Greetings friends, and welcome to the semi-finals of this year's University Challenge! This hasn't been the best of series of the show, but even a lesser series of UC is still more worthwhile viewing than a lot of other shows I could mention. Plus, with restrictions now easing somewhat, hopefully the next series' teams will have had more chances to play together beforehand than this series' will have. Anyway, on with the show, with the first place in the final up for grabs...
Imperial College London came straight to this stage, with victories over fellow QFers St John's in the first round, Exeter in the second, and King's and fellow SFers Reading in the QFs. They were the same foursome as before:
Max Zeng, from Singapore, studying Biochemistry
Fatima Sheriff, from Hitchin in Hertforshire, studying Science Communication
Captain: Michael Mays, from Montrose, studying Computational Fluid Dynamics
Gilbert Jackson, from Bury St Edmunds, studying Chemistry
Emmanuel College Cambridge came through the repechage, losing to St Andrews in the first round, recovering with wins over RNCM, St Catharine's of Cambridge and St John's, before narrowly losing to fellow SFers Edinburgh, then also beating King's to get here. They were also unchanged from before:
Nicole Pullinger, from Hong Kong, studying English
Nicholas Thatte, from Oxford (originally Greece), studying Physics
Captain: Kara Malcolm, from Guildford (originally Capetown), studying Engineering
James Wrathall, from Mistley in Essex, studying Arabic and Hindi
So, off we set once again, and an immediate error from Emmanuel gave Imperial the first starter of the game, and the first bonuses on Times Square, which they took one correct from. The Cambridge side quickly recovered their lost points however, and they went one better with their first bonuses, on Shakespeare, two correct put them level. A second starter in a row then went to them, and they took all three resulting bonuses on languages. The first picture round, on excerpts from Dante's Inferno, also went to Emmanuel; another tough set, though not as bad as the flag set from two weeks ago, they did well to get one correct, which took their lead to 55-15.
Imperial quickly got moving again however, as a geography starter fell straight into Mr Zeng's lap; a bonus set on mathematician John Conway gave the London side a full set of bonuses. Five were then unluckily lost though as Ms Sheriff unluckily gave a surname instead of a given name; Emmanuel took the points, and took one of the bonuses that came with it. Back came Imperial through Mr Mays, and they also took a single bonus. The Cambridge side then lost five, and Imperial took the points again, and a full bonus set on Japan gave them the lead. The music starter was then dropped; the bonuses, on works inspired by the Wild Hunt folklore, went to Imperial, but nothing came from the bonuses, though they did now lead 85-65.
Neither side knew Egypt to have won the AFCON the most times for the next starter (I did), but Mr Zeng knew Norfolk and Suffolk to be the two counties required for the next; two bonuses took the London side into three figures. Another starter was dropped, before the next was a complicated one about capital cities and chemical elements; Mr Zeng worked out what was going on though, and the bonuses, on Ptolomy's map of Ireland, were very much to his liking, a full set. And when Mr Mays identified verdigris for the next starter, you fancied that was now game over, even though they missed all the resulting bonuses. The second picture round, on buildings designed by winners of the Jane Drew Prize, also went to Imperial; no bonuses followed, but it mattered not, as they led 150-65 with very little time left.
Indeed, there was only time for one more correct starter, answered by Ms Sheriff; bonuses on scientific terms beginning with A and ending TION provided them with two final correct answers. Another starter was begun, but not completed; at the gong, Imperial won 170-65.
A good match, close at first before Imperial ran away with it in the second half. Congrats to them, very worthy semi-finalists, and very very best of luck to them in two weeks' time! Hard lines to Emmanuel, but there's nothing wrong with going out in the semis and they've had a good run to do so; thanks very much for taking part!
The stats: Mr Zeng was, once again, the best buzzer of the night with five starters, taking his running total to 29, while Ms Malcom was best for Emmanuel with two, though Mr Thatte was their best of the series with 20 over seven games. On the bonuses, Imperial managed 15 out of 30 (with one penalty) and Emmanuel 7 out of 12 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: Edinburgh vs Reading. Whoever wins faces Imperial in, what should be, a fine final.
Mastermind was won by Anthony
Fish, who had easily the best specialist round and did more than enough on GK
to win comfortably with 27 points, with Andrew Fanko, who lost his heat but was
reinstated after Ashley Evans withdrew, finishing second with 22; Graeme
Jackson and Ro Duns also took part, finishing with 14 and 10 respectively.
Counterpoint concluded with, as I said last week, an all-female final; after a very close run match, Frankie Fanko (Andrew's wife, of course) and Isabelle Heward both finished with 24 points, with Sarah Trevarthen not far behind on 21. The resulting tie-breaker was taken by Frankie for the win! Congrats to her, and thanks to all who took part in this series for most enjoyable listening!
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