Bitter sweet for Bellegrove Superstars

They played the team above them, Fox & Hounds and a, 3-0 & 9-6 victory puts them just four points behind their opponents with two games left to play, so they can catch Fox and replace them in the play-off position if they can do what they haven’t all season and win another game. 

This game was much closer than the score line suggests, as each set was won by the same, 3-2 score, so Fox are disappointed not to take anything out of the game. 

Captain, Jason Brunton led from the front, winning all three of his frames and Keith Smith was also unbeaten with a brace. 

Superstars are now 17 points and Fox 13 points from Crayford Social Club Rugrats and safety, so it is a straight battle between those two to see who will be relegated and who will fight again in the play-off. 

Despite playing league leaders, Sharks, Rugrats managed to pull a point further away from the bottom two securing Tier Two pool next summer season. 

They were lucky to get that point as Sharks won all of the first ten frames, taking the first two sets and the bonus point in the process. 

I don’t know whether it was Sharks taking their foot off the gas or Rugrats rallying round but somehow, they took the final set, 4-1 making the overall score, 2-1 & 11-4. 

Despite the large score line there was only two unbeaten players, Arif Salih with a hat-trick and Jeff Laporte who won both his frames. 

Sharks are now eight points ahead of third with two games left to play, so with a better record they will definitely finish in the top two. 

Second played third in this division, as Rose Inn met Woolwich Wolfpack and it was Wolfpack who have made the last two weeks a lot more interesting taking maximum points in a, 3-0 & 10-5 triumph to go just one point behind their opponents.

It was a below par performance from Rose Inn but not from Dean Greaney-Parr, who won all three of his frames. 

Fox & Hounds will have a big say in who will finish in the top two with Sharks, as both Rose Inn and Wolfpack have to play them but that may not be good for Fox, with Superstars chasing them down. 

It was a bad week for New Eltham, at the top of Tier Two East, losing two matches in a week to allow one of their opponents, North Heath Social Club to close the gap to just two points and set up an exciting end to the season. 

The first game of the week was between the top two and as expected it was a close game, but it didn’t start that way with North Heath winning the first two sets, 4-1. 

New Eltham battled back and won the final set by the same score, to make the result a more respectable, 2-1 & 9-6 to bring North Heath to within five points of their opponents. 

New Eltham will be more disappointed with their second defeat of the week, to CSC Mr’s & Miss Q’s who were three places and twelve points behind the top team.

CSC are now just six points behind second and a play-off spot, after taking maximum points against the league leaders with a, 3-0 & 9-6 victory over them. 

New Eltham felt the result was a bit harsh on them, as both of the first two sets went to a final frame decider, which CSC won both times.  

However, they had nothing to complain about in the final set, which CSC won by the penultimate frame to give them all four points and an outside chance of promotion. 

The only shining light for New Eltham was Dean James winning all three of his frames. 

News of this result must have got out and inspired North Heath in a late finishing match against Royal Oak. 

Third-placed Oak got off to the better start, with John Cochrane beating Brett Crawley in the final frame decider for the first set, but Cochrane couldn’t do the same in the second set, as North Heath’s Captain, Paul Baker triumphed to take the second set and tie the match at one set and five frames all. 

North Heath took control in the third set, winning the first three frames for the match, before Royal Oak took the last two frames to make the score a more respectable, 2-1 & 8-7. 

Baker’s second set decider was his only frame of the night and two more of his team mates were unbeaten, Ian Stringer with two frame wins and Dave Selby on a hat-trick. 

Both North Heath and New Eltham have played one more game than the chasing pack and only have one left to play, so this gives hope to both Royal Oak and CSC, who can both still gate crash the top two.

Bellegrove A feel a bit hard done by, as two of their youngsters could not play at Elthham Terrace Rack Pack, meaning they could only field four players and the, 3-0 & 9-6 defeat meant that their relegation was sealed.

Captain, John Skuza led from the front and he was joined by Steve Hughes and Joe Hills, who all won two of their three frames. 

This result has given Rack Pack some hope of avoiding the relegation play-off, as they are seven points behind CSC with eight points still to play for. 

Despite losing their second game of the season, New Eltham Club stay top of Tier Three and have secured promotion, going seven points ahead of fourth with only four left to play for. 

This week they played Red Barn, who shocked the league leaders by taking the first set, 4-1 and they must have been still recovering from the shock, as Red Barn won the second set, by 3 frames to 2. 

New Eltham recovered and won the third set, 3-2 but it wasn’t enough to steal the bonus point, with Red Barn taking the spoils, 2-1 & 9-6, for only their fourth win of the season. 

With one game left Bexleyheath Working Man’s Club have reduced the gap between them and New Eltham Club to just three points, after a comprehensive, 3-0 & 13-2 victory over bottom club Real Hustlers. 

New Eltham Social Club are keeping their title race alive with a, 2-1 & 10-5 triumph over Happy Hustlers to go just one point behind Bexleyheath and four points behind their neighbours. 

They won the first set, 3-2 but the damage was done in the second set, whitewashing it, 5-0 before Hustlers pulled a set back, with a, 3-2 victory in the third. 

Donna Mullins is a more than Happy Hustler, going unbeaten for the second week running, winning two frames this week to make it five in a row. 

Academicals kept up their promotion push with a, 3-0 & 11-4 win over Lord Kitchener, to go three points behind the top three. 

After picking up their first victory last week, Lord Kitchener found it tough as Academicals won the first two sets, 4-1 to win the match and the bonus point before a ball was hit in the final set. 

The last set also went Academicals way by 3 frames to 2, giving them maximum points.

This all sets up an exciting final week, with two of the top four playing in the New Eltham derby and the other two, Bexleyheath and Academicals travel to new boys, Lord Kitchener and Red Barn respectively. 

The SLKPA Elite League also finishes next week and the important positions at the top and bottom are all still to play for, despite big wins this week. 

Hotshots got the biggest win, 3-0 & 13-2 against bottom team, Eltham Terrace Rovers.

The result never looked in any doubt, as Hotshots took a, 4-0 lead, with Rovers thanking Ryan Francis for preventing the whitewash, with a break and dish against Andre Cox, who got his own back in the very next frame by beating Francis to give Hotshots a, 5-1 lead. 

Toby Bolt won his second frame of the night and Tony Wilson, with a great finish gave Hotshots the set without a Rovers reply and that continued with Danny Kelliher and Connor Hewson completing the whitewash this time, to give their team a, 9-1 lead. 

The first two frames of the final set were shared but that was the last frame Rovers would win, as Hotshots went on to take the next three frames for another, 4-1 set win. 

Hotshots had four unbeaten players, with Richard Chapman and Hewson both winning two frames and Kelliher and Wilson went one better with hat-tricks. 

This victory wasn’t enough to topple Allstars from the top of the table, as they scored their own big win, 3-0 & 12-3 against Pickwick. 

Allstars played like champions, bullying Pickwick and taking out some great finishes to stay three points ahead of Hotshots at the top. 

After many two out of threes this season, Ritchie Mitchell went on to win all three this week, which included a break and dish and he was joined by Steve Sawyer on a hat-trick. 

It is now a two-horse race for the title and Hotshots play Eltham Terrace Nuthouse while Allstars face Hustlers Simply Lovleh, who are both fighting to avoid relegation. 

Nuthouse did their chances a whole lot of good this week with a, 2-1 & 9-6 win over Simply Lovleh to lift themselves off the bottom, one point behind their opponents. 

Simply Lovleh did themselves no favours by only having four players but they took the first set, 3-2. 

Nuthouse won the first four frames of the second set to win it and go, 6-3 up but Simply Lovleh pulled one back before going into the final set, which Nuthouse won, 3-2 for the victory. 

Craig Jones and Louis Wilbourne won two of their three frames for Nuthouse, but Jon Syta recorded three frame wins, albeit two of them came from byes but Adam Hewson did win all three of his frames for Simply Lovleh. 

With four points between the bottom three and two relegation places up for grabs, it’s going to be a tense final week and to complete the fixtures, Rovers have a derby match against Eltham Terrace Club A to contend with. 

Add into the mix that Pickwick can still be dragged into the relegation places and they are not even playing, it’s not going to be a week for the faint hearted. 

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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