Last week Rugrats picked up their first league win of the South London & Kent Pool Alliance winter season and they made it two in a row this week to lever themselves off the bottom of the Premier Division into seventh. 

This week they played Pickwick, who were seven points ahead, but Rugrats were buoyed by their triumph last week and took a, 4-0 lead. 

Martin Storey was having none of this though and won two in a row for Pickwick to bring it back to, 4-2 but Rugrats still took the set, 3-2 for an overall, 7-3 lead. 

Rugrats secured the win with frame eleven and Dafydd Ruffel rubbed salt into the wound with a break and dish in frame twelve. 

Storey made it three out of three, but Rugrats took the last two frames for an overall, 11-4 triumph. 

Obviously, Storey was the saviour for Pickwick, winning three of their four frames, with Paul Slater the only other to pick up a frame for Pickwick. 

As much as Pickwick were poor, Rugrats were in top form, none more than Captain, Scott Shephard and Steve Gibson, both scoring unbeaten hat-tricks. 

This result puts the two teams on equal points, but Rugrats have leapfrogged Pickwick, as they have won one more match. 

Replacing Rugrats on the bottom are Eltham Terrace Nuthouse, who were beaten by another team who have picked up some form recently, Sharks. 

Nuthouse started well, taking the first two frames, but Sharks came back and won the next four frames. 

Sharks went on to win the second and third sets, 3-2 to win the match by 9 frames to 6.

Despite the loss, Shane O’Reilly was in fine form, winning all three of his frames, which included a dish from a dry break in the second set and he was backed up by Danny Kent, who was also unbeaten with two frame wins. 

After a troubled start, Sharks form is really picking up, especially Scott Reeves and George Taylor, who scored two out of two and two out of three respectively and Reeves was joined by Vu Son on an unbeaten brace. 

Sharks have now won four league games this season and risen to fifth in the table, but another team, New Eltham, have won four matches but are ten points behind Sharks and languishing in ninth place. 

Saying that, they did record a victory this week, against Eltham Terrace Rovers, after losing three on the bounce. 

New Eltham actually had the game won before the end of the second set, after winning the first eight frames however, they did admit it was somewhat fortuitous at times. 

It appeared their luck ran out after this, as Rovers won the next six frames, before Barry Barham won the final frame to make the final score, 9-6. 

As a result, Rovers have dropped to sixth, but they are ten points ahead of their opponents, who in turn are only one point ahead of Nuthouse on the bottom. 

The top four played each other this week, with top of the shop, Allstars playing third placed, Eltham Terrace Club A and Hotshots in second facing fourth placed Hustlers. 

Allstars increased their lead at the top of the table to sixteen points and extended their unbeaten run to eight matches, with a, 10-5 triumph. 

It was a much closer affair between Hustlers and Hotshots, as the home side took the first set, 3-2 and it looked like Hotshots may be losing two in a row when Hustlers also won the next frame. 

However, Hotshots are made of sterner stuff and rattled off the next five frames to lead, 7-4. 

Hustlers pulled two frames back and looked to be tying the match when George Covington potted the black, but the cue ball also found a pocket, giving Hotshots the frame and the match. 

The last frame went to Hustlers to make the final score, 8-7 making it a fantastic game, befitting the SLKPA Premier Division. 

Even though he finished on the losing side, Tony Stork may have left smiling after winning all three of his frames. 

Just like Allstars, Bexleyheath Working Mans Club have made it eight out of eight for the season, after a, 10-5 triumph over New Eltham Social Club, to open up a 29-point lead over them at the top of SLKPA Division Two. 

It was a different story for New Eltham Social Club’s neighbours, New Eltham New Boys, scoring their own, 10-5 victory over Happy Hustlers to go six points behind their neighbours. 

Happy Hustlers had the smiles wiped off their faces, as the New Boys took the first set, 4-1, but things looked brighter in the second set, as Hustlers won it, 3-2 but they were still, 6-4 down going into the final set.

Unfortunately for them the brightness dimmed, as New Boys won the last set by the same score as the first, to leave Hustlers feeling terrible, as they felt they gifted frames to their opponents.

Angie Hobbs and Edward Sergue may have been happier than the other Happy Hustlers, as they both finished with two out of three wins. 

This result meant that New Boys leapfrogged Hustlers into third place by five points, but they have played one more match. 

Rose Inn took full advantage of Crayford Arms week off to go nine points ahead of them at the top of SLKPA Division One, although they are the only team in the division to have played eight matches. 

Eltham Terrace Rack Pack had the better start against Rose Inn, taking the first two frames, but Jack Wilson, Con Delaney and Neil Mundy all won to give Rose Inn the set by 3 frames to 2. 

Rose Inn went on to take the next two sets by the same score to win the match, 9-6 overall. 

Delaney racked up another frame to finish unbeaten with two frame wins, but Rack Pack’s Steve Heather went one better, with an unbeaten hat-trick. 

Rack Pack are fourth and just two points ahead of them, in third are New Eltham Club, but they had a fight on their hands against bottom team, Fox & Hounds. 

Fox took a, 4-2 lead, but New Eltham Club won the next four frames to take a, 6-4 lead into the final set. 

The last set swung one way then the other but eventually went to Fox, 3-2 however, New Eltham did get the two frames they needed for victory and ended up, 8-7 winners. 

New Eltham Captain, Jeff Bailey won both of his frames and team mate Jamie Phillips was also unbeaten, scoring another hat-trick, as did Neil Shelton for Fox & Hounds. 

There may be six places between these two sides in the table, but there are only fifteen points and the score reflected this. 

CSC Sorry in Advance have joined Bellegrove A on 44 points, one above Fox & Hounds, after they beat them by 9 frames to 6. 

Just Bellegrove have also closed the gap on their opponents, Academicals to six points, after they just edged the match between them, 8-7.  

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.