2018 Qualifiers - Day 18

A new day of Qualifying is here, with the first game going to...

Southridge Defenders newcomer Caitlin Woode, as she plays 9-ball with the silver cue. Caitlin had a good start, but it proved to be mostly luck fueled, as she made a ball on the break but took one error and flailed from the 6 onward, ending at 24 shots. The Everton Eagles captain Goldy will try to bring a better showing as she plays 15-ball with the silver cue. Goldy showed a bit of creativity and enough disrespect to the rules to succeed, getting nothing on the break and taking two errors for an intentionally illegal shot. It worked out, as she curved the cue off the 5 to pot the 15 deflected off the 14 into the bottom right to end at 11 shots. Bright of the Pearl Surfers gets the third game today, using the red cue for 12-ball. Bright had nothing on a weak break, and he looked shaky early in the game, but he settled in to finish at 21 shots total, a good score. Moving along, Missy of the Capital City Sharpshooters is up for 8-ball with the red cue. Missy had a rough start, unable to untangle the various shots quickly enough to get a good score. She settled in to finish with 25 shots and no errors after a late surge. Maplewood Lumberjacks returnee Gabe closes the group with 12-ball and the silver cue. Gabe went empty on the break as well, and he took one error over 25 shots before he could clear the table.

Group two leads off with the Lighton Prestige superstar Spirit playing 8-ball with the silver cue. Spirit lived up to the title, going empty on the break just barely and even taking an error but still managing to close the effort in a mere 19 shots. Modernistic Union returnee Chimpy is set to play 10-ball with the silver cue. Chimpy looked good in this appearance, getting a ball on the break and suffering only one late error while drilling shots into pockets regularly. He ended the turn in 17 shots. Victoria Spurs third-year star Yekaterina Vasilyeva is next, playing Accuracy with the red cue as the ninth player to finish qualifying. Yekaterina was very precise in her shooting, going empty on the break but ending in 16 shots, with a double-pot helping to offset one of her two misses. She ended at 147 shots and 13 errors in total. Today's ninth game is Central Warriors captain Twilight ending her qualifying with the blue cue in Accuracy, the tenth player to finish. Twilight took nothing on the break, but she had a solid performance as well with 18 shots and no errors. Twilight needed only 140 shots and just 7 errors to complete her qualifying. Finishing the group, the Commerce Tradewinds newcomer Niki plays 12-ball with the red cue. Niki had an empty break and wrangled in three errors at various points in the game, playing well initially but struggling on the last three balls to end with 22 shots.

The third group begins with the Midland Predators sophomore Fuchsia using the blue cue for 12-ball. Fuchsia couldn't get anything on the break, but she cleared the table in 18 shots without an error after some expert set-up work and positioning on short shots. The Queens Flames' Kyle is next up, using the silver cue in Rotation. Kyle struggled at first, scratching on the break for the first of his four errors. He calmed down later in the game, finishing in 31 shots as his precision grew. Going 13th today, the Capital City Sharpshooters' captain Chris plays 12-ball with the blue cue. Chris had a decent start despite another empty break, but the ending caused him to take three errors before he could make the last three balls, ending at a solid 21 shots. After that, the Southern Monarchs' Pounce makes his debut in 7-ball for the year with the red cue. Pounce had no errors and a ball on the break in this game, needing 11 shots to clear the table in a successful debut. Wrapping up the group, Midland Predators captain Shawn plays 12-ball with the red cue. Shawn smacked in three on the break in a huge opening shot, and then cleared the table in 15 more shots, without an error, for a chart-topping performance.

The fourth batch starts as Maplewood Lumberjacks captain Diddley shoots 10-ball with the silver cue. Diddley had a rough game, getting by early but watching his shot fall apart later on. He took three errors and an empty break in 25 shots to complete the outing. The Everton Eagles' Cleo goes next with the silver cue in 15-ball. Cleo continued possibly the best qualifying session ever, needing only 11 shots with two errors and two from the break to end this appearance, deflecting the cue off the 6 to pot the 15 in the top right for the finisher. Continuing along, Todavía Stills rookie Anton plays 15-ball with the silver cue as well. Anton had nothing on the break, and he committed five errors, four from intentional plays, to end the game in 29 shots, a decent effort. The 19th game of the day belongs to the Archtown Arrows' Sally, who uses the red cue in 15-ball. Sally poked the game down in 26 shots, getting nothing on the break and suffering two errors despite shooting well in general. At the back of the group, Victoria Spurs sophomore Wario shoots 10-ball with the red cue. Wario did well despite a scratch on the break for his only error. He cleared the table with confidence in 16 shots.

Group five gets going as Infinity Torpedoes newcomer Fluffina plays 9-ball with the red cue. Fluffina blasted a ball on the break and then cautiously approached a 1-9 combination before making a deflected shot on the 9 to end at 2 shots and no errors. That's a tough act to follow for Freedom Cascades captain Jasmine, who uses the red cue in 9-ball too. Jasmine had an empty break, and a couple of errors weighed her down later in the game, but she finished at a reasonable 16 shots in the showing. Pearl Surfers co-captain Watermelon takes game #23 today, playing 12-ball with the red cue. Watermelon had three errors in the game, after a frustrating empty break, and she ended at 23 shots, a decent effort. Next up, North Modernistic Nighthawks newcomer B. Chapman shoots 10-ball with the red cue. Chapman didn't quite make anything on the break, but she kept herself at only one error and cleared the rack in 16 shots, always keeping an eye out for a shot at the 10 despite it never lining up. The group ends with the Monarchs' Pounce returning for 8-ball with the red cue. Pounce was dangerously close to winning on the break, but instead he illegally potted the 8 two shots in, taking his five errors at that moment. He still managed to finish in 23 shots for a great comeback effort.

The sixth group opens with the Tradewinds' Niki returning for her second game today in Rotation with the red cue. Niki made a couple of balls on the break and only took two errors during the appearance, ending at 26 shots in a good outing. Web City Spiders veteran Shiny steps in for the 27th game of the day in 10-ball with the silver cue. Shiny had some difficulty after an empty break, rattling her shots and collecting four errors over 27 shots necessary to get through the tough game. Moving along, Terrace City Knights star Jennifer Livilotti tries Rotation with the silver cue. Jennifer had a bad game, needing 31 shots with six errors, avoiding intentional errors but still making the mistakes after an empty break. Trying to get things back on track is Archtown Arrows mainstay Sleepy B., who plays 10-ball with the silver cue. Sleepy B. had nothing on the break and couldn't settle her shot down at all, ending with two errors and 25 shots as play quality continues to deteriorate. Rounding out the group before a break in play, Cobalt of the Stonebridge Wolves tries Accuracy with the red cue as the eleventh player to finish qualifying. Cobalt had a ball on the break and cleared the table in only 17 shots, a strong outing for the young player to end his qualifying sessions at 139 shots and 7 errors.

Bunch seven is headed by Everton Eagles third-year Kirstin, who plays 15-ball with the red cue. Kirstin struggled from the start with an empty break and three quick errors, so she played for the combination and got it, a 6-15 to the top right to end her game at 19 shots. Up next, Kodiak of the Modernistic Union shoots 10-ball with the silver cue. Kodiak scratched on the break, his first of two errors in the game while dodging through virtually impossible situations to end in 22 shots, a solid outing. Continuing along, the Lumberjacks' Gabe returns for his second game today, using the silver cue in 12-ball. Gabe was spectacular in this appearance, making a ball on the break and picking his shots carefully to end in 15 shots without an error for a stunner performance. The 34th game today belongs to Web City Spiders captain Shadow, who shoots 8-ball with the red cue. Shadow had some shaky shots early on, but he didn't take an error, riding the empty break game to 20 shots in the end for a good outing. Hershey, the Stonebridge Wolves rookie, ends the group with 9-ball and the blue cue. Hershey had a fairly average outing, getting nothing on the break but also avoiding errors in 15 shots to get the table cleared.

The last group sees Shelley of the Infinity Torpedoes playing 15-ball with the silver cue. Shelley put in a good effort, feeling robbed to go empty on the break. She corrected course by keeping the 15 very near the bottom right, and she ended with one error on a 4-15 combination for 15 shots. The 37th player drawn today is another Torpedo, Fluffina, who is up for 10-ball with the red cue. Fluffina had a few problems from a poor break, taking two errors in a congested distribution. She still closed in 18 shots, a good performance given the circumstances. The Prestige's Spirit is next, her second game of the day being in 9-ball with the red cue. Spirit had nothing on the break, but she hounded the 1-9 combination, missing it a handful of times at various pockets. She left the 9 at the edge of the bottom left after an error, and then ended the game in 9 shots with a 3-9 bank combination. After that, Commerce Tradewinds star Taylor Swift plays 10-ball with the red cue. Taylor had no problems in her game, making a ball on the break, weaving between two others to pot the 1, and then burying the 2-10 combination to the bottom right for a 2-shot, no errors game. Finally, Quincy, the Terrace City Knights rookie, plays 12-ball with the blue cue. Quincy went empty on the break, and he botched the finish as well, racking up four errors and 25 shots by the end.

That's all for today. Tomorrow, and we mean it this time, Elite cricket will be finished regardless of timing. Day 19 will likely be a split session similar to today before taking both weekend days off.