Quizzy Mondays 2024-25 Week 28: University Challenge Preliminary Quarter-Final 4, Only Connect Grand Final, Mastermind Heat 22

Good evening my friends, and welcome to the final Quizzy Monday with a full line-up this season! Yes, it's final day of Only Connect, always a big highlight of the quizzing calendar. And, unlike last year, it seems we won't be getting repeats in its slot next week, some chess program instead. So, to avoid a bit of a gap, I'll be recording Mastermind and watching it at 8 and then going straight into UC afterwards. Speaking of which, I'm thinking of not covering Mastermind in full again next season, partly because Dave C does it better over on LAM, but mainly because I'm struggling with my shorter write-ups of it, though I would still try to cover it in some form. Anyway, on with tonight's all important shows, beginning with UC...

The Open University narrowly defeated fellow quarter-finalists U.C.L. in their first match and Durham in the second round by a somewhat more comfortable margin. They were unchanged from those previous games:

Nicky Maving, from Jarrow, studying Natural Sciences

Tom Barber, from Bournemouth, studying Physics

Captain: Karie Westermann, from Glasgow (originally Denmark), studying Art History

Hector Payne, from Teddington in Middlesex, studying Finance

Bristol were very easy winners over two decent teams in their first two matches, firstly Gonville & Caius of Cambridge in the first round, and then Exeter in the second. They were also the same quartet as those prior occasions:

Ted Warner, from Wiltshire, studying Biology

Bridie Rogers, from Brighton, studying Medicine

Captain: Kevin Flanagan, from Dublin, studying AI

Olivia Watts, from York, studying Organic Chemistry

Bristol carried on as they left off last time, taking the first starter and all three bonuses; Open followed them off the mark with the second starter and two bonuses. The Avonsiders took the next two starters, including the first picture round, but only two of the resulting bonuses, nonetheless increasing their lead to 55-20. Open took the next two starters, but also struggled with the bonuses, just one from six. Bristol reawoke, but, in contrast to their previous form, also struggled badly with the bonuses. After the music round, they led 75-35.

 

Open duly took two consecutive starters and the bonuses finally fell for them, two pairs meant they'd tied the game. Only for Bristol to immediately retake the lead, but, again, take no bonuses. Open took the second picture round, and two bonuses, which gave them the lead 95-85. But Bristol reawoke into something more like their previous form, dominating the final straight taking the remaining correct starters and two bonuses from the sets there was time for. At the gong, Bristol won 135-95.

 

A low scoring contest, both sides struggling with the bonuses a bit, but made watchable by two pleasant teams once again. Well done Bristol, and best of luck in the qualifiers! Bad luck to Open, who were well in the game until the very end, but they're certainly not out yet; best of luck in the elimination round.

 

The stats: Mr Warner was the best buzzer of the night with six starters, while Ms Westermann was best for Open with four. On the bonuses, Open managed 9 out of 18 (with two penalties) and Bristol 9 out of 24, so it was on the buzzer this game was decided.

 

Next week's match: the first qualifier match; don't know who's playing yet, but Christ's vs Warwick seems a good bet.

 

Only Connect’s twentieth final, and 500th episode overall, was contested by the Four Opinions, Jacob Epstein, Aron Carr and captain Rafi Dover, who got here by beating the Bean Farmers, the Cat Cows (twice) and the Al Frescans, and the Tea Totallers, Eleanor Ayres, Rob Sassoon and captain Matt Taylor, who lost their first game to the Bloomsbury Group, but have since beaten the Pipe-Dreamers, Too Many Cookes, the Introverts and the Crunchers. For the first time for a few series, we also had special musical guests for the final, this time a jazz group.

 

I claim the same point as the Totallers on the no New Zealand question in the first round and FIVE POINTS(!) on the married two of the same occupation question! My Dad also claims a point on the synonyms question. The teams were tied on 3-each at the end of that. My Dad was in the process of working out the two Georgias question in the second round when the Opinions got it, and I claim the same two points as them on the Presidents called William question. They now led 10-3 at the end of that round.

 

The Totallers went first on the Walls in desperate need of a full house, and indeed got one in very short order, a full ten. The Opinions also got all four groups, but missed one of the connections, seven points, which cut the gap to 17-13 going into Missing Vowels. A make or break round to decide the title, and both teams gave it a really good go of a very tough set of categories, but the Opinions hung on to their lead to win the game, and the series, 21-19! Very well done them, and the Totallers as well, an excellent end to another excellent series; thanks very much to all involved, looking forward to the next already!

 

Mastermind’s antepenultimate heat was opened by Addie Curley, who was answering on the poetry of Seamus Heaney; after a somewhat slow start, not helped by what I thought was a rather harsh disallowance, she grew into the round and finished with 6. She was followed into the chair by Neil Pritchard, who was answering on singer Steve Earle; in a reverse of the first round, he started well, then faded a bit, incurring a pass, but recovered well to a solid score of 9.

 

Next up was Amy Dwyer, who was answering on Mad Men; her round was rather stop start, taking her until the third question to get one right, then getting the next three, but only one more afterwards, with a couple of passes as well, she finished with 5. Finally, Stuart Davidson was answering on the 1944 Battle of Arnhem; after another stop-start start, he settled into the round, didn’t pass and finished with 7 points.

 

Amy returned for GK first, and, again, never really managed to get a run together, but still did enough to reach double figures and respectability, 6 for a total of 11. Addie did a bit better, she did get a bit of a run together and scored 8 for a good total of 14, but incurred two passes as well, so you felt it probably wouldn’t be enough.

 

Stuart did pass it and more, putting in a very good round and scoring a very good 10 for a total of 17, but two passes meant Neil needed 8 to win provided he didn’t add any to his one. He started well, but then lost pace a bit and did indeed pass, meaning he now needed to outscore Stuart. Luckily, he only needed a couple more points to do so by then and did indeed get them and more, also scoring 10 for a total of 19 and going through to the semis! Well done him, and thanks to the others for playing.

 

And that's it for another week! The last full week of programmes as well, as I said before. Once again, thanks to all involved in this series of OC; here's to the next! Thanks once again for reading; back same time same place next week with my now shorter write-ups of the two remaining shows, so, see you then...