There is just one week left of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance Division Two winter season, but Bexleyheath Working Man’s Club have played all thirteen of their matches and won the championship without losing any of them. 

Their final victims were Happy Hustlers, who didn’t really warm up under the freezing cold conditions and found themselves, 8-2 down by the end of the second set, with the only highlight for Hustlers being Claire Stork winning both their frames. 

Bexleyheath went on to win the first three frames of the final set to take their tally to eleven, but Angie Hobbs and yet again Stork won the last two frames, Stork for her hat-trick, to make the final score, 11-4. 

This result puts Happy Hustlers just eight points behind New Eltham New Boys, who didn’t have a game this week and 18 points ahead of their neighbours, Real Hustlers, who took a real pasting this week. 

Real Hustlers went to second placed New Eltham Social Club and didn’t get off to the best of starts losing the first set, 4-1 with George Gooden just missing out on a victory for a New Eltham whitewash. 

This inspired New Eltham and they were determined to record a whitewash and they did, not once but twice, taking the second and third sets, 5-0 for an overall, 14-1 thrashing. 

George Gooden returned to winning ways to end on two out of three but the rest of the team, Paul Carroll, Harry Gooden, Gary Dixon and Gary Heath all scored hat-tricks. 

New Eltham cemented their promotion with this result, as they are now 29 points ahead of New Boys. 

All they can do now is see how much of the 33-point gap between them and Bexleyheath they can close in next week’s game against Happy Hustlers, who will be trying to catch New Boys and steal the promotion play-off spot. 

It’s all to play for in SLKPA Division One, as only 23 points separate the top four and there are 14 points between the bottom five, with four weeks left to play

First played third, as Rose Inn went to New Eltham Club and the lower placed team got off to a flyer, taking the first set, 4-1 but this didn’t dishearten Rose Inn, as they went on to whitewash the second set to go, 6-4 in the lead. 

The final set was much closer and swung in New Eltham’s direction by the odd frame, 3-2 but it wasn’t quite enough, as Rose won the match, 8-7.

It was a great game, between two good sides, befitting a top of the table clash, which was reflected in the fact there was only one unbeaten player, Rose Inn’s Lewis Hearn with three frame wins. 

New Eltham have hit 100 points, with Rose Inn 22 points ahead of them now, but New Eltham do have a game in hand. 

Sandwiched between the two are Crayford Arms, who this week beat bottom team Just Bellegrove by 9 frames to 6. 

After a run of recent defeats, Crayford won their first match of 2019, doing the damage in the first set, racing to a, 4-0 lead, with frames after that switching between the sides. 

Crayford’s Ian Stringer had two hard fought battles with Richard Marsh and was successful both times and he went on to win his other frame to make it three out of three on the night and he was joined by Captain, Paul Baker. 

This result puts Crayford twelve points behind Rose Inn and ten ahead of New Eltham, having played one more game than New Eltham. 

Even though they lost Just Bellegrove overtook their neighbours Bellegrove A by two points, as they didn’t have a game this week. 

Just one point behind New Eltham are Eltham Terrace Rack Pack, after this week’s victory against Fox & Hounds. 

Rack Pack took a, 5-2 lead, but Fox brought it back to, 5-4 with the score finishing up, 6-4 by the end of the second set. 

Neil Shelton pulled it back to, 6-5 but Rack Pack won the last four frames to finish, 10-5 winners. 

Rack Pack’s Captain, Steve Unwin scored an unbeaten brace, but Ernie Wellhausen went one better with a hat-trick. 

It’s going to be a massive battle between the top four to see who’s going to occupy the promotion places at the end of the season. 

It looks as though Academicals will just miss out on that battle, as they are now ten points behind Rack Pack, after this week’s, 11-4 triumph over CSC Sorry in Advance. 

Rugrats levered themselves out of the Premier Division relegation places with an impressive, 9-6 victory over third placed Eltham Terrace Club A

After Rugrats whitewashed the first set, which included a break and dish from Scott Shephard, Terrace brought it back to, 6-4 by the end of the second set. 

Pat Firth won the eleventh frame for Rugrats, then the subsequent frames swapped between the teams, meaning Rugrats won the match after the thirteenth. 

Terrace Captain, Ron Brown won his only frame, but Rugrats’ Firth also finished unbeaten with three frame wins. 

Sharks replace Rugrats in the bottom three, after they lost, 10-5 to Eltham Terrace Rovers, who remain in fifth. 

The top two teams, Allstars and Hotshots played the bottom two teams Pickwick and Eltham Terrace Nuthouse and it was Pickwick who fared slightly better. 

After recent form, it was a surprise when Pickwick took a, 5-2 lead against Allstars but it wasn’t a surprise when Allstars turned that around and went, 7-5 up. 

Pickwick have been buckling under such pressure, but they fought back and tied the match at seven all to force a final frame decider, which Tony Halpin won to give Allstars the, 8-7 victory. 

It was a brave fight from Pickwick and the highlight of the match came in the fifth frame when Dave Pile broke and dished for them.

The match between Hotshots and Nuthouse was equally hard fought, as Hotshots took a 4-1 lead, but Nuthouse won the first two frames of the second set to make it, 4-3.

Then Hotshots won the next two frames, before Nuthouse took the last frame of the set to make it, 6-4. 

Shane O’Reilly brought it back to, 6-5 but Hotshots won the next two to win the match. 

The last two frames were shared making the final score, 9-6. 

Dave Sparey won both of his frames for Nuthouse and Hotshots’ Danny Kelliher was also unbeaten with a hat-trick. 

With four games left to play, it looks as though the top two have pulled away from the chasing pack, as they are now 29 points ahead of Eltham Terrace Club A and Allstars are fourteen points ahead of Hotshots. 

The relegation battle is going to go down to the wire, as there are only thirteen points between tenth and sixth. 

Heading that group are New Eltham, recording a remarkable victory this week against the in-form Hustlers, who were nine points ahead in fourth. 

New Eltham’s notoriously slow start to matches continued, as they lost the first set, 4-1 but they won the second set, 3-2 to reduce the deficit to, 6-4. 

In the first frame of the last set Billy Levingbird made an excellent clearance to win the frame and that set the tone for the rest of the set, as New Eltham went on to whitewash it, 5-0 making the final score, 9-6. 

Levingbird’s victory was his second of the night without reply and team mate Barry Barham played some lovely pool for an unbeaten hat-trick. 

New Eltham are now just six points behind their opponent and eleven behind third, so they could still gate-crash the prize places. 

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.