Clubs often don't get much recognition in the league, but these fraternal units bring players of similar heritage together in a closer way than the teams often do. This year, eight of the nine clubs compete for the Clan Cup on teams of five. The games take place from Pepsi Arena in Lighton. Some questions exist: Will Reality go back-to-back in Clan Cups as they have in President's Cups? Can they complete the treble for the second year in a row, after also taking the Club Cricket Challenge for a second year running? Can Youth Movement or Brute Force deal with having to dig deep to construct their roster? How about the other clubs, who didn't post a winning record in the course of play. The series will be eight games each, with a tiebreaker if necessary. Determined by a coin flip, the tiebreaker would be either left-handed 8-ball (exactly what it says on the tin) or Quidditch Rules 10-ball, which is played like 9-ball, save for the instant win feature, until the 7 is potted, at which time the 10 is spotted on the foot spot. With that, we lead off with...
Solid Core holding breaking rights over Humanity-. In 7-ball, Shadow opposes Lorde. Shadow gave Solid Core a 1-0 series lead, battling cleanly with Humanity-'s Lorde as they exchanged three-ball runs early on. They both missed on the 7, but Shadow made it the second time for the win. Leonette is against Cassandra in 8-ball, and this saw Leonette fail to really establish herself, allowing Cassandra to charge with a four-ball run at one point. Cassandra navigated Leonette's weak defenses, and got the win to tie the series at 1 for Humanity-. We're back to Shadow and Lorde in 9-ball, and the two players battled closely in this tussle as well, but Lorde emerged with the win when she completed a three-ball run-out, pulling Humanity- ahead of Solid Core 2-1 in the series. For 10-ball, Sweetheart matches up with Kelly. Sweetheart showed quite a bit of rust in her first game since the second round of the A-level tournament, but even a three-ball run from Kelly couldn't prevent Sweetheart from swooping in at the end to make two balls and win, tying the series again at 2 for Solid Core. For 12-ball, the players are Misty and Amber. Misty started off well, claiming a suit and making some shots, but she got generous and gave away two wild card balls, making it much easier for Amber to pull back into the game with the added flexibility. Amber would get the win by going behind Misty's defense, giving Humanity- a 3-2 series lead. Crystal matches with Shawn for Rotation. Shawn started off well but faltered after Crystal assembled a three-ball run to take the lead with a double-pot of the 11 and 4 to the bottom right. Crystal kept her pace strong and won 8-4, once again tying the series at 3 for Solid Core. Crystal stays on to play 15-ball against Kelly. The game started with an iffy break from Crystal, resulting in many illegal contact fouls. The end was much more spectacular, as Kelly won with a kick on the 15 to pot it in the bottom right, giving Humanity- the 4-3 series lead and the last edge toward advancement. Leonette will try to keep Solid Core alive in Accuracy, going against Amber. Amber had two big misses right at the start, and that proved critical, as Leonette took an easy 3-6 win, tying the series at 4 for Solid Core and forcing a tiebreaker to be conducted. Sweetheart and Cassandra were selected to participate in the deciding game. This extra game was left-handed 8-ball, and it took some time for the players to get comfortable. Cassandra did score a four-ball run before scratching, and Sweetheart was getting into gear before she missed the 14 and hit the 15 into the 8, which was potted. Humanity- won 5-4 with the fluke play, and they advance into the semifinals.
The second series is Brute Force against Delila Enterprises. Midnight leads off against Americus in 7-ball. Brute Force's Midnight got them off to a good start despite a shaky look in her appearance. Midnight made the 7 by deflecting the cue lightly off the 3 to drive it to the top right, leaving Delila Enterprises' Americus without much to work with as Brute Force leads 1-0 in the series. Rainmane, a former Delila Enterprises player, draws Max for 8-ball. Game 2 played out with a defensive tilt, as the 8 protected a cluster around the top right from the pocket. Eventually, Max dug the 10 out and broke the cluster, and Rainmane replied with three balls over her last two turns to steal the win and put Brute Force up 2-0. Max will stay up, but his new opponent for 9-ball is Brute Force's Midnight. Midnight had a dominant share of possession thanks to a four-ball run, but her miss on the 9, leaving it short at the top left, breathed life into Delila Enterprises when Max made it to cut the series to 2-1. Nightfur and Snuggle go at it for 10-ball, with Nightfur another former Delila Enterprises player representing Brute Force in its reboot year. Nightfur seemed to be the better player in the game, as Snuggle struggled to obtain any momentum, and his last chance was squandered with a bad bank attempt on the 9. Nightfur made the last two balls to lift Brute Force ahead 3-1 in the series. For 12-ball, Bright and Precious are the players, and the game saw a controversial ending. Precious fired her 14 in off the 2 to the top side, but Bright thought it was illegally potted and took the ball in his hand. The disruption of the playing surface after a legal shot gave Delila Enterprises' Precious ball-in-hand to continue her three-ball run-out, grabbing the win and making it 3-2 in the series after an odd win. For Rotation, Juno and Snuggle battle it out as prominent leaders in a pivotal game. Snuggle built up a nice lead and nearly lost it all, but Juno had a five-ball run reduced with a scratch. Snuggle missed the winning 13 the first time around, but Juno also missed it, and Snuggle made it the second time for the 8-5 win, tying the series at 3 with his win for Delila Enterprises. Juno stays on for Brute Force, trying her hand against Ruby of Delila Enterprises. Juno had a really good late effort, double-potting the 8 to the top side and 12 to the bottom right, but her miss on the 11 at the top side allowed Ruby to ignite for a four-ball run-out, highlighted by the Delila Enterprises star banking the 14 away from the 15 and into the top left while getting position to pot the 15. Delila Enterprises leads 4-3 going into the final regulation game. Rainmane and Precious are called on for the Accuracy game. Rainmane did what she had to, earning Brute Force the tying victory by a 2-4 score as Precious faltered a couple of times late in the game to give it away. With the series tied at 4, the tiebreaker players are Nightfur for Brute Force and Ruby for Delila Enterprises. The tiebreaker was Quidditch Rules 10-ball, and Nightfur didn't do well at all at the start, scratching on the break. Ruby had a five-ball run, and her next turn netted a three-ball run before she missed the 9. Nightfur made it, but rattled the 10 out, and Ruby struck the 10 to the top left from distance, winning and sending Delila Enterprises through on a 5-4 series win to reach the semifinals.
For the third series, Youth Movement meets Empyre. Ice Cream and Dusky will handle 7-ball to open things up. Empyre's Dusky ended up with the 7-ball win in a pitiful game that saw her and Youth Movement's Ice Cream miss more than they made. Empyre has a far from comfortable 1-0 series lead. Sprinkles and Tigerette played in 8-ball, with the game playing out pretty tightly until the end, as Tigerette surged ahead on a five-ball run-out, taking the win and a 2-0 series lead for Empyre. Youth Movement sent Ice Cream back on for 9-ball against Empyre's Jake. Ice Cream certainly didn't have the better of play in this appearance, but Jake collapsed late in the game, and ultimately missed his attempt on the 9 with a kick shot, leaving Ice Cream to take it from short range and put Youth Movement on the board in a 2-1 series. Jake has little time to ponder his mistakes, as Twinkie III is in to break 10-ball. Once again, Jake did everything but win, assembling a six-ball run on his final turn before ending in a scratch to give Twinkie III ball-in-hand on the 10, which she made. The series is brand new now that it's tied at 2. Sprinkles and Marsell will contest 12-ball. Sprinkles gave a wild card ball at the start of the game, allowing Marsell some flexibility as he answered her three-ball run with a four-ball run. However, Marsell couldn't get his last ball in position, and Sprinkles had quickly set herself up, needing only two turns to pot her final ball for the win, lifting Youth Movement up 3-2 in the series. Neopolitan and Cubby will have the next two games, squaring off for both Rotation and 15-ball. Neopolitan's break wasn't that good, and this made it a long and tedious game. Cubby eventually emerged with a nice finish to gain the 8-3 win and retie the series at 3 for Empyre. Had it been the 15-ball game, it would have been over quickly. Instead, a quick-paced 15-ball game saw Neopolitan shoot honorably at the 5 from ball-in-hand, avoiding going for the combination on the 15. She thought good karma would come around, and she did indeed dominate the rest of the game, but her miss on the 15 allowed Cubby to tap it in at the bottom left, giving Empyre the inside lane with a 4-3 series lead. Valencia and Dusky get the nods for Accuracy, with the Youth Movement star needing to win to keep her team alive. Valencia couldn't get the win they needed, as Dusky came up big this time, winning 1-2, with Valencia missing a chance to bury Dusky deep after Dusky's only miss. Empyre took the series 5-3, and will do battle with Delila Enterprises in the semifinals.
Finally, Reality comes in to play Humanity+ in the final series of the quarterfinals. Puff I and J. Garcia make the 7-ball starts. The shooting was a bit iffy at times, but Reality's Puff I locked in when she needed to, grabbing a win with a three-ball run-out to down Garcia to give Reality the 1-0 series lead. Starlight and B. Chapman draw the 8-ball appearances, with Starlight putting up two four-ball runs, between which Chapman had a decent run of her own but not enough to avoid Starlight's savvy shooting on the latter run that earned her the win and gave Reality a 2-0 series lead. Puff I is back for 9-ball, opposing Gabe this time. The 5 proved troublesome in this game, and it was the last ball before the 9, so when Gabe missed contact and then Puff I couldn't pot it from ball-in-hand, tensions rose. Gabe missed it again, and Puff I finally ended the game to give Reality the win and 3-0 series lead. Sugar and A. Charlton meet for 10-ball now. Charlton overcame the bulk of possession that Sugar used well early in the game, as Charlton closed with a three-ball run-out to get Humanity+ a much needed win, cutting the series to 3-1. Starlight and Chapman meet again for their 12-ball series, as Humanity+ is still in deep trouble. The game featured Starlight breaking out for a five-ball run from the break and Chapman answering on a four-ball run late before stagnation and poor shooting took over. Eventually, Starlight made her last ball, helping Reality to a 4-1 series lead. For Rotation, Dusty faces off with Charlton, and Humanity+ is in must-win mode for the rest of the time. Charlton did her part for Humanity+ beating a rusty and lazy Dusty by an 8-2 score in the game to make it 4-2 in the series. For 15-ball, Dusty will try again, with Garcia opposing her this time. Dusty failed Reality again, leaving Garcia open to cut the 3-15 combination to the top right for a quick end, and Humanity+ has pulled as close as being behind 4-3. Missy and Paige get the nods for Accuracy, with everything on the line for Humanity+. Paige held on after she fell behind late in the game, and then forced Missy to miss on her last shot of regulation time. Paige made it, and Missy played well early in overtime before a scratch did her in for a 2-3 Paige win, tying the series at 4. The same players were called on for the tiebreaker, which was left-handed 8-ball. The shots were surprisingly good this time around, with each player making a combination (intent or not, it's tough to do with the weak hand). In the end, it was close, but Paige got greedy with position. She made her last ball, but made the 8 on the same shot with a bit too much power, and Missy got the win for Reality, taking the series 5-4 in the most narrow way possible. Reality will try to off the other Humanity side, the Humanity- team, in the semifinals.
For the first semifinals, Delila Enterprises and Empyre are shooting. Americus and Dusky will handle the 7-ball duties. Americus of Delila Enterprises made quick work of Empyre's Dusky in this appearance, dominating possession and icing the game with a three-ball run-out after Dusky missed contact, giving Delila Enterprises a 1-0 series lead. Max and Tigerette are up for 8-ball. Tigerette had a nice five-ball run cut down by her scratch, and this killed the momentum she had built up, allowing Max to do a three-ball run and then make the 8 on his next shot for the win and a 2-0 series lead for Delila Enterprises. Max stays on to play Jake in 9-ball. Max did very well in this appearance, capitalizing on Jake's missed contact with the 2 by potting it from ball-in-hand and then making a glancing bank combination, 3-9, to the top right for the win to put Delila Enterprises up 3-0 in the series. Snuggle is in for Delila Enterprises, while Jake remains for Empyre. Jake got one back with a gritty performance in 10-ball, getting the win after leaving the 10 at the top left and watching himself and Snuggle take pot-shots at it. Jake finally buried it with a 9-10 combination double-pot to end the game, making it 3-1 in the series that still favors Delila Enterprises. For 12-ball, the players are Precious and Marsell. This game featured a couple of wild card balls given away early on, although Precious promptly returned hers to the table. This ultimately was costly, as Marsell got into a favorable position he might not have otherwise had on his winning shot, giving Empyre another boost as the series is cut to 3-2. Snuggle returns to action, opposing Cubby in Rotation in a pivotal game. Cubby rode a sloppy wave of momentum in Rotation, eventually picking his way to victory as Snuggle proved inefficient in his efforts. Cubby's 8-2 win tied the series at 3. Ruby will step in for Delila Enterprises as she battled Cubby in 15-ball in the tied series. This game went at a stronger pace, driven by Ruby's stronger play on the ball. In the end, Ruby and Cubby exchanged short runs evenly until Cubby missed on the 15 to the bottom side and Ruby knocked it into the top left for the win, putting Delila Enterprises back on top 4-3 in the series. Precious and Dusky will try their hands at Accuracy to see if there will be overtime or if Delila Enterprises will advance. Precious hardly received a challenge at all, as Dusky missed her first five shots en route to a 2-6 loss to Precious. The win gave Delila Enterprises a 5-3 series win, and they are in the Clan Cup Finals. This isn't totally unpredictable, as they had surged late in the tournament season.
On the other semifinal series, Reality matches with Humanity-. Puff I and Lorde handle the duties in 7-ball to lead things off. Neither player managed to take control of the game, so it went back and forth until Lorde potted the 7 and gave Humanity- an improbable 1-0 series lead over Reality. Starlight battles Cassandra for 8-ball, with Cassandra nearly shutting out Starlight before getting shut down multiple times on the 8, and Starlight rallied all the way back with a three-ball and four-ball run on consecutive turns to pull even before making the 8. This tied the series at 1. Puff I and Lorde come back for their 9-ball game. Puff I got her revenge this time, watching Lorde scratch as she sank the 9, which allowed Puff I to work from ball-in-hand to make the last two shots for the win. Reality has a 2-1 series lead, but Humanity- won't back down easily. For 10-ball, Sugar breaks against Kelly. Sugar had a highlight reel shot when she swerved the cue around the 9 to strike the 5 into the top left. While it was the most impressive shot of the game, it wasn't a winner, as Kelly made the 8 and 10 to the bottom and top right corners in a double-pot to get the win, making it a tied series again, standing at 2-all. Starlight returns to the table against Amber for a critical 12-ball match. Starlight burst out with a five-ball run on her second turn, setting the tone. Amber very nearly caught up, but Starlight nearly won until a scratch invalidated her shot. Amber banked the 6 to the bottom left from the kitchen, a mighty task, but missed on the 5. Starlight set up the 15, the spotted ball from her scratch, at the bottom left, and Amber did the rest, knocking it in accidentally as she missed on the 5 again. Starlight's gifted (but would have been earned) win puts Reality ahead again 3-2 in the series. Dusty and Shawn draw the Rotation bids. Dusty couldn't gain much traction after serving up a bad break, and Shawn held the lead for most of the game. Dusty did pull even at one point, but her scratch shortly after allowed Shawn to make the winning shot a few shots later, winning 8-5 to retie the series at 3. Dusty stays at the table, going against Kelly in 15-ball. Dusty preferred to do her work in runs, while Kelly was a bit more chippy and went for crazy shooting, twice navigating out of defense Dusty left her in. Dusty failed to do the same, missing on the 15 after Kelly left her on the jaws of a pocket. Kelly replied with a good cut to get the win, giving Humanity- the 4-3 series lead with the hopes of an upset glittering in their eyes. Missy and Amber will play in Accuracy to determine the fate of the series. In the game, Missy scratched on the break, but the two stayed fairly even until Missy induced a miss by Amber on the last ball to win 3-4, tying the series at 4 and forcing a tiebreaker. Missy stayed up at the table, putting Reality's fate in her hands against Shawn of Humanity- in Quidditch Rules 10-ball. Missy seemed to control the pace of play, barely letting Shawn get any shots off. When he did, his accuracy was poor. Missy made a late three-ball run but missed on the 9. Shawn missed contact with the 9, and that was it, as Missy made the last two balls to send Reality through on a 5-4 series win, heading into the Clan Cup Finals.
The last series has Reality against Delila Enterprises in a battle of best against hottest. Puff I once again comes in for 7-ball for Reality against Americus of Delila Enterprises. Reality's Puff I had the game under control until a scratch after making the 5 gave Delila Enterprises' Americus ball-in-hand for the last two shots, which she made to win and give her side a 1-0 series lead. Starlight and Max are the next ones up, playing 8-ball. Starlight performed a six-ball run to get herself in the game after falling behind early, but it went for nothing, as Max replied with a five-ball run-out a few turns later to get the win and a 2-0 series lead for Delila Enterprises. Puff I comes back while Max stays up for 9-ball. Puff I had a relatively good start to the game, but Max never let her back to the table once he gained control, rallying for a six-ball run-out to get the win and a 3-0 series lead for Delila Enterprises, sending their fellow club-mates into a frenzy. Sugar and Snuggle step up to play 10-ball with the Delila Enterprises faithful buzzing. Snuggle didn't disappoint in his appearance, battling closely with Sugar for the first half before breaking free on a four-ball run-out in the end, with Snuggle's win putting Delila Enterprises in a great position. They lead the series 4-0 and need just one more win to secure it. Starlight will try to spoil that against Precious in 12-ball, the first of four attempts for Delila Enterprises to clinch. Starlight surrendered a wild card ball early in the game, making things look dire for Reality, but Precious had trouble with getting out of clusters, and she gave away two wild card balls to Starlight. She used these to pick corners only for the win, getting Reality on the board at 4-1. Now, Reality's fate lies with the winless Dusty, who will break in Rotation against Snuggle. The game couldn't have been much tighter, going down to the final ball as Snuggle came from just barely behind to take the win 8-7 and seal the series at 5-1 for Delila Enterprises, keying off their first round of celebration. Dusty must stay at the table to oppose Ruby for 15-ball. Dusty finally won one for Reality, taking the 15-ball game early as she shot the 3-4-15 combination to the bottom right, and Ruby offered very little challenge to Dusty anyway during the series. The finale has Missy against Precious in Accuracy, which could be a bit of a long game. It proved to be as expected, with both players putting in less than 100% effort. Precious emerged with the win, allowing Delila Enterprises to claim the Clan Cup on a 6-2 series win.
Don't forget, the City Cup will now be over three days. The first round is tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment