Falconwood find first victory of the season

The Premier Division bottom two, Falconwood and Bellegrove A played each other with just five points between them and Falconwood made that up with a, 10-5 triumph.

The two teams now have the exact same record and are tied at the bottom of the table, five points behind Bellegrove, who didn’t have a game this week and have dropped from third to seventh. 

Hotshots were playing catch up this week and are now the only unbeaten team in the division after two impressive, 11-4 victories. 

They played the two teams immediately below them, New Eltham New Stars and Eltham Terrace Nuthouse and were only one and two points ahead. 

After beating New Stars, 8-4 in the cup, Hotshots went onto beat them, 11-4 in the rearranged league game. 

Next up were Nuthouse and Hotshots were not letting up, taking the first set, 4-1. 

It didn’t get any better for Nuthouse as Hotshots whitewashed the second set, making it seven on the spin to have the game won before the end of the second set. 

Hotshots may have taken their foot off the gas, as Paul Doherty and Jon Syta won the opening two frames of the third set. 

Ryan Francis put Hotshots into double figures before Leighton Aston pulled another frame back for Nuthouse. 

Richard Chapman won his only frame of the night to give his side the, 11-4 triumph. 

These results have sent Hotshots up three places to the top of the table, five points ahead of Sharks, while Nuthouse stay in sixth. 

The top two, Sharks and Rugrats faced each other this week with just five points between them, and the top team had the better start with Rahat Munim winning the first frame. 

However, Rugrats stunned their opponents by taking the next four frames to take a, 4-1 lead into the second set. 

Dylan Suggars won the opening frame of the second set, making it five in a row for Rugrats. 

Eno Idiong and Jeff La’Porte won the next two frames, before Pat Firth tied the set. 

Rugrats Captain, Steve Gibson won the set deciding frame to put his team on the hill at, 7-3. 

Ashley Hewson won the match for Rugrats before Idiong scored an unbeaten brace to level the set. 

Firth also scored two out of two, but the set was all level again when Alex Biggs took the penultimate frame. 

Gibson became the only hat-trick hero giving his side the, 10-5 triumph. 

This result ended Sharks unbeaten run and brought Rugrats level on points with them, although Sharks have a game in hand. 

Sharks and Rugrats are in second and third, with New Stars eight points behind them in fourth, after this week’s match against Pickwick. 

Both teams had a won two, lost two record and New Stars were two places and five points ahead, so this was always going to be a close game. 

Paul Dawson got Pickwick off to a good start, with the first frame, but Luke Terry, James Martin, and Steve Knight won the next three frames for New Stars, before Louis Wilbourne pulled one back for Pickwick. 

Dawson and Enis Dogangun nudged Pickwick back into the lead before Terry tied the match. 

The last two frames of the set were shared, leaving it all square at five all going into the final set. 

Terry won his third frame of the night to put New Stars back in front, but Jamie Davis levelled. 

Dave Pile recorded an unbeaten brace and Dawson a hat-trick to give Pickwick the match before Paul Slater made it four in a row and, 9-6. 

Pickwick have jumped from seventh to fifth, six points behind their opponents and one ahead of Nuthouse. 

The Premier Division is now starting to take shape and even itself out, with Rugrats and New Stars being the surprise packages in the top four. 

While still mourning the loss of their long-standing Chairman, Martin Donohoe, the SLKPA suffered the loss of another long-standing member, Claire Stork, who lost her long battle against illness.  

Claire was a well-respected player, representing London County, London Leopards at Interleague level, and most recently played for Bell Ya Later in the SLKPA and the league’s thoughts are with her friends and family. 

With heavy hearts her team, Bell Ya Later hosted Downham Tavern Terrors and suffered a, 10-5 defeat, but some things are bigger than pool. 

Both teams had the same record in equal fifth in Division One, but Terrors now occupy fifth, with Bell Ya Later dropping to seventh. 

Top team, Bears travelled to ninth place, New Eltham New Boys, with 15 points between them, and New Boys shocked the league leaders with a, 9-6 triumph to end their unbeaten run. 

New Boys go up one place into eighth and Bears stay top but only by one point. 

Bellegrove Flyers were in second three points behind Bears and two points ahead of this week’s opponents, Duke of Northumberland in fourth. 

These two teams have played each other half a dozen times over the last few years with incredibly close matches, and Duke got off to a good start, with two lovely clearances to win the first couple of frames. 

However, Flyers responded and levelled the score, before Phil Tworek seized the advantage back for Duke, giving them a, 3-2 lead. 

Tworek returned to the table and won the sixth frame, extending the lead to, 4-2 but Flyers fought hard and won the remaining four frames of the set, with Jay Arnold and Bobby Rogers winning their second frames of the night. 

Trailing, 6-4 Duke produced their best set of pool of the season, with Dave Pearce, Sam Kinsville, and Mark Hill delivering great clearances to move Duke back into the lead, 7-6. 

Tworek finished on a hat-trick to secure the win, before Duke Captain, Paul Clements completed the set whitewash, after Arnold unluckily went in off, making the final score, 9-6. 

Flyers drop to fourth and Duke leapfrog them into third by just a point, but Cue-Ologists snatch second after they narrowly beat bottom of the table, Blackheath Sports Club this week. 

Before this match there was seven places and 17 points between these teams, but Alan Dolan won the first frame to give Blackheath an early lead. 

However, Steve Aldridge, Simon Platt, Rachel Howard, and Chris McKenzie won the next four frames to give Cue-Ologists a, 4-1 lead. 

Joe Kane and Neil Shelton clawed that back to, 4-3 but Stephen Maeers, Aldridge and Platt put Cue-ologists on the hill at, 7-3. 

McKenzie made it another four in a row to give his side the victory, but Blackheath recorded their own four frame haul to bring the score back to a respectable, 8-7.

Cue-Ologists are now one point behind the league leaders and one point ahead of third place however, Blackheath are still winless at the bottom of the table. 

Also winless are Academicals after they lost to Eltham Terrace Rack Pack this week. 

There was only one place and two points between these teams before this match, but Rack Pack’s, 9-6 victory has moved them up one place, whereas Academicals drop one place, five points ahead of Blackheath. 

This division is incredibly close, with five points between first and fifth and the four teams chasing Bears at the top all have the same win/loss record, whilst the bottom five teams have ten points between them. 

Having not won any of their first five games and struggling to get a full team, Downham Tavern A Team have withdrawn from the league, slightly changing the look of SLKPA Division Two. 

Nothing changed at the very top, as Eltham Terrace Tigers remain unbeaten after a, 10-5 victory over Bexleyheath Raiders. 

Tigers were riding high, unbeaten and eight points clear at the top of the table, with Raiders six places and 19 points behind, so it was a shock when Raiders took a, 3-2 first set lead. 

James Pope won frame six to tie the match, but Bill Mossom put Raiders back in the lead. 

Tigers took the last three frames of the set, giving them a, 4-1 set victory and a, 6-4 overall lead. 

James Cooke recorded his hat-trick with frame twelve, making it five in a row for Tigers, giving them the victory. 

James Rickner prevented the set whitewash however; the last two frames went to Tigers. 

Cooke wasn’t the only hat-trick hero for Tigers, with Gladdish also winning all three of his frames. 

Raiders stay in seventh, but the new bottom two swap places, as a result of Downham’s demise and defeats this week. 

Plough & Harrow narrowly lost to Sundridge Park Working Men’s Club, 8-7 whereas White Hart were thrashed, 12-3 by Goodfellows. 

White Hart are now winless at the bottom of the table but are only two points behind Plough. 

Despite their big win Goodfellows drop from third to fourth, losing a lot of points from their Downham victory. 

Holding onto second are Farmhouse, who lost 10-5 to The Con Men jumping from fifth to third, just two points behind their opponents and one ahead of Goodfellows. 

Tigers are tearing away at the top, thirteen points clear, but the chasing pack are closely matched, with seven points between the next four teams and two of those have a game in hand. 

For more information on the SLKPA including league tables visit the website at www.slkpa.com or contact the 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.