This segment will bring us close to the end of the biggest round of this tournament. We begin with the make-up series skipped a few days ago.
Mr. Snowman and Snuggle, the Old Gentlemen, face off with the Executives Shawn and Chris. The red cue will play in this series. Shawn did all the work in game 1 for the Executives, but his three-ball run was overwhelmed by the Old Gentlemen's Snuggle, who scored a seven-ball run. Shawn kept the control out of the hands of the opponent by illegally potting the 8 early, gifting the Old Gentlemen a win they would have taken anyway for the series lead at 1-0. Game 2 had a bit of a slower start, but Mr. Snowman sent the Old Gentlemen forward with a six-ball run on his second turn. Shawn and Chris each had runs to cut into the deficit, but Mr. Snowman held the Executives at bay with his winning shot on the 8, advancing them a 2-0 series lead. The Executives tried to stage a rally in game 3, but Shawn's scratch derailed the early attack, and Mr. Snowman made a good run on his last turn to set up Snuggle later. Shawn couldn't pull back, and Snuggle made the last shot for the Old Gentleman, icing the series at 3-0 with their win. The Executives refused to be swept out of the tournament, playing a very solid game 4. They weathered a run from Snuggle, as Shawn's four-ball run put them on the brink of a win, and when Mr. Snowman's run ended short of the 8, Chris cut the 8 to the top side to make it 3-1 in the series. The Executives looked to have game 5 under control too, but misses on the 8 from both of their players allowed the Old Gentlemen to chip in and make the final four shots over two turns for the win, making it a 4-1 series. The Old Gentleman are in to the second round.
Back on the originally planned schedule, Kiwi and Watermelon, the Ice Queens, face off against Dusky and Brownie, the Brownnosers. The blue cue gets the honors for this series. The Ice Queens had very little trouble in game 1, although a scratch from Kiwi made things a bit difficult in the middle. Dusky and Brownie failed to capitalize on it, and the Brownnosers went down 1-0 in the series as Watermelon finished a three-ball run-out by banking the 8 to the top left. The Brownnosers absolutely threw game 2 away, as they worked well at the start but stalled out before the 8. The Ice Queens slowly made their way back into the game, and Watermelon dealt the deathly blow by potting the 8 as the second of two shots on her final turn, making it 2-0 in the series. It didn't seem good for the Ice Queens in game 3, especially after a shot that saw them gift two balls to the Brownnosers. Dusky and Brownie were unable to make anything of the gifts, losing their momentum after that and watching as Kiwi had a run and Watermelon set up an easy shot on the 8. Kiwi tapped it in to clinch the series at 3-0 with the strong play after a silly error. The Brownnosers found some redemption with a very strong game 4 performance, mostly due to a lack of success for Kiwi. Dusky did her part with a three-ball run to get things set up, and Watermelon's last miss led to Brownie sinking the 8 at the top side for the win, making it a 3-1 series lead for the Ice Queens. In game 5, the Ice Queens had to stave off a bold run near the end from the Brownnosers, and they did so with a clever pair of finishing shots by Watermelon, taking the win and a 4-1 series win as well in the performance. The Ice Queens advance to the second round against the Forgotten Generation of Sugar and Spice.
Series three today pits the Daughters of Delila, Fluffina and Precious, against the Empyre Sisters, Snowball and Stripes. The red cue returns to action for this series. The Empyre Sisters had a stronger start in game 1, but it was a war of attrition at the end, as the teams exchanged long-distance and off-target slow shots. Frustration built until Stripes gave the Empyre Sisters the win by scoring the 8 in the bottom side for a 1-0 series lead over the Daughters of Delila. Stripes carried much of the offensive load for the Empyre Sisters in game 2, making a four-ball run and adding two more on her second turn, but the Daughters of Delila kept pace and stole the game away with a three-ball run-out by Precious to tie the series at 1 in good form. The Empyre sisters made a big run to start game 3, as Snowball put away four in a row. Stripes proved detrimental to the offense, going empty in her first turn and taking an illegal contact foul the second time, allowing Fluffina to set up a three-ball run-out from ball-in-hand, which she converted to give the Daughters of Delila a 2-1 series lead. The Daughters of Delila had another tough challenge in game 4, as Stripes had a four-ball run to counter Precious' breakout for the hosts. Ultimately, the Empyre Sisters faltered on their attempt at the 8 taken by Stripes, and Fluffina cleaned the game up in the last two shots to seal the series at 3-1. Game 5 went quickly and without much resistance from the Empyre Sisters, as Fluffina ran seven balls from the break and left Precious with a tap-in on the 8 at the top side to give the Daughters of Delila a 4-1 series win. Fluffina and Precious face the Italians, a rookie duo of Bianca and Isabella, in the second round.
In the fourth series, Chicky Phil and Panda, of Farm and Forest, face off with Double P members Pounce and Pedey, a mismatched pair. Double P took game 1 and a 1-0 series lead thanks to dominant turn from Pounce that saw him do a five-ball run. Pedey added a little bit, and while Chicky Phil tried to help Farm and Forest defend, the effort failed and allowed Pounce to finish the game. Pounce needed only one shot to double the Double P lead, as he blasted the 8 to the bottom right on the break, making it a dangerously strong 2-0 series lead over a hapless Farm and Forest. The 8-on-break is the second in the tournament. Rainmane was the other player to do it in the preliminary round en route to Muscle and Medicine's 4-1 series win. Chicky Phil at least temporarily avoided a brutal losing fate, smashing a three-ball run-out in a much more balanced game 3 to cut the series to 2-1. Panda and Chicky Phil did well for Farm and Forest to keep them going, while Pedey had to carry Double P in this game and came up slightly short in the end. Double P again failed to close out a game, suffering the loss in game 4 as Pounce's untimely scratch and Pedey's poor final turn allowed Panda to set things up and Chicky Phil to knock them down, ending with a diagonal bank on the 8 to the bottom right, tying the series at 2. Panda sprang Farm and Forest to a lead in game 5 with a four-ball run, and from there, Double P couldn't rally back, always staying a step behind until Chicky Phil iced the game and took the series 3-2 with the final shot on the 8 beyond light defense. Farm and Forest heads to the second round to oppose Technicolor Christmas (Klaus and Prism) in the second round.
Series five features the Smudgonardo duo of Smudge and Leonardo against Darkest Night, featuring Nightfur and Midnight. The silver cue is designated for this series. Things did not start quickly, and scratches from both members of Smudgonardo didn't help the cause. They still almost won, but a bad angle on the 8 allowed Nightfur to piece together a four-ball run-out for Darkest Night to win the game and take a 1-0 series lead. Smudgonardo pursued a late run through Leonardo in game 2, as he went on a four-ball sprint but missed on the 2 and ended up leaving Nightfur lined up for a three-ball run-out, which she converted to give Darkest Night the 2-0 series lead with a little help from Midnight in the middle of the game. Smudgonardo had a breakthrough in game 3 to keep themselves alive in the series. Leonardo paced their attack with a four-ball run early on, and they held off a threatening layout by Darkest Night to take the win and make it a 2-1 series. Smudgonardo took the early lead again in game 4, with a four-ball run by Smudge sufficing at first. Darkest Night played significant defense in the later parts of the game, but Nightfur's block of the top right just encourage Leonardo to use the defensive ball as safety against scratching as he kicked the 8 to the bottom right for the win, tying the series at 2 with the highlight shot. Game 5 was excellent for the players, as Smudgonardo mixed up their strategy. Leonardo broke and went on a five-ball run, answered quickly by an expert seven-ball run from Nightfur. Smudge looked to have control with just two balls on the table after Nightfur gave one away, but she missed wide left on the 8, and Midnight pocketed it at the top left for the win and a 3-2 series win for Darkest Night. Nightfur and Midnight gutted this one out and advance to the second round against the Mismatch of Boots and Strawberry.
Continuing to series six, where Roxy and Nikolai, the Big Bears, face off with the Power Couple of Valencia and Gradley. The blue cue is called on for this series. The Power Couple had no issues in game 1, with Valencia's four-ball run and Gradley's three-ball run scaring the Big Bears into submission. Roxy challenged with a three-ball run, but Valencia potted the 8 to give the Power Couple a 1-0 series lead. The Big Bears would not back down in game 2, and that was the work of Nikolai, who smashed a six-ball run on his first turn, and then ended the game the next time around with a pair of good shots, including a bank of the 8 to the top left to leave Valencia waiting to shoot as the series went to a 1-1 tie. In game 3, the only real busy moment of the game came during a six-ball run of improbable proportions by Nikolai, who set the tone. The Power Couple never got back into it, and while the Big Bears took their time in ending the game, they did eventually lay claim to the victory for a 2-1 series lead. The boys were tasked with settling things in this game, and it came down to them after each had a six-ball run on their first turns. Nikolai was able to get the 8 in position when he had the chance to, but he failed to make the shot, and this left Gradley open to tap in the final two shots for the win, helping the Power Couple retie the series at 2 and send it to a final decisive game. Roxy ultimately proved vital to securing the series win at 3-2 for the Big Bears, as she made a six-ball run early, ending with a scratch. Nikolai pushed a little more on his turn, putting the Power Couple in a defensive mindset they couldn't get out of as the game expired on Roxy's sinking of the 8 to the top right to clinch it. The Big Bears head to the second round against Easter and Whiskers, or team Atomic Aunt.
For the seventh series, the Founders Acorn and Oreo face off with the Snoozers Dreamy and Shadow. The blue cue is again in action. The Founders took game 1 after a solid break by Acorn and a good secondary run by Oreo left them in good position. The Snoozers kept up well, but Dreamy's run ended at three balls, and Acorn made the last two shots to take the game and a 1-0 series lead with a couple of simple shots. The Founders continued their strong play, taking a little longer to start but holding the Snoozers at bay as well. Shadow got the Snoozers close to winning game 2, but his miss on the 8 left Oreo free for a three-ball run-out to snag the win and take a 2-0 series lead for the Founders as they march closer to advancing. The Snoozers did not go down without a fight in game 3, and they kept themselves alive thanks to a somewhat understated seven-ball run by Dreamy on her only turn of the game after a decent break from Acorn left the table fairly open. The big run by Dreamy cut the series to 2-1 as it's still anyone's to win. This brief breath of air for the Snoozers didn't last, as the Founders' Oreo got pretty lucky on a four-ball run-out in game 4. Oreo banked the 12 off the right rail and the 8 to pot it in the bottom side, unintentionally, and then sent the 8 to the bottom right for the victory that clinched the series at 3-1 while the Snoozers watched, helpless. In game 5, the teams each took a quick pace to their games. This reached its peak with Acorn and Shadow exchanging three-ball runs late in the game before the table turned to Oreo, who was able to end the game with the final shot for the win and a 4-1 series win. The Founders look very solid in this game, and they'll hope to continue their good fortune in the second round against the Checkers, Gizmo and Bear.
In the day's final series, the Otherentals, Bells and Hoot, go up against Sophomoric, composed of Paige and Shannon. The silver cue has the series. Bells made a large six-ball run for the Otherentals in game 1 after a fairly slow start to the game. Paige answered on a four-ball run, getting no help from Shannon in the game, but Hoot was there to end it in a win for the Otherentals with his final two shots. They lead the series 1-0. Sophomoric tried to pull back into game 2 after another strong start from the Otherentals. Shannon led the comeback attempt with a four-ball run at one stage, but things stagnated after this point and Hoot was the lucky one in the end to pot the final shots to put the Otherentals ahead 2-0 in the series. Shannon had a bold shot attempt toward the 8 in game 3, and this was the defining play of their series loss, as she did pot the 8 illegally after the contacting the 12, and this gifted the final required win for the Otherentals as they clinched the series at 3-0. Paige and Shannon combined early on in game 4 to stake out a fairly large lead, and while Bells mostly did work to bring the Otherentals into the game, Sophomoric was able to finish off their win as Paige made the final two shots, bringing the series to a score of 3-1. Hoot rallied in the end of game 5 with a three-ball run-out, overcoming a very strong start from Sophomoric's Shannon to steal the game away and ice the series at 4-1. With the result, the Otherentals will face the Old Gentlemen, winners of today's first series, in the second round.
That's all for this one. The anticipated schedule has us finishing the first round tomorrow with the top 8 seeds going against the preliminary round winners. Tuesday and Wednesday are reserved for the Second Round, and Thanksgiving day will be the Third Round. Friday should be the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, 3rd place series, and Final to complete the tournament. Overages may be played on Saturday should the schedule prove difficult to stick to.
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