2016 Qualifiers - Day 15

Another big day for qualifying today, beginning with...

A. Charlton of the Golden Pilots, who takes the red cue for 15-ball to open the day. Charlton shot 40 with six errors, with no clear shot presenting itself throughout the game in what could set the tone for a very difficult day ahead. Up next, Terrace City Knights captain Oreo shoots 15-ball with the silver cue. Oreo got away with a bit of reckless play, shooting 28 with four errors in a decent performance. The third player to go today is Gabe of the Infinity Torpedoes, the twenty-seventh player to finish qualifying with this Accuracy game, using the silver cue. Gabe took 17 shots with no errors in the game, ending his series of qualifiers at 171, an average showing. Moving along, there's Leandra of the Tysini Hummingbirds playing 9-ball with the red cue, scoring 7 with one error (a stick violation, the second of the day already) in a crafty showing she ended with a soft carom off the 3 to pot the 9 in the bottom right. The group wraps up with Shannon of the Southern Monarchs using the silver cue for Accuracy, the twenty-eighth player to finish qualifying. Shannon shot 21 with one error in the game, a little disappointing, but finished above average at 163 overall.

The second group kicks off with Panda of the Southern Monarchs keeping the silver cue at the table for more Accuracy, becoming the twenty-ninth player to finish qualifying. Panda scored 24 with one error, a weak game, but finished with 160 overall to be above-average. Continuing along, Alyssa of the Oceanside Waves steps up for Rotation with the blue cue. Alyssa cleared the table in 22 shots with only one error, a near-masterful performance. Following that, Acorn of the Lighton Prestige plays 10-ball with the red cue. Acorn needed only 16 shots with one error, which actually helped more than it hurt him. The ninth player called today is Swordpoint Blades captain Snowball, shooting Accuracy with the silver cue as the thirtieth player to finish. Snowball shot 26 with one error, which is indicative of her league-worst 205 shots across all qualifiers, a horrible total but maybe not so bad for a B-level superstar from days long gone. Rounding out the batch, Taylor Swift of the Eastside Sharks is thirty-first to finish qualifying, using the silver cue for Accuracy. Taylor shot 23 with no errors in the game for 153 shots overall, a very good effort.

The third segment leads off with Viewpoint Sound Meteors captain Mr. Snowman playing 10-ball with the silver cue. Mr. Snowman failed to overcome a terrible break shot, shooting a lousy 24 with one error. The silver cue has been very poor on breaking today, which players will need to adjust for. Going twelfth today is Kiwi of the Terrace City Knights for 15-ball with the silver cue. Kiwi took 27 shots with three early errors, recovering well from the rough start. Continuing along, there's Southern Monarchs rookie Kirstin shooting 15-ball with the red cue. Kirstin took only 28 shots with one error in a strong appearance. Next up is Shaggy of the Southridge Defenders for 10-ball with the red cue. Shaggy cleared the rack in 20 shots with one error, a reasonable effort all-around. The group closes with Twilight of the Central Warriors playing Rotation with the red cue. Twilight stayed clean in a difficult game, scoring 34 with only two errors as she kept a level head.

Group four gets going as Bells of the Oceanside Waves plays 15-ball with the blue cue. Bells impressed the crowd, taking just 22 shots despite three errors in a controlling performance. Up next, Kirstin of the Monarchs is the thirty-second to finish qualifying with this Accuracy game with the silver cue, leaving just 100 players in session. Kirstin shot 18 with no errors in the game, for a total of 157 shots, a good overall showing. Following that is Marsell of the Royal Crowns for 15-ball with the blue cue. Marsell popped 28 shots and four errors in an interesting performance. The nineteenth player drawn today is Delila of the Atlantic Pirates, keeping the blue cue at the table for more 15-ball. Delila had a nightmarish start, leading to 41 shots and seven errors for the troubled captain. The group ends with Puff III of the Everton Eagles keeping the game as 15-ball but using the silver cue. Puff III shot 39 with seven errors in an embarrassing appearance.

The fifth group begins with Lionel of the Commerce Tradewinds playing 10-ball with the red cue. Lionel shot 16 with one error in a good fourth appearance of the season. Continuing along, we have Gradley of the Boston Swifts playing 10-ball with the silver cue. Gradley hit 15 with one error in a solid showing. The 23rd player of the day is Oreo of the Knights, appearing for a second time today as the thirty-third player to finish qualifying, shooting Accuracy with the silver cue. Oreo took 22 shots with no errors in the game, and finished with 157 shots overall, a decent score. Up next, Alyssa of the Waves makes her second appearance of the day, playing 15-ball with the silver cue. Alyssa scored 26 with one error, playing another very remarkable game by going against the grain when it comes to events that give the league trouble. This batch comes to an end with Leonette of the Pacific Volcanoes using the silver cue for Accuracy as the thirty-fourth player to finish qualifying. Leonette struggled in shooting 25, with no errors, for a grand total of 165, slightly better than average.

The sixth segment opens with Puff II of the Boston Swifts, playing 10-ball with the blue cue. Puff II ended the game early on 12 shots and one error with a 7-10 combination to the top right. The 27th player called today is another Swift, Gradley, appearing for his second game today, 12-ball with the silver cue. Gradley scored 18 with one error in a sparkling appearance. Moving along, we have Graham of the Eastside Sharks using the silver cue for Rotation. Graham shot 26 with three errors, navigating well early before cruising to the finish. Continuing along, there's Bright of the Tysini Hummingbirds shooting 9-ball with the silver cue. Bright had a great break and not much else, ending up with 14 shots and one error in the average third appearance. Finishing the group, Lydia of the Lighton Prestige shoots 10-ball with the blue cue, scoring 11 with no errors, finishing on a hard carom off the 6 to take the 10 in the top side.

Group seven starts with Ms. Kitty of the Pacific Volcanoes playing 15-ball with the red cue. Ms. Kitty knocked 22 with three errors, ending on a 9-15 combination to the bottom right to get the game over with earlier. Next up is J. Garcia of the Southridge Defenders, shooting 15-ball with the blue cue. Garcia used 26 shots with three errors, taking two of those errors intentionally to loosen the game up a bit, which clearly worked. Continuing along, there's Ms. Kitty again, now shooting Accuracy with the blue cue, the thirty-fifth player to finish qualifying. Ms. Kitty took 20 shots with no errors in the game, and 165 total shots in an above average series of games. The 34th player of the day is Bells of the Waves again, the thirty-sixth player to finish qualifying with her Accuracy game played with the blue cue. Bells hit 25 with no errors in the game, ending at 165 for the sessions, slightly above the average. The group concludes with Cheddar of the Whitewater Shores shooting Rotation with the red cue. Cheddar dazzled in shooting 24 with two errors, a very strong appearance.

Batch eight leads off with Twinkie I of the Lighton Prestige, shooting 12-ball with the red cue. Twinkie I did not shoot sharply, ending with 25 shots but just one error in a sub-par effort. The 37th player of the day is Dustin of the Central Warriors, using the red cue for 10-ball. Dustin continued to excel, scoring 14 with only one error in his fourth appearance of the season, ending with a carom off the 9 to put the 10 in the bottom right. Following that, Dustin plays again, using the silver cue to score 22 in 12-ball, avoiding an error in a brilliant performance. Up next, Ice Cream of the Commerce Tradewinds keeps the silver cue at the table for more 12-ball. Ice Cream executed her plan very efficiently, with 19 shots and just one error to her name, and the late game set-up work was particularly impressive. Ending the afternoon, Lorde of the Tradewinds becomes the thirty-seventh player to finish qualifying, playing Accuracy with the silver cue. Lorde shot 21 with no errors, a solid showing, ending up at a total of 167, slightly better than average.

Beginning the evening, we have Bright of the Hummingbirds making his second appearance of the day, shooting 10-ball with the blue cue. Bright cleared the rack in 22 shots with two errors, far from being the greatest game we've seen. Moving along, Mams of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors plays 12-ball with the red cue. Mams stunned the crowd, shooting 15, and the error-free appearance could have been better if she hadn't played so cautiously at the end. Chris of the Capital City Sharpshooters gets the next game, playing 15-ball with the red cue. Chris somehow shot 36 despite a wonderful start, getting caught chasing the 10 and 14 around while recording only three errors in a frustrating game. The 44th player drawn today is Dominic of the Atlantic Pirates, playing Accuracy with the silver cue as the thirty-eighth player to finish qualifying. Dominic shot 21 in the game, with one error, and ended the series of games with 160 total shots, a decent total. Rounding out the batch, Sally of the Archtown Arrows takes the blue cue for 12-ball. Sally needed only 18 shots with one error to sink all of the balls in a very efficient game.

Group ten gets going with Marsell of the Crowns appearing again for Accuracy with the red cue as the thirty-ninth player to finish qualifying. Marsell shot a beautiful 14 with no errors, ending his sessions with 151 total shots, a very good final score. Next up, Lionel of the Commerce Tradewinds uses the red cue in 12-ball to shoot 23 with one error in a solid performance that could sneak into the A-level should a few breaks happen. The 48th player called today is Jake of the Royal Crowns, the fortieth player to finish qualifying with Accuracy and the silver cue. Jake took 21 shots in the game with no errors, and ended his qualifiers with 178 total shots, a bit below the expected standard. Continuing along, Harrison Specters captain Slinks takes the blue cue for 12-ball. Slinks shot 21 with no errors in a game that featured a hot start but prolonged planning to get to the finish. Wrapping up the group, we have Southridge Defenders captain Boots shooting 10-ball with the red cue. Boots scored 16 with a single error, a very good showing that should take her far.

The bonus groups make a third appearance, as group eleven starts with Snuggle of the Oceanside Waves as the forty-first player to finish qualifying with the red cue shooting Accuracy. Snuggle shot 18 with no errors in a good game, finishing on nearly average at 171 total shots. The 52nd player of the day is Midnight of the Westside Rockers, playing 12-ball with the red cue. Midnight cleared the table in 19 shots with no errors, a very good appearance. Following that, Paige of the Queens Flames shoots 12-ball as well, but with the blue cue. Paige knocked everything in pockets in 18 shots with no errors, displaying superb shot selection, execution, and planning. Up next is Starlight of the Pacific Volcanoes, shooting 15-ball with the blue cue. Starlight ended up with 29 shots, cooling from a hot start that saw her narrowly miss the 15 twice early, and she had just one error in the appearance. The group closes with Crystal of the Queens Flames playing 8-ball with the silver cue (leaving just two players to go for that event). Crystal shot 22 with one error, faltering late after wielding a hot cue for most of the game.

The twelfth and final segment of the day starts with Missy of the Capital City Sharpshooters shooting Rotation with the silver cue to the tune of 31 shots with five errors in a mixed bag of a game. Moving along, we have Graham of the Eastside Sharks playing 15-ball with the silver cue. Graham kept the score to 29 shots and two errors, alternating between brilliant and scuffling in the often-challenging style of play. Next up is Chimpy of the Modernistic Union, keeping the silver cue at the table for 12-ball. Chimpy shot poorly, scoring 27 with two errors in a difficult appearance. Going 59th for the day is another Union player, Juno, who has the blue cue in hand for Rotation. Juno took only 23 shots, with one error, dazzling in a sparkling performance in one of the tougher events for the league. The day ends with Ice Cream of the Tradewinds appearing again for Rotation with the red cue. Ice Cream shot 28 with only two errors, a very strong appearance.

Tomorrow should get the games played a little quicker if we can stay on schedule. Tomorrow also brings the end of the SCL regular season in the morning, so be on the watch for that. It's a big finish to the week this week.