SLKPA summer season starts in style. 

The biggest winners of the week across all four divisions were, surprisingly Tier Three’s Plough & Harrow, who thrashed Bexleyheath Raiders, 3-0 & 12-3. 

Surprisingly because Plough spent most of the winter season battling with White Hart for the wooden spoon and they only dodged it on the last day by two points, with Raiders finishing one place and 19 points above them. 

White Hart maybe staring at the wooden spoon again, as they went down to a, 3-0 & 10-5 defeat to The Con Men, who should be title contenders after they secured promotion from the bottom division in the winter season. 

Sundridge Park Working Men’s Club had a steady first season in the winter and only missed out on promotion by eight points, but they had a rocky start to the summer season against Average Joes. 

The Average Joes proved they weren’t so average, with a fantastic start to their first season, as Gurpal Cheema, Rocky Singh, and Syed Shahed won the first three frames to give them the first set. 

Dave Sparey and Andrew Slater won the last two frames of the set, making the overall score, 3-2 going into set two. 

Paul Martin levelled the frame score; however, Average Joes won the remaining four frames of the set to give them the victory and put them on the hill for the bonus point. 

Young Slok Patel kept Sundridge Park in with a shout of at least a point, by winning the first frame of the last set, but those hopes were quickly dashed, with Glenn Reece, Shahed, and Carl Evans winning the next three frames, giving Average Joes maximum points. 

Sparey won the last frame, making the final score, 3-0 & 10-5. 

It was a fantastic all-round team performance by Average Joes, with four players, Cheema, Singh, Shahed, and Reece all unbeaten with two frame wins. 

The only other team in all four divisions to secure maximum points was New Eltham New Stars from the Elite League, after they beat Pickwick, 3-0 & 10-5. 

This match was much closer than the score line suggests, with there being no more than two frames between the teams right up until the last few frames. 

Luke Terry and Paul Rivers put New Stars ahead before Paul Gafa pulled one back. 

James Martin won the set for New Stars, but Dave Pile made it, 3-2 with the fifth frame. 

Paul Slater levelled the match for Pickwick, then there was two quickfire frames, as Rivers broke and dished for New Stars and Jamie Davies returned the compliment for Pickwick. 

Steve Pearce and Paul Carroll took the last two frames of the set, giving New Stars the match and a, 6-4 frame lead. 

Davies pulled that back to, 6-5 but New Stars outplayed Pickwick in the last set, winning the last four frames to take maximum points. 

Not only did Rivers break and dish, but he also won all three of his frames and Pearce was also unbeaten with a brace. 

New Stars had been promoted from Tier Two however, the other two promoted teams, Falconwood Club and Rugrats didn’t fare as well, both being beaten, 2-1 & 9-6.

Falconwood travelled to Bears, who only just avoided the drop last summer season, whereas Rugrats had much stiffer opposition, the current summer season champions, Hotshots. 

Rugrats stunned the winter season champions, with Ashley Hewson, Steve Gibson, and Shane O’Reilly winning the first three frames to give their team the set.

However, Hotshots strung three frames of their own together, as George Taylor and a Ryan Francis double tied the match in frames. 

Rugrats Captain, Gibson nudged his team back into the lead, but Hotshots were rattled and won the next three frames to take the set, 4-1 and go into a, 6-4 lead overall. 

Everything to play for in the final set, but Hotshots were on the prowl and Taylor won his third frame of the night to put them on the hill for the bonus point. 

Tony Gear made it six on the spin to give Hotshots the bonus and a, 2-0 lead in the final set.

Hewson pulled one back, but Francis completed his hat-trick to give his team the victory. 

Gibson capped off his captain’s performance by taking the last frame, his third for a final score of, 2-1 & 9-6. 

Second and third from the winter season faced each other, as Sharks visited Bellegrove and they came away with a narrow, 2-1 & 9-6 triumph. 

The two relegated teams from the Elite League, Eltham Terrace Nuthouse and Duke of Northumberland found themselves in Tier Two East this season and they both had winning starts. 

Nuthouse started the campaign with a, 2-1& 10-5 triumph over Bell Ya Later and Duke beat New Eltham New Boys, 2-1 & 9-6. 

There was a local derby at Woolwich Snooker Club, as Academicals hosted Hurricanes Reborn, but it was Hurricanes that were initially blown away, losing the first three frames to give Academicals the set. 

However, Ben Walsh produced a fantastic and rapid clearance to seven-ball his opponent and Luke Knight was excellent in reducing the arrears to, 3-2. 

Academicals were quick out of the blocks again in set two, racing to a, 2-0 lead, but Walsh and Knight were on hand again to rescue the Hurricanes and send the set into a deciding frame. 

Robyn Parlett played, arguably the shot of the night, a pot on the black to give Hurricanes the set and level the match at one set and five frames all. 

Academicals edged themselves into the lead, but Charles French won his first frame of the night to make the match all square again. 

Walsh was on fire and secured his hat-trick to put Hurricanes in the lead for the first time in the match, then Hurricanes’ Captain, Kevin England held his nerve to win the match for his team. 

Academicals took the last frame, making the final score, 2-1 & 8-7. 

England was proud of his team’s fantastic performance and great start to the season against tough opposition. 

After convincingly winning Division Two in the winter season, Eltham Terrace Tigers had a wonderful start to their first summer season, beating Bellegrove Flyers, 2-1 & 9-6. 

Nolans have just joined the league and they got their Tier Two West campaign off to a great start by winning three of the first four frames against Farmhouse to take the set. 

Gregory Wren took the last frame of the set, for Farmhouse to make it a respectable, 3-2 going into the second. 

Nolans dominated the second set, with Chris Panayiotou, Enis Dogangun, Lee Suggers, Charlie Beaconsfield, and Rob Hearn all winning to whitewash the set, giving their team the match and the bonus point in the process. 

It looked like they were going to run riot as Panayiotou and Beaconsfield won the first two frames of the third set, making it seven on the spin to give them a, 10-2 frame lead. 

However, Farmhouse weren’t lying down, and Lacey Denahy, Barrie Blake, and Nick Brown won the last three frames, to give them the set and steal a point in the, 2-1 & 10-5 defeat. 

Panayiotou was the player of the night, winning all three of his frames. 

Also winning, 2-1 & 10-5 was Sundridge Park Pocketeers away at Pool Runnings. 

This was a match between two newly formed teams that had broken away from other teams, and it was the team with arguably the best name in the league that got off to the better start. 

So good they named him twice, Joshua Joshua, Gregg Thomas and Ben Wilders won three of the first five frames to give Pool Runnings the first set, 3-2. 

Darren Cotterill and Lee Martin made it three in a row for the Pocketeers to nudge them into a, 4-3 frame lead. 

Thomas tied the match overall, but John Harfield and Kevin Dempsey won the last two frames of the set, giving it to the Pocketeers, 4-1. 

The score was 1-1 & 6-4 going into the final set, so everything was still to play for, but so far neither team had changed their team selection, and this continued in the third set, meaning every player had the same opponent in each set. 

Joshua and Cotterill had won a frame each and it was Joshua that won this battle to give Pool Runnings the first frame in this set and close the overall gap to, 6-5. 

Martin had won the previous two frames against Lionel White, and he completed his hat-trick to tie the set. 

Next up for Pool Runnings was Thomas, looking to secure his hat-trick over Tommy Bowden, but Bowden battled back to give the Pocketeers the bonus point and the set lead.

It was all square between Wilders and Harfield and the former had to win to keep Pool Runnings in the game however, it was Harfield who came out on top to give his team the victory. 

Dempsey finished it off with his third frame win over Lewis Holdsworth. 

The game between Blackheath Sports Club and Cue-Ologists followed a similar pattern to the other Tier Two West games already mentioned. 

The first set was incredibly close, swinging to and fro, with Mel Barnes eventually winning the set deciding frame to give Blackheath the first set, 3-2. 

The second set couldn’t have been more different, with Stephen Maeers, Michael Humphrey, Simon Platt, Rachel Howard, and Chris McKensie all winning to whitewash the set and give Cue-Ologists a, 7-3 frame lead. 

Steve Aldridge secured the bonus point for Cue-Ologists with the first frame of the last set, but Blackheath were still battling for a second point and Alan Dolan tied the set. 

McKensie completed his hat-trick and Paulo Lancini won the penultimate frame to give Cue-Ologists the victory. 

Blackheath’s Glenn Ward won the last frame to make the final score, 2-1 & 10-5. 

McKensie wasn’t the only unbeaten player, as teammate Rachel Howard scored an unbeaten brace. 

The final game of the night saw the two teams share the points, as Eltham Terrace Rack Pack won, 2-1 in sets, but Bellegrove A scored more frames, 8-7. 

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.