Sunday 4 January 2015

Christmas University Challenge 2014: Matches 6-10 (Monday 29th - Friday 2nd/Saturday 3rd)

OK all? Normal service resumes now, as I briefly recap the second week's play of, what has been, I think the best series of Xmas UC we've seen.

Monday 29th: York vs Surrey
York: Philip Lawson, Helen Geake, Michael Dixon, Adam Hart-Davis 
Surrey: Michael Price, Sue Blackmore, Jim Al-Khalili, Odaline de la Martinez

Low scoring match, but certainly fairly close. York had the better of the buzzer race for the most part, but Surrey were, by far, better on the bonuses, which meant the match was closer than perhaps it should have been. In the end, York won 135-110. York converted 10 out of 27 bonuses (with one penalty) and Surrey 10 out of 15; so it was all decided by three extra starters.

Tuesday 30th: Manchester Metropolitan vs Goldsmiths
Manchester Metropolitan: Eddie Morland, John Thomson, Bernard Hill, Gordon Taylor
Goldsmiths: Fiona Rae, Neil Innes, Corrie Corfield, Shazia Mirza

The final first round fixture. Again, it was pretty low scoring, though neither side disgraced themselves, as Paxo rightly said at the start. Manchester Metropolitan won the match 145-75; they converted 12 bonuses out of 27 (with one penalty) and Goldsmiths 7 out of 15 (with two penalties).

Wednesday 31st: Lady Margaret Hall vs Hull
This was a very good match. Not high scoring, but certainly close. Neither side was really able to shake the other off throughout. With just minutes to go, the sides were virtually level and were generally swapping starters. The crucial moment came when, with barely any time left, Hull broke the pattern and got two in a row, which gave them more room to breath. At the gong, Hull won 175-145. Lady Margaret Hall converted 15 bonuses out of 24 (with two penalties) and Hull 18 out of 25 (with one penalty).

Thursday 1st: Edinburgh vs Trinity Hall
Another good match. Two very well matched sides, and not much in it. Edinburgh had a steady lead at half time, but Trinity Hall pushed hard on the buzzer afterwards, and with not much time left, had opened up a comfortable gap. Edinburgh pushed back hard, but just couldn't quite make up the lost ground. At the gong, Trinity Hall won by 165-135. The Scots converted 14 bonuses out of 27 (with one penalty) and the Cambridge side 15 out of 25.

Friday 2nd/Saturday 3rd: Hull vs Trinity Hall
Sadly, the final was a bit of an anti-climax compared to the semis. Trinity Hall led from the off, and Hull never really got much of a chance to break in and try to catch them. Highlight of the match was the music round being replaced by an audio round on US presidential inauguration speeches. Trinity Hall won the match and the series 215-65. Hull converted 6 bonuses out of 12 (with one penalty) and Trinity Hall 19 out of 33.

So, that's that for Xmas UC for another year. As I said above, it's been, in my opinion, the best festive mini series out of the four we've had this decade. Well done to all who took part for an excellent and very enjoyable series.

Normal service resumes tomorrow: I'll be back with my usual write-up of the next regular match, which, I gather, is between St Peter's and Selwyn.

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