Average Joes not so average after all.

Average Joes built on their victory from the first week to win again this week against Plough & Harrow, who also won last week. 

Average Joes once again showed they weren’t average by whitewashing the first set, 5-0. 

They continued to dominate in the second set, with Rob More, Brian Harris, and Syed Shahed taking the first three frames, making it eight on the bounce to give them the bonus point and the match before the end of the second set. 

Harris’ frame made it two out of two for him on the night. 

Graeme Leigh, Plough’s only change from the first set, put their first frame on the board in the ninth, before Gurpal Cheema made it, 9-1 in frames. 

It looked like Average Joes were going to run away with it even more when Rocky Singh and More won frames eleven and twelve, both scoring an unbeaten brace in the process. 

However, Plough fought back with Joe Webb and Rob Crashaw tying the final set. 

Cheema won the set deciding frame for his hat-trick, giving his side maximum points in the 3-0 & 12-3 triumph. 

Despite losing their match, 2-1 in sets to Bexleyheath Raiders, The Con Men managed to share the points by scoring more frames, 8-7 and they go into second place behind Average Joes. 

White Hart unfortunately remain winless, but they did run Sundridge Park Working Men’s Club very close, only going down, 2-1 & 8-7. 

Sundridge Park’s sister side, Sundridge Park Pocketeers also had a good win this week against Blackheath Sports Club to make it two out of two for them in SLKPA Tier Two West. 

Pocketeers had a great start to the season, winning 2-1 & 10-5 and this continued this week, as they won the first three frames for the first set. 

Alan Dolan prevented the set whitewash before Tommy Bowden made it, 4-1. 

Clive Forrest gave Blackheath the first frame in set two, but Kevin Dempsey and Lee Martin nudged Pocketeers into the lead in the set. 

Mel Barnes levelled the set for Blackheath, before her captain, Kerry Wyatt won the set with the tenth frame. 

It was 1-1 in sets, but Pocketeers were 6-4 ahead in frames going into the last set, so there was everything to play for, with two points up for grabs. 

Martin won his third frame of the night to put Pocketeers on the hill for the bonus point, then Forrest tied the set for Blackheath with his unbeaten brace. 

Dempsey made it three unbeaten players in a row with his hat-trick to give Pocketeers the bonus point and leave them one frame away from winning the match. 

John Harfield duly obliged by winning his only frame of the night, before Wyatt took the last frame, making the final score, 2-1 & 9-6. 

The only other team in the division to have won both matches so far this season are Nolans, and they have hit the top of the table, one place above Pocketeers, after a not so convincing, 2-1 win over Eltham Terrace Rack Pack in sets, but a comprehensive, 12-3 triumph in frames. 

This means that the one set Rack Pack won, they did it, 3-2 whereas Nolans whitewashed the other two sets. 

Along with Nolans and Pocketeers, Cue-Ologists shared the top spot last week, but they had a set back this week, losing 2-1 in sets to Bellegrove A however, they managed to recover and win more frames, 8-7 to share the points. 

Both Farmhouse and Pool Runnings had lost, 2-1 & 10-5 last week, so this game promised to be close, and it was much closer than the 3-0 & 9-6 score line, with each set being won by the odd frame. 

The first four frames were shared, before Steve Carpenter won the deciding frame to give Farmhouse the first set, 3-2. 

Carpenter also won the first frame in the second set, making it an unbeaten two on the bounce for him and three in a row for Farmhouse. 

Lionel White tied the set, then both teams won a frame each to send the second set into another set deciding frame. 

John Denahy won the set and the match in style for Farmhouse with a reverse dish. 

Farmhouse were now, 2-0 & 6-4 ahead, but that soon became, 9-4 after they took the first three frames of the last set, which included a John Denahy hat-trick to give them maximum points. 

Pool Runnings took the last two frames, which included three out of three for Ben Wilders, making the final score a bit more respectable. 

This leaves Pool Runnings bottom of the pile, while Farmhouse rise to third. 

Over in SLKPA Tier Two East, both Duke of Northumberland and Eltham Terrace Tigers were confident after decent, 2-1 & 9-6 victories last week, so when the two met each other this week we expected a close match, and the first set lived up to that with Duke edging it, 3-2. 

Duke started the second set by going, 2-0 up before James Cooke won his second frame of the night for Tigers to close the gap to, 2-1 in the set. 

However, Duke pushed on taking the next two, to win the match and the set, 4-1 for a, 7-3 frame lead. 

The third set went the same way as the second, with Duke taking the first two frames to secure the bonus point, before Tigers pulled one back, only for Duke to win the final two frames for another, 4-1 set victory and maximum points with a, 3-0 & 11-4 triumph. 

Sam Kinsville and Phil Tworek were the inspiration behind the victory, both going unbeaten with three frame wins. 

Bellegrove Flyers were apprehensive this week, as they hosted Eltham Terrace Nuthouse, a team with top division pedigree and who started their campaign with a good win and Flyers hadn’t. 

Jason Brunton couldn’t match his hat-trick from last week, falling at the first hurdle against Paul Doherty, and Nuthouse continued to dominate the set, winning it, 4-1. 

This included a delightful dish from a dry break by Shane Hutley. 

The only shining light for Flyers was Bobby Rogers preventing the set whitewash. 

This inspired Flyers and they won the second set by the same, 4-1 score line to tie the match at one set and five frames all. 

The highlight of the set came from Brunton, whose remaining red had no clear path to a pocket, with two yellows clearly blocking it, a Bruntonator later, and somehow the red found a way into the pocket, leaving him plum on the black and his opponent, Doherty’s face was a picture. 

All square going into the last set, and Jon Syta put Nuthouse ahead before Brunton levelled the score again. 

Rogers won his third frame of the night to put Flyers in the lead for the first time in the match however, Trevor Biggs sent the match into a final frame decider. 

Peter Moult and Doherty treated the fans to a great tactical battle to decide the match, but Doherty had the last laugh winning the frame to give Nuthouse the 2-1 & 8-7 victory. 

The other winner from this division last week was, Hurricanes Reborn and confidence was high as they took on New Eltham New Boys. 

They found themselves, 3-0 up after Charles French, Ben Walsh and Michelle Brown won the first three frames, but New Boys battled back and the set finished, 3-2. 

The second set started in a similar fashion, as French and the in-form Walsh won the first two frames, and Kevin England was looking to take the set and the match but missed the black and Michael Barnes capitalised to pull a frame back for New Boys.

That was a pivotal point in the match, as New Boys went onto win the next two frames to tie the match at one all in sets and five all in frames. 

New Boys won frame eleven to go into the lead for the first time in the match, but Robyn Parlett pulled Hurricanes level with a gutsy frame. 

New Boys edged themselves in front again, but Walsh is on fire at the moment, winning his third frame of the night to go unbeaten in six frames so far this season and send the match into a final frame decider. 

It was a tough final frame, but New Boys just pulled through for a narrow, 2-1 & 8-7 triumph, not bad considering they were facing defeat in frame eight. 

Two teams that lost last week faced each other this week, as Bell Ya Later hosted Academicals and the home side thought it would be a tough match as they had several players out. 

Their fears seemed to be running true, as they swiftly lost the first set, finding themselves, 3-0 down before they battled back to take the last two frames of the set, ending it only, 3-2 down. 

After taking the last two frames of the first set, Reece Stewart and Clive Black got the ball rolling in the second set, and they were joined by Jade Holmes and Tony Clarke to win the second set, 4-1 and put Bell Ya Later ahead, 6-4 in frames.

There was still everything to play for in the final set, but Bell Ya Later were rampant, whitewashing the set to win the match, 2-1 & 11-4. 

It was a great team performance with every player chipping in with a win, but Stewart and Black were the standout performers, ending the night with unbeaten hat-tricks. 

In the Elite League all the winners from the opening day faced each other, as New Eltham New Stars hosted Bears and Hotshots travelled the short distance to Sharks. 

New Stars had been the only team in the division to take maximum points last week however, they couldn’t match that this week, but they did beat Bears, 2-1 & 10-5 matching their frame score from last week. 

Sharks versus Hotshots was a fantastic display of pool between two of the best teams in the league, and was much closer than the 3-0 & 9-6 score line suggests, with each set being won by the odd frame. 

Joe Kelly kicked it off for Hotshots winning the first frame with a break and dish, but Sharks bit back with Tony Halpin also performing a break and dish. 

Rahat Munim, and Gary Smith took the next two frames for the set, before Ryan Francis won frame five to bring the score back to, 3-2. 

The second set followed exactly the same pattern, with Kelly taking the first frame, before Halpin and Munim edged Sharks into the lead in the set, but this time Geoff La Porte won the set and match for Sharks. 

Elliot Giles pulled Hotshots back again, making it, 6-4 in frames going into the final set. 

Kelly made it a hat-trick of opening frames with another break and dish in frame eleven and Munim made it two hat-tricks in a row, which also included a break and dish, to tie the set at one all. 

Eno Idiong pushed Sharks into the lead in the set, but George Taylor equalised to send the set into a deciding frame. 

La Porte faced Giles with both having won their previous frame, so the winner would remain unbeaten on the night and give their team the set. 

La Porte held his nerve to give Sharks maximum points and a distinct advantage over their opponents and title contenders. 

Both Rugrats and Pickwick had been beaten in the first week, so were looking to bounce back and they both fought hard, with each set going to a deciding frame. 

Jamie Davis opened the scoring for Pickwick, before Ashley Hewson and Jimmy Maloney nudged Rugrats into the lead. 

Martin Storey levelled the score, and Louis Wilbourne won the set for Pickwick. 

Rugrats were, 3-2 down going into the second set, but Hewson and Dylan Suggars put them one frame ahead again. 

Dave Pile and Storey restored Pickwick’s one frame advantage, but Rugrats Captain, Steve Gibson levelled the match at one set and five frames all. 

Hewson won frame eleven, his third frame of the night, and Suggars followed that up to give Rugrats three in a row and put them on the hill for both the match and the bonus point. 

However, Paul Cobbold and Storey, with his hat-trick frame sent the match into a final frame decider. 

Gibson played Pile to decide the match and it was Pile who held his nerve to give Pickwick the 2-1 & 8-7 triumph. 

Falconwood Club and Bellegrove both had, 2-1 & 9-6 losses last week, so were looking to bounce back this week. 

Bellegrove were buoyed by Dean Passer making his debut, and he got them off to a winning start, but the first set went to a deciding frame and an unfortunate foul on the black after it was potted gave Bellegrove the first set, 3-2. 

That gave Bellegrove a boost and they went on to win the first four frames of the second set to give them the match and put them on the hill at, 7-3 in frames for the bonus point. 

Steve Eddison won frame eleven to secure the bonus point for Bellegrove, but Falconwood took the next two frames, including a break and dish by George Covington to edge his team closer to stealing a point. 

However, Sean Hennessy and Dan Heinink won the last two frames to give Bellegrove maximum points in the 3-0 & 10-5 triumph. 

Heinink was the only unbeaten player on the night, winning both of his frames. 

This is going to be an incredibly close season across the board, as after just two weeks there is only one team on maximum points and every single team has at least a point. 

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.