Twelve weeks into the South London & Kent Pool Alliance summer 2018 season and new boys, Lord Kitchener have won their first match in the league with just two weeks of the season remaining. 

This week they played fellow first timers, Red Barn, who have fared slightly better this season, picking up three wins so far, but this week belonged to Lord Kitchener, taking the first two sets by the odd frame, 3-2. 

Red Barn turned it round in the last set, winning it, 4-1 to amass more frames than their opponents, 8-7 and take the bonus point. 

So, it was bitter sweet for Lord Kitchener, having won the match, 2-1 in sets, they had to share the points with Red Barn and stay ten points behind them, but they have extended their lead over bottom team, Real Hustlers to five points. 

Real Hustlers played host to their neighbours, Academicals and gave them a really good game, only going down, 2-1 & 8-7. 

This result didn’t help Academicals much, as after a promising start to the season they have fallen away and are now losing touch with the top three in Tier Three, being four points behind the promotion places. 

Looking at the promotion places, third played second, as New Eltham Social Club took on Bexleyheath Working Man’s Club and it was a tight match with only one frame between the teams. 

New Eltham Social Club won the first two sets, 3-2 but Bexleyheath took the final set by the same score for an overall, 2-1 & 8-7 New Eltham Social Club triumph. 

This victory puts New Eltham Social Club level on points with their opponents however, Bexleyheath stay in second, having won one more match. 

Top of the table New Eltham Club are six points ahead of both their sister side and Bexleyheath, after they beat Happy Hustlers this week. 

The league leaders did the damage in the first set taking it, 4-1 but Hustlers battled back and won the second set, 3-2 before New Eltham Club took the final set by the same score to win the match, 2-1 & 9-6. 

Donna Mullins was in amazing form for Hustlers scoring her first ever unbeaten hat-trick in the SLKPA. 

New Eltham’s star of the show this week was, Paul Cobbold who won all three of his frames and he was supported by Jeff Bailey, Graham Levingbird and Gary Mason who all picked up two frames. 

With two games left to play in this division, New Eltham Club have secured promotion to Tier Two, as they are ten points ahead of fourth, all that remains is to see if they can hold their nerve to win the title and which two of the next three teams will be joining them. 

Also, only having two weeks left to play are the SLKPA Elite League and each team still has something to play for, with the top three separated by just three points and the bottom four by seven points. 

Allstars took full advantage of Hotshots week off by taking full points against Eltham Terrace Nuthouse to go two points clear at the top of the table. 

Shane O’Reilly performed a dish from a dry break to give Nuthouse the perfect start but Allstars took the next seven frames and went on to secure the bonus point by the end of the second set, having won them both by four frames to one. 

The final set also went to Allstars, 3-2 giving them a, 3-0 & 11-4 overall triumph. 

The team performed magnificently, with Tony Halpin, Paul Cook, Steve Sawyer and Ritchie Mitchell all scoring two out of three, but Stacy Redman is on fire at the moment, winning all three frames for the third week running. 

Eltham Terrace Club A push Hotshots into third, after a victory over Pickwick this week, but they have played one more match than both Hotshots and Allstars and only have one game left. 

Terrace looked to be throwing away their chances of finishing top, as Pickwick took a, 5-1 lead but a lack of quality showed with Terrace turning up the heat to win seven of the last nine frames to give them a narrow, 2-1 & 8-7 victory. 

Dave Rawlinson was the inspiration behind the triumph, winning a frame in each set. 

Bottom team, Eltham Terrace Rovers picked up a vital victory, 2-1 in sets against Hustlers Simply Lovleh but in an unusual twist of fate Simply Lovleh scored more frames, 9-6 so points were shared. 

Rovers are still three points away from their opponents and guaranteed top flight pool next summer season, but they have joined Nuthouse on twelve points and sent them to the bottom, having won one more set, to set up a tense two weeks, especially as both teams have title chasing Hotshots to play. 

Both Tier Two divisions have three weeks to play and nothing has been mathematically decided yet, except Bellegrove Superstars will definitely finish in the bottom two of Tier Two West. 

After Lord Kitchener’s victory this week, Superstars are the only team in the whole league yet to win a game this season, having lost again this week, 3-0 & 11-4 to Rose Inn. 

Superstars are not doing themselves any favours by playing with just four players, which helped Jack Wilson by giving him one of his three frame wins and he was joined by Dean Greaney-Parr, who did win all three of his frames. 

It is unlikely but still mathematically possible for Superstars to catch Fox & Hounds above them and face a play-off to stay in Tier Two, but we’ll come closer to finding out if that possibility can happen, as the two face each other next week. 

Fox & Hounds could have put themselves out of Superstars reach this week but suffered their own, 3-0 & 11-4 defeat to Crayford Social Club Rugrats. 

Rugrats took a, 2-0 lead in the first set but Fox brought it back to, 2-1 before Rugrats rattled off the last two frames of the set to win it, 4-1. 

It was three frames in a row when Rugrats won the first frame of the second set, but Fox shocked their opponents with two frames of their own, to go, 2-1 ahead in this set. 

The last two frames of the set went to Rugrats, with Steve King winning the decider, giving his team the, 3-2 triumph. 

They made it four frames on the bounce with the first two of the final set, which went exactly the same way as the first, ending up, 4-1 to Rugrats. 

Clive Forrest did his best to keep Fox in the match, winning two of his three frames, with Les Ryan and Tom Wyatt the team’s other winners. 

 King went on to win all three of his frames for Rugrats and he was joined by Steve Gibson, with Ian Cruwys also unbeaten on two frame wins. 

This win has ensured Rugrats Tier Two pool next summer season, but they cannot catch Woolwich Wolfpack, above them, who gave top of the table, Sharks a run for their money this week. 

It was the closest game Sharks have had all season, with each set being won by the odd frame, 3-2 and each side won one of the first two sets to set up a tense final set. 

Sharks won the first two frames, but Wolfpack pulled one back before Eno Idiong took the penultimate frame to give his side the victory. 

The last frame went to Wolfpack, making the final score, 2-1 & 8-7. 

The close, tense match was reflected in the fact that there was only one unbeaten player, Wolfpack’s Captain, Trevor Biggs with a brace. 

This result puts Sharks four points clear of Rose Inn, in second and nine points ahead of their opponents, so with three games left the title and promotion play-off place are still up for grabs. 

New Eltham are looking to make it a double championship for the club, as they go seven points clear at the top of SLKPA Tier Two East. 

They were playing second from bottom, Eltham Terrace Rack Pack and they took the first set pretty comfortably by four frames to one. 

Rack Pack rallied and took a, 2-1 lead in the second set but, not for the first time this season, New Eltham Captain, Paul Elford and Barry Barham rescued it and won their team the second set, 3-2. 

Despite rescuing the second set, New Eltham felt they threw away the final set, with Rack Pack edging it, 3-2 for an overall, 2-1 & 9-6 New Eltham triumph. 

Barham was the man of the moment, not only securing the second set but he also went on to win all three of his frames. 

There’s quite a battle at the bottom with Rack Pack only five points ahead of Bellegrove A, after they were also beaten this week, 2-1 & 10-5 by Royal Oak. 

Bellegrove had the same team out that were whitewashed last week, and it looked like that was going to continue, as Royal Oak won the first set, 5-0. 

However, Bellegrove bounced back, with Joe Hills and Steve Gillham helping them to take a, 2-1 lead in the second, but Royal Oak were just too strong and pinched the set, 3-2. 

Bellegrove did not let that dishearten them and Hills and Gillham, again gave them the lead in the final set but this time Steve Hughes stepped up to clinch a third frame for the set, with Bellegrove going on to win it, 3-2. 

This result means Royal Oak have joined North Heath Social Club on 28 points, after they suffered a surprise defeat to CSC Mr’s & Miss Q’s but North Heath stay ahead of Royal Oak, having won three more frames. 

North Heath were six points and two places above their opponents going into this match and they looked to be extending that lead when they went, 2-1 up but CSC won the next six frames to not only win the first two sets but also take a, 7-2 lead, to need just one more frame for the bonus point. 

This must have spurred North Heath on as, starting with their skipper Paul Baker they went on to win five of the last six frames to make the score a more respectable, 2-1 & 8-7 however it wasn’t enough to stop CSC gaining the bonus point. 

Baker played a captain’s role in the latter half of the match, winning both of his frames to be the only unbeaten player on the night. 

This result has really opened up the race for promotion, bringing CSC into, what looks like a three-horse race for the promotion play-off spot, if we assume that New Eltham are going to win the title. 

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