The South London & Kent Pool Alliance saw it’s first Division One battle of the Bellegrove this week and it was Just Bellegrove who got the somewhat surprising victory over Bellegrove A, considering the eleven points between them before this match. 

 

Just Bellegrove were buoyed by Jason Brunton’s performance, winning all three of his frames including a break and dish and he was supported by Keith Smith and Richard Marsh, who both won two of their three frames. 

 

Despite winning, 9-6 Just Bellegrove are still eight points and two places behind their sister side, even though they have the same two wins from six matches record. 

 

Sandwiched between the two Bellegrove sides are Falconwood Club and they picked up their third victory in a row with a, 10-5 triumph over New Eltham New Stars. 

 

This result was also somewhat of a shock, as Falconwood were eleven points behind their opponents as well. 

 

Despite finishing on the losing side, Steve Knight won three of his team’s five frames. 

 

New Stars stay in fourth but Falconwood have closed the gap to six points, even though they are three places behind and have both won three of their six games

 

Top played bottom, as Pickwick hosted Rugrats Guardians, who are still looking for their first win of the season. 

 

It didn’t start well for Guardians, as Pickwick whitewashed the first set and despite battling hard, they couldn’t come back from this, with Pickwick winning the next two sets, 3-2 for an overall, 11-4 triumph. 

 

Harrison Hurst potted some nice balls for the Guardians, winning two of his three frames but Pickwick’s Paul Gafa and Paul Dawson went one better with unbeaten hat-tricks. 

 

Pickwick now have a three-point lead at the top, after Eltham Terrace Nuthouse recorded a large victory over Pickwick’s sister side, Academicals.

 

Most of the damage was done in the first set, with Nuthouse whitewashing it, but Academicals fought back in the second, winning it, 3-2. 

 

Nuthouse only needed one frame from the final set to continue their unbeaten run to six matches, but Shane Huttley won frame eleven to bring the score back to, 7-4.

 

However, that was to be Academicals last frame of the night, as Nuthouse won the last four frames to win the match, 11-4. 

 

Academicals felt it was an improved performance, with Shane Huttley winning two of his three frames and Paul Thomas and Gary Mason were the others to add their names to the scoreboard. 

 

Nuthouse had three unbeaten players to help them extend their unbeaten run to six matches; Louis Wilbourne who won his only frame, Shane O’Reilly with a brace and Dave Sparey on three frame wins. 

 

Academicals have now not won since the opening match of the season and have dropped to ninth, thirteen points ahead of Guardians and three points behind Just Bellegrove. 

 

Eltham Terrace Rack Pack are now three points behind Nuthouse after their narrow, 8-7 triumph over Fox & Hounds. 

 

Rack Pack ended the night with two unbeaten players, Steve Heather and Dean Rider, who won two and three frames respectively. 

 

Fox & Hounds lie in fifth, two places and eight points behind their opponents. 

 

The bottom two, Farmhouse and Anglesea Arms, in SLKPA Division Two are slowly being cut adrift from the rest, as they both lost again this week and are now eight and fourteen points behind Sea the Angles, who have a game in hand over both of them. 

 

Farmhouse, at the bottom played top team New Eltham New Boys and was on the wrong end of a, 10-5 score line, whereas Anglesea Arms hosted Royal Oak and fared slightly better, only going down, 9-6. 

 

As a result, Royal Oak have leapfrogged Sea the Angles into second place, eight points ahead of them, but again Angles have a game in hand

 

New Boys now have a four-point lead at the top of the table. 

 

Allstars returned from their outstanding achievement at the national Champion of Champions finals and continued their unbeaten start to their defence of the SLKPA Premier Division title with a win against Bellegrove, who were in third. 

 

Bellegrove’s task was made even more difficult when they lost the first four frames in true Bellegrove style. 

 

It didn’t get much better for them in the second set, as Allstars took it, 3-2 for an overall, 7-3 lead. 

 

Allstars only needed one frame for victory and they achieved that in frame eleven, but Bellegrove didn’t let that get them down, as they won three of the last four frames, which included a break and dish by Barry Barham in the penultimate frame. 

 

Barham wasn’t the only one to achieve a break and dish, as Allstars also recorded one in the last frame to make the final score, 9-6. 

 

Also keeping up heir unbeaten run is Hotshots, who are pushing Allstars all the way, after they beat bottom of the table Rose Inn, 11-4 to cut the gap at the top to seven points. 

 

Bull Tavern have joined Bellegrove on 49 points but go above them, as they have one more win after this week’s victory over Rugrats. 

 

Tony Gear and Jamie White gave Bull a, 2-0 lead but Rugrats were inspired by their Captain, Scott Shephard’s break and dish in frame three and Mark Burton tied the match with frame four. 

 

The first set went to a deciding frame, which Jordan O’Connor won to give Bull a, 3-2 lead. 

 

Dafydd Ruffell brought that back to three all, but Bull won the next three frames to give them the set and a, 6-3 lead. 

 

Steve Gibson won frame ten to bring the difference between the two teams back to two frames. 

 

The first two frames of the last set were shared, but O’Connor and Joe Kane won back to back frames to, again give Bull the set and this time an unassailable, 9-5 lead.

 

Shephard won the last frame to make the final score, 9-6. 

 

O’Connor, White and Kane all ended up unbeaten, with O’Connor scoring a hat-trick, while the other two won two frames each. 

 

Rugrats are now in eighth, four points ahead of Crayford A, after they were beaten, 11-4 by Eltham Terrace Club A. 

 

This result propelled Terrace into fifth, just above the two animalistic teams, The Fox and Sharks, who played each other this week. 

 

It turned out that The Fox had slightly too much bite for Sharks, finishing up, 9-6 winners to go six points ahead of their opponents. 

 

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.