Hotshots crowned SLKPA Premier Division champions

Hotshots were looking to secure the Premier Division championship before the last game of the season, but it was Pickwick who dominated the first half of this match, winning five of the first seven frames. 

This included two in a row from Paul Gafa, with a reverse dish in frame six, and Paul Slater making it three on the spin with the seventh. 

At, 5-2 down Hotshots had to dig deep and they fought back with Joe Kelly, Ryan Francis and Danny Kelliher all winning to tie the match at five all. 

The never say die attitude continued into the third set, as Hotshots won the first three frames, which included Kelly getting his unbeaten brace, to make it six on the spin to win the match. 

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

Going into this match Hotshots were 23 points clear of Sharks in second place, and they went to Eltham Terrace Nuthouse this week, who are the only team to beat Hotshots so far this season. 

Nuthouse took this match right to the wire, with Sharks winning it, 8-7 but this wasn’t enough to be in touching distance of Hotshots in the final week, making Hotshots this season’s SLKPA Premier Division champions. 

Sharks still had a fight for second place, as Rugrats and Bellegrove were close behind, and they played the bottom two teams this week. 

Rugrats hosted bottom team Bellegrove A and despite the six places and 39 points between them, this match was incredibly close, with each set being won by the odd frame, 3-2. 

Rugrats Captain, Steve Gibson got his team off to a good start and Pat Firth made it, 2-0. 

Jack Taylor and Joe Hills tied the match, before Shane O’Reilly gave Rugrats the first set, 3-2.

Rugrats started to dominate, winning the first three frames of the second set, making it four in a row for a, 6-2 lead. 

Hills and Petrina Pearce pulled it back to, 6-4 before Alfie Southby made it three in a row with frame eleven to bring Bellegrove to within a frame. 

O’Reilly produced a lovely break and dish to put Rugrats on the hill, but Taylor and Hills, with his hat-trick frame struck again to send the match into a deciding frame. 

Ashley Hewson saved Rugrats’ blushes by taking the last frame for an, 8-7 victory. 

Fourth played eighth with 21 points between them, as Bellegrove hosted Falconwood Club and the home side had much the better start, winning four of the first five frames.

Paul Baker prevented the whitewash in frame three, with Adam Coppen, Sean Hennessy, Dan Foley, and Barry Barham all winning for Bellegrove. 

The second set followed a similar pattern to the first, with Bellegrove taking four frames and Falconwood only one, to give Bellegrove the victory before the third set. 

Brett Crawley prevented the set whitewash in the tenth frame, which kickstarted a comeback for Falconwood, with Naftali Ayieko, Ian Stringer, Akar Necati, and Baker all winning to make it five on the spin. 

This made the score a more respectable, 8-6 before Tony Halpin won the last frame to make the final score, 9-6. 

These two results kept Rugrats and Bellegrove in with a slim chance of catching Sharks next week, as they are both 13 points behind with 15 to play for. 

Bellegrove A stay bottom of the table, twelve points away from the relegation play-off spot however, Falconwood have lifted themselves out of that spot, four points above New Eltham New Stars, who didn’t have a game this week. 

Next week the Premier Division will see a fight to avoid relegation and the play-off spot, which mathematically is between five teams. 

SLKPA Division One saw the first team to be relegated this week, as Bell Ya Later went down, 12-3 to Bellegrove Flyers, for their fourteenth defeat of the season.

This result keeps Flyers in with an outside chance of the promotion play-off spot, as they are nine points behind third. 

In the fight to avoid joining Bell Ya Later in relegation, Academicals were sitting in the safe zone, two places and six points ahead of Blackheath Sports Club, so this game was going to be hard-fought. 

Blackheath had a good start, winning the first two frames however, Academicals won the next eight, which included a whitewash in the second set to win the match before the third set. 

Joe Kane stopped the rot for Blackheath, but that didn’t stop Academicals, as Greg Phillimore recorded his hat-trick and Gary Mason put his side into double figures. 

Blackheath won the last two frames for the set,` making the score more respectable at, 10-5. 

One of the other teams involved in the relegation scrap are New Eltham New Boys and they visited top of the table Duke of Northumberland this week. 

With seven places and 49 points between the teams, it was no surprise that Duke dominated the first two thirds of this match. 

Lim Morina, Dave Pearce, and Paul Clements won the first three frames, before Marc Murphy prevented the set whitewash. 

Phil Tworek won frame five to give Duke a, 4-1 first set lead. 

It went from bad to worse for New Boys, as no one was able to prevent the whitewash in the second set, giving Duke the match before the end of the second set. 

Frame eleven saw Morina record his hat-trick, making it seven on the spin for Duke to put them into double figures. 

However, they must have taken their foot off the gas, as New Boys took the last four frames to make the final score a more respectable, 10-5. 

This result secured promotion for Duke and they will be looking to clinch the title next week. 

At the other end of the table Blackheath and New Boys still occupy the other two relegation spots, with five points between them, and Academicals are six points ahead of them. 

Eight points ahead of Academicals were Eltham Terrace Rack Pack and they visited Bears this week, who are in third and pushing to join Duke in getting promoted.

There were three places and 25 points between these teams, but you would never have guessed, as Bears just edged it, 8-7. 

Bears stay in third, the play-off spot, sandwiched between Downham Tavern Terrors in second and Cue-Ologists in fourth, who played each other this week. 

There was only three points between the teams, but Terrors dominated winning, 11-4 to go eleven points behind Duke and six ahead of Bears. 

With Duke already securing promotion, there are only ten points between second and fourth, so there is a tussle to see who will join them, who will finish in the play-off spot, and who will miss out. 

It’s taken them 15 matches, but White Hart have secured their first victory of the season, 9-6 against their closest rivals, Plough & Harrow to lift themselves off the bottom of Division Two and leapfrog their opponents by one point. 

At the other end of the table the league leaders, Eltham Terrace Tigers went into this game 18 points ahead of their opponents, Goodfellows in third place and were looking to secure promotion before the last week of the season. 

Tigers started well with Stephen Unwin and John Ly winning the first two frames before George Thomas pulled one back. 

Gary Smith and James Cooke won the last two frames of the set, giving Tigers a, 4-1 first set lead. 

Jay Smith halved the deficit however, Gary Smith, Lee Gladdish and Ly won the next three frames to put Tigers on the hill at, 7-2. 

Lewis Holdsworth won frame ten to make the score, 7-3 but that would be Goodfellows last frame, as Tigers whitewashed the last set making the final score, 12-3. 

Considering the large margin of victory there was only two unbeaten players, John Ly and Gary Smith, both winning all three of their frames. 

Tigers not only clinched promotion but also the league title, while Goodfellows stay in third and the automatic promotion spot. 

The Con Men were between these two, seven points behind Tigers and eleven ahead of Goodfellows, and this week they played their last game of the season against Bexleyheath Raiders. 

With a 10-5 victory Con Men also secured their promotion and second place, as they are 18 points ahead of Goodfellows. 

Farmhouse were one point behind Goodfellows, but they didn’t have a game this week, but Hurricanes Reborn in fifth were another point behind and they hosted Sundridge Park Working Men’s Club in sixth, 14 points behind. 

It didn’t start well for the home side, with Sundridge Park taking the opening two frames however, Hurricanes fought back with the ever-dependable Arif Salih and Michelle Brown levelling the match. 

The youngster Slok Patel didn’t show any nerves in taking the deciding frame of the set, to give Sundridge Park a, 3-2 first set lead. 

Hurricanes had a shocker in the second set, with Sundridge Park ruthlessly whitewashing the set to put them, 8-2 ahead giving them the match by the end of the second set. 

Hurricanes needed a response, and they got one through Salih, but Slok Patel completed an excellent hat-trick to make it, 9-3.  

Hurricanes’ Captain, Kevin England made it, 9-4 but that was as good as it got for them as Sundridge Park won the last two frames for a final, 11-4 score line. 

Despite the loss Hurricanes go into fourth, one point behind Goodfellows and four ahead of Farmhouse, while Sundridge Park have dragged themselves into the race for the final promotion spot, seven points behind third. 

Next week is the final league week of the season and there are still plenty of promotion, relegation and prize-winning places to be decided, so we’re in for an exciting climax to the season. 

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.