Evening all. A good show in prospect this evening, with two teams with fairly similar routes to this stage: a fairly easy first round win over half decent opponents, followed by a closer second round win over a team that came through the repechage. Plus, both teams had blog readers among their ranks.
Newcastle defeated Kent in their first match, then overcame Glasgow in their second. They were confident on the buzzer both times, though their bonus rate was noticeably better in the first round than in the second, though it didn't tail completely. They were the same foursome as before:
Alexander Kirkman, from Guildford, studying Biomedical Sciences
Nick Smith, from Chorley in Lancashire, studying Medicine
Captain: Tony Richardson, from County Durham, studying International Politics
Kate Bennett, from Chichester, studying Film Theory and Practice
Liverpool beat St Peter's in the first round, and then our old friends Southampton in the second. Again, they were confident on the buzzer both times, and about half-way with the bonuses on both occasions too. They too were unchanged from those prior outings:
Jenny McLoughlin, from Leeds, studying Biological and Medical Sciences
Jack Bennett, from Lancaster, studying Law
Captain: Robin Wainwright, from the Wirral, studying Biological Sciences
Ed Bretherton, from Bampton in Devon, studying Medicine
Off we set again then, and blog reader Tony Richardson took the first starter of the match, and two bonuses on Monsieur Descartes followed. An unlucky slip-up from Liverpool gave Mr Richardson a second starter, and a full bonus set went their way, showing they meant business. Another starter went to the Tynesiders, and two bonuses followed. Liverpool finally hit positive figures courtesy of blog reader Jack Bennett, and two bonuses on ornithology followed. The first picture round, on areas of the Mediterranean, went to Liverpool, who took one bonus, which cut the deficit to 65-30.
Another starter went Mr Richardson's way, but no bonuses from a set on the work of Mr RA Fisher. Mr Wainwright made up for his earlier mistake, a very good buzz taking points for Liverpool, with two bonuses following. Another unlucky mistake from the Merseysiders handed Newcastle another starter, and two bonuses on acids accompanied it. Three starters were then dropped, one of which saw Liverpool lose another five, and Paxo was harsh but fair to disallow Newcastle's subsequent answer. The Tynesiders did take another starter, but just one bonus on the plays of Mr O. Wilde followed.
The music round, on pop songs that use the Winston's Amen Break drum solo, went to Liverpool, who took two bonuses, which cut the gap to 110-65. The gap slipped further as Mr Richardson fell victim to one of those borderline interruptions. (I'll never fail to point those out, BTW) Liverpool didn't capitalise, but Mr Bennett did take the next starter; one bonus on pairs of US presidents followed, and the other two were unluckily missed.
The second picture round, on portraits of members of the Lunar Society, went to Newcastle, who took one bonus, which nonetheless increased their lead to 120-80. Liverpool were still hot on their trail, though, and Mr Bennett took the next starter, and all three bonuses accompanied it. Another starter to Liverpool put them within five, and a clean sweep on a bonus set on the Lord of the Rings trilogy gave them the lead. A third starter in a row went to the Merseysiders, plus two bonuses. But back came Newcastle courtesy of Miss Bennett, two bonuses followed, and a grandstand finish was on.
A second starter in a row for Miss Bennett put Newcastle back on level pegging, and one bonus was enough to put them slightly back in front. Liverpool took the advantage back via a slightly curious starter taken by Mr Wainwright, but no bonuses followed. Mr Bennett gave them more space to breath, and just one bonus followed this time, but every little counts. Neither side took the next starter; the game was won on the next, when Mr Richardson slipped up and Mr Bennett took the points. At the gong, Liverpool won 190-150.
Another very good close match between two very evenly matched teams. Unlucky Newcastle, who did very well throughout and just slipped out at the end, but a good performance nonetheless and best of luck in your elimination match. Very well done Liverpool though; another decent showing against good opposition, and best of luck in your qualifying match!
The two blog readers were their respective side's best buzzers, with Mr Bennett the best of the night with six and Mr Richardson taking five. On the bonuses, Newcastle converted an OK 14 out of 27, while Liverpool managed a good 18 out of 31, and both sides incurred two penalties.
No match next week, as the slot is needed for a China season programme, so we resume in two weeks' time with, I'm guessing, Peterhouse vs St John's in the first qualifying match.
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