Summer 2023 week 9 match reports
Rugrats & Cue-ologists continue unbeaten runs
The South London & Kent Pool Alliance summer season is nine weeks in and there are still two teams with unbeaten records, Cue-ologists from Tier Three and Tier Two East’s Rugrats.
This week Rugrats played third placed Bell Ya Later, with eleven points between them however, the first set proved to be much closer.
Paul Thomas and Reece Stewart got Bell Ya Later off to a great start, winning the first two frames however, Aaron Shephard and Steve Gibson won the next two frames to send the set into a deciding frame, which Angie Hobbs won to give Bell Ya Later the first set.
The first two frames of the second set were shared before Rugrats took the last three frames of the set to give them a, 6-4 lead in frames.
Rugrats went on to whitewash the last set to make it eight frames in a row and give them the 2-1 & 11-4 victory.
It was a top of the table performance from Rugrats with Shephard, Dylan Suggars and Ashley Hewson all winning both of their frames, but Captain Steve Gibson went one better scoring a hat-trick.
Rugrats have opened up a six-point lead at the top of the table, whereas Bell Ya Later have dropped one place to fourth after Falconwood Club beat bottom team Hurricanes Reborn this week.
This promised to be a tough game for Hurricanes and that was proved in the first set, when Falconwood whitewashed it, which included a fine clearance by Brett Crawley and a great break and dish from Naftali Ayieko.
Phoebe French got Hurricanes first frame on the board with frame six, but Falconwood took the next two to lead the set and go on the hill for the bonus point.
Ben Walsh took advantage of a mistake to produce a wonderful clearance to send the set into a deciding frame.
The two captains faced each other, as Kevin England took on Paul Baker in a tight frame which could have gone either way, but England eventually held his nerve to nick a set and a point for Hurricanes.
Although it was, 1-1 in sets Falconwood were,7-3 up in frames, they secured the bonus point with frame eleven and went on to clinch the set and the match by winning the next two frames as well.
England scored an unbeaten brace and prevented a second set whitewash, before Baker finished well to give his side the set, 4-1 and complete a, 2-1 & 11-4 triumph.
Hurricanes battled hard and did well to take a set after going, 5-0 down, but they are still winless and ten points adrift at the bottom.
Falconwood are now two points ahead of Bell Ya Later in third and five points behind Bellegrove Flyers after they lost to New Eltham New Boys this week.
Flyers were looking to improve on last week’s narrow victory over the bottom team, whereas New Boys were hoping to build on their triumph over Bell Ya Later, two places above them.
The first set was in the balance at two frames all when Michael Barnes cleared up from a dry break to give New Boys the first set.
The second set also went to a deciding frame, but this time Flyers’ Captain, Jay Arnold held his nerve to level the match at, 1-1 & 5-5.
Antony Su performed a great shot on a red along the rail to help win him a frame and Andy Durack shot a superb double on the black to help New Boys win the match, 2-1 & 8-7.
This result means that New Boys are only three points behind Bell Ya Later and five behind Falconwood.
The top two in Tier Two West, New Eltham New Stars and Bellegrove A have the same 7/1 win/loss record but are separated by six points and nothing changed there this week, as both had similar victories.
New Stars travelled to Eltham Terrace Rack Pack in fourth, fifteen points behind them, but that didn’t show in the final score, with New Stars recording a narrow, 2-1 & 9-6 triumph.
Bellegrove A were at home to third placed Academicals, with eight points between them, and Bellegrove scored one more frame than New Stars winning, 2-1 & 10-5.
The bottom two faced each other, as Farmhouse hosted Fox & Hounds with just one point between them and despite the score line this match was incredibly close.
The first set swung one way then the other, going to a deciding frame which Fox Captain, Kerry Wyatt won to give her team the first set, 3-2.
John Denahy tied the match then the second set followed suit, going to a deciding frame, with Wyatt playing a captain’s role and giving her team the match.
Going into the final set, Fox were leading, 2-0 & 6-4 and Clive Forrest put them on the hill with frame eleven.
Nick Brown tied the set, but Fox won the last three frames, for a, 3-0 & 10-5 triumph to take maximum points.
Wyatt wasn’t the only hat-trick hero for Fox, as teammate Alan Dolan also won all three of his frames.
Before this week Farmhouse were eight points below Rack Pack, with Fox one point behind them, but this result has catapulted Fox above Farmhouse and closed the gap between them and Rack Pack to six points.
Sharks stay top of SLKPA Elite League after a narrow victory, 2-1 & 9-6 over Terry’s Allstars, who stay in fourth as a result.
Hotshots cut Sharks lead at the top to just one point after they successfully hunted down Bears this week, beating them 3-0 & 12-3.
Despite the thirteen points between these two teams, the standard of pool from them both was high, which also stood out because the quality of the table didn’t match.
Hotshots started their dominance of this match with Ryan Francis winning the opening frame, Elliott Giles performing a reverse dish on Gary Mason and George Taylor recording a break and dish to give their team the first set.
Then the table came to the aid of the home team, as Joe Kelly ended up in a snooker after a bad kick, allowing Dean James to step in and get Bears on the board, then Danny Kelliher had a terrible roll, handing the advantage to Paul Cobbold, who cleared up to make the score a more respectable, 3-2.
The second set started the same way as the first, with Francis, Giles and Taylor winning the first three frames to give Hotshots the set.
Then Richard Chapman joined the break and dish brigade, recording one against Mason and Kelliher took the tenth frame for the set whitewash, the match, and the bonus point before the start of the third set.
The final set had an element of Groundhog Day, as Francis, Giles and Taylor won the first three frames, for their hat-tricks, giving Hotshots maximum points.
Francis’ frame was a break and dish and there was another break and dish in frame four, as Dean James got revenge over Chapman dishing Mason and won his second and his team’s third frame of the night.
Kelliher made it a sixth dish in one match, with another break and dish against Mason, who had the misfortune of having just one shot, a dry break, in three frames played.
With so many dishes and one visit clearances this was a fantastic advert for the top division of the SLKPA.
The bottom two played each other this week, as Eltham Terrace Nuthouse hosted Duke of Northumberland, and the match started off close, with the first four frames being shared.
Ian Chapman won the deciding frame to give Nuthouse the first set.
The second set also started close, with each side winning one of the first two frames however, Duke took the remaining three frames of the set to take it, 4-1 levelling the match in sets, but going ahead, 6-4 in frames.
John Cochrane and Sam Kinsville won frames eleven and twelve to give Duke the bonus point.
However, the set was still up for grabs and Paul Docherty took the thirteenth frame to keep Nuthouse in it, but Duke won the last two frames for an overall, 2-1 & 10-5 victory.
Duke Captain, Paul Clements led from the front, winning all three of his frames, to help lift his team one place above Bears, on the same points, but ahead by winning one more set.
Bellegrove were looking to stay in touch with the two teams above them and they had a real see-saw battle with Pickwick in fifth, separated by five points.
Jamie Davis got Pickwick off to a great start, winning the first frame, but Nikki Steadman, Dan Heinink, Adam Coppen and Dan Foley took the next four to give Bellegrove the first set, 4-1.
Davis Enis Dogangun and Dave Pile won the first three of the second set to give Pickwick the set and level the score at, 4-4 overall.
Coppen prevented the set whitewash before Paul Slater won frame ten to tie the match at, 1-1 & 5-5.
All to play for in the final set, but the wheels came off for Pickwick, as Bellegrove whitewashed the set for a final score of, 2-1 & 10-5.
In such a tight game it was no surprise that Coppen was the only hat-trick hero, to help his team stay within three points of Hotshots, while Pickwick stay in fifth, four points behind Allstars.
The other unbeaten team in the SLKPA are Cue-ologists, who extended their lead at the top of Tier Three to five points with a, 3-0 & 11-4 victory over Bexleyheath Raiders.
Downham Tavern Terrors slip from second to third after they suffered a surprising loss, 2-1 in sets to The Con Men however, they got to share the points as they scored more frames, 9-6.
This puts The Con Men four points behind their opponents in fourth.
Taking over from Terrors by one point are 7 Ups, who beat Downham’s sister side, Downham Tavern A Team, 2-1 & 11-4 to keep the A Team second from bottom.
On this season’s form the powers that be at Downham Tavern maybe looking to swap the names over.
In the final game of the week fifth place, Eltham Terrace Tigers hosted bottom team Plough & Harrow with thirteen points between them and Tigers didn’t have it all their own way, winning 2-1 &10-5.
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.
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Cocked-HatCommittee MemberMember Posts: 347
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