This week saw the start of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance winter season and New Eltham New Boys of the first division almost kicked it off with a perfect performance. 

 

It was a bad night at the office for Bellegrove A, as New Boys won the first four frames, before Lyn Mather prevented the first set whitewash. 

 

That turned out to be the frame that prevented the match whitewash too, as New Boys won all the next ten frames for a massive, 14-1 triumph. 

  

Sam Mossom won his only frame on his debut for the New Boys, with teammates Anthony Lee, Alfie Waldren, Greg Fothergill and Michael Barnes all scoring unbeaten hat-tricks. 

 

The New Boys sister side, New Eltham New Stars also got off to a winning start, but they had to battle for their victory over Fox & Hounds. 

 

Neil Shelton opened the scoring for Fox & Hounds, but Dave Jandu and Paul Carroll turned that around, putting New Stars, 2-1 ahead. 

 

Melissa Barnes tied the match, sending the first set into a final frame decider, which Steve Knight won to give New Stars a, 3-2 first set lead.

 

The second set followed the same pattern as the first, even down to Shelton and Jandu winning the first two frames. 

 

Knight also met Kerry Wyatt in the set decider and was again successful, putting his team, 6-4 ahead. 

 

Knight then made it three out of three with frame eleven to put New Stars on the hill and Jandu joined Knight on a hat-trick to give his team the victory. 

 

Shelton made it a hat-trick of hat-trick heroes to pull one frame back for Fox and Kerry Wyatt tied the set, making the score, 8-6 with a frame to play. 

 

Dan Brown took the final frame, meaning New Stars took each set, 3-2 for an overall, 9-6 triumph.

 

As well as our hat-trick heroes, Dan Brown was also unbeaten, winning both his frames.  

 

Also finishing, 9-6 in this division was the match between Falconwood Club and Eltham Terrace Rack Pack, with Falconwood ending up victorious. 

 

There were more massive scores in SLKPA Division Two, with Duke of Northumberland beating Bexleyheath Working Men’s Club, 13-2 and Academicals racking up a, 12-3 triumph over Happy Hustlers. 

 

The other match in this division between Farmhouse and Bellegrove Flyers was much closer and a hard-fought affair. 

 

The first two sets went the same way, with the first two frames being shared, before Flyers won the next two, for the set, ending with Farmhouse taking the last frame of the set. 

 

Flyers had a, 6-4 lead going into the last set, but Nick Brown and Steven Jeffcoate won the first two frames of the set, to tie the match at six all.

 

Steve Carpenter won frame fourteen to put Farmhouse in front for the first time in the match however, Richard Marsh won the penultimate frame to send the match into a final frame decider. 

 

John Denahy faced Keith Smith and it was Denahy who held his nerve to complete the comeback and give Farmhouse an, 8-7 victory. 

 

With this match being so close, it was no surprise that each side only had one unbeaten player, Denahy for Farmhouse and Flyers’ Marsh, who both won all three of their frames. 

 

So early in the season there was a potential top of the table clash in the SLKPA Premier Division, as Hotshots played hosts to Bull Tavern, the top two from the summer season. 

 

As a result, it was expected this game would be a high standard between two solid teams; it lived up to its billing, with any mistakes being punished and one-visit pool was played most of the night.  

 

Hotshots got off to a great start with Ian Ali winning the opening frame, but the first set went down to the wire, with Danny Kelliher playing Joe Kane in the set decider.  

 

Kane tried to take out a finish but left his awkward ball last and didn’t get on it, handing the reins over to Kelliher, who won the frame to put Hotshots, 3-2 in front.  

 

The second set played out in a similar fashion, going to a deciding frame, but this time the dogged Bull delivered a powerful set to tie the match at, 5-5.  

 

Hotshots showed their class in the final set, taking it, 4-1 to win the match by 9 frames to 6. 

 

In such a close match Hotshots still had two hat-trick heroes Tony Wilson and Ian Ali. 

 

It was a slightly closer affair between The Cocked Hats and Pickwick, with

Cocked Hats doing the damage in the first set, taking the opening three frames before Paul Gafa prevented the set whitewash and Elliot Giles made it, 4-1. 

 

Pickwick fought back and won the next two sets, 3-2 however, it wasn’t quite enough, as Cocked Hats finished up, 8-7 winners. 

 

Giles went on to win all three of his frames for Cocked Hats, as did Pickwick’s Gafa with his teammate Martin Storey also unbeaten on two frame wins. 

 

Bellegrove and Bears recently met in the summer league Tier Two play-off, with Bellegrove reaching the Elite League, but this week they faced each other in the winter Premier Division. 

 

Dean James started well for Bears, winning the first frame, but Bellegrove took the remaining four frames of the set for an early, 4-1 lead. 

 

Shane Burnett pulled one back for Bears however, James Couch and Dec Kelly increased Bellegrove’s lead to, 6-2. 

 

Just as it looked like Bellegrove were going to run away with it, Jamie Phillips and Paul Cobbold won the last two frames of set two, giving them the set, 3-2 and reducing the deficit to, 6-4. 

 

The first two frames of the third set went to Bellegrove, giving them the match. 

 

James won frame thirteen, which turned out to prevent the set whitewash again, then Dan Heinink and Barry Barham won the last two frames to give their team a, 10-5 triumph. 

 

Peter Whyte won his only frame for Bellegrove, with teammate Dec Kelly also unbeaten, winning all three of his frames. 

 

Both Eltham Terrace Nuthouse and Rugrats were relegated from the summer league top division, with Rugrats finishing the season winless, so it was a surprise when they started this season with a convincing victory. 

 

Nuthouse had a great start, with Louis Wilbourne and Trevor Biggs winning the first two frames however, Mark Burton, Aaron Shephard and Ian Cruwys won the next three frames to give Rugrats a, 3-2 first set lead.

 

Burton won the first frame of the second set, to extend Rugrats lead and make it four in a row for them. 

 

Jon Syta broke this up, but Rugrats won another three in a row to take them to the hill. 

 

Wilbourne brought the score back to, 7-4, but that would be it for Nuthouse, with Rugrats winning the last four frames for an, 11-4 victory. 

 

The three Rugrats’ players that won them the first set, Burton, Shephard, and Cruwys all went on to win all three of their frames to help their team go from the bottom of the summer league to top of the winter. 

 

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.