2017 Qualifiers - Day 18

We're back for a Monday set of games. I'm expecting to play 40 games today. We begin with...

Group one, and the Pacific Volcanoes newcomer Chicky Phil, who will shoot Rotation with the red cue. Chicky Phil had a ball on the break to get the game going well, and he took only two errors in the game, finishing with a crisp 23 shots in the appearance. Moving along, Victoria Spurs captain spice plays Rotation with the blue cue. Spice looked confident in this appearance, needing only 23 shots with two errors after her empty break didn't give her any boosts to start the game. Next up is Southridge Defenders rookie Bianca, who plays 12-ball with the red cue. Bianca did make a ball on the break, and she had one error for a scratch around the middle of the game, leading her to taking 22 shots in the appearance. The fourth player of the day is Central Warriors superstar Dustin, who plays 12-ball with the blue cue. Dustin got by pretty well in this appearance, going empty on the break but also taking no errors in his 20 shots as he set himself up well and executed with ease. Rounding out the group, Strut of the Golden Pilots is the 28th player to finish qualifying as he plays Accuracy with the blue cue. Strut made a great effort in this game, taking two balls on the break and finishing with just 16 shots, taking no errors as he cruised through the appearance. Overall, Strut needed 165 shots for qualifying, a lackluster performance.

The second group gets going with Lighton Prestige rookie Salmo shooting Accuracy with the red cue, the 29th player to complete his qualifiers. Salmo did make a ball on the break, but he also took his lone error in the form of a scratch. He ended with 19 shots, fading late in the performance, and his overall score was a poor 171. Continuing along, Golden Pilots captain Valencia plays 15-ball with the red cue. Valencia was slightly unlucky to scratch on her break, and she took two errors in total despite making a ball early on, ending with 28 shots as her pursuit of an early finish was not fruitful. Her father, Shadow, is next, and the Web City Spiders captain is the 30th player to finish qualifying, using the blue cue in his Accuracy game. Shadow, the most aggrieved player after the resetting of scores occurred in August, came out with 17 shots in this appearance, making a ball on the break and taking no errors. His annoyance is likely tempered by knowing he finished with 140 total shots, an excellent total. Following that, Blizzard of the Everton Eagles takes her 10-ball appearance with the red cue. Blizzard did fairly well in her game, making a ball on the break and taking only one error after chasing the game a bit, ending with 20 shots, which could have been lower had bounces gone her way. Ending the group, the Volcanoes' Chicky Phil plays his second game of the day, 15-ball with the blue cue. Chicky Phil faded a bit late in the game, accruing three errors as well as having an empty break, and he took 27 shots to complete the appearance.

Batch three leads off with Spurs captain Spice returning to play 15-ball, and it's the first silver cue game of the day. Spice didn't shoot very well, but she only had one error after an empty break left a tough distribution on the table. She eventually rallied at the end to close with 29 shots. Up next, Commerce Tradewinds captain Tigerette plays 9-ball with the silver cue. Tigerette didn't have a good game in this outing, needing 18 shots with one error after an empty break to complete the appearance, her worst game so far. The thirteenth shooter of the day is Prism, the Stonebridge Wolves rookie, who will shoot 10-ball with the blue cue. Prism bought herself some time with good shooting, but when that faded after an empty break and one error for an illegally potted ball, the 4-10 combination lined up at the bottom right, and she took it to finish with 10 shots. Following that, Sally of the Archtown Arrows plays 15-ball with the red cue. Sally absolutely dazzled, with a ball on the break and good play throughout, taking only one error in her quick 22 shots to post a great score. Finishing this group, Niki, the Eastside Sharks sophomore, plays her last qualifier, Accuracy, with the red cue, the 31st player to finish. Niki did very poorly in this game, taking three errors and an empty break to bring her score to 23 shots. Overall, it was more of the same, as a sophomore slump at 177 shots seems likely for the Sharks player.

The fourth group opens with Goldy, the superstar captain of the Everton Eagles, shooting 15-ball with the red cue. Goldy couldn't get anything on her break, but her heavily positive shooting ability carried her to 22 shots, taking two errors on an intentional play to keep the game moving. The seventeenth player called today is Stripes of the Terrace City Knights, who will play Rotation with the red cue. Stripes was done in by a dreadful break shot, barely scattering anything. She would need three errors and 34 shots to complete the game, a very rough performance from the veteran. Marsell of the Whitewater Shores gets the next game, playing 10-ball with the blue cue. Marsell couldn't get anything on the break, but he had no errors as he made the 1-10 combination to the top right to finish the game with 1 shot. That's a tough act to follow, and Capital City Sharpshooters captain Chris gets the chance, using the blue cue for Rotation. Chris had another atrocious outing, taking six errors and 37 shots with nothing on the break in this appearance, almost assuredly sending him to the B-bracket. Wrapping up the group, Pearl Surfers mainstay Wings plays Accuracy with the blue cue, the 32nd player to finish qualifying. Wings produced a decent effort, but it was slow to materialize, as he had nothing on the break and no errors with 20 shots in the game. For all of his appearances, Wings was very good, ending on 137 shots.

Group five starts with Spice, the Spurs captain, playing Accuracy with the red cue as she becomes the 33rd player to finish qualifying. Spice had a good game this time, going empty on the break but spreading the distribution to allow her to finish with 17 shots. Overall, she had 173 shots for a weak qualifying season. The 22nd player to shoot today is Nightfur, the Royal Crowns captain, who will play Rotation with the blue cue. Nightfur had a bit of a rough game, getting nothing on her break, and she would end up with four errors over 29 shots in the appearance, settling in just a bit worse than average. The last player before the mid-afternoon break is Cheddar of the North Modernistic Nighthawks, who will play 15-ball with the silver cue. Cheddar made a ball on the break and had no errors in a wonderful game, ending with a spectacular 20 shots for the appearance as she cleared the table. After the break, play resumes with Nighthawks captain Peach, who will play 12-ball with the silver cue. Peach did take a ball on the break in this appearance, but she also had an error, and this got her out of position, forcing her to take 22 shots for the game. The batch closes with Jennifer Livilotti of the Terrace City Knights, who will shoot 12-ball with the silver cue. Jennifer had a ball on the break and avoided taking any errors in the appearance, cruising her way to 22 with clever set-up shots and accurate shooting.

Batch six begins with Zach of the Pronger Tridents playing 15-ball with the blue cue. Zach didn't see anything drop on the break, and his game got off to a rough start. He would take four errors throughout the appearance, and he needed 30 shots to finish it, fading late as well. Next up, Southern Monarchs veteran Shannon plays presumably her last career qualifier, using the red cue for Accuracy. She is the 34th player to finish qualifying. Shannon made nothing on a weak break, but she had no errors in the game, ending on 16 shots. Overall, Shannon used 155 shots in qualifying this year. Moving along, Gradley of the Boston Swifts shoots 12-ball with the silver cue. Gradley made three balls on the break, but he then had to be careful about his set-up play, and this meant he took one error and 20 shots for the game, a still-good effort. Pedey of the Diamond Gems gets the next game, playing Rotation with the red cue. Pedey had no issues with his shooting, as he made two balls on the break, and he made good decisions most of the time. He did take three errors, but they were practically unavoidable, and he still had a score of 24 shots. The last player in the group is Pacific Volcanoes superstar captain Starlight, who plays 15-ball with the red cue. Starlight started well but couldn't get anything on her break, and eventually picked up five errors as she chased at the end of the game, needing 34 shots for the appearance to finish.

Group seven's first participant is another Volcano, as Leonette will shoot her 15-ball qualifier with the red cue as well. Experiencing much less pressure to perform, Leonette had a dazzling first fifteen shots in the game, making a ball on the break and taking only two errors. She eventually ended with 22 shots, a strong total despite the late fade. Following that, Goldy becomes the 35th player to complete qualifiers with her Accuracy game with the silver cue. Goldy didn't make a ball on the break and didn't err during the game, taking 22 shots to finish. She closed her qualifying with 146 total shots. The last game of the afternoon belongs to Peach, the Nighthawks rookie captain, as she shoots Rotation with the blue cue. Peach needed a whopping 32 shots, with six errors in the game, taking nothing on the break and struggling with the difficulty of a game she's never seen before. Leading off the short night, Ms. Kitty of the Pacific Volcanoes plays Rotation with the blue cue. Ms. Kitty couldn't get anything going on her break, and she took three errors over the rest of the game, ending with a solid 30 shots for the appearance. The group ends as the Arrows' Ruby is back to play 15-ball with the silver cue. Ruby closed the game in 27 shots, getting nothing on her break but showing some skill to work around the rack well. She did take three errors during the course of play.

The final batch sees Eastside Sharks captain Chelsea play Rotation with the blue cue. Chelsea had very few visible shots early in the game, negating the effects of her successful break. She would rack up five errors in 27 shots as the game progressed, but she still finished reasonably well. Moving along, Sparkles of the Todavía Stills plays 10-ball with the blue cue. Sparkles didn't quite make a ball on the break, but her shooting was excellent in the game, as she took no errors over a very quick 12 shots to complete the outing. The 38th player of the day is Bandit of the Swordpoint Blades, who shoots 15-ball with the silver cue. Bandit had a dream game, making a ball on the break and then working multiple double-pots, taking two errors, and still closing on 16 shots as he rarely missed in this appearance. Continuing along, Nibbles, the Viewpoint Sound Meteors rookie plays Rotation with the red cue. Nibbles had a good game, making a ball on the break and working through the solids very efficiently. The stripes gave him some trouble, but he closed out with four errors and 26 shots, plowing through without much hesitation. The night ends with Stinky of the Freedom Cascades playing 15-ball with the red cue. Stinky had a rough game, getting nothing on the break, adding four errors, ruining his instant win chances by illegally potting the 15, and then needing 29 shots to clear the table.

I think I'll do about the same tomorrow as I did today.