The business end of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance winter season saw the semi-finals of the Founders Cup, as well as the play-offs, all played at Eltham Terrace this week. 

 

Third in the first division, New Eltham New Stars took on Rose Inn from the Premier Division to see who would be playing top flight pool next winter season. 

 

With so much at stake this match was always going to be close, but that didn’t seem to bother Rose Inn’s Leighton Aston, who made a superb six ball clearance and left the seventh hanging over a pocket. 

 

Paul Carroll played a snooker however, Aston easily got out of it, potting his final yellow, leaving him on the black, which he deposited to give Rose Inn the opening frame. 

 

Dave Jandu won a scrappy frame to equalise and Steve Knight made a lovely clearance to put New Stars ahead. 

 

A tight frame followed between Ron Brown and Lewis Hearn, which Hearn eventually took to level the scores once more. 

 

Steve Pearce played Jack Wilson and a quick frame was predicted, but it turned out to be one of the longest of the night, which Pearce won to give New Stars the first set lead, 3-2. 

 

James Pope made that, 4-2 before Hearn won his second frame of the night to pull one back for Rose. 

 

Then just like the first set, Knight and Jandu won two frames in a row, after Jandu made a fantastic six ball clearance to set up the win and give New Stars the second set and a, 6-3 lead. 

 

We then had a mini battle between Pearce and Aston, as they played each other in the next two frames. 

 

Aston should have taken frame ten with a well-worked one visit clearance, but he jawed his last yellow, allowing Pearce in however, he did the same and Aston finished the frame to make it, 6-4. 

 

Frame eleven started with a scrappy fight for supremacy, which Pearce eventually started to dominate and ended the frame with Aston still having seven balls on the table to put New Stars, 7-4 up and on the hill. 

 

New Stars were looking good for the win, with Jandu and Knight, their two unbeaten players so far coming to the table in the next two frames however Rose’s Hearn was up next and he was also yet to lose. 

 

Someone’s 0 had to go, but would it be Jandu or Hearn?

 

It looked like it would be Hearn when he missed an easy third red, but Jandu couldn’t capitalise and the frame continued in a nervy fashion until Jandu gave away two visits while on the black and Hearn potted his final two reds and the black for his hat-trick. 

 

With the score at, 7-5 Knight faced Dean Greany-Parr, who pulled off a fantastic break and dish to bring Rose to within a frame. 

 

After a poor break by Pope, a long drawn out frame ensued, which played into Jack Wilson’s hands and he tied the match sending it into a winner takes all one frame shoot out. 

 

New Stars turned to Ron Brown with Mick O’Flynn hoping to bring it home for Rose Inn. 

 

As you would expect both players were nervous and this showed with both players making mistakes, but Brown was first to the black and missed a long pot, which allowed O’Flynn in to finish off his final colours and the black for the victory. 

 

Rose Inn made a remarkable comeback from, 7-4 down to win the last four frames and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, 8-7 to retain their Premier Division status next winter season. 

 

In such a tight match it was no surprise that there was only one unbeaten player, Rose Inn’s Hearn on a hat-trick. 

 

The other play-off was between Academicals, who finished eighth in the first division and third placed in Division Two, Sea the Angles. 

 

It was another tense affair, swinging one way then the other, none more so than in the first set, with Dan Brown winning the first frame for Angles, then Shane Hutley and Dean Williams put Academicals ahead, before Jo Williams tied the score at two all. 

 

Jade Holmes played Paul Thomas in the set decider however, Thomas didn’t even get to the table, as Holmes performed a break and dish to give Angles the set, 3-2. 

 

Paul Doherty and Hutley then won two in a row to put Academicals one frame ahead again, before Brown won his second frame of the night to level the scores at four all. 

 

The second set went to Academicals, 4-1 after Louis Newnham and Thomas took frames nine and ten to give their team a, 6-4 lead going into the final set. 

 

Brown secured his hat-trick with the first frame of the final set and Hutley did the same in the second frame to put Academicals on the hill. 

 

Frame thirteen proved unlucky for Angles with Newnham taking it to give Academicals the match by 8 frames to 5, to preserve their Division One status.  

 

Brown was the only unbeaten player for Angles, with his three frame wins, but Academicals had three, as Dean Williams and Newnham won one an two frames respectively, to accompany Hutley’s hat-trick. 

 

The Founders Cup semi-finals were an all Premier Division affair, as champions Allstars played third placed Bellegrove and Sharks in fourth was up against sixth placed Bull Tavern. 

 

The first set between Allstars and Bellegrove was really close with the frames alternating between the two teams, before Jamie Simmons won the fifth frame to edge Allstars into a, 3-2 lead. 

 

However, Bellegrove couldn’t match Allstars in the second set, with Paul Cook, Stacy Redman, Tony Halpin, Richie Mitchell and Simmons all winning to whitewash the second set and give Allstars the, 8-2 triumph. 

 

The only winners for Bellegrove were Billy Levingbird and Barry Barham, whereas Allstars had three unbeaten players; Cook, Mitchell and Simmons who all won two frames each. 

 

Allstars were now on for the double for the second season in a row, but who would they be facing?

 

Sharks were the in-form team, but Bull took a, 2-0 lead, with Tony Gear and Jaime White both winning. 

 

Eno Idiong and Vu Son levelled the scores, before Joe Kane took the set decider to give Bull a, 3-2 lead. 

 

Arif Salih equalised again for Sharks, but Jack Noble and White put another two frames together for Bull to put them, 5-3 ahead. 

 

The next two frames went the same way as the first set, with Vu Son tying the set and Kane winning the decider for a, 6-4 lead. 

 

Bull only needed two frames to put them through to the final and Jordan O’Connor and Gear did just that with the first two frames of the set for an,8-4 triumph. 

 

White and Kane scored unbeaten braces with Noble also unbeaten, winning his only frame. 

 

Bull Tavern won the battle of the beasts to face Allstars in the Founders Cup final, but when that will be played who knows, as we will have to wait for Corona virus to clear before we can continue.

 

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.