Evening all. Two teams of mostly mature students joined us tonight, though not surprising in the case of one of them, which has a reputation for sending teams of a more advanced age; after last week, I've checked, and they don't seem to have played each other in any prior series. The winners go through to the second round, the runners-up would need to beat 130 to stand a chance of returning in the play-offs.
The Open University was founded by Harold Wilson in 1964, and began operating in 1971, with students studying at home in evenings; alumni include performers Sir Lenny Henry and Sheila Hancock and musician Mickey Dolenz. It won the show in 1984 and again in 1998-99; after that, it wasn't seen again until two years ago, where they went out to Magdalen in the second round. This year's foursome were:
Rob Mitchell, from Leicestershire, studying Maths
Dale Crawford, from Shropshire, studying Maths
Captain: Sarah Banks, from North Uist in the Western Isles, studying Maths
Mags Adamson, from Gloucester, studying Music
Salford University is a plate glass uni founded in 1967 after the Robbins report; alumni include ex-Doctor Christopher Eccleston, ex-Gandhi Sir Ben Kingsley and funnymen Jason Manford and Peter Kay. It hasn't been seen on UC since 2001-02, when it lost to Newcastle in the second round; bits of its team's first round match from two series earlier are on YT courtesy of the other team's captain. This year's quartet were:
Robert White, from Halifax, studying Civil Engineering
Mark Sanders, from London and Manchester, studying Information Systems Management
Captain: Bradley Wakefield, from Bradford, studying Aeronautical Engineering
Peter Smith, from Durham, studying Real Estate Management
Off we set again then, and Mr Sanders took the night's first starter for Salford; the side took just the one bonus on apples. Mr Mitchell, who Millionaire aficionados will know as one of two contestants to answer the £500,000 question wrong, opened Open's account (no pun intended) by taking the second starter, and they too took just the one bonus from their first set. Mr Crawford put Open into the lead by identifying the play Kinky Boots for the next starter, and a full bonus set on physics proved bread-and-butter for the three mathematicians on their team, a full set following. The first picture round, on British model villages, went to Salford, who also swept the board, leveling the scores at 40-each.
Open returned to the lead thanks to Mr Mitchell, but just one bonus on lord chancellors added to their score. Salford responded with a starter and sole bonus of their own, leveling the scores again, before taking the lead back, and moving ahead with a full bonus set on the work of author Joan Didion. The apparent stalemate between the teams was broken when Mr Smith indentified the cyclist Dave Brailsford for the next starter; just one bonus followed this time, but a good match so far.
The music starter, on US jazz 'ambassadors' during the Cold War, went to Open, but they missed all the bonuses, not least by answering two with Glenn Miller, who was missing presumed dead by the time of the Cold War! The deficit now stood at 95-65, but Mr Crawford took another ten off of it when he took the next starter; the side did well to get one bonus from a tough set on legislation. Mr Crawford took a third starter in a row to pull Open with five, and a full bonus set on opera gave them the lead back again, and broke them into three figures. Ms Adamson now added to Open's score with a very prompt buzz; a bonus set on the Iranian city of Nishapur gave them ten further points to their lead, before Mr Mitchell added ten more to the starter, and then a further ten more came from the resultant bonuses.
The second picture starter was dropped by both sides; the bonuses, on paintings depicting Jacob wrestling with the angel, went to Open, who missed all the bonuses again, but they now led 155-95. Mr Mitchell just about provided an acceptable answer to the next starter, and a full bonus set meant Salford would have to rule the roost from now on to stand any chance. A chance came when Mr Crawford unluckily lost five on the next starter, and Mr Smith took the points; despite taking their time with the bonuses, no further points came.
And when Mr Crawford made up for his error by taking the next starter, that was game over. A somewhat topical bonus set on Asian G20 member states provided them with two correct answers, before Ms Banks took her first starter of the night to break them through two hundred. Just one bonus on 'fear' novels followed, but it was immaterial by now. Mr Sanders took the final starter for Salford, but there was no times for bonuses. At the gong, Open won 210-115.
A pretty decent match between two pretty decent teams who generously offered each other applause at the gong. Unlucky Salford, who simply slipped away in the second half, and may well have emerged on top against different opposition, but well done anyway on a fair effort and thanks for playing. Very well done Open though; a fine performance against decent opposition, and very best of luck in the second round!
Messrs Mitchell and Crawford were joint best buzzers of the night, with five starters each, while Messrs Sanders and Smith were joint best for Salford with three each. On the bonuses, Open converted an OK 19 out of 36 (with one penalty), while Salford managed a respectable 9 out of 18.
Next week's match: Edinburgh vs Durham, in the battle of my parents' alma maters!
Only Connect moved into the second half of the first round draw tonight; more on that tomorrow evening, of course.
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