Week four of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance winter season and there are now only two teams in the entire league that have unbeaten records, one of which are Hotshots, who are on fire, eleven points clear at the top of the Premier Division. 

 

This week it was bottom v top, as Hotshots visited Bears and Hotshots were far too hot for the Bears to handle, with Ryan Francis, Richard Chapman and Tony Wilson winning the first three frames. 

 

Gary Mason prevented the set whitewash before Danny Kelliher made it, 4-1. 

 

Hotshots’ dominance continued into the second set, with the same three opening the scoring, before Paul Cobbold prevented the set whitewash this time. 

 

Kelliher once again won the last frame of the set, but this time it was enough to win the match before the start of the third set. 

 

Francis, Chapman, and Wilson became a hat-trick of hat-trick heroes, with the first three frames of the final set for an overall, 11-2 lead.

 

Jeff Bailey and Jamie Phillips took the last two frames to double Bears total for the evening, making the final score, 11-4. 

 

Despite losing all their matches so far this season, Bears are only four points adrift at the bottom, whereas Hotshots are eleven points clear at the top, averaging ten frames per game. 

 

Sharks are the nearest team to Hotshots however, they are the other unbeaten team, having only played three matches. 

 

This week they beat Eltham Terrace Nuthouse, 9-6 to jump into second place, three places and two points ahead of their opponents. 

 

After coming close in each of their fixtures so far, Pickwick have picked up their first win of the season against Rugrats. 

 

It was a great match between two evenly matched teams, with each set being won by the odd frame. 

 

Ashley Hewson started things off in a way that Rugrats are becoming accustomed to, by winning the first frame. 

 

The next three frames swung one way then the other, with Paul Dawson, Scott Foley, and Jamie Davis all victorious, sending the set to a deciding frame. 

 

Martin Storey kept his cool and nudged Pickwick ahead, 3-2. 

 

Hewson made it two out of two to tie the match, but Dawson and Davis strung two frames together for Pickwick, putting them, 5-3 up. 

 

Steve Gibson tied the set for Rugrats, but Mike Werbowy won frame ten to give Pickwick a second, 3-2 set and a, 6-4 lead. 

 

Paul Gafa prevented Hewson’s hat-trick to put Pickwick on the hill, then Foley produced a fine clearance to bring it back to, 7-5. 

 

Davis won the match for Pickwick, before Storey finished in style to give Pickwick a, 9-5 lead. 

 

Gibson won the final frame to make the score a more respectable, 9-6. 

 

There wasn’t much in the match, but Pickwick just did enough however, doing more than enough for them was Jamie Davis, who won all three of his frames. 

 

Despite the loss, Rugrats remain in third, with Pickwick one point and one place behind them. 

 

Bull Tavern and Bellegrove have swapped places towards the bottom of the table, after Bull edged an, 8-7 triumph over them however, you wouldn’t expect these two to be battling at the bottom. 

 

Jordan O’Connor and Tony Gear won the opening frames for Bull, but Dan Foley and Dec Kelly took the next two to send the set into a deciding frame, which Jamie White won to give Bull an early, 3-2 lead. 

 

O’Connor and Gear kicked off the second set in the same way as the first to extend Bull’s lead to,5-2. 

 

Barry Barham pulled one back for Bellegrove, but White and Joe Kane won the last two frames of the set to bring Bull to the hill at, 7-3. 

 

However, Bellegrove weren’t lying down with James Couch, Kelly and Barham taking the first three frames of set three for the set, reducing the deficit to, 7-6 in the process. 

 

The penultimate frame went to White, giving Bull the match, before Dan Heinink won the last frame, making the final score, 8-7 in Bull’s favour. 

 

Bull felt the score line flattered Bellegrove, as they were much the better side and should have racked up more frames, but they did have the best player on the night, Jamie White who ended up with a well-deserved three out of three. 

 

These two teams are sitting in seventh and eighth, both on 22 points, but they are two of four teams who have only played three matches, so we will see how the table evens itself out. 

 

Saying that it looks to be an exciting season as although Hotshots are eleven points clear, the rest of the division are also separated by eleven points. 

 

The other unbeaten record fell this week in SLKPA Division One, as Falconwood Club were narrowly beaten by their nearest rival, New Eltham New Stars. 

 

New Stars shot out of the blocks, taking the first two frames, but Falconwood fought back, winning the next two frames to send the set to a deciding frame, with Steve Pearce putting New Stars one up. 

 

James Pope, Dave Jandu and Dan Brown made it four frames in a row for New Stars putting them, 6-2 ahead. 

 

Akar Necati and Paul Baker pulled that back to, 6-4 with the last two frames of the set. 

 

Ian Stringer made it three in a row for Falconwood however, frames from Jandu and Dan Brown gave New Stars the victory. 

 

Falconwood finished strong with Necati and Baker taking the last two frames, making the final score, 8-7. 

 

Dave Jandu and Dan Brown were the inspiration behind this victory, both finishing unbeaten on three and two frame wins respectively. 

 

Falconwood stay top of the table, but New Stars drop to third after Bellegrove A secured a, 9-6 triumph against Eltham Terrace Rack Pack. 

 

Bellegrove had the better start, winning the opening three frames, but Rack Pack pegged them back, taking frames four and five, to finish the set, 3-2. 

 

Joe Hills won the first frame of the second set to extend Bellegrove’s lead to, 4-2, but again Rack Pack fought back with the next two frames to level the match at four all. 

 

The last two frames of the set were shared, so it was, 5-5 going into the final set. 

 

The last set started the same way as the first, with Bellegrove winning the first three frames, with Stacy Redman performing a break and dish to not only seal the set but also secure the match. 

 

Rack Pack took the penultimate frame to prevent the set whitewash, before Jack Taylor won the last frame to make the final score, 9-6. 

 

Redman and Hills continued their unbeaten run with hat-tricks this week and they were backed up by Taylor, who won two of his three frames. 

 

This result puts Bellegrove A one point ahead of New Stars and seven points behind Falconwood, even though all three teams have the same, 3/1 win/loss ratio. 

 

In the other game in the division, Fox & Hounds recorded their first victory, 9-6 against New Eltham New Boys. 

 

This victory wasn’t enough to lift Fox off the bottom of the table, as they are now three points behind Rack Pack and six points behind New Boys. 

 

The top three in the SLKPA second division are like the first division in the fact that they all have the same, 3/1 win/loss ratio and are separated by seven points. 

 

Duke of Northumberland have hit the top spot, after a massive, 13-2 triumph over Happy Hustlers. 

 

Sam and John Kinsville were joined by Phil Tworek on winning all three of their frames. 

 

This victory put Duke five points ahead of Academicals, who could only manage a, 9-6 victory over Farmhouse. 

 

After their poor start to the season, Bellegrove Flyers have jumped to third, two points behind Academicals, after their own huge, 13-2 triumph over Bexleyheath Working Men’s Club. 

 

Flyers won the first ten frames of this match, to have it won before the start of the last set. 

 

Bexleyheath did pick up two frames in the final set, but Flyers were relentless, taking the other three to finish the match in style. 

 

Flyers’ Captain, Keith Smith, Mark Porter, and Jason Brunton all finished the night unbeaten with three frame wins. 

 

Bexleyheath are now fourteen points adrift at the bottom of the table, with only two points between Happy Hustlers and Farmhouse above them. 

 

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.