2017 Qualifiers - Day 10

It's the tenth day of qualifying, and we've reached a point where three players are yet to start while one is already finished, leaving the whole spectrum of games open. We begin today with...

Mr. Snowman of the Infinity Torpedoes shooting 10-ball with the silver cue to start the first group. Mr. Snowman did make a ball on the break in this game, but he took an early error. He settled in after iffy shooting early on, and closed the game with 17 shots in a good performance. Next up, Central Warriors rookie Mario plays 9-ball with the blue cue in his third career game. Mario made two balls from an excellent break, and then closed the game with one error for a late scratch, giving him 11 shots when he knocked in the 9 for a good outing. Continuing along, Crystal of the Queens Flames shoots Rotation with the red cue after a few days off to recover from deep struggles early in her qualifying campaign. Crystal played a pretty sharp game, not quite making anything on her break, but also knowing when to err, which gave her five errors mixed in over 26 shots, a good outing. The fourth player called today is Sleepy B., the Archtown Arrows veteran, who shoots 10-ball with the red cue. Sleepy B. did well in her game, taking her only error on a scratch at the break, which was otherwise empty. She sealed the game in 13 shots, ending with an 8-10 cut combination to the top right for a good performance. Rounding out the group, Zach of the Pronger Tridents shoots 8-ball with the blue cue. Zach went empty on his break, and also took no errors in the appearance, needing 21 shots to complete the outing in a fairly standard appearance for the sophomore.

The second batch of the day gets going with Charli XCX of the Tysini Hummingbirds playing 9-ball with the silver cue. Charli had a poor break that saw her take her only error, a scratch, and then she recovered with a game-ending glance off the 7 that took the 8 to the top right in combination and the 9 to the bottom side on the carom, for a score of 13 shots somewhat surprisingly. The seventh player called to shoot today is Wings, the Pearl Surfers stalwart, who is up for 10-ball with the red cue in this game. Wings didn't make a ball on the break, but he left the 10 right on the edge of the bottom right, and in a straight line for a 1-10 combination to end his game with 1 shot and no errors. That's a tough act to follow for Leandra, the Tysini Hummingbirds star, who will play 9-ball with the red cue. Leandra had a difficult spread on her shots in this game, taking a ball on the break but also an early error for a scratch. This was the only one, and she ended the game with 15 shots, abusing the bottom side as the target for many of those. Up next, Brownie, another Hummingbird, shoots 10-ball with the blue cue. Brownie couldn't make anything on her break, and then took two errors in the game, but she still had only 16 shots for a strong performance. Ending the group, Twinkie II, captain of the Harrison Specters, shoots 8-ball with the silver cue. Twinkie II went for 21 shots, including a mixed break that saw her pot a ball and also scratch for her only error.

Group three kicks off with Acorn, the Lighton Prestige captain, appearing for 9-ball with the blue cue. Acorn had two balls in on the break, a good performance from the start, and he closed the game with 13 shots and no errors after navigating the table with relative efficiency. The twelfth shooter today is Taylor Swift, star for the Eastside Sharks, who will shoot 8-ball with the blue cue. Taylor was quite inaccurate during her game, requiring 22 shots despite making a ball on the break, and she had only one error to obstruct the flow of her game. Moving along, Patches, the Boston Swifts captain, shoots 15-ball with the red cue. Patches didn't get anything on her break, and the game itself was a struggle, with five errors over 30 shots to complete the rack for a mediocre outing from one of the league's best. Panda, the Southern Monarchs captain, gets the next game, using the blue cue for Rotation. Panda got a ball on the break, and then remarkably limited his errors to only two during the game, cruising through a kind rack to score 23 shots in a league-leading effort for the event. The last player in this group is Isabella, the Atlantic Pirates rookie, who will play 9-ball with the blue cue. Isabella was all over the 9 in this game, failing to make anything on the break but needing only two chances at a 1-9 combination to sink it in the bottom right for a score of 2 with no errors.

Batch four is led off by Citrus of the Diamond Gems, who shoots her third game of qualifiers, 9-ball, with the blue cue. Citrus was dangerously close to an all-time terrible game, getting nothing on the break and three errors as no clear shots developed. Luckily, she double-potted the 3 to the bottom side and 8 to the top left, setting up to convert the 4-9 combination to end the game at 17 shots. The league hopes to see a different game for Strut of the Golden Pilots, and they'll get their wish as he shoots 12-ball with the silver cue. Strut was doing just fine in his game, making a ball on the break and shooting accurately, until he had to dig the 7 away from the top right. This produced two errors for him, and forced him to take 27 shots in total to finish the game. Next up, Sydney Sierota of the Harrison Specters plays 9-ball with the silver cue with the hopes of getting that game back in form. Sydney did well early on, making a ball from the break and cruising until the 7 got stuck behind the 9. She would take one error and finish the game with 14 shots, a respectable effort for the young player. The nineteenth player called today is Snuggle, the Oceanside Waves captain, who keeps the silver cue at the table for more 9-ball. Snuggle went empty on his break, and took an early error for missed contact, but he did well from there, closing the game in 11 shots with a 5-9 combination to the bottom side after a gutsy cut to make the 4 in the bottom left. Wrapping up this group, Midland Predators rookie Fuchsia shoots Rotation with the blue cue. Fuchsia couldn't find anything good in this appearance, needing 32 shots and six errors to cover an empty break and continually bad positioning on her shots.

The fifth group opens with Flames captain Crystal shooting 15-ball with the red cue in her second appearance today. Crystal's late-qualifying resurgence continued, as she made nothing on the break but took only one error in a crisp 21 shots to complete a typically difficult event. Next up, Smokey, the Diamond Gems captain, shoots 15-ball as well with the red cue. Smokey made two balls on the break, the first to do so in this event, but also took three errors and had trouble with small space to shoot, requiring 28 total shots to complete the appearance. The 23rd player called to shoot today is Isabella, as the Pirates rookie returns to action to shoot 10-ball with the red cue. Isabella is quickly becoming known as a trick-play seeker, as she kept one eye on the 10 the whole game. She didn't get anything on the break, and she took an error for a scratch, but the persistence paid off with a deflection off the 6 to pot the 10 in the top right, ending her turn at 11 shots. Following that, Web City Spiders veteran Shiny shoots 10-ball with the red cue. Shiny had an empty break, and that was only the beginning of a rough game, as she needed 21 shots with three errors to clear off the table from there, not the best she could have done. The group closes with the last player before the mid-afternoon break. That player is Eastside Sharks captain Chelsea, who plays 9-ball with the red cue. Chelsea took nothing from her break, and did suffer an error on a scratch during the game, her only one, but she finished with a solid 16 shots by the end of the game.

After the break, group six starts with Southridge Defenders rookie Bianca shooting 9-ball with the blue cue. Bianca had two balls on the break to start the game, and two errors in the end, needing 18 shots to finish the appearance despite the hot start, leaving the composed rookie frustrated. Going next is Kiwi, the Terrace City Knights superstar captain, who shoots 9-ball with the silver cue in this outing. Kiwi needed 19 shots with four errors during the game, hobbled by the temporary fix no long being a viable option for the stick. Next up, Solaris of the Infinity Torpedoes will shoot 12-ball with the red cue. Also, no more silver cue games will be played today. Any drawn will be allocated for, hopefully, tomorrow's first games. Solaris surprisingly didn't make anything from the break, but he did cruise through the game, needing only 17 shots with no errors to complete a stellar outing. The 29th player called today is Fluffina, the Maplewood Lumberjacks captain, shooting 10-ball with the blue cue. Fluffina had an iffy break, and she also committed two errors during the game as she tried to work in tight spaces, but she closed with 13 shots thanks to a planned carom off the 4 at the bottom left. Finishing this group, Modernistic Union veteran Puff I shoots Rotation with the red cue. Puff I had a ball on the break, and that was just the beginning of the good stuff, as she rallied to take just one error among 24 shots in the game, a very impressive outing.

The seventh group begins with Hughbert, the Southridge Defenders rookie, shooting 9-ball with the red cue. Hughbert saw the 4 fall late on the break, but then took two errors, unable to capitalize on the early gift as his game stretched to a painful 16 shots. Continuing along, Everton Eagles superstar captain Goldy is up for 10-ball with the red cue. Goldy couldn't quite make a ball on the break, but she did get crafty at the end, making a 3-4-10 combination with a deflection of the 4 off the 5 to get the 10 in the bottom right, ending her appearance with only a single error for missed contact earlier in the game. That will be a tough act to follow, and the opportunity comes to Citrus, the Gems star, who plays 10-ball with the red cue as well. Citrus kept it simple this game, getting nothing from the break and no errors during the course of play, and she ended with a classical finish, banking the 10 to the bottom right to end with a strong 16 shots. Dusky, the Archtown Arrows stalwart, plays the next game, keeping the red cue active for 9-ball. Dusky went big for her turn, getting a ball on the break and then hammering brilliant shots without an error for the rest of the game, scoring 11 when it was all said and done. Icing this group, Sierra of the Todavía Stills appears with the red cue for a game of 12-ball. Sierra didn't score anything from the break, and she did take a late error for missed contact, but she closed the game with 20 shots, a score she happily accepts.

The final bunch commences with the new Pacific Volcano, Chicky Phil, playing his 8-ball game with the blue cue. Chicky Phil had a ball on the break to start his game, and he played well from there, taking no errors over the 19 shots he needed to clear off a fairly average distribution. Up next, Dusty, the Golden Pilots veteran, shoots 10-ball with the blue cue. Dusty had a ball on the break for her game, and then took just one error early on before closing the game with nice mid-range shots for a score of 14, very strong in this year's environment for the event. The 38th player drawn to shoot today is Eagles captain Goldy, as she returns to the table for her 12-ball game with the red cue. Goldy had a very sturdy performance, needing only 19 shots after making a ball on the break, and she didn't take any errors, showing control and dominance in the performance. Following that, Maplewood Lumberjacks veteran Diddley shoots 10-ball with the red cue. Diddley went empty on the break, but he also took a productive error that keyed the rest of his game, allowing him to finish in 15 shots with the single error. Finally, Smudge of the Infinity Torpedoes plays 9-ball with the blue cue to end the night. Smudge had nothing on the break and one error during the course of play, with a rough start pushing her to 17 shots overall for the appearance.

An update on the silver cue to end the night: I have removed the old tip and installed the new tip with glue, which is currently being allowed to set. I will do a light amount of shaping and a little bit of reinforcement around the edge between the tip and the ferrule to hope to make this a permanent solution to the problem. The previous tip was a screw-on tip, which likely resulted in the very heavy shots the cue became known for in its first iteration. It should have a different feel going forward if this solution works.