We're back, and with all good fortune on our side, we'll have the newly-tipped silver cue in action, with a backlog of five games with it to start the day. We begin with...
Group one, the all-silver cue group, as Midnight of the Westside Rockers plays 12-ball first of all. Midnight, and the cue itself, looked just fine, as she shot 20 with one ball on the break and no errors in a fairly standard performance, indicating no drop-off in shooting quality with the new tip. The second player in line is Sugar of the Harrison Specters, who will shoot 10-ball in this game. Sugar had one error after her empty break, but did well after that, only faltering at the end as she needed 18 shots to complete the appearance. Maplewood Lumberjacks captain Fluffina plays the next game, shooting 12-ball. Fluffina made a ball on her break, but the game was a very scattered look for her, and she took one error among the 22 shots she needed to close out the appearance. Following that, Starlight, the Pacific Volcanoes captain, also plays 12-ball. Starlight was robbed on the break, getting nothing, and she had some tight shots early on, but she set herself up well and needed 20 shots with no errors to finish the game. Ending the backlog list, Puff II, Boston Swifts star, shoots 9-ball. Puff II needed only 12 shots with one error and a ball on the break to complete the game, a very strong outing confirming long-term ability for the repaired tip on the silver cue.
Group two will reintroduce the other sticks, beginning with Isabella, the Atlantic Pirates rookie, who has the red cue ready for 12-ball. Isabella had a ball on the break but failed to get good positioning, and was a little too eager to shoot in her two errors, leading her to 25 shots. Next up, Golden Pilots veteran A. Charlton shoots 8-ball with the silver cue. Charlton didn't quite make a ball on the break, but she did shoot well after that, taking no errors in 18 shots to finish a strong second appearance of the season. Moving along, Nightfur, the Royal Crowns captain, shoots 9-ball with the red cue. Nightfur had a ball on the break in her turn, but also illegally potted the 9 early while scratching, giving her two errors and eventually 14 shots after she cleared the rack. The ninth player shooting today is Spot, the Pronger Tridents rookie, who will use the blue cue in his 9-ball game. Spot didn't get a ball on the break, and he took one error for illegal contact later on, but he finished the game with a strong 12 shots. The group closes with Dani of the Web City Spiders shooting 12-ball with the silver cue. Dani made a ball on the break, but it was a very rough rack. Most of the balls stayed clustered, and she needed composure and shooting smarts to get out of the game in just 22 shots without an error, setting herself up admirably.
Batch three gets going with Easter, the Todavía Stills captain, who plays Rotation with the silver cue. Easter felt a bit robbed for not getting a ball on the break, but she pulled off some remarkable deflected shots during the game, helping her finish well at 24 shots with just a single error. Sprinkles, the Capital City Sharpshooters veteran, plays the next game, 9-ball with the blue cue. Sprinkles would have preferred a better break than she got, taking nothing on it but also suffering no errors in her 15 shots, a just slightly off appearance for the usually reliable player. The thirteenth player of the day is Stonebridge Wolves captain Juno, who has the blue cue back at the table for more 9-ball. Juno had a ball on the break but took two errors, the only ones she had, on the shot afterward for missed contact and a scratch. She settled in from there to score 14, a reasonable total. Moving along, Charli XCX, the Tysini Hummingbirds sophomore, shoots 10-ball with the blue cue. Charli had an empty break for the game, and kept getting snookered behind the 6, although she shot out of it all but one time, her only error. In the end, the 6 was the hero, as she double-potted it with the 10 to the top side and top left respectively to end with 15 shots. Wrapping up the group, Southern Monarchs captain Panda plays 15-ball with the blue cue. Panda was frustrated as he left the table, 41 shots and seven errors after an empty break left him chasing impossible shots around the table.
The fourth group will need to start well to avoid a league-wide downward spiral, and the pressure falls on Twinkie III of the Whitewater Shores, who will use the silver cue for her game of 8-ball. Twinkie III didn't get anything on the break, and had one error during the game, but still completed the appearance in 19 shots, a good mark. Stripes plays the next game, shooting 9-ball with the blue cue. Stripes had two errors after an empty break, a poor peripheral result to accompany her 15-shot performance in the game, which is just about okay. Continuing along, Rosalina, the Diamond Gems rookie, shoots 10-ball with the red cue. Rosalina got nothing from her break, and took one error early on, but she was dominant after that point, finishing the rack in a spectacular 13 shots. Roxy of the Freedom Cascades was drawn next, playing 10-ball as well but with the silver cue. Roxy did well to salvage a turn that got nothing on the break and an early error, as well as a lot of obstructed shots. Eventually she surrendered potting the target and lined up a chance on the 10, which came off the 4 to the top right for a score of 16. The batch ends with the twentieth shooter of the day, the Swifts' Puff II, who returns to the table to play 10-ball with the red cue. Puff II didn't get anything on her break, although it was pretty sharp. She took two errors later on for illegal contact and an illegally potted ball, but closed the game at 13 shots anyway, undeterred by the penalties.
Group five opens with Midland Predators captain Shawn shooting 9-ball with the red cue. Shawn got a ball on the break, but struggled with a pair of errors early in the game, settling in to take 14 shots total in his third appearance with the expansion team. The 22nd player called to shoot today is Twilight, the Central Warriors captain and star, who will use the silver cue for Rotation. Twilight seemed to have very little control in her game, taking an empty break and then racking up five errors, three of which were not from an intentional play, among her 29 shots to clear an admittedly unfavorable spread. Following that, Puff III of the Everton Eagles is up for 12-ball, using the blue cue. Puff III did manage to make a ball on the break, and then she set herself up for success with her shots, pushing things around the table and then knocking them down in 20 shots, a good total. Continuing along, Marsell of the Whitewater Shores plays 8-ball with the blue cue. Marsell made a ball on the break and then proceeded to have one of the worst outings of the season, missing simple shots many times over the course of his three-error and 27 shot game. The last player before the mid-afternoon break is Smokey, the Diamond Gems captain, who becomes the second player to finish qualifying as he shoots Accuracy with the silver cue, the only event to be pure in one form of the silver cue. Smokey made a ball on the break and didn't take an error for the appearance, but he needed 21 shots to clear the table, an iffy total. Overall, Smokey took 158 shots during qualifiers, a decent mark.
After the break, the sixth batch starts with Slinks of the Westside Rockers using the blue cue to shoot 8-ball. Slinks got a ball on the break, and then backed it up with just one error in 16 shots, a remarkable run of play that will put her very near the top of the list. Going next is Pedey, the Diamond Gems sophomore, who takes his chances with the red cue for 10-ball. Pedey didn't make a ball on the break, and he had an early error for illegal contact, but this allowed him to break out for 15 shots and just the single error to close the game. Following that, Gizmo, the Central Warriors veteran, shoots 8-ball with the silver cue in his second game of the year. Gizmo had nothing on the break and nothing on the shot after that before never missing another shot, taking only 16 of them with no errors to finish the game. The 29th player of the day is Stripes, as the Knights veteran returns to the table to play 10-ball with the silver cue. Stripes made a ball on the break, and then avoided any errors during the appearance, needing only 15 shots to complete the game in good form. Rounding out the group and the afternoon, Queens Flames rookie Violetta plays 12-ball with the red cue. Violetta did pretty well, getting a ball on the break, but she had one error during the game, and her positioning was a bit off, requiring 23 shots to complete the outing.
To lead off the night, group seven's first participant is Niki of the Eastside Sharks, who uses the blue cue for 9-ball. Niki had a ball on the break to start the game, and she shot relatively well overall, needing just 13 shots with no errors to clear the rack off the table. Next up, Dusky, the Arrows veteran, is back for 10-ball with the silver cue. Dusky got a bit bold with her first shot from the run of play, and missed the deflected attempt at the 10, leading to her chasing the game for 20 shots, but she did so without taking an error. Lionel, the Commerce Tradewinds stalwart, gets the next game, shooting 15-ball with the blue cue. Questions of a curse are arising for the cue, as Lionel got nothing on the break and four errors all in the second half of the game, needing 36 total shots to finish the game. After that, Shannon of the Southern Monarchs is up to play Rotation with the red cue. Shannon did as much as she could with a bad break and five errors throughout the game, taking 32 shots to clear the rack. Both forms of heavy rotation games are taking a toll on players this year. Icing the group, North Modernistic Nighthawks veteran Cheddar shoots 9-ball with the silver cue. Cheddar performed well in her game, shooting 14 shots after making a ball on the break, and she had only one error after a difficult position resulted in missed contact.
The eighth bunch gets going with Bells of the Todavía Stills shooting 9-ball with the red cue. Bells didn't have the best of luck with her shots, getting a ball on the break but taking two unnecessary errors to drive up her score to 14 shots when she struck the 9 to the bottom right. The 37th player of the day is Harrison Specters captain Twinkie II, who has the red cue up again for more 9-ball. Twinkie II was a bit disappointing in this game, grabbing a ball on the break and then two-shotting every other ball on the table, mixed with two errors to produce a score of 18 overall. Following that, Nicole of the Capital City Sharpshooters plays 10-ball with the silver cue. Nicole went empty on her break, but the rest of her game was good, as she took 17 shots and ended with a bank combination, 9-10 to the top right off the left rail for the early, error-free finish. Continuing along, Queens Flames star Paige makes her season debut with the blue cue in 7-ball. Paige looked a bit shaky early on, getting nothing from her break, but she didn't take any errors and made the 4-7 combination to the top right for an early finish at 10 shots. Closing this group, Roxy of the Freedom Cascades plays 12-ball with the red cue. Roxy navigated a poorly distributed break shot very well, getting a ball from that and then closing the rest of the game in 20 shots without an error thanks to her precise set-up work.
The ninth batch opens with Victoria Spurs captain Spice, who uses the blue cue for 10-ball. Spice made a ball from the break, but faded in the middle of the game, taking three errors as her score ballooned to 18 shots for the game. Moving along, Missy of the Capital City Sharpshooters plays 8-ball with the blue cue in her second appearance of the year. Missy had the game on lock-down from the break, where she made two balls, but she faltered at the end, taking two errors and a number of shots to chase the 2, which gave her a mediocre score of 23. The 43rd player at the table today is Charli XCX, the Hummingbirds sophomore, who is back in action with the blue cue for 12-ball. Charli managed a ball on the break, and she picked through a tough early going very well. She did scratch late in the game, and the 10 proved difficult to corral to the bottom side, but she ended with a respectable 20 shots. Paige returns to the table for the next game, shooting 8-ball with the silver cue in her second game of the day and of the year. Paige hovered around average once again, needing 22 shots with no errors and an empty break to close out this game. Finishing this batch, Warriors captain Twilight plays her 15-ball game with the red cue. Twilight ended up with nothing on the break, and she took three errors in the game, including illegally potting the 15 with a scratch that forced her to play out the rack. She ended at 29 shots, a decent but unspectacular mark.
The final group begins with Shadow, the Web City Spiders captain, shooting 12-ball with the red cue. Shadow showed absolute mastery of the game in his turn, going empty on the break and still clearing the table in only 18 shots, as he picked his shots very well early on and made good contact for the later attempts. Next up, Central Warriors rookie Mario plays 10-ball with the silver cue. Mario was not discouraged by an empty break, and he avoided taking any errors during the game, showing off some savvy shots and a few misses toward the 10 before closing up with 17 shots. Following that, Freedom Cascades stalwart Stinky shoots 9-ball with the blue cue. Stinky had an error on the break in the form of a scratch, but that was the last of the bad news, as he cruised through 12 shots to complete a very confident outing. The 49th player to shoot today is Pronger Tridents rookie Potter, who will play his 9-ball game with the silver cue. Potter did manage to strike a ball in from the break, and he took a single error later in the game before settling in to score 14 shots in total for the appearance. Lastly, Specters captain Twinkie II plays 10-ball with the silver cue. Twinkie II had one ball on the break and one error in the appearance, closing her score at a solid 16 shots.
This weekend will be the first of the weekend-style game plays. We have already done 230 games this week, and I anticipate playing 50-75 games over the weekend, all in one post. This would bring us to about halfway done with Qualifiers.
No comments:
Post a Comment