SLKPA pay tribute to Tony Bailey

 

The news came as a particular shock to me, as the day before I had written the following about his performance the previous week, “This spurred on the Bull and Tony Bailey with a break and dish, Tony Gear and Adam Coppen won the first three frames of the final set to give their side the, 8-5 triumph… As well as his break and dish, Bailey won both of his frames”. 

 

Tony had been part of the south east London pool scene for many decades, playing in various leagues, at interleague and county level and represented the West Indies internationally. 

 

He played in the SLKPA for about ten years, starting with Hotshots and having spells at Pickwick and Academicals, before ending up at Bull Tavern and despite not picking up any individual honours, he did win many league titles and cup competitions with Hotshots. 

 

It was when he was with Hotshots that I first met Tony and while his teammates were quite boisterous, Tony was the quiet one, preferring to talk to others about the game and help them to improve. 

 

He didn’t have to shout about how good he was, he just was and showed it on the table. 

 

It was this and his demeanour off the table that earnt him enormous respect within the game, with tributes pouring in on social media for him, all of which saying what a gentleman and legend of the game he was, helping many to improve their game. 

 

The tributes show that everyone knew Tony Bailey and he would talk to anyone about pool. 

 

The SLKPA paid tribute to Tony by having a minute’s respect at all league games this week and the league will be a poorer place now that he has gone. 

 

Our thoughts go out to his family at this incredibly sad time. 

 

After the tributes it was back to what Tony loved, the pool, and his last team, Bull Tavern did him proud, pushing the Premier Division leaders, Allstars all the way. 

 

The first two frames were won by two Tonys, Bull Tavern’s Gear and Allstars’ Halpin, before Jordan O’Connor and Jamie White won the next two frames to give Bull the set. 

 

Stacy Redman won frame five to reduce Bull’s lead to, 3-2. 

 

O’Connor increased that to, 4-2 but Allstars put a run of three frames together to take the lead for the first time in the match however, Jack Noble won frame ten to tie the match at five all. 

 

Halpin, Richie Mitchell and Paul Cook strung another three frames together, at a crucial stage to give Allstars the victory. 

 

Joe Kane and Adam Coppen won the last two frames to make the final score, 8-7. 

 

Gear and Jamie White were unbeaten winning their only frames for Bull, with Halpin winning all three of his frames, yet again for Allstars. 

 

Bull Tavern stay in sixth place, whereas Allstars lead at the top has been cut to 19 points, after Tony Bailey’s original side, Hotshots beat Eltham Terrace Club A by 10 frames to 5. 

 

Terrace are now one place and two points above the relegation zone, as Rugrats, in the relegation play-off spot beat bottom team, Crayford A, 9-6. 

 

Sandwiched between Crayford and Rugrats are Rose Inn, who were beaten, 8-7 by The Fox. 

 

With two games to go its going to be a tough relegation battle, as the bottom four teams are separated by just thirteen points. 

 

In the remaining match in the division, fourth placed, Sharks hosted Bellegrove in third and the away side were looking to end a run of four defeats against their opponents to hold onto third place. 

 

The first two frames were shared, but Carl Speller, Vu Son and Jaff Laporte won the next three for Sharks to give them a, 4-1 lead. 

 

Rahat Munim extended that to, 5-1 with the first frame of the second set however, James Couch, Kieran Evans and Graham Levingbird strung three in a row for Bellegrove to reduce Sharks’ lead to, 5-4. 

 

But that was as close as it got for Bellegrove, as Laporte made it two from two to extend Sharks lead back to two frames at, 6-4. 

 

Then the final set matched the first, with the opening two frames being shared and Sharks taking the last three frames to win the match, 10-5.

 

Laporte went on to win all three of his frames, as did teammate Munim, while Couch won three of his team’s five frames

The margin of victory was even more important, as Sharks leapfrogged Bellegrove into third by just two points and although they probably can’t catch the top two, there is prize money at stake, and with eight points separating third from sixth its going to be a hard-fought battle. 

 

Bailey would also have been proud of his former teams that play in SLKPA Division One, with top of the table, Pickwick and second from bottom Academicals both securing, 12-3 triumphs. 

 

Pickwick were clinical against fourth placed Eltham Terrace Rack Pack, whitewashing the first set, 5-0 which included a reverse dish by Paul Gafa. 

 

That wasn’t the only total clearance in the match as Paul Dawson performed a break and dish in the penultimate frame, which was unfortunate for Steve Unwin as it was his only frame of the night. 

 

That must have rubbed salt into the wound for Rack Pack, with Pickwick running out, 12-3 victors. 

 

Despite the total clearances Martin Storey was arguably the player of the night, winning all three of his frames. 

 

This match wasn’t just a battle between the two teams, as the top two in the divisional rankings, Gafa and Dean Rider played each other, twice with Gafa victorious both times to strengthen his grip on the rankings title. 

 

Not only was this victory another step towards the title for Pickwick, but it also meant that they secured promotion back to the top division at the first attempt. 

 

Before their match, Academicals decided to dedicate their performance to their former teammate and what a performance it was, as they dominated this relegation dogfight against Just Bellegrove from the start, taking the first two and last two frames of the first set, with Peter Gray preventing the set whitewash. 

 

Unfortunately for Bellegrove no one could do this in the second set, with Paul Doherty, Shane Hutley, Gary Mason, Louis Newnham and Paul Thomas all winning to complete the set whitewash and have the match won before the end of the set. 

 

Gray won frame eleven, Bellegrove’s first since he won in frame three to reduce the deficit to, 9-2. 

 

Mason and Hutley put Academicals into double figures, 11-2 before Callum Brunton pulled one back and Thomas took the last frame to make the final score, 12-3 Academicals biggest victory of the season. 

 

It was a great all-round team performance in tribute to Tony Bailey, with Newnham and Dean Williams winning their only frames, Doherty and Mason scoring two out of three but Hutley and Thomas went one better with unbeaten hat-tricks. 

 

Just like their sister side, this victory was important for Academicals, as it lifted them above their opponents, by six points into the relegation play-off spot. 

 

Below Just Bellegrove and still sitting at the bottom are Rugrats Guardians, and they did themselves no favours by arriving with just four players against Falconwood Club. 

 

Akar Necati and Alex Lawrence won the opening two frames for Falconwood, before Martin Hart pulled one back. 

 

Guardians lack of players meant the next frame was handed to Falconwood and Brett Crawley won frame five to give his team a, 4-1 lead going into the second set. 

 

This set was much closer, and the lack of players proved more costly, as the first four frames alternated between the two teams, with the fifth frame of the set being the forfeit. 

 

Falconwood were now, 7-3 ahead, needing just one frame for victory, which Lawrence secured with frame eleven. 

 

They went on to win the next two frames for an overall, 10-3 lead before Ross Webster and Hart took the last two frames to reduce the margin of victory to, 10-5. 

 

Necati and Lawrence were the inspiration behind Falconwood’s victory, both winning all three of their frames. 

 

Falconwood had been struggling themselves of late, so this victory was much needed, putting them two places and seven points above the relegation zone. 

 

On the other hand, it looks like Guardians are doomed for the drop, as they are now 25 points away from safety with only two games left to play. 

 

Three points below Falconwood and in between them and the drop zone are Bellegrove A, who gave the team two places and fourteen points ahead of them, Fox & Hounds a run for their money. 

 

Bellegrove had the better start with Steve Hughes and Joe Hills winning the opening two frames however, Alan Dolan, Clive Forrest and Kerry Wyatt took the next three frames to give Fox & Hounds a, 3-2 lead. 

 

Martin Hession made that, 4-2 but Hughes and Jack Taylor tied the match at four all.

 

 Bellegrove were, 2-1 up in the second set, but Forrest equalised, and Kerry Wyatt won the set decider for the second set in a row to give her side a, 6-4 lead. 

 

The third set was also a close one, swinging one way then the other until Forrest won the penultimate frame to tie the set at two all, but more importantly secure the victory.

 

 The set decider was played between the two captains; Bellegrove’s John Skuza and Kerry Wyatt for Fox, but she couldn’t weave her magic this time, and Skuza took the frame for the set and brought his side back to, 8-7. 

 

After winning in the first set, Hughes went on to win all three of his frames to keep Bellegrove in the match, with Forrest doing the same for Fox and he was joined by Hession in the unbeaten corner, as he won his only frame. 

 

Back at the top of the table, New Eltham New Stars pulled away from Rack Pack and drew themselves closer to their opponents, Eltham Terrace Nuthouse, after pushing them to their second defeat of the season. 

 

As you would expect from two teams chasing promotion, the first set was close with the frames alternating between the teams, ending with Nuthouse taking a, 3-2 lead into the second set. 

 

Ron Brown, Dave Jandu, Steve Knight and Paul Carroll won the first four frames of the second set to put New Stars, 6-3 up, with Louis Wilbourne winning frame ten to prevent the set whitewash. 

 

Shane O’Reilly brought Nuthouse back to within one however, Knight and Jandu won the next two frames to give New Stars the match. 

 

Ron Brown made it three in a row for New Stars, before Zoe Healy won the Last frame to make the final score, 9-6. 

 

Not only did Knight and Jandu win the frames to give New Stars the match, but they both finished the game unbeaten, with Knight securing a brace and Jandu a hat-trick. 

 

With just two games to go, New Stars are now in the driving seat for the promotion play-off place, seven points ahead of Rack Pack and they may have aspirations for second, as they are 16 points behind their opponents. 

 

SLKPA Division Two’s league season is over, so the five teams have turned their attention to the League Cup, where the teams have been split into two groups, with the top team, New Eltham New Boys partnered with the bottom two teams, Anglesea Arms and Farmhouse and the second and third teams, Royal Oak and Sea the Angles will play off to see who will meet the winner of the other group in the final. 

 

The action started with the two bottom teams, so it was bound to be close and it looked like it would be when the first two frames were shared, but Sam Mossom and John Hurd won the next two frames to give Anglesea the set. 

 

As Farmhouse only had four players frame five also went to Anglesea, via a forfeit, which put them, 4-1 up and they never looked back. 

 

The second set followed the same pattern as the first, with Anglesea winning the first frame and as he did in the first, Barrie Blake tying the set. 

 

Bill Mossom and Edward Green secured the set and the forfeit frame gave Anglesea the match before the start of the third set. 

 

They must have taken their foot off the gas after this, as John Denahy and Steven Jefcoate won the first two frames of the set to bring the score back to, 8-4. 

 

Green denied Blake his hat-trick but recorded his own in the process to make it, 9-4.

 

Alfie Cambridge won the penultimate frame to give Farmhouse the set, 3-2, and the last frame was forfeit, making the final score, 10-5. 

 

Frame difference may prove costly in this cup competition, so Anglesea may rue Farmhouse picking up that last set, as their valiant foursome all chipped in with at least a win each in the match. 

 

It doesn’t happen often but Anglesea had two unbeaten players, Sam Mossom with two frame wins and Edward Green who went one better with a hat-trick. 

 

This is an important big victory for Anglesea, which has put the cat amongst the pigeons for the Division Two champions New Boys. 

 

Anglesea’s sister side, Sea the Angles took a massive step towards the final, with a fantastic, 10-5 triumph over Royal Oak in the first leg of this two-legged play-off. 

 

The damage was done in the first set, with Angles taking a, 4-1 lead however, Oak fought back and took the second set, 3-2 to reduce Angles’ lead to, 6-4 but Angles piled on the pressure again in the final set to win it, 4-1 and put one foot in the final. 

 

It was a great all-round team performance, as every player added to the scoreboard, with Reece Stewart, Jo Williams, Jade Holmes, Clare Stork and Donna Mullins all winning one of their two frames but Angie Hobbs and Dan Brown were both unbeaten, with Hobbs scoring a brace and Brown a hat-trick, which included a break and dish in the final set. 

 

On Sunday the SLKPA held their Lower Division Singles tournament, a chance for players outside the top division to get their hands on some silverware. 

 

It was a good turnout, with around 30 entrants that ended with number one in the Division One rankings, Paul Gafa facing twelfth placed Alex Biggs, and it turned out to be an upset, as Nuthouse’s Alex Biggs won, 4-1. 

 

Alex’s dad Trevor made it a Biggs double, after he won the plate competition, beating Jason Brunton, 3-2 in the final after a very long day of pool. 

 

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.