pickwick above them and one point ahead of Eltham Terrace Nuthouse at the bottom and they played each other this week. 

 

This was a very close game between two teams separated by three places and five points. 

 

The first four frames were shared sending the first set into a deciding frame, which Mike Werbowy won to give Pickwick an early, 1-0 & 3-2 lead. 

 

Ian Chapman and Leighton Aston took the first two frames of the second set to give Nuthouse the lead. 

 

Jason Verillo tied the match, before Craig Jones won the set and put Nuthouse back in the lead. 

 

Werbowy won his second frame to tie the match overall at, 1-1 & 5-5. 

 

All to play for in the final set and Pickwick staked an early claim for the win and bonus point, with Enis Dogangun and Jamie Davis taking frames eleven and twelve. 

 

Trevor Biggs pulled one back for Nuthouse, but Martin Storey won the match for Pickwick and Werbowy made it, 2-1 & 9-6 with his hat-trick frame. 

 

The set Nuthouse won was all the more important because it lifted them off the bottom of the table, with Bears taking the spot. 

 

The top two in SLKPA Tier Two East faced each other, as Rugrats hosted Bellegrove Flyers and the match reflected how closely matched these teams are. 

 

The first four frames were shared, with Liam Firth winning the deciding frame to give Rugrats the first set, 3-2. 

 

The second set also went to a deciding frame, but this time Jay Arnold took it for Flyers to tie the match at, 1-1 & 5-5. 

 

All to play for in the final set, so who was going to step up and win the match for their team? 

 

Well, Shane O’Reilly, Pat Firth, Dylan Suggars and Steve Gibson did to give Rugrats the victory, before Richard Marsh prevented the set whitewash, making the final score, 2-1 & 9-6. 

 

Pat Firth and Steve Gibson were the major reasons why Rugrats held onto their unbeaten run by winning all three of their frames. 

 

At the other end of the table, Hurricanes Reborn are still winless, but this week hosted New Eltham New Boys, the team above them, and they were hoping to pick up some points or even a win.

 

However, hopes were dashed in the first set when, despite playing well, New Boys took it by four frames to one. 

 

Michelle Brown was particularly unlucky after potting six reds and the black out of turn to lose the frame. 

 

On the bright side, for Hurricanes’ Laura Chattfield won her debut frame. 

 

The bad luck continued for Hurricanes, as New Boys won the opening two frames of the set, but Kevin England won his first frame of the night to pull one back for Hurricanes, but New Boys secured the set and match win, with the ninth frame. 

 

Chattfield took the tenth with a fantastic tricky black for her second frame win to end the set only, 3-2 down. 

 

Hurricanes were 2-0 & 7-3 down, so were looking for a response if they wanted to pick up any points and they did that, with Phoebe French and Arif Salah taking out good clearances to win the first two frames of the set. 

 

New Boys pulled one back, but Hurricanes’ England secured the set and a point with the penultimate frame. 

 

The last frame went to New Boys, after Charles French narrowly missed the black, making the final score, 2-1 & 9-6. 

 

Captain England led from the front and Chattfield was superb on her debut, with both scoring unbeaten braces to help get a point for their team. 

 

Fourth played third as Falconwood Club hosted Bell Ya Later, with only four points between them and Falconwood won the match, 3-0 & 10-5 to pick up four points and join Bell Ya Later on fifteen points however, Falconwood stay in fourth as they have won one less match. 

 

At the top of SLKPA Tier Two West, New Eltham New Stars are still unbeaten on maximum points after they beat Academicals, 3-0 & 11-4 this week. 

 

Bellegrove A played and won two matches this week to hold onto second place, seven points behind New Stars. 

 

The first match was away to Eltham Terrace Rack Pack, which they won, 2-1 & 9-6. 

 

The second match was against the bottom team Fox & Hounds and there was a similar outcome. 

 

Despite the twelve points between these teams, it had a very close first set, swinging one way then the other. 

 

The first four frames were shared sending it to a deciding frame, which Kerry Wyatt won to put Fox in the lead by three frames to two. 

 

This kicked Bellegrove into action with Jack Taylor, Paul Williams and Alfie Southby taking the first three frames of the second set to give them the set and put them, 5-3 ahead in frames. 

 

Wyatt won her second frame to prevent the set whitewash, but Peter Moult took frame ten to give Bellegrove the set, 4-1 and an overall 6-4 frame lead. 

 

The first two frames of the last set were shared however, Bellegrove won the final three frames to give them the, 2-1 & 10-5 triumph. 

 

Paul Williams was the inspiration behind the victory, winning all three of his frames. 

 

Rack Pack were the other team to play two matches this week and their other match was against Farmhouse. 

 

There was only one place between these two teams, but there were five points, and this became apparent in the first set when after losing the first frame, Rack Pack won the next four frames to take the first set, 4-1. 

 

The second set was much closer, going one way then the other, ending up in a set decider, which Steven Jeffcoate won to level the match in sets, although Rack Pack were still ahead, 6-4 in frames.

 

Roy Mason put Rack Pack on the hill for the bonus point, but Nick Brown and Roy House put Farmhouse, 2-1 up in the set. 

 

Shaun Shephard won the penultimate frame to give Rack Pack the bonus point and send the match into a deciding frame. 

 

Jeffcoate came to rhe rescue again for Farmhouse by winning the decider to give them the match, 2-1 in sets, although Rack pack scored more frames, 8-7. 

 

With such a close game there were two unbeaten players, both from Rack Pack, with Roy Mason winning both his frames but Shaun Shephard went one better with a hat-trick. 

 

Despite losing two matches this week Rack Pack have gone up a place into third, two points ahead of Academicals but eight points behind Bellegrove A in second. 

 

Tier Three is being hotly contested, as the top five teams are separated by just four points, with three of those teams locked together on sixteen points. 

 

The top two played each other this week, as Cue-Ologists played host to The Con Men and surprisingly Cue-ologists hit them with a big, 3-0 & 11-4 triumph. 

 

Downham Tavern Terrors took full advantage of this by beating Plough & Harrow by the same score line to jump from fifth to second, with The Con Men dropping to fifth as a result. 

 

Third played fourth as 7 Ups hosted Eltham Terrace Tigers, with very little between them in the table and this was reflected in the first set going to a deciding frame, which Chris Unwin won to give Tigers a 3-2 lead. 

 

7 Ups battled back with Nirman Bogati, Simon Wood and Nigel Bullen winning the first three frames of the second set to give them the set and a, 5-3 frame lead. 

 

Daniel Frost prevented the set whitewash, before Charlie Mehmet gave 7 Ups a 4-1 set win. 

 

Going into the final set it was one all in sets, but 7 Ups were, 6-4 up in frames and Bullen and Bogati gave them the bonus point with frames eleven and twelve. 

 

Wood won the penultimate frame to add the overall win to the bonus point, with a final score of, 2-1 & 9-6 in 7 Ups favour.  

 

As a result, these two teams remain in third and fourth and seven points separate the top five. 

 

Downham Tavern A Team were bottom of the table looking for their first win of the season and they got it this week, 2-1 & 10-5 against Bexleyheath Raiders, to lift themselves off the bottom and one place and three points behind their opponents. 

 

 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.

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