University Challenge 2018-19: Round 1: Match 1: Warwick vs Exeter

Evening all. Here we go again, on another 37 week long series of University Challenge! And we really needed it today too, what with the World Cup and Wimbledon both ending yesterday. It'll take something to top the high drama and unpredictability of the best World Cup century thus far (Jonathan Pearce's OTT commentary when Germany went out will forever live in my memory!), but I'm sure UC, and OC when it comes back later in the year, will give it a go. Anyway, lets do this...

First up this series, we had Warwick University; confusingly based in Coventry rather than Warwick, it came into being in 1965, and among its former students are Frank Skinner, Ruth Jones, Stephen Merchant and David Davis MP, whose resignation last week was met with much disappointment in the Dead Ringers writing room! It has regularly sent teams to UC, winning in 2006-07, and unluckily losing to our old friends Ulster in the second round last series. This year's foursome were:
Emily Wolfenden, from Dereham in Norfolk, studying Maths
Jacopo Sartori, from Italy, studying Maths
Captain: Ben Beardsley, from Settle in North Yorkshire, studying Maths
Robert Gowers, from Market Harborough, studying Neuroscience

Playing them were Exeter University, which came into being in 1955 with the merging of three existing institutions in the vicinity of the city; its alumni include wildlife expert Steve Backshall, musicians Will Young and Tom Yorke and the writer JK Rowling. It too has been a regular sender of teams to the UC studios, with varying degrees of success; its last foray came back in 2014-15, when they lost their first match and were ultra incredibly unfortunate to miss out on the play-offs. This year's quartet were:
Simon Waitland, from Hitchin in Hertfordshire, studying Natural Sciences
Will Klintworth, from Woking, studying Politics and International Relations
Captain: Danny Lay, from Oxford, studying Physics
Jessica Brown, from Chichester, studying Acoustic Metamaterials

Off we set again then, and the new series kicked off with... a pedantic 'interruption'. Terrific(!) Exeter took the correct points, and began the series with two bonuses on words whose etymologies are unknown, with the third unluckily missed. A second starter in a row went Exeter's way, and they stamped their authority on the game with the first full house of the series. Another penalty didn't help Warwick's cause, but Miss Wolfenden opened their account by identifying MB as the only consonants in the words described; two bonuses moved them back into positive figures. The first picture round of the series, on that old quiz staple the periodic table, requiring missing elements to be identified, went to Exeter; two correct answers gave them an early lead of 65-10.

Mr Beardsley now opened his scoring account, and doubled his side's score, but they couldn't add to the score with any bonuses. Mr Klintworth added to Exeter's score with 'Gore Vidal', and his side took a second full house of the night. Still plenty of time for Warwick to catch up, and Mr Beardsley added to their cause with 'Angels in America'; one bonus on the work of Bob Dylan followed. A second starter in a row went the Warwick captain's way, and life sciences proved more fruitful to his side, two correct there.

The first music round of the series, on classical pieces named after cities, went to Exeter, who collected two bonuses to increase their lead to 105-55. (I was listening to Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition last week, but didn't get to the end; if I had, I'd have got that first bonus!) Mr Gowers pulled another back for Warwick, and his side took two bonuses, pulling them back within sight. But Mr Lay very quickly identified the video game company 'Valve', increasing their lead; highlight of the night were the bonuses, where Exeter confused Sir Ian McKellen with Matt LeBlanc and Dame Vera Lynn with Sir Mick Jagger! ("He'll be mortified!" quoth Paxo!) Mr Beardsley fought back for Warwick, and one bonus went with it. Warwick then slipped up again, but Exeter couldn't pick up; vice versa, and this time Warwick did pick up, and one bonus was enough to put them within ten points.

What looked like an educated guess gave Warwick the second picture round, on apocalyptic paintings; just one bonus followed again, but they now had the lead, 115-110. And it increased when Miss Wolfenden came up with 'Romeo and Juliet'; bonuses on 'princes of Wales' who never became King, gave them two correct answers and some room to breath. But back came Exeter, with Mr Waitland identifying 'Oyster Catcher', and bonuses on the work of composer Wendy Carlos gave them a full set, and pulled them level again, setting up a sprint finish.

A penalty for Warwick handed Exeter the upper hand, and they took it and the lead; nothing came from the bonuses though. The next starter went missed by both sides, Miss Wolfenden then pulled Warwick back within five with 'Richmond', and the side didn't wait for Paxo to finish the two bonuses they took to give them the lead back. And when Mr Klintworth then zigged with 'Euclid' and dropped five, and Mr Gowers zagged with 'Peano', that was likely game, set and match. Exeter did take the final starter, but were gonged out before they could answer the first bonus. Warwick won 165-150.

An excellent close start to the series, two very good well matched teams, bravo to them for clapping each other at the end. Unlucky Exeter, but a very good account nonetheless, and you definitely deserve a play-off place, which 150 should be enough to get. Well done Warwick though, a fine recovery after a rather iffy start, and good luck in the next round!

The stats: Mr Beardsley was, just, the best buzzer of the night, with six starters to Mr Lay's five. On the bonuses, Warwick converted 15 out of 33 (with four penalties), while Exeter managed 14 out of 25 (with two penalties), so it was a match won on the buzzer in more ways than one.

Next week's match: Emmanuel College Cambridge vs Glasgow