University Challenge 2023-24: Round 2: Match 7: Sheffield vs Aberdeen

Good evening again my friends, and welcome to a new year of Quizzy Mondays! Hope you all saw in the New Year safely last night! Anyway, new year, but same old quizzes, all back to normal now after the Christmas recess (though Mastermind still has a few celeb editions to get through). We begin the year as far as UC is concerned with two teams who both had comfortable enough first victories, one very easy, the other closer until the end...

Sheffield beat Loughborough back in mid-September, dominating the first three phases of the contest most easily before their opponents rallied, 290-115 the final score. They were the same foursome as before:

Safiyyah Rujak, from Plymouth, studying History

Joe McGough, from Coventry, studying History and Spanish

Captain: Cameron Colclough, from Sheffield, studying Biophysics

Matthew Nail, from Blyth, studying Philosophy

Aberdeen defeated Birmingham in the second match of the series back in July, a match infamous for an error by the scorers; 190-125 the official final score, 195-125 the correct one! They were also the same quartet as before:

Archie Broomfield, from Edinburgh, studying Politics and International Relations

Zachary Eisler, from South Queensferry, studying History

Captain: Emily Osborne, from Bristol, studying Economics

Callum McClements, from County Fermanagh, studying Medicine

So, off we set once again then, for the first time this year, and we began the new year with... a penalty, AR being a lot stricter on a pause before answering than Paxo ever was. Mr Eisler eventually took the first correct starter of the year; one bonus went the Scots side's way, as did a second starter to Mr Eisler, but no bonuses came this time. Sheffield came back into positive figures with a starter to Mr McGough and a sole bonus. The first picture round, on set-ups for chemistry methods or techniques, went to Aberdeen; one bonus took the scores to 35-10. Another starter to Aberdeen yielded no bonuses, while one to Sheffield only gave them one. Another bonus set went begging completely, from Sheffield, before the Steelers finally got one to their liking, on director Mike Flanagan, a full set there. The music round, on classical pieces written as gifts, went to Aberdeen; another blanked bonus set meant they now trailed 60-50.

Aberdeen retook the lead with a starter and a single bonus, only for Sheffield to immediately take it back; they also took just one bonus. Back came Aberdeen, but, again the bonuses proved not to their liking, none taken on origins of music genres. The second picture round, on paintings of Danae, went to Sheffield; another sole bonus took their lead to 95-75. Still either team's game, and Aberdeen came back with the next starter, and finally got a bonus set they liked, on astronomy, two taken to pull level. But Sheffild responded in kind to reach three figures first. Aberdeen followed them in, but, once again, they drew a blank on the bonuses, on syphillis, leaving them ten adrift. Mr Nail took the next starter for Sheffield, and that was game over; they took one of the two bonuses there was time for. At the gong, Sheffield won 130-105.

A pretty tough game to start the new year, with both teams rather struggling with the bonuses (though not for want of trying, with numerous unlucky near misses); both did pretty well all things considered. Well done Sheffield, and best of luck in the quarter-finals! Hard lines to Aberdeen, but you didn't disgrace yourselves and were a pleasant team to watch; thanks for playing!

The stats: Mr Eisler was the best buzzer of the night with six starters, while Ms Rujak and Mr Nail were joint best for Sheffield with three each. On the bonuses, Sheffield managed 11 out of 24 (with one penalty) and Aberdeen just 6 out of 27 (with three penalties), so Sheffield did slightly better on them and that's what won them the game.

Next week's match: Lincoln vs Imperial in the final second round match

Only Connect returned to normality too, and completed its quarter-finals with the Isotopes vs the Mercians. The former led 3-2 after the first round, but the latter took the lead 8-3 after the second. Two seven point walls meant it was as you were, 15-10 going into Missing Vowels, and the Mercians increased their lead in that to win 22-13.

 

Mastermind was won fairly comfortably by Tom Adlam, whose 22 points was five clear of second placed Oliver Wilderspin with 17; Hayley Rowley and Akin Yilmaz also competed, finishing with 14 and 7 respectively.