2017 Qualifiers - Day 16

We're back, as the time for finishing landed upon us in full yesterday. We'll have a short morning session today, beginning with...

Juno, the Stonebridge Wolves captain, leading off group one with a game of 15-ball with the red cue. Juno did pretty well in this game, going empty on the break and struggling at first before a mid-game burst. She ended with 29 shots, mostly due to three errors derailing her late game efforts. Moving along, Stealth of the Swordpoint Blades plays Rotation with the silver cue. Stealth impressed quite a bit, needing only 25 shots and taking just three errors while also potting a ball on the break of a very solid performance. The third player of the day is Bandit, also a Blade, and he shoots 12-ball with the blue cue. The rookie had a game for the ages, slowing himself down at the end to finish with 14 shots instead of chasing the final ball, and this was with two balls from the break and no errors. Next up, Ruby of the Archtown Arrows is up for 12-ball with the red cue. Ruby didn't need any help on the break, going empty, and she had no errors in the game, patiently working her way around the rack to 18 shots. Wrapping up this group, Slinks, the Westside Rockers veteran, plays Rotation with the red cue. Slinks went empty on her break, and the rest of the game lacked much urgency, as she slogged through four errors to close with a reasonable 28 shots for the outing.

Group two starts with Klaus of the Atlantic Pirates playing Rotation with the red cue. Klaus did very well, making two balls on the break and closing with no errors for the appearance, scoring 21 in his wonderful outing. The seventh shooter today is Eastside Sharks star Taylor Swift, who will play 9-ball with the blue cue. Taylor is almost certain to be on the B-bracket for this event, as her empty break, one error, and pitiful 24 shots made for one of the worst 9-ball efforts seen this year. Up next, Hoot of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors plays Rotation with the red cue. Hoot's break was just narrowly empty, and he had one early error before getting down to business, ending the game with 26 shots in a strong performance. Continuing along, B. Chapman of the Victoria Spurs has the blue cue in hand for her 12-ball qualifier. Chapman did fairly well in her game, making a ball on the break and avoiding any errors, but she slowed her pace at the end, finishing with 19 shots, which is still a good score. Finishing the batch, Dusty of the Golden Pilots ends her qualifying with the red cue for Accuracy, the sixteenth player to finish. Dusty knocked the rack down in 17 shots after an empty break, taking no errors in a very smooth performance. Dusty closed her qualifying with 147 total shots, a good total.

The third batch gets going with Golden Pilots captain Valencia playing 12-ball with the blue cue. Valencia did make a ball on the break, and she didn't take any errors either, making for a fairly solid game as she closed at 22 shots, just about average all around. Leanda of the Tysini Hummingbirds gets the next game, using the blue cue in 10-ball. Leandra went from dream to disaster in her game, getting nothing on the break and struggling around for a bit. Disaster came when she illegally potted the 10, which had been left at the top right. She would need four errors and 21 shots to finish the game. Following that, Stinky of the Freedom Cascades plays 12-ball with the blue cue. Stinky had an ugly break that left him with very few easy shooting options, so he scattered his shots and managed to finish the game in 20 shots, with no errors to make the most of a bad situation. The fourteenth player drawn today is Shawn, the Midland Predators captain, who will use the red cue in his 12-ball game. Shawn's quick start that saw two balls go in on the break did not last very long, as he ended up gathering three errors and ending the game with 24 shots in total. At the end of the group, Brownie of the Tysini Hummingbirds plays 15-ball with the blue cue. Brownie had a miserable start to her game, going empty on the break and needing six early errors just to stay competitive. This worked, as she would eventually close at 28 shots, a decent outing.

Group four leads off with Dusky of the Archtown Arrows, who will play Rotation with the red cue. Dusky had a highlight-worthy triple pot in the game, using the 6 to carom the cue into the 15 at the bottom left, and then the 6 took the 9 in the top side and the 11 at the top right. Dusky did end up with seven errors in the game, but it sufficed to bring her to 27 shots, a workable total. Moving along, Southridge Defenders rookie Hughbert plays 10-ball with the blue cue. Hughbert got things done very quickly, with a ball on the break and a few sharp combination shots to grease the wheels as he had only 12 shots and no errors. The eighteenth player called to shoot today is Marsell, the new Whitewater Shore, who will have the silver cue in action for 9-ball. Marsell's rocky beginning with his new team continued, as he went empty on the break and needed 16 shots with one error for this game. Next up, Wario, the Victoria Spurs rookie, plays 12-ball with the red cue. Wario had nothing on his break, a growing trend in 12-ball today, and he also took one error among his 21 shots in a decent performance. Icing the group, Mr. Snowman plays 15-ball with the silver cue in his seventh appearance for the Infinity Torpedoes. Mr. Snowman did have some interesting strategies, playing well early on despite an empty break, and then accumulating six errors later to finish with 26 shots in a strong outing.

The fifth batch opens with Chicky Phil of the Pacific Volcanoes playing 10-ball with the blue cue. Chicky Phil's game was not good, as he took two errors after an empty break and lacked precision on his shots, needing 22 of them to get out of the appearance. Continuing along, Slinks of the Rockers is back with the silver cue for 15-ball. Slinks had a great game, although it didn't start that way. Her empty break gave way to a spectacular run early on, and she had three errors among what became 23 shots in the game, a great performance. Following that, Cobalt, the Stonebridge Wolves rookie, plays 10-ball with the blue cue. Cobalt was very close to making a ball on the break, but it wouldn't go. He didn't get discouraged, using a sharp shot and easy positions to end the game with 12 shots and no errors, a wonderful game. The 24th player of the day is Infinity Torpedoes veteran Whiskers, who has the silver cue in hand for 10-ball. Whiskers has dominated the lightweight rotation games, including scoring 7 shots in this appearance, taking nothing on the break and no errors as she made the 5-10 combination to the bottom right for the early finish. At the back of the group, Sprinkles, the Capital City Sharpshooters veteran, plays 12-ball with the red cue. Sprinkles did not get a desirable result, taking an empty break and adding two errors among 27 shots for a very difficult game.

The sixth group begins as Predators captain Shawn plays Rotation with the blue cue. Shawn had nothing to indicate preparedness for the game at hand, and he made nothing on the break and added only four errors over 33 shots, a poor showing from the captain. The last player before the mid-afternoon break is Todavía Stills star Sierra, who will be the seventeenth player to finish qualifying as she plays Accuracy with the silver cue. Sierra took only 19 shots and one error in the game, getting unlucky as her break did not produce a ball potted. She ended qualifying with 150 shots even, a solid set of games for the veteran. After the break, the 28th player to shoot today is Shiny of the Web City Spiders, who will shoot 15-ball with the silver cue. Shiny didn't get anything on her break, and she played well until the end, where she faded to 28 shots with three errors included. Next up, Dusky, the Arrows veteran, shoots 15-ball with the silver cue as well. Dusky didn't like her break at all, so she ignored even the mere concept of rules until the herd had been thinned, taking 27 shots and seven errors in the game with reckless abandon. The group closes with the Hummingbirds' Leandra playing 12-ball with the blue cue. Leandra would like to forget the game ever happened, as she made a ball on the break but needed four errors and 33 shots to get through the rest of the rack, an embarrassment by most standards and especially hers.

Group seven's first player ends the afternoon, as Missy plays 9-ball with the red cue for the Capital City Sharpshooters. Missy left the table furious, as she had the 9 right at the edge of the top right for 21 shots, including two errors, and couldn't pot it until the game had already gone bad. Hoping for a better result to start the night, Yekaterina Vasilyeva, the Victoria Spurs wunderkind, plays 12-ball with the silver cue. Yekaterina had a wonderful effort, making two balls on the break and then avoiding errors as she wiped the table clean in 14 shots. After that, Queens Flames captain Crystal plays Accuracy with the silver cue, the eighteenth player to finish. Crystal had an empty break, but that was the only flaw in her game, as she took 16 shots with no errors to finish the outing. She ended with 158 total shots in qualifying. Mams, the Viewpoint sound Meteors captain, is the 34th player drawn today, and she'll shoot 10-ball with the red cue. Mams made quick work of her game, not quite potting a ball on the break, but turning the 2-10 combination to the top right to finish with 2 shots and no errors. Closing out the group, Puff III of the Everton Eagles plays 15-ball with the blue cue. Puff III had a bit of everything in this game, getting a ball on the break, taking two errors, and then finishing in 15 shots with an 11-15 bank combination to the bottom left for a stunning result.

The eighth group starts with Southern Monarchs captain Panda shooting Accuracy with the blue, becoming the nineteenth player to finish qualifying. Panda had another tough appearance, going empty on his break and needing 22 shots, with two errors, to complete the game. Overall, his 189 shots sent him to the very back of the line for those already finished. Continuing along, the Spurs' Yekaterina Vasilyeva returns to play Rotation with the silver cue. Yekaterina managed to get a ball on the break, and while she picked up four errors along the way, she ended the game with 25 shots in a strong performance. Going 38th today is the Meteors captain Mams, who plays 12-ball with the red cue in her second game of the day. Mams remained quite impressive, taking no errors after making a ball on the break, and she had the game done in 18 shots for a quick outing. Daisy, the Modernistic Union rookie, plays the next game, which is 10-ball with the red cue. Daisy fell apart in her game, narrowly missing a ball on the break, and then losing her momentum with four errors for 23 shots, a poor effort. The batch ends with Mams playing Rotation with the blue cue, continuing a spate of appearances for the Meteors captain. Mams once again performed well, taking only one error as a scratch on her otherwise empty break, and then cruising through the game in 21 shots, suggesting a star-turn may be in order for the veteran.

Group nine kicks off with Central Warriors rookie Mario playing 12-ball with the red cue. Mario suffered a rough game, taking one ball on the break and one error over the course of 24 shots as he failed to be precise with his shooting. Next up, Strut of the Golden Pilots uses the silver cue in his Rotation game. Strut didn't do too badly, getting a ball on the break, but his early success was overshadowed with four errors and a score of 29 shots after he lost his accuracy in the later stages of the appearance. Moving along, Eastside Sharks sophomore Niki plays Rotation with the blue cue. Niki didn't get anything on her break, and she would need three errors early on in the game, but she settled in nicely and ended with 25 shots for the game. The 44th player of the day is Nibbles, the Viewpoint Sound Meteors rookie who will play 10-ball with the silver cue. Nibbles didn't have too many issues in the game despite an empty break, needing only 17 shots and a couple of errors in the middle of the game to get by. Rounding out the group, Queens Flames star Paige plays 10-ball with the blue cue. Paige did not have much of a shot at long distance, contributing greatly to her struggles after an empty break and error-free game, which saw her finish with 23 shots.

The final group gets going as Infinity Torpedoes captain Smudge plays 15-ball with the blue cue. Smudge did well, just going empty on the break. The rest of her game was solid, as she took only two errors over 25 shots, a well-played game for the veteran. Following that, Gradley of the Boston Swifts plays 10-ball with the blue cue. The event continued to puzzle late-night players, as Gradley went empty on his break and needed 24 shots with one error to get through the rack, a poor score in a very spread-out score distribution. Moving along, Pearl Surfers co-captain Neopolitan is the twentieth player to finish qualifying in this Accuracy game with the red cue. Neopolitan took a ball on the break in this game, and she rallied late to finish on 18 shots after some mid-game scuffling, taking no errors. Neopolitan had a total of 166 shots, a bit higher than the average, for all of her qualifying efforts. The 49th player drawn today is Leonette of the Pacific Volcanoes, who will shoot Rotation with the silver cue. Leonette had a good start, getting a ball on the break even as she scratched, but it would take two total errors in the game, as well as a lot of chasing on the 6 to close things out at 28 shots. The last player to shoot today is Blades rookie Bandit, who will use the silver cue in Rotation as well. Bandit had a reasonably good appearance, going empty on the break, but also taking only 26 shots in the game, with three errors included.

Tomorrow will kick off the second Weekend Special edition of Qualifiers, and hopefully the long-promised cricket will get posted as well.