2016 Qualifiers - Day 17

The last designated bonus groups day is here, and we begin with...

Boots of the Southridge Defenders using the blue cue for 12-ball. Boots scored 17 with no errors, executing her well-planned shots to perfection. Moving along, there's Spice of the Victoria Spurs playing Rotation with the silver cue. Spice shot 23 with no errors, a brilliant and sparkling appearance in one of the more difficult games. Following that is Strut of the Golden Pilots, the sixtieth player to finish qualifying, with the silver cue in hand for Accuracy. Strut finished with 19 shots and one error, for a grand total of 161 shots, scoring better than average. The fourth player called today is Twinkie II of the Harrison Specters, using the red cue for Accuracy as the sixty-first player to wrap up her qualifiers. Twinkie II finished with 23 shots and no errors in the game, for 143 total shots, a very good total. The first group ends with Twilight of the Central Warriors using the silver cue for 15-ball. Twilight took 26 shots with two errors, a very reasonable total for the star.

The second batch cues off with the sixty-second player to finish qualifying, Gradley of the Boston Swifts, using the red cue for Accuracy. Gradley needed only 17 shots with no errors in clear the table, ending his sessions with 144 total shots, excelling significantly in his third season. Next up, we have Jennifer Livilotti of the Terrace City Knights playing 10-ball with the red cue. Jennifer scored 19 with no errors in her fourth appearance of the season for the expansion team. The eighth player of the day is Smokey of the Diamond Gems, using the red cue for Rotation. Smokey scored 25 with only one error in an impressive showing. Continuing along, there's Mr. Snowman of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors, keeping the red cue at the table for 12-ball. Mr. Snowman took just 20 shots with no errors to clean the table, and excelled particularly well at applying the right touch to set up shots from bad angles. Rounding out the batch, Crystal of the Queens Flames is called for 9-ball with the blue cue, leaving only three players for that event going forward. Crystal took only 4 shots, ending on a 3-9 combination to the top right for an error-free quick finish.

The third group gets going with Sierra of the Todavía Stills also playing 9-ball, but with the red cue. Sierra ended up scoring 12 with one error in a very strong third appearance of the season. Following that, we have Misty of the Westside Rockers playing 15-ball with the blue cue. Misty stumbled a bit, scoring 35 after chasing early balls, with three errors as well not helping the cause. Going thirteenth today, Mams of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors uses the silver cue to score 27 with two errors in 15-ball, a fairly average showing. Up next is Goatee of the Westside Rockers, the sixty-third player to finish qualifying with this Accuracy game with the blue cue. Goatee dominated her game, shooting 17 with no errors to end up at 156 total shots, a very good score. The group closes with Sprinkles of the Capital City Sharpshooters playing 15-ball with the blue cue. Sprinkles butchered a good game, ending at a poor 31 with five errors, only one of which was absolutely necessary to commit.

Group four begins with Jennifer Livilotti of the Knights now playing 12-ball with the silver cue in her second game of the day. Jennifer did alright for herself again, scoring 21 with one error in a solid performance. The seventeenth player drawn today is Kayla of the Queens Flames playing Rotation with the red cue. Kayla cleared the table in 28 shots with two errors, a decent score for a tough game. Next up, we have 12-ball with the red cue for Dusty of the Golden Pilots, who scored 20 with one error in a very solid fifth appearance of the season. Continuing along, there's Pounce of the Oceanside Waves shooting Rotation with the blue cue. Pounce shot 28 with two errors, a decent showing in this event. The batch concludes with Cassandra of the Diamond Gems also playing Rotation, but with the red cue. Cassandra shot poorly, finishing with 32 shots and six errors in a rough game.

Batch five leads off with Puff I of the Modernistic Union, playing 12-ball with the red cue. Puff I took only 17 shots with one error in a well-played game. Moving along, we have Puff II of the Boston Swifts playing Rotation with the blue cue. Puff II did not have a good appearance, shooting 34 with three errors and numerous more missed opportunities. Next up is Dani of the Capital City Sharpshooters, playing Accuracy with the blue cue as the sixty-fourth player to finish qualifying. Dani ended up with 16 shots and one error in the game for 168 total shots, a little better than average. The 24th player drawn today is Sally of the Archtown Arrows, the sixty-fifth player to finish qualifying, playing Accuracy with the red cue. Sally needed 25 shots with two errors in a poor game, finishing with 175 overall shots, a little worse than average. Wrapping up the group, Patches of the Boston Swifts shoots 10-ball with the silver cue. Patches finished the rack in 15 shots despite two errors, a good performance.

The sixth segment opens as Fluffina of the Maplewood Lumberjacks plays Accuracy with the blue cue, the sixty-sixth player to finish qualifying, meaning half the players in the league will now be done with their sessions. Fluffina scored 17 in the error-free game, but ends her qualifying with 183 total shots, a poor final score. Moving along, we have Crystal of the Flames playing 10-ball with the silver cue in her second game of the day. Crystal struggled to finish, scoring 23 with one error in a decent game. The 28th player drawn today is Dusty of the Pilots, using the blue cue for Rotation in her second game of the day. Dusty didn't have her best game, shooting 32 with four errors in a sloppy appearance. Continuing along, Dusty goes again for 15-ball with the silver cue, scoring 34 with three errors in another very weak game. The group ends with Sugar of the Web City Spiders using the blue cue for 12-ball. Sugar played a brilliant game, executing well from the break for 15 shots and only one error.

Group seven starts with Boots of the Defenders playing Rotation with the red cue. Boots scored 42 with six errors in a pitiful game, as the players are fading rapidly this afternoon. Next up is Lydia of the Lighton Prestige, shooting 12-ball with the silver cue. Lydia needed only 20 shots and two errors to clean the table off. The 33rd player of the day is Midnight of the Westside Rockers, stepping in to play Rotation with the blue cue. Midnight pushed back against recent trends, scoring a workable 29 with three errors included. Moving along, we have Delila, the sixty-seventh player to finish qualifying, playing Accuracy with the silver cue. Delila needed 24 shots with no errors to finish the game, ending her sessions with a poor 185 grand total, continuing a career filled with mediocrity. The group wraps up with A. Charlton of the Golden Pilots using the blue cue for Accuracy, the sixty-eighth player to finish the qualifying session. Charlton took 20 shots with no errors in the game, but also finished with a weak 185 total across all qualifying games.

The eighth batch gets going with Meteors captain Mr. Snowman appearing again today for Rotation with the silver cue this time. Mr. Snowman hit 22 shots with three errors in a surprisingly good performance. The 37th player of the day is Pedey of the Diamond Gems, also using the silver cue for Rotation, scoring 34 with four errors in his first really faltering appearance. Up next is Stealth of the Swordpoint Blades for 15-ball with the red cue. Stealth took 27 shots with two errors in the game, a solid outing. Juno of the Modernistic Union gets the next game, using the silver cue for 15-ball. Juno continues to take the league by storm, shooting 25 with one error in an incredible seventh appearance of her career. The afternoon finishes with Chris of the Capital City Sharpshooters using the red cue for Accuracy, the sixty-ninth player to finish qualifying. Chris shot 21 with one error, ending his session with 178 total shots, a bit below the average.

The night begins with Shiny of the Web City Spiders playing Rotation with the red cue. Shiny shot 25 with one error in a very solid outing. Next up is Chimpy of the Modernistic Union, using the blue cue in Rotation to score 28 with a surprising four errors, an efficient appearance. The 43rd player called today is Jennifer again, bringing the red cue back to the table for more Rotation. Jennifer shot 30 with three errors, suffering through a bit of struggle. Moving along, we have J. Garcia of the Southridge Defenders for Accuracy with the blue cue, the seventieth player to finish qualifying. Garcia needed 20 shots with two errors to complete the game, ending with 174 total shots, hovering around the average. Rounding out the group, Twilight of the Central Warriors plays Accuracy with the red cue, the seventy-first player to end her qualifying session. Twilight cleared the table with 16 shots and no errors, a brilliant performance to cap her 148-shot qualifying run, an excellent score.

Group ten leads off with Cassandra of the Gems appearing for 15-ball with the red cue. Cassandra did alright, scoring 27 with four errors in a workable game. Continuing along, there's Bright of the Tysini Hummingbirds shooting Rotation with the red cue. Bright scored 28 with three errors in an interesting game, overcoming a bit of a difficult start. Up next, Rainmane of the Web City Spiders keeps the red cue at the table for more Rotation. Rainmane took 30 shots with four errors, a workable appearance if she gets a few breaks. The 49th player drawn for the day is Amber of the Atlantic Pirates, playing 12-ball with the silver cue. Amber scored 19 with no errors in a good fifth appearance of the season. The group closes with Juno of the Union using the blue cue for Accuracy as the seventy-second player to finish qualifying. Juno needed only 15 shots with no errors in the game, finishing with 137 total shots, a superb total that puts Juno at the front of the Rookie of the Year race at this early stage.

The last bonus group day sees group eleven kick off with Cassandra becoming the seventy-third player to finish qualifying, using the blue cue for Accuracy. Cassandra shot 21 in the game with no errors, and a total of 162 across all qualifiers, a decent total. Continuing along, there's Zach of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors playing 15-ball with the red cue. Zach cleared the rack in 23 shots, with an astonishing four errors that make the score even more impressive. The 53rd player called today is Sparkles of the Todavía Stills, playing 15-ball with the blue cue. Sparkles shot an enthralling 25 with no errors, making something out of nothing repeatedly to bring the crowd to its feet. Following that, Mams of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors is the seventy-fourth player to finish qualifying, playing Accuracy with the silver cue. Mams hit 21 for the game, with one error, and finished qualifying with a grand total of 143, an exceptional mark for the underrated veteran. The group wraps up as another Meteor, Mr. Snowman, plays 15-ball with the blue cue. Mr. Snowman honestly tried his best, but ended up with 33 shots and seven errors in a shockingly unfortunate game.

Group twelve opens with Paps of the Pronger Tridents shooting Rotation with the silver cue. Paps scored 23 with one error in an impressive appearance. Going 57th today, Chimpy of the Union is back for 15-ball with the blue cue. Chimpy shot 26 with only two errors, making a decent game for himself. Next up is Ruby of the Archtown Arrows, playing Rotation with the blue cue. Ruby took 28 shots with three errors in a fairly solid performance that should serve her well enough. Continuing along, Jack of the Pacific Volcanoes shoots 10-ball with the silver cue to the tune of 25 shots with four errors in a very rough appearance. Finally, the day ends with Yekaterina Vasilyeva of the Victoria Spurs playing 12-ball with the red cue. Yekaterina hit 23 with one error in an iffy performance.

Now that the week is done, I'll explain my plans for the week ahead. This weekend, we'll try to play 100 games over the two days, which will set us up for Monday's qualifiers finale. After Monday, there will likely be an SCL stats day, some published statistical analysis of the qualifying sessions, and the formation of the brackets for both levels across all events and cues. I'd expect pool action to be off from Tuesday to about Friday or Saturday, with all of these things to take into account behind the scenes. I'm looking very forward to the statistical analysis, where a comparison between the three cues will be made across thousands of shots. The official format of the finals round will also be determined over this time, which will likely be announced as a footer to the analysis. Enjoy the last few days of action for awhile in the meantime!