With just three weeks of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance Premier Division season left, the battle for places is equally hot at the top and bottom of the table, with 19 points separating the top three and bottom four and 45 to play for.

At the bottom of the table, Crayford Social Club Rugrats did their chances of survival no end of good with a, 9-6 victory over fellow relegation rivals, Eltham Terrace Rovers.

Before this match there were 22 points and three places between the teams but that didn’t stop Rugrats taking a, 3-2 lead at the end of the first set and extending that to, 7-3 by the end of the second.

Rugrats needed just one more frame for victory but they had to wait until the twelfth frame, when Adam Watts won his third frame of the night.

Rovers went on to take the final set, 3-2 but it wasn’t enough to prevent Rugrats from picking up their fourth victory of the season.

Second from bottom, Falconwood Social also increased their chances of avoiding relegation with their own, 9-6 triumph over Bellegrove.

The match looked like going to form, as Bellegrove won the first set, 4-1 and took a, 6-4 lead into the final set but for the first time this season Falconwood whitewashed a set, 5-0 to win the match.

Steve Dixon led the way for Falconwood, winning both of his frames.

This result leaves Falconwood just six points behind Rovers, who currently sit in the safe position and only three points behind Eltham Terrace Nuthouse in the play-off spot.

Nuthouse were hoping to capitalise on Rovers defeat and overtake them in the table but they were playing the in form Hustlers A, who are sitting in second.

Tony Gear gave Hustlers the perfect start with a break and dish in the first frame but Nuthouse will be ruing missed chances, as they missed the black in frames two and three only for Hustlers to go on and win the frames.

Nuthouse took the last two frames of the set to bring the score back to, 3-2 when it could easily have been, 4-1 in the Nuthouse’s favour.

Hustlers went on to take the second and third sets by 4 frames to 1 for an overall, 11-4 victory.

Micky Clayton also performed a break and dish for Hustlers in frame seven, while Gear went on to score an unbeaten hat-trick, with Nicky Steadman and Jordan O’Connor also unbeaten, winning both their frames.

Nuthouse lost ground on Rovers but Hustlers were able to close the gap on Eltham Terrace Club A at the top, as they went down to their third defeat of the season.

Terrace went to the Pickwick and it was the home side who got off to a flyer, with Andy Breen performing a break and dish in the second frame but the set went to two all before Dave Rawlinson also recorded a break and dish to give Terrace the set.

Rawlinson went on to take the first frame of the second set with a clearance from a dry break but Mark Brinkley brought the deficit back to one frame with another break and dish and Pickwick went on to take the set, 4-1.

Pickwick took a, 6-4 lead into the final set, which they also won, 3-2 for an overall, 9-6 triumph.

Pickwick’s Martin Storey fudged beautifully for his two frame wins and he was joined by team mates Brinkley, Paul Slater and Paul Gafa, who all won two of their three frames.

Man of the match has to go to Rawlinson though, who on top of his two total clearances won his other frame for a hat-trick but the night went to the Pickwick, who leapfrogged Falconwood Club into third by three points.

Falconwood played hosts to Hotshots and the away side closed the gap on their opponents, after they dropped to fourth, to three points.

It was a great all round team performance, with Connor Hewson winning all three frames and he was supported by, Danny Kelliher, Andre Cox and Neil Hall, who all won two of their three frames, with Kelliher’s including a break and dish, his eighth in three weeks.

As the league season continues for the Premier Division, the first and second divisions compete in the inaugural League Cup, with the first part played in a league format, before going on to a semi-final and final.

Group A kicked off with Division One’s Eltham Terrace Rack Pack giving Plumstead Radical Club, from Division Two a lesson by beating them, 12-3 to become the early leader of the group.

Division Two champions, Sharks flew the flag for the division with a, 10-5 triumph over North Heath Social Club.

The damage was done in the second set, winning it, 4-1 which was sandwiched between narrow, 3-2 victories for the Sharks.

If it wasn’t for Ian Stringer winning all three of his frames, North Heath could have lost by a lot more.

On the other hand Sharks looked to Jeff La Porte and Eno Idiong to inspire them to victory, as they also scored unbeaten hat-tricks.

Fox & Hounds also showed Division One opposition how to do it in Group B, beating Royal Oak Addicks, 13-2 giving the other teams an uphill struggle if they want to qualify for the semi-final.

Fox were dominant throughout, taking the first six frames before Ben O’Brien and Stewart Ahern managed to reply for the Addicks but Fox went on to win the second set, 3-2 and whitewash the final set for a convincing victory.

Addicks didn’t help themselves by only having four players but fox showed no mercy as Neil Shelton scored an unbeaten brace and Clive Forrest, Kerry Wyatt and Les Ryan all went one better with three out of three.

Bellegrove A had a tough match against lower league opposition when they visited Rose Inn.

Bellegrove edged the first set, 3-2 then rode their luck a bit in the second set, but still won it by 4 frames to 1 before Rose took the final set, 3-2 giving Bellegrove the, 9-6 victory to sit behind Fox in the early table.

It was a good all round performance from the Bellegrove, with Steve Redout, Terry Mitchell, John Skuza and Steve Hughes all winning two of their three frames.

Group C looks like it may be the group of death with both games finishing quite close this week.

CSC Mr’s & Miss Q’s are the early leaders having beaten Academicals by 9 frames to 6.

Academicals’ Donna Mullins stopped the whitewash in the first set with an excellent double on the black and CSC went on to win the second set, 3-2 to take a 7-3 lead into the final set.

They secured the win in the twelfth frame and made it, 9-4 in the next frame before Academicals took the last two frames for a more respectable, 9-6 score line.

Lee Bushell was the only unbeaten player on the night, winning all three frames for CSC.

Division Two’s Bellegrove Flyers pulled off a surprise, 8-7 victory over Glenmore Arms, who have won promotion to the Premier Division.

Despite the loss, Glenmore’s Alastair Ladd was in amazing form, winning all three of his frames.

With only three teams in Group D Foots Cray Social Club have sent a message to group favourites, Bellegrove Social Club if they want to qualify for the knockout stage, with a huge, 14-1 win over struggling Greyhound Elite. 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 with any queries.

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