Just Bellegrove edges battle of Bellegrove

 

The two teams were sitting in seventh and eighth and only had seven points between them, so this match was always going to be close. 

 

Just Bellegrove had two of their top players missing, making it even closer, but they got off to a dream start, winning the first four frames, with Nick Morris preventing the set whitewash for Bellegrove A. 

 

Despite being the lower placed team, Just Bellegrove’s dominance continued and they won the second set, 3-2 to take a, 7-3 lead into the final set. 

 

Bellegrove A had to repeat last week’s feat of winning the last five frames to clinch the match and they started well, taking the first two frames of the set to bring it back to, 7-5 but Just Bellegrove secured the match with the not so unlucky frame thirteen. 

 

Bellegrove A won the last two frames to take the set, 4-1 and reduce Just Bellegrove’s margin of victory to, 8-7. 

 

This result moved both teams up one place and out of the relegation zone, as Falconwood Club’s match against New Eltham New Stars has been postponed until next week. 

 

Just Bellegrove are on the same points as Falconwood, with Bellegrove A six points ahead on 100. 

 

Despite losing to second placed Eltham Terrace Nuthouse, second from bottom Academicals did their chances of wriggling out of the relegation zone the world of good by limiting the score to only, 8-7. 

 

Academicals got off to a great start, shocking Nuthouse by taking the first two frames, but Nuthouse are resilient, winning the next three frames to take a, 3-2 first set lead.

 

 Shane O’Reilly, Trevor Biggs and Zoe Healy made it six frames in a row to extend Nuthouse’s lead to, 6-2. 

 

Louis Newnham and Shane Hutley reduced that to, 6-4 with the last two frames of the second set. 

 

The first two frames of the final set were shared, putting Nuthouse on the hill, but Hutley and Paul Doherty won the next two frames to give Academicals the set and tie the match at seven all. 

 

Trevor Biggs held his nerve to win the final frame decider to give Nuthouse the narrow, 8-7 victory. 

 

You would never have known there was seven places and 33 points between the two teams. 

 

Alex Biggs won his only frame, while dad Trevor won both of his, with O’Reilly also scoring an unbeaten brace. 

 

Academicals’ Hutley went one better with an unbeaten hat-trick and he was supported by Doherty, who performed a wonderful break and dish. 

 

Academicals are now just three points away from guaranteed safety and Nuthouse are fourteen points behind Pickwick at the top, after they recorded another comprehensive victory. 

 

Pickwick took another step towards the Division One title, by completely outplaying the bottom team, Rugrats Guardians in a, 13-2 thrashing. 

 

Despite the large margin of victory there was only two hat-trick heroes for Pickwick; Dave Pile and Martin Storey. 

 

Aaron Shephard played really well for Guardians, despite failing to pick up a win. 

 

Pickwick maybe odds on for the title, but it looks like Guardians are probably in the same boat at the other end, as they are 17 points away from guaranteed safety. 

 

Eltham Terrace Rack Pack took full advantage of New Stars postponement and leapfrogged them into third place by just eight points after beating Fox & Hounds this week. 

 

Rack Pack took a, 2-0 lead and never looked back, despite Martin Hession pulling one back for Fox. 

 

Dean Rider restored Rack Pack’s two frame advantage, before Kerry Wyatt won frame five to cut that back to, 3-2. 

 

Rack Pack did the damage in the second set, with Rider, Tony Frost, Dave Avery and Steve Unwin all winning to give their team a, 7-2 lead. 

 

Fox Captain, Kerry Wyatt kept her team in the game by preventing the set whitewash and stopping Rack Pack from securing the victory before the start of the final set. 

 

Rider made it three out of three to seal the win for Rack Pack, with Frost and Avery also completing their hat-tricks to put their team, 10-3 up. 

 

Neil Shelton pulled one back for Fox, before Kerry Wyatt won her third frame of the night to bring her team back to, 10-5. 

 

It looks like the fight for third place and a promotion play-off spot will be between Rack Pack and New Boys, as Rack Pack are now 20 points behind Nuthouse, although Fox may have something to say about it, as they are twelve points behind their opponents. 

 

The places in SLKPA Division Two were all decided last week, but four teams still had a match to play, with first and third playing the bottom two. 

 

Anglesea Arms hosted the newly crowned division champions, New Eltham New Boys, and James Rickner and Sam and Bill Mossom gave Anglesea the ideal start by opening up a, 3-0 lead in the first set. 

 

However, Billy Russell and Dave Fulkes took the last two frames of the first set to bring New Boys back into the game at, 3-2. 

 

Frame six went to Ed Green to extend Anglesea’s lead to, 4-2 which proved to be the proverbial kick up the backside that New Boys needed and Russell, Fulkes, Melissa Barnes and Anthony Lee won the next four frames to catapult New Boys into a, 6-4 lead. 

 

The last set mirrored the second, with Green taking the first frame and New Boys the next four for an overall, 10-5 triumph. 

 

Green scored an unbeaten brace, as did Melissa Barnes for New Boys however, Dave Fulkes went one better with an unbeaten hat-trick to be crowned the division’s number one ranked player. 

 

This result gave New Boys a fourteen-point lead at the top of the table. 

 

Anglesea Arms were looking to their neighbours, Sea the Angles to do them a favour in their battle with Farmhouse for the wooden spoon. 

 

Nick Brown and John Denahy got the ball rolling for Farmhouse, but Reece Stewart and Jo Williams tied the set, before Barrie Blake won the set decider to give Farmhouse a first set, 3-2 lead. 

 

Sea the Angles felt they could have finished the set in the lead, but missed their chances however, they took solace from the set being so close and it was early days. 

 

Angie Hobbs tied the match at three all, but Blake and Nick Brown restored Farmhouse’s two frame advantage. 

 

Claire Stork won frame nine to make the overall score, 5-4 and send the set into another decider. 

 

Jade Holmes was hoping to make amends for losing the decider in the first set, but alas it was not to be, with Alfie Cambridge making it, 6-4. 

 

The first two frames of the last set were shared to leave Farmhouse within one frame of victory, but Dan Brown and Stewart won the next two frames to tie the match at seven all and fittingly send the match into a final frame decider. 

 

Nick Brown won his third frame of the night to give Farmhouse their third victory of the season by 8 frames to 7. 

Nick Brown wasn’t the only unbeaten player, as Angie Hobbs won both of her frames for Sea the Angles. 

 

Despite winning the match, it wasn’t enough for Farmhouse to overtake Anglesea Arms, finishing ten points behind them, so Farmhouse’s penalty points didn’t prove costly in the end. 

 

Allstars marched closer to the SLKPA Premier Division title after beating third placed Bellegrove for their fourteenth win of the season out of fifteen played. 

 

Bellegrove didn’t have their customary slow start, instead taking a, 2-1 lead but they did have a slow end, losing the set, 3-2 and this was echoed in the remaining two sets, giving Allstars the, 9-6 triumph.

 

This was a high-quality game, with some excellent pool played by both teams, which started with two break and dishes in the first set and was followed by several one visit finishes. 

 

Rose Inn’s run of good results came down to earth with a bump, after they were beaten, 11-4 by Hotshots. 

 

With just three games to go, it looks like the top two places are decided, with Allstars 21 points ahead of Hotshots, who are 22 points ahead of Bellegrove. 

 

Rose Inn dropped back to ninth after Rugrats pulled off an unexpected victory over Bull Tavern, their second unforeseen loss in a row. 

 

Bull did themselves no favours by only having four players, despite this Rugrats stunned their opponents by taking a, 2-0 lead before Adam Coppen pulled one back for Bull. 

 

Steve Gibson was handed a bye to take the set and Josh Page won frame five to give Rugrats a surprising, 4-1 lead. 

 

That soon became, 5-1 with a forfeit in the opening frame of the second set, but Bull battled back, with Jordan O’Connor, Coppen and Joe Kane stringing three frames together to bring Bull to within one. 

 

Page made it two out of two on the night, to give his side a, 6-4 lead going into the final set. 

 

Ashley Hewson made it, 7-4 then the lack of players proved costly, as Page was handed his hat-trick and his team the shock victory. 

 

The next two frames were shared, before Coppen recorded his hat-trick, to make the final score, 9-6. 

 

As well as Coppen and Page, Hewson also won all three of his frames. 

 

Despite the loss, Bull stay in sixth, seven points behind Bellegrove in third. 

 

Rugrats leapfrog Rose Inn into eighth and the relegation play-off spot, but only by three points. 

 

Five points below Rose Inn are Crayford A, after they were beaten, 10-5 by Eltham Terrace Club A, who stay in seventh and break 100 points in the process. 

 

Fifth played fourth, as The Fox faced Sharks in what was bound to be a close game and it lived up to its promise, with The Fox closing the gap between the two to two points, after an, 8-7 triumph. 

 

With three games to go it looks like this division is divided into three, with the top two out in front, the next five teams are separated by ten points and the bottom three are 18 points away from safety.   

 

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.