2016 Qualifiers - Day 10

We're rapidly approaching halfway in the qualifiers department, which we'll likely reach tomorrow. Today will help get us there, beginning with...

Nicole of the Southern Monarchs using the blue cue for Rotation. Nicole needed 34 shots with four errors in a difficult opener for the day. Next up is Lorde of the Commerce Tradewinds, shooting 12-ball with the blue cue. Lorde played well, shooting 23 with no errors in a solid effort that wasn't without its challenges. Going third today is Blizzard of the Everton Eagles for her 15-ball qualifier with the red cue. Blizzard ended up at 25 with four errors, ending early with a double-pot of the 13 to the bottom side that caromed to take the 15 in the bottom right. Up next, we have Stripes of the Terrace City Knights playing 10-ball with the red cue. Stripes scored 24 with three errors in a very weak showing. Wrapping up the group, there's Dusky of the Archtown Arrows appearing in 8-ball with the red cue. Dusky overcame an erratic start to score 21 with no errors in a strong finish.

Group two leads off with Noelle of the Central Warriors using the silver cue for 12-ball. Noelle needed only 18 shots with no errors in an impressive appearance. Fluffina of the Maplewood Lumberjacks gets the next game, using the silver cue for 9-ball. Fluffina struggled again, finishing with 17 shots but no errors in this game. The next player drawn is Stripes for her second game of the day, keeping the silver cue at the table for 12-ball. Stripes dazzled this time, shooting 18 with no errors with a few lucky bounces greasing the wheels to a successful game. The ninth player called today is Kirstin of the Southern Monarchs, playing 10-ball with the blue cue. Kirstin hit 20 shots with three errors in a slightly-below-average performance. The second batch ends with Todavía Stills captain Easter using the red cue to score 24 in 9-ball, with two errors in a poor showing.

The third group opens with Frosty of the Royal Crowns shooting Rotation with the blue cue to the tune of 32 shots with four errors in an average effort. Twelfth to shoot today is Everton Eagle Puff III, using the silver cue for 10-ball. Puff III cleared the table in 18 shots with two errors for a good appearance. Continuing along, we have Swordpoint Blades captain Snowball using the silver cue for Rotation. Snowball finished at 29 shots with two errors in a reasonable performance. Moving along, there's Ruby of the Archtown Arrows playing 9-ball with the silver cue. Ruby made the showing count, scoring 10 with no errors in a sparkling appearance. Finishing up the segment, Snuggle of the Oceanside Waves played 10-ball with the red cue, scoring 26 with four errors in a forgettable appearance.

Batch four starts with Niki of the Eastside Sharks using the blue cue for 10-ball. Niki posted 18 with two errors in a reasonable showing. Up next is Puff III again, playing 12-ball with the silver cue this time. Puff III ended up at 20 with no errors in a strong showing. Continuing along, B. Chapman of the Victoria Spurs grabs the silver cue for 10-ball. Chapman hounded the 10 all game, and ended up shooting 6 with two errors after sinking it early on a 2-10 combination to the top right. The nineteenth player drawn today is Max of the Queens Flames, keeping the silver cue at the table for more 10-ball. Max followed Chapman's strategy, taking a 3-10 combination to the top right for a score of 6, but Max also avoided an error in a cleaner game. The group closes as Cleo of the Everton Eagles takes the silver cue for 9-ball. Cleo's disastrous qualifying continued, as she scored 21 with just one error this time, taking cautious a little too far.

Group five gets going with Todavía Still Sparkles playing 12-ball with the blue cue. Sparkles finished with 25 shots and two errors in her fifth appearance of the season. The 22nd player drawn for the day is Cowzart of the Pearl Surfers, playing 12-ball with the silver cue. Cowzart pulled off a 23 with two errors in a near-disaster finish saved by a spinning kick to the top side. Next up, Brownie of the Harrison Specters makes her season debut with the silver cue in 7-ball, shooting 14 with two errors in a mediocre debut. Moving along, there's Strut of the Golden Pilots using the blue cue for Rotation. Strut had a confident 24 with only two errors, bucking the recent trend of weak Rotation performances. The group concludes with Dani of the Capital City Sharpshooters playing Rotation with the silver cue. Dani shot 28 with two errors, playing reasonably well in a difficult game.

The sixth segment starts with Paps of the Pronger Tridents playing 12-ball with the silver cue, hovering around average with 22 shots and no errors. Moving along, Gradley of the Boston Swifts draws in for 8-ball with the silver cue. Gradley took only 20 shots with no errors in his second appearance of the season. The 28th player called for the day is Zach of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors, shooting 8-ball with the blue cue. Zach also shot 20 with no errors, keeping a reasonably good pace for himself. Next up is Debby Ryan of the Southridge Defenders, shooting 10-ball with the blue cue to the tune of 21 shots with two errors, struggling late to squander a good start. Ending this batch, Delila of the Atlantic Pirates shoots Rotation with the blue cue, scoring 27 with three errors in a decent showing.

The seventh group sees Marsell of the Royal Crowns play 12-ball with the blue cue. Marsell cleared the table in 19 shots with no errors in a well-played game. Moving along, there's Goatee of the Westside Rockers, using the blue cue for 10-ball. Goatee excelled, shooting 17 despite three errors for a very efficient game. Up next is Frosty again, now playing 15-ball with the red cue. Frosty struggled to find clear shots all game long, ending up shooting 37 with a single-game high seven errors. The 34th player called today is Rainmane of the Web City Spiders, playing 9-ball with the red cue. Rainmane shot 18 with one error in her third appearance of the season, showing frustration at the end. The afternoon ends with Ms. Puppy of the Modernistic Union shooting 12-ball with the blue cue, scoring 17 with one error in a very strong showing.

Group eight opens as Victoria Spurs rookie Yekaterina Vasilyeva takes the red cue for 10-ball. Yekaterina showed poise after a rough first half, finishing with 20 shots and just one error. Up next is Pacific Volcanoes star Ms. Kitty, playing 12-ball with the silver cue. Ms. Kitty lived up to her pedigree, shooting 20 with no errors in a good appearance. Moving along, we have Citrus of the Diamond Gems using the blue cue for 12-ball. Citrus needed 22 shots with two errors to clear the table. The 39th player drawn today is Kelly of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors, keeping the blue cue at the table for more 12-ball. Kelly shot 14 with no errors in a virtuoso performance, an impressive showing from the quasi-rookie. Wrapping up the evening's first group, Charli XCX of the Tysini Hummingbirds gets another 12-ball game in, this one with the red cue. Charli ended up shooting 31 with two errors, which is likely going to be a classic example of a "red tax," given the cue.

The ninth group begins with Snuggle appearing for the second time today, extending the red cue's reign of terror with 12-ball again. Snuggle posted a 27 score with one error in a rough go of things that could work out if the red cue stays down for awhile. Going 42nd on the day is Web City Spiders captain Shadow, shooting 9-ball with the blue cue. Shadow needed only 13 shots with no errors in a very solid showing. Continuing along, we have Americus of the Atlantic Pirates bringing the red cue back for more 12-ball. Americus tread water nicely, scoring 22 with one error. Next up is Kavan of the Victoria Spurs, taking the red cue for 15-ball. Kavan kept the score to 29, with three errors included, in a fairly decent effort. Rounding out the group, Blizzard finishes her qualifying session with the silver cue for Accuracy. The fourth player to finish, Blizzard hit 25 in Accuracy, with one error, and 180 total shots, a poor showing in general.

The last group gets going with Twinkie III of the Whitewater Shores shooting 9-ball with the blue cue. Twinkie III got an early finish on a 6-9 combination to the bottom right, ending at 10 shots with one error in a brilliant third appearance. Moving along, there's Taylor Swift of the Eastside Sharks shooting 15-ball with the blue cue. Taylor ended up scoring 31 with three errors, a potentially decent total but it's too early to know right now how the scores will shake out. The next player drawn is Hoot of the Pronger Tridents, playing Rotation with the red cue. Hoot ended up shooting 32 with only one error in a challenging rack for the potential comeback player of the year. Going 49th on the day, Gradley of the Swifts makes another appearance, using the silver cue to score 16 in 9-ball, going error-free in the process. Closing out the day, we have Goatee of the Rockers again for 12-ball with the silver cue. Goatee shot 24 with one error in a decent performance.

Today marks an accomplishment. After Goatee's 12-ball qualifier, we reached 500 qualifying games completed, but that's not all. We also finished off our fourth block of chalk in league play. Starting with qualifier #501 tomorrow, we will return to Silver Cup Billiard Chalk after a two year absence, using their steel-blue color. This fueled the first three years or so on two cubes, before a two-year switch to different dark blues. We sincerely hope Silver Cup will help straighten out the red cue, but if it doesn't, the Equipment Committee is prepared to approve drastic burnishing measures for the red cue's tip. With that, we'll be back for hopefully a full slate tomorrow, which could be cut short if time becomes an issue.