2017 Qualifiers - Day 14

It's another day for games, as we'll probably limit things to 40 this afternoon and night. We begin with...

Viewpoint Sound Meteors rookie Nibbles playing 9-ball with the red cue to lead off the first group. Nibbles was struggling early on, taking nothing on the break and then earning an early error on illegal contact. The release valve came on a light miss on the 5, allowing him to carom the cue off it and take the 9 in the top right for a score of 11. Next up, Sleepy B., the Archtown Arrows veteran, shoots Rotation with the blue cue. Sleepy B. had a miserable game, taking six errors, starting from the break, and needing 37 shots to finish the game, a forgettable and regrettable outing that has caught the league's attention to evaluate the rest of this group. The third player of the day is Sugar, the Harrison Specters newcomer, who will try to improve the blue cue's day in Rotation as well. Sugar had an acceptable game, also going empty on the break, but limiting her errors to four, and mostly unintentional, and needing only 28 shots to get through the rack. The league is still observing as Smudge, the Infinity Torpedoes captain, grabs the blue cue to play 12-ball. Smudge is not doing well in qualifying this year, as this game saw her manage to make two balls on the break and still need 25 shots with six errors to get through the rest of the rack. Rounding out the group, and likely determining today's future playing, is Celestia of the Oceanside Waves, who will use the silver cue to play 15-ball. Celestia saved the day, shooting a ball in on the break and taking no errors over 23 shots, playing maybe a bit too cautiously in the end as she submitted a good outing.

Group two begins with Nicole of the Capital City Sharpshooters playing 12-ball with the silver cue. Nicole put in a very good game, going empty on the break and still managing to take no errors and close the rack in 18 shots, working with precision after some early shakiness. Moving along, Snuggle, the Oceanside Waves captain, plays 10-ball with the blue cue. Snuggle had nothing on the break, but that was a minor hiccup in his 13-shot game, with no errors included in an utterly dominant showing from the captain. Following that, Bianca, the Southridge Defenders rookie, has the red cue up for 10-ball. Bianca is not doing well in qualifying, as she had a ball on the break and two errors in this game, again failing to meet average as she took 19 shots for the appearance. Sally of the Archtown Arrows is up next, playing Rotation with the red cue in this qualifier. Sally looked to be playing a dangerous game early on, but she took four errors after her empty break, all with intent, and then managed to get a couple bounces to go her way, ending with 27 shots in a decent performance. The group ends with Atlantic Pirates rookie Klaus playing 12-ball with the silver cue. Klaus had excellent game going and then absolutely ruined it with his last ball. He had made a ball on the break and had a decent line, but shot too hard, and chased the ball around for two errors and 26 shots total for the game, spending about 10 shots on the ball in particular.

Batch three gets going with Archtown Arrows star Ruby playing 10-ball with the blue cue. Ruby had another sterling effort in this game, playing with no errors and nothing from the break during the game. She lined up the 7-10 combination early and didn't mess it up, making it on the second try to end with 14 shots. The twelfth shooter today is Mams, playing 9-ball with the silver cue in this game. Mams did make a ball on the break in this appearance, and she had no errors for the outing, ending with 15 shots, arguably her worst effort of the season so far, which isn't a bad low bar. Up next, Sweetheart of the Boston Swifts plays 15-ball with the red cue. Sweetheart had a mixed game, getting a ball on the break and controlling the game early before slipping late, taking five errors in her 27 shots to finish the outing. Torpedoes captain Smudge is back in action for her second game of the day, playing Rotation with the blue cue. Smudge needed a big rally late in the game to recover from a terrible break and four early intentional errors to try to mix up the distribution a bit, and she ended at 27 shots, good enough given the circumstances. Ending the group, Diamond Gems star Citrus plays Rotation with the blue cue as well. Citrus worked through the game with virtually no resistance, taking a ball on the break and only one error for illegal contact before finishing with a small 22 shots.

The fourth group opens with Kayla of the Royal Crowns playing 15-ball with the blue cue. Kayla faltered early in the game, taking five errors over the course of play after an empty break. Things got easier at the end, allowing her to finish with 26 shots. Continuing along, Watermelon of the Pearl Surfers is up to play 15-ball with the red cue. Watermelon was stricken with bad luck after making two balls on the break, as she spread three errors throughout the game and had to chase some shots to end with an average score of 29 for the game. The eighteenth player called to shoot today is Shiny of the Web City Spiders, who plays her Rotation qualifier here with the silver cue. Shiny dazzled in the outing, getting a ball on the break and taking only two errors, unavoidable as they were, among her 23 shots, showing poise and precision during the turn. Next up is her Spiders teammate Ted, as the rookie is in action with the silver cue for 12-ball. Ted went on a good run after making a ball on his textured break, and he was only stopped by a late scratch for his single error, closing the appearance in 18 shots. Finishing this batch, we have another Spider, Dani, shooting 15-ball with the red cue. Dani was not good at making the game easier for herself, taking nothing on the break and five errors during the game as she tried and failed to be fancy with position. She also ended early, potting the 15 to the bottom right with a deflected shot off the 10, ending the game at 29 shots.

Group five starts just before the mid-afternoon break, with the last player before the break being Stonebridge Wolves rookie Cobalt, who uses the silver cue for his 9-ball qualifier. Cobalt had a ball on the break, and then shot solidly, but didn't make much of a drastic impact, playing to 15 shots with no errors. After the break, the next player is Queens Flames star Paige, who has the red cue up for 9-ball in her third appearance of the year. Paige struggled from the start of the game, going empty on the break, and then she took one error en route to 17 shots, a poor outing. Next up, Mr. Snowman of the Infinity Torpedoes shoots Rotation with the silver cue. Mr. Snowman showed a disregard for the rules of play after making a ball on the break in this game, taking six errors intentionally as he worked the rack in 24 shots. Moving along, Ms. Kitty of the Pacific Volcanoes is up to play 10-ball with the silver cue. Ms. Kitty made a ball on the break, but struggled a bit during the game, needing 19 shots with two errors to complete the appearance. The afternoon ends with the 25th player of the day, Nightfur, the Crowns captain, who returns to action with the red cue for 12-ball. Nightfur made a ball on the break, but that was the last of the good news, as her one error and a lack of position to take her shots from produced a game of 26 shots.

The night kicks off with the sixth bunch, and its first player, Eastside Sharks sophomore Niki, who also plays 12-ball with the red cue. Niki had one ball on the break, but it was the end of the game that frustrated her most, as she chased the final shot, took one error, and closed with 29 shots to go to the back of the line. Moving along, Stealth of the Swordpoint Blades plays 10-ball with the red cue. Stealth had nothing on the break, and four errors during the game, exploding with anger in the end as he needed 27 shots to close the appearance, an unacceptable performance from the veteran. The league has been called to pay attention for the rest of the group, beginning with Diamond Gems rookie Rosalina, who plays Rotation with the blue cue. Rosalina got nothing on her break either, and she took five errors in the game, all intentional, as she made her way through 29 shots to complete the game. After that, the Specters' Sugar plays 15-ball with the red cue in her second game of the day. Sugar got a gift of a line-up shot after her only error, as she was able to make the 3-13-7-15 combination along the right rail to the top right. Her break was empty, but she ended with a tiny 7 shots, a great score to keep the league going. The 30th player of the day will determine if we play on tonight, and that responsibility falls on Pearl Surfers veteran Wings, playing Rotation with the silver cue. Wings had a solid outing, but failed to get anything on his break. He did manage to keep his errors down to one for the game, and he finished in 28 shots, a reasonable performance. The league once again calls for play to continue.

Group seven gets going with Zach of the Pronger Tridents shooting 9-ball with the red cue in his third game with the team. Zach needed only 3 shots after going empty on his break, as he made the 1-2 combination to the top right, and then a deflection off the 3 sent the 9 to the bottom side when he cleaned up the 1, giving him no errors in the performance. That's a tough act to follow for Twinkie III of the Whitewater Shores, who will use the red cue for 10-ball in this game. Twinkie III's struggles persisted in this game, as she had one error, nothing on the break, and 23 shots required to get out of the appearance. Next up, the Sharpshooters' Nicole plays Rotation with the silver cue. Nicole did get a ball on the break, but she had trouble with her finish, collecting three errors in total and finishing at 30 shots, turning a good game to mediocre. The 34th player of the day is Shores captain Bear, who will shoot 12-ball with the silver cue this game. Bear did well despite going empty on his break, as he completed the game in only 21 shots, using smart set-up shots and taking only one error for a strong showing. Closing out the group, Lighton Prestige mainstay Twinkie I plays 15-ball with the silver cue. Twinkie I did the worst possible thing in this game, switching between normal and rogue shooting, which led to her taking seven errors in 32 shots after making a ball on the break, ruining the game.

The final group starts with Boston Swifts superstar captain Patches shooting Accuracy with the blue cue, the fifth player to finish qualifying. Patches had a rough game, going empty on the break and then struggling with precision as she closed with 23 shots and no errors. In total, Patches had 167 shots during qualifiers, middle of the small pack. Following that, Peach, the North Modernistic Nighthawks rookie captain, shoots 9-ball with the silver cue. Peach continues to impress, making a ball on her break and then taking no errors in 12 shots as she cleared the table with ease. Continuing along, Stonebridge Wolves captain Juno plays Rotation with the red cue in this appearance. Juno chose to ignore the guidelines for the game, taking six errors after making a ball on the break, but closing the game in 23 shots as she made it easier on herself. Shooting 39th today is Whiskers of the Infinity Torpedoes, as she'll play 9-ball with the silver cue. Whiskers had no trouble in the game, going empty on the break but submitting a score of 3 with her 2-5-9 combination to the top right, with no time to take any errors in the appearance. Ending the day, Strawberry of the Modernistic Union plays 12-ball with the silver cue. Strawberry had a top-10 worst game of the year in this one, needing 47 shots with two errors after making a ball on the break to finish the game.

With that stink-bomb at the end, I am officially calling for tomorrow to be an off-day for pool. We'll play again on Thursday.