Evening all. Well, we've finally reached the end of the QF stage of the contest; whoever won tonight would take the final place in the semis, and also decide who fought who in them. Both teams had done very well to get this far, and both would deserve to go through.
St John's imperiously defeated Bristol and Queen's of Belfast in the knockout rounds; they just scraped past St Catharine's in their first QF, but were narrowly taken down by Peterhouse in their second. Hoping to make amends for that were the unchanged quartet of:
Alex Harries, from South Wales, studying History
Charlie Clegg, from Glasgow, studying Theology
Captain: Angus Russell, from Mill Hill in North London, studying History and Russian
Dan Sowood, from Uxbridge in Middlesex, studying Chemistry
Newcastle got through the early stages via victories over Kent and Glasgow, before narrowly losing out to Liverpool in their first QF; they made up for that though with a comfortable win over Nuffield in their second. They too were the same four as those prior occasions:
Alexander Kirkman, from Guildford, studying Biomedical Sciences
Nicholas 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
Off we set again then, and 'twas St John's who got off the mark first courtesy of Mr Clegg, and they stamped their feet firmly down on proceedings by immediately taking a full bonus set. The second starter also went to the Oxonians, but just one bonus followed this time; an amusing moment saw Mr Russell mistakenly nominate Mr Harries, who in turn nominated Mr Clegg! Newcastle got off the mark courtesy of Mr Smith, and they took two bonuses on scientific terms. A second starter from Mr Clegg and full bonus set went to St John's. The first picture round, on historical figures whose hearts are buried separately and maps showing where, went to Newcastle, who took two bonuses, which cut the deficit to 65-40.
Mr Richardson took a second starter in a row for Newcastle, but a tricky literary set only provided one bonus. Neither side took the next starter, Mr Clegg took the next, but a very tricky bonus set on infinite series (me neither) got them nowhere. A second starter in a row to Mr Clegg, however, saw them impressively take a full bonus set on rivers who names are formed using two two letter words allowed in Scrabble.
The music round, on pieces by students of the Leipzig Conservatoire, went to St John's, who took two bonuses, which upped their lead to 120-55. Both sides narrowly missed the next starter, a piece of snooker arithmetic (34? 35? No it's 33!). Another starter was dropped, before Mr Russell took the next starter, and two bonuses followed. Mr Smith won the race to say 'I love you' to Paxo for the next starter(!), and the Tynesiders took one bonus on modern art. A very quick buzz from Mr Clegg added to the Oxford side's score, and one bonus followed.
The second picture round, on paintings depicting Shakespearean scenes, went to St John's, who took one bonus, which nonetheless increased their lead to 170-70. But not for long, as Mr Smith took the next starter, and his side took one bonus on emotive words ending ERY. A second starter and single bonus in a row went to the Tynesiders, taking them into triple figures and just about keeping alive hopes of a fightback.
But a slip-up handed possession back to St John's, and two bonuses pretty much confirmed they couldn't be caught. A question on theology appropriately went to theology student Mr Clegg, and two bonuses followed again. Newcastle returned into triple figures by taking the next starter, and went out with a bang by taking a full set of bonuses. At the gong, St John's won 210-120.
Another excellent match of the high standard we've come to see this series. Unlucky Newcastle, but a very respectable effort, and thank you very much indeed for playing this series. Very well done to St John's though; another strong showing against good opponents, and very best of luck in the semis!
Mr Clegg was the best buzzer of the night, with seven to his name; Mr Smith was best for Newcastle win four, though Mr Richardson was the side's best for the series as a whole, with 24 overall. On the bonuses, St John's converted a decent 20 out of 33, while Newcastle managed an also respectable 11 out of 21 (with one penalty).
Next week's match: the first semi-final! A Peterhouse-York rematch is my best guess, given that Peterhouse have already played both sides who lost a QF en route, but we shall see.
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