Evening all. In case you missed it former UC winning captain James Devine-Stoneman was on this evening's edition of The Chase; he impressively made it home with £24,000 in his individual chase, but he and his sole teammate (who took -£4,000) got caught by (fellow UC alumnus Jenny Ryan) in the final chase. Anyway, the final second round contest, and what promised to be a good one,
between two teams who impressed in their first round matches against
high scoring opposition.
Magdalen College Oxford defeated the excellent York team 170-150 in a closely fought second round match way back in July, a nip and tuck contest that they won with a well timed flourish. They were the same four as that time:
Dominic Brind, from Hammersmith, studying History
Josie Dallas, from London, studying PPE
Captain: Alex Hardwick, from Wimbledon, studying Ancient Greek Crowd Psychology
Harry Strattan, from Sydney, studying Law
Corpus Christi College Cambridge booked their second round place a week earlier with a 195-140 win over Merton College Oxford, another match won on an impressive late spurt. They were also unchanged from first time around:
Alexander Russell, from Bristol, studying Japanese Studies
Will Stewart, from Peterborough, studying History of Art
Captain: Ian Wang, from Sale in Greater Manchester, studying English
Alex Gunasekera, from from Witney, studying Chemistry
Off we set again then, and Mr Wang was first off the mark for the night spotting various things linked by the word 'royal'; two bonuses on events of 1719 opened the night's scoring. A classic starter asked for the chemical element whose chemical symbol began the names of four different cheeses; Mr Russell knew it to be calcium (CA), and a further two bonuses were correctly taken. Mr Wang looked like he was guessing when he offered 'Jane Eyre' for the next starter, but was right; no bonuses came this time though. Mr Gunasekera provided the next starter's answer, which gave the Cambridge side a classic bonus set on anagrams of nationalities, of which they took two. The first picture round, on maps displaying the results of UK general elections, went to Corpus Christi; they correctly answered the same two bonuses I got right, which increased their lead to 90-0.
Magdalen finally got off the mark on the next starter, as Mr Hardwick identified the dancer Nureyev; one correct bonus followed. Mr Wang quickly snuffed out any chances of a run though as he took the next starter; again, two bonuses followed. Mr Brind took a second starter for Magdalen with 'sine and sino'; bonuses on Eswatini, or Swaziland as it is more commonly known, gave the Oxonians a full set of bonuses. Mr Russell pulled back for Corpus Christi though as he identified McDonald as the surname linking, among others, a Jacobite heroine (Flora); bonuses on winners of the Best Actress Oscar gave them, once again, two correct answers.
The music starter saw Mr Wang first to identify those perennial UC favourites Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five; the music bonuses, on winners of the Polar Music Prize, gave them just one correct answer this time, but they now led 145-40. And their lead was just increasing as Mr Gunasekera identified two of the three composers needed for the next starter; just one bonus on the work of James Joyce followed. Mr Wang was in next as he spotted a list of words that can precede 'trap'; normal service resumed for the Cambridge side as they took two bonuses on hydrocarbons. Mr Wang looked to be buzzing in with a guess on the next starter, but the right one came to him while his name was being called! Bonuses on EU capitals followed, of which, once again, two were answered correctly.
The second picture round, on photographs taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston, went to Corpus Christi; another two correct answers took their lead to 220-40. The game was over as a contest, it was now just a question of how high each team could get. The Cambridge side weren't letting up, as Mr Gunasekera took the next starter, and one correct bonus took them within sight of a 200+ lead.
The starter needed came thanks to Mr Gunasekera, giving them a bonus set on Israeli Nobel laureates, of which they took two. Finally, Magdalen got some more points on the board, with Mr Brind doing the honours, giving them a bonus set on early 19th century classical music, of which they took two correct. Mr Hardwick gave the Oxonians a second starter in a row, and one correct bonuses went with it this time. Mr Gunasekera took the last of the night for Corpus Christi; they took the second bonus and were gonged out on the third. Corpus Christi won 270-75.
A high quality contest and most enjoyable contest despite being one sided. Unlucky Magdalen, a much better team than that scorelines suggests, who were simply outplayed on the buzzer, but a fair effort, thanks very much for playing. Very well done Corpus Christi though, a second impressive showing against strong opponents, and very best of luck in the QFs!
The stats: Mr Wang was, just, the best buzzer of the night, with six starters to Mr Gunasekera's five, while Messrs Bring and Hardwick got two each for Magdalen. On the bonuses, Magdalen converted 7 out of 12, while Corpus Christi managed 24 out of 45.
Next week's match: the first quarter-final. My guess would be Manchester vs Trinity, followed by Wolfson vs Corpus Christi, but we shall see.
Only Connect's second play-off saw the Darksiders play the Forrests. An even contest in the first two rounds, a slighty better wall and a better Missing Vowls saw the latter win 27-20.
Monday, 20 January 2020
Monday, 13 January 2020
University Challenge 2019-20: Round 2: Match 7: Wolfson vs Edinburgh
Evening all. A dull night here, what with the wet and windy weather outside; but then, it is January, so what do we expect?! At least we have Death in Paradise back on Thursdays to cheer us up! And the newly expanded Quizzy Mondays too; I'm honestly surprised it took until this year for someone to come up with that idea. On with tonight's UC then, and the penultimate second round match.
Wolfson College Oxford just scraped through one of the matches of the first round, as they drew 170-each with the excellent Sheffield side and won on a tie-breaker. They were the same four as before:
Mike Perrin, from East Anglia (via Japan), studying Maritime Archaeology
Mary Caple, from Victoria, Canada, studying Art History
Captain: Claire Jones, from Houston, Texas, studying History
Ryan Walker, from Stone in Staffordshire, studying Clinical Medicine
Edinburgh, the defending champions, had a more comfortable victory first time around, as they led throghout and easily defeated Birkbeck of London 165-90. They were also unchanged from before:
Richard Moon, from North London, studying Classics
Adam McLauchlan, from Edinburgh, studying Chemistry
Captain: Emma Williams, from Brighton, studying Linguistics
Isaac Stevens, from Sutton Coldfield, studying German and History
Off we set again then, and a very quick buzz from Ms Jones opened the scoring for the night; composers as described in the book 'Conversations with Stravinsky' provided the first bonus set, of which two were correctly taken. A penalty gave Edinburgh the chance to follow them off the mark, but they couldn't take the chance. Another starter was dropped, before Ms Jones eventually took a second; one bonus on Ovid's Metamorphoses was taken. Edinburgh finally got off the mark, Mr Moon doing the honours with 'Henry Adams'; a pair of bonuses on English trees followed. The first picture round, on board game boards at the start of a game, went to Wolfson; another single bonus gave them a lead of 45-20.
A slip-up from Edinburgh allowed the impressive Wolfson captain to take a fourth starter of the still young match; just the one bonus was taken with it this time. Mr McLauchlan pulled back for Edinburgh with 'statins'; bonuses on pop music inspired by literature saw the Scots side also take a single bonus and give educated guesses of songs by the artists in question on the other two they didn't know. Ms Jones didn't take long to pull back though as she took the next starter, giving the Oxonians a bonus set on manga, of which they, again, took just the one bonus. Mr Moon bit back for Edinburgh as he spotted 'Under' to be the word linking works listed; just the one bonus followed again. The teams were doing perfectly good on the buzzers at the moment, but neither was really following through on the bonuses.
Mr Perrin was first to identify Neptune from Holst's 'The Planets' for the music starter; the bonuses, on classical pieces prominantly featuring the celeste, providied, again, just the one correct answer, taking their lead to 90-45. Some more vanished off it when Ms Williams took the next starter; bonuses on John Masefield gave them two correct answers (one of which I remembered featuring in one of our friend Jim Gratrex's matches back in the day!). Wolfson responded with Ms Jones taking her latest starter and going one better on the bonuses on the Chatham House Prize, a full set. Back came Edinburgh thanks to Mr Moon; a single bonus on Agatha Christie follow, but when Mr McLauchlan took the next starter, and a full set of bonuses English place name elements was taken, they were now just ten behind.
The second picture round, on depictions of the artist's childhood home, went to Wolfson; two correct bonuses upped their lead to 135-105 going into the home straight. The next starter asked for the African team that lost to Turkey in the 2002 World Cup QFs and went out of the 2018 tournament on fouls committed; I knew it to be Senegal long before Ms Jones correctly offered it. A full set of bonuses on Herodotus put them within sight of victory.
And when Ms Jones took the next starter, identifying the apple and the raspberry as the two fruits that follow 'Golden' to give names of awards, you suspected that was game over. One bonus followed, before the Wolfson captain confirmed the victory with 'Iran'; a full house took them up to 200. Mr Stevens did the right thing and had a punt on a decade the next starter, but only managed to lose five on a technical interruption; Ms Jones, for once, shot wide of the mark too. She did take the final starter of the match though; two bonuses followed and the third was cut off by the gong. Wolfson won 220-100.
Another good enjoyable contest. Unlucky Edinburgh, who were very much in it until the final third, but a respectable effort, thanks very much for playing! Very well done Wolfson though, Ms Jones especially, and very best of luck in the QFs, where, I'm guessing, they'll play next week's winners.
The stats: Ms Jones ended the night with TEN(!) starters, the best single match tally of the series thus far, while Mr Moon was best for Edinburgh with three. On the bonuses, Wolfson converted 21 out of 35 (with one penalty), while Edinburgh managed 10 out of 18 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: Corpus Christi vs Magdalen (such a shame this has to be a knockout match)
Only Connect began its play-off matches tonight with the Electrophiles vs the Suits. Thankfully, a slightly lenient allowance made no difference to the final score, a comfortable win for the latter, 19-11.
Wolfson College Oxford just scraped through one of the matches of the first round, as they drew 170-each with the excellent Sheffield side and won on a tie-breaker. They were the same four as before:
Mike Perrin, from East Anglia (via Japan), studying Maritime Archaeology
Mary Caple, from Victoria, Canada, studying Art History
Captain: Claire Jones, from Houston, Texas, studying History
Ryan Walker, from Stone in Staffordshire, studying Clinical Medicine
Edinburgh, the defending champions, had a more comfortable victory first time around, as they led throghout and easily defeated Birkbeck of London 165-90. They were also unchanged from before:
Richard Moon, from North London, studying Classics
Adam McLauchlan, from Edinburgh, studying Chemistry
Captain: Emma Williams, from Brighton, studying Linguistics
Isaac Stevens, from Sutton Coldfield, studying German and History
Off we set again then, and a very quick buzz from Ms Jones opened the scoring for the night; composers as described in the book 'Conversations with Stravinsky' provided the first bonus set, of which two were correctly taken. A penalty gave Edinburgh the chance to follow them off the mark, but they couldn't take the chance. Another starter was dropped, before Ms Jones eventually took a second; one bonus on Ovid's Metamorphoses was taken. Edinburgh finally got off the mark, Mr Moon doing the honours with 'Henry Adams'; a pair of bonuses on English trees followed. The first picture round, on board game boards at the start of a game, went to Wolfson; another single bonus gave them a lead of 45-20.
A slip-up from Edinburgh allowed the impressive Wolfson captain to take a fourth starter of the still young match; just the one bonus was taken with it this time. Mr McLauchlan pulled back for Edinburgh with 'statins'; bonuses on pop music inspired by literature saw the Scots side also take a single bonus and give educated guesses of songs by the artists in question on the other two they didn't know. Ms Jones didn't take long to pull back though as she took the next starter, giving the Oxonians a bonus set on manga, of which they, again, took just the one bonus. Mr Moon bit back for Edinburgh as he spotted 'Under' to be the word linking works listed; just the one bonus followed again. The teams were doing perfectly good on the buzzers at the moment, but neither was really following through on the bonuses.
Mr Perrin was first to identify Neptune from Holst's 'The Planets' for the music starter; the bonuses, on classical pieces prominantly featuring the celeste, providied, again, just the one correct answer, taking their lead to 90-45. Some more vanished off it when Ms Williams took the next starter; bonuses on John Masefield gave them two correct answers (one of which I remembered featuring in one of our friend Jim Gratrex's matches back in the day!). Wolfson responded with Ms Jones taking her latest starter and going one better on the bonuses on the Chatham House Prize, a full set. Back came Edinburgh thanks to Mr Moon; a single bonus on Agatha Christie follow, but when Mr McLauchlan took the next starter, and a full set of bonuses English place name elements was taken, they were now just ten behind.
The second picture round, on depictions of the artist's childhood home, went to Wolfson; two correct bonuses upped their lead to 135-105 going into the home straight. The next starter asked for the African team that lost to Turkey in the 2002 World Cup QFs and went out of the 2018 tournament on fouls committed; I knew it to be Senegal long before Ms Jones correctly offered it. A full set of bonuses on Herodotus put them within sight of victory.
And when Ms Jones took the next starter, identifying the apple and the raspberry as the two fruits that follow 'Golden' to give names of awards, you suspected that was game over. One bonus followed, before the Wolfson captain confirmed the victory with 'Iran'; a full house took them up to 200. Mr Stevens did the right thing and had a punt on a decade the next starter, but only managed to lose five on a technical interruption; Ms Jones, for once, shot wide of the mark too. She did take the final starter of the match though; two bonuses followed and the third was cut off by the gong. Wolfson won 220-100.
Another good enjoyable contest. Unlucky Edinburgh, who were very much in it until the final third, but a respectable effort, thanks very much for playing! Very well done Wolfson though, Ms Jones especially, and very best of luck in the QFs, where, I'm guessing, they'll play next week's winners.
The stats: Ms Jones ended the night with TEN(!) starters, the best single match tally of the series thus far, while Mr Moon was best for Edinburgh with three. On the bonuses, Wolfson converted 21 out of 35 (with one penalty), while Edinburgh managed 10 out of 18 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: Corpus Christi vs Magdalen (such a shame this has to be a knockout match)
Only Connect began its play-off matches tonight with the Electrophiles vs the Suits. Thankfully, a slightly lenient allowance made no difference to the final score, a comfortable win for the latter, 19-11.
Monday, 6 January 2020
University Challenge 2019-20: Round 2: Match 6: Trinity vs Lady Margaret Hall
Evening all. So, here we go with the first regular UC of the new (/final year of the) decade. It is good to have the regular series back; while the Xmas series always makes for a pleasant interlude, nothing beats the regular series. The prize for tonight's winners, the ante-penultimate place in the QFs, where, I'm guessing, they'll play Manchester in the preliminaries.
Trinity College Cambridge won their first match against Durham 200-145, a win made all the more impressive by their opponents subsequently surviving to the play-offs and strolling through to the QFs with ease. Hoping to join them were the unchanged foursome of:
Nadia Hourihan, from Dublin, studying English
Lillian Crawford, from Bearsted in Kent, studying History
Captain: Joseph Webber, from Bury St Edmunds, studying Maths
Liam Hughes, from Cardiff, studying Maths
Lady Margaret Hall Oxford had a much closer first round affair, just triumphing 150-145 against Downing College Cambridge, who had the misfortune to miss out on the play-offs on questions heard, UC's equivelant of goal difference. They were also the same quartet as before:
Matthew Le Croissette, from Reading, studying Medicine
Mary Lobo, from Woodcote near Reading, studying Law with German Law
Captain: Isaac Brown, from Sheffield, studying French and Linguistics
Rowan Janjuah, from London, studying Classics
Off we set again then, and Mr Hughes took the first starter of the decade with 'anorak'; a full bonus set on poetry showed the Cambridge side meant business tonight. Mr Webber took the second starter, but just one bonus on sports grounds with shared names followed this time (I got Windsor Park). Mr Brown got his side off the mark with the third starter of the game; they also took just a single bonus on John von Neumann. Mr Hughes reasserted Trinity's authority as he took the next starter, giving a bonus set on the actress Rinko Kikuchi, of which they took a full set. The first picture round, on crowns taken from national emblems, went to Lady Margaret Hall; no bonuses followed this time, leaving them trailing 65-25.
Mr Brown gave the Oxonians a second starter in a row by identifying the bluebird as the bird linking various listed items; bonuses on Hell in literature gave them a pair of correct answers. Mr Hughes, by his own admission, guessed 'Lord Palmerston' for the next starter, and was correct, giving a bonus set on Irish place names, of which they took another full set. Mr Webber also looked like he was guessing on the next starter when he suggested various listed artists were exponents in graffiti, but he was right too; just one bonus followed this time though. No guessing needed on the next starter, Mr Hughes spotting a list of the nationalities of popes, but no further points came from the bonuses.
The music round, on pieces that use the Ondes Martneot, went to Trinity; two correct answers took their lead to 135-45. Lady Margaret Hall badly needed a starter, and Mr Brown duly delivered it with 'Dirac'; bonuses on maple trees gave them just the one correct answer, with recently deceased UC alumnus Clive James getting a welcome mention. Mr Hughes resumed Trinity's supremacy on the next starter; one bonus on European forest regions followed, and they were unfortunate to miss another. Ms Lobo gave Lady Margaret Hall another starter with 'patriarch', but a complex physics bonus set was not what they needed in their position, no further points. Mr Webber pushed Trinity further ahead by knowing that the ExoMars Rover was renamed after Rosalind Franklin; the bonuses gave them one correct, and, again, unluckily miss another, Mr Webber passing just before Ms Crawford thought up the right answer!
The second picture round, on stills from thematic film trilogies with one film missing, went to Lady Margaret Hall; two bonuses were taken, taking the scores to 165-90. Mr Le Croissette did the right thing and went in early on the next starter, but only managed to lose five; Mr Hughes took the points, and that was game over. One bonus followed.
Mr Hughes confirmed the win by taking the next starter; bonuses on Iceland gave Trinity a full set to take them past 200. They were running away with it now, and Ms Hourihan added to it by taking the next starter, giving them a bonus set on poetry read at US presidential inaugurations; two correct answers followed. Mr Webber took the next with 'Magnesium', and two bonuses on English counties followed. Mr Brown did take the last starter for Lady Margaret Hall; one bonus deservedly took them into triple figures, and the gong stopped them from getting another. Trinity won 245-100.
A good enjoyable contest despite its one-sidedness. Unlucky Lady Margaret Hall, but a perfectly respectable performance, thanks very much indeed for playing. Very well done Trinity though, another very impressive showing, definitely a team to watch in the QFs; best of luck to them there!
The stats: Mr Hughes was easily the best buzzer of the night with EIGHT starters, while Mr Brown was best for Lady Margaret Hall with four. On the bonuses, Trinity converted 23 out of 39, while Lady Margaret Hall managed 7 out of 21 (with the night's one penalty).
Next week's match: according to Thomas de Bock on Twitter, Edinburgh vs Wolfson, followed by Corpus Christi vs Magdalen
Only Connect returned with its last qualified match, with the Orwellians vs the Turophiles. After a slow start, the former came from behind on the Walls, and won it on the Missing Vowels, 17-14.
Trinity College Cambridge won their first match against Durham 200-145, a win made all the more impressive by their opponents subsequently surviving to the play-offs and strolling through to the QFs with ease. Hoping to join them were the unchanged foursome of:
Nadia Hourihan, from Dublin, studying English
Lillian Crawford, from Bearsted in Kent, studying History
Captain: Joseph Webber, from Bury St Edmunds, studying Maths
Liam Hughes, from Cardiff, studying Maths
Lady Margaret Hall Oxford had a much closer first round affair, just triumphing 150-145 against Downing College Cambridge, who had the misfortune to miss out on the play-offs on questions heard, UC's equivelant of goal difference. They were also the same quartet as before:
Matthew Le Croissette, from Reading, studying Medicine
Mary Lobo, from Woodcote near Reading, studying Law with German Law
Captain: Isaac Brown, from Sheffield, studying French and Linguistics
Rowan Janjuah, from London, studying Classics
Off we set again then, and Mr Hughes took the first starter of the decade with 'anorak'; a full bonus set on poetry showed the Cambridge side meant business tonight. Mr Webber took the second starter, but just one bonus on sports grounds with shared names followed this time (I got Windsor Park). Mr Brown got his side off the mark with the third starter of the game; they also took just a single bonus on John von Neumann. Mr Hughes reasserted Trinity's authority as he took the next starter, giving a bonus set on the actress Rinko Kikuchi, of which they took a full set. The first picture round, on crowns taken from national emblems, went to Lady Margaret Hall; no bonuses followed this time, leaving them trailing 65-25.
Mr Brown gave the Oxonians a second starter in a row by identifying the bluebird as the bird linking various listed items; bonuses on Hell in literature gave them a pair of correct answers. Mr Hughes, by his own admission, guessed 'Lord Palmerston' for the next starter, and was correct, giving a bonus set on Irish place names, of which they took another full set. Mr Webber also looked like he was guessing on the next starter when he suggested various listed artists were exponents in graffiti, but he was right too; just one bonus followed this time though. No guessing needed on the next starter, Mr Hughes spotting a list of the nationalities of popes, but no further points came from the bonuses.
The music round, on pieces that use the Ondes Martneot, went to Trinity; two correct answers took their lead to 135-45. Lady Margaret Hall badly needed a starter, and Mr Brown duly delivered it with 'Dirac'; bonuses on maple trees gave them just the one correct answer, with recently deceased UC alumnus Clive James getting a welcome mention. Mr Hughes resumed Trinity's supremacy on the next starter; one bonus on European forest regions followed, and they were unfortunate to miss another. Ms Lobo gave Lady Margaret Hall another starter with 'patriarch', but a complex physics bonus set was not what they needed in their position, no further points. Mr Webber pushed Trinity further ahead by knowing that the ExoMars Rover was renamed after Rosalind Franklin; the bonuses gave them one correct, and, again, unluckily miss another, Mr Webber passing just before Ms Crawford thought up the right answer!
The second picture round, on stills from thematic film trilogies with one film missing, went to Lady Margaret Hall; two bonuses were taken, taking the scores to 165-90. Mr Le Croissette did the right thing and went in early on the next starter, but only managed to lose five; Mr Hughes took the points, and that was game over. One bonus followed.
Mr Hughes confirmed the win by taking the next starter; bonuses on Iceland gave Trinity a full set to take them past 200. They were running away with it now, and Ms Hourihan added to it by taking the next starter, giving them a bonus set on poetry read at US presidential inaugurations; two correct answers followed. Mr Webber took the next with 'Magnesium', and two bonuses on English counties followed. Mr Brown did take the last starter for Lady Margaret Hall; one bonus deservedly took them into triple figures, and the gong stopped them from getting another. Trinity won 245-100.
A good enjoyable contest despite its one-sidedness. Unlucky Lady Margaret Hall, but a perfectly respectable performance, thanks very much indeed for playing. Very well done Trinity though, another very impressive showing, definitely a team to watch in the QFs; best of luck to them there!
The stats: Mr Hughes was easily the best buzzer of the night with EIGHT starters, while Mr Brown was best for Lady Margaret Hall with four. On the bonuses, Trinity converted 23 out of 39, while Lady Margaret Hall managed 7 out of 21 (with the night's one penalty).
Next week's match: according to Thomas de Bock on Twitter, Edinburgh vs Wolfson, followed by Corpus Christi vs Magdalen
Only Connect returned with its last qualified match, with the Orwellians vs the Turophiles. After a slow start, the former came from behind on the Walls, and won it on the Missing Vowels, 17-14.
Sunday, 5 January 2020
Christmas University Challenge 2019: Matches 6-10 (Monday 30th - Friday 3rd)
OK, Happy New Year all! First blog post of the new(/final year of the) decade, at the end of a festive period that's seen me have a long hard think about this blog's future. Why exactly this has come up I shall go into more detail about at a later date. For now, let's focus on the matter in hand: the second week's play of Xmas UC.
Monday 30th: Trinity Hall Cambridge vs St Peter's Oxford
Trinity Hall: Philip Dawid, Sophie Winkleman, Laura Mangan, Tony Palmer
St Peter's: Gordon Corera, Felicity Cloake, Afua Hirsch, Paul Ayers
St Peter's got off to the better starter, but Trinity Hall quickly got the upper hand and ran into a comfortable lead. Though St Peter's recovered later on, Trinity Hall were too far ahead, and ultimately won 185-80, securing a place in the semi-finals.
Tuesday 31st: Warwick vs Imperial
Warwick: Liam Halligan, Tom Goodman-Hill, Ritula Shah, Jonathan Bell
Imperial: Judith Hackitt, Kenan Malik, Brendan Walker, Martin Bland
The year(/decade) ended with a low scoring contest; after Warwick took the first starter, Imperial took the next few and maintained a steady lead throughout the contest as both teams scored slowly. Warwick recovered a bit late on, but Imperial won 115-80, not enough for a return.
Wednesday 1st: Trinity Hall vs Wadham
On paper, this should have been a close contest, with just 20 points separating the team's first round scores. In the event, however, Wadham shot into an early lead and Trinity Hall never really got into gear; matters weren't helped by three penalties dropping them to -15, making one of only a small number of teams to have fallen that far down (New Hall Cambridge from 1997-98 and Imperial from 2015-16 are two others, and I think there may have been another between then and now, I'd better check). The match caused a minor Twitter storm early on when, during a bonus round on pantomine, Paxo appeared for a single shot dressed as a panto dame! (Not the first time something like that's happened; he appeared as Santa for a single shot back in the 2013 Xmas series). He was right to say that the final score of 215-25 didn't do Trinity Hall justice; we know them to be a better team than that. Wadham, however, were worthy winners and finalists.
Thursday 2nd: Leeds vs U.C.L.
Similar story here: while Leeds were comfortable and worthy winners in the end, U.C.L. were a better team than the final score suggests. I remember, many years ago, when UC alumnus Jacob 'Exeter' Funnell wrote a blog recalling his experience on the show, an anonymous commenter said that at least his team (who had lost 350-15 to Gail Trimble's Corpus Christi team) had two previous matches to their credit, which is more than teams similarly trounced in the first round have. Same here: U.C.L. we know to be a good team, but Leeds were just so much better; they ultimately won 205-45.
Friday 3rd: Wadham vs Leeds
A great final, played very well indeed by two very good teams. Wadham took the first starter, but Leeds quickly got the upper hand and had pulled out a sizeable lead by the time the Oxonians next got some points on the board. From then on, the two teams more or less racked up the points at the same pace, but Leeds always maintained their strong advantage. The final score was 235-130 to Leeds; it was, as Mr Mosey pointed out on Twitter, the highest score Xmas UC final, and deservedly so. Well done to him and his team on a worthy effort, but very well done indeed to Leeds, very worthy winners, and the first non-Oxbridge team to win Xmas UC! Well done them!
So, that's Xmas UC done for another year, and it was definitely one of the better series of it, if not the best, with only one low scoring contest and several strong performances by very good teams. Well done and thank you to all who took part, a top series!
The student series resumes tomorrow evening; don't know who's playing yet, but if I see anything, it'll be retweeted. And don't forget, Quizzy Mondays has now expanded, with Mastermind at 7:30 preceding OC and UC, so don't forget to set your alarms for half an hour earlier from now on!
Monday 30th: Trinity Hall Cambridge vs St Peter's Oxford
Trinity Hall: Philip Dawid, Sophie Winkleman, Laura Mangan, Tony Palmer
St Peter's: Gordon Corera, Felicity Cloake, Afua Hirsch, Paul Ayers
St Peter's got off to the better starter, but Trinity Hall quickly got the upper hand and ran into a comfortable lead. Though St Peter's recovered later on, Trinity Hall were too far ahead, and ultimately won 185-80, securing a place in the semi-finals.
Tuesday 31st: Warwick vs Imperial
Warwick: Liam Halligan, Tom Goodman-Hill, Ritula Shah, Jonathan Bell
Imperial: Judith Hackitt, Kenan Malik, Brendan Walker, Martin Bland
The year(/decade) ended with a low scoring contest; after Warwick took the first starter, Imperial took the next few and maintained a steady lead throughout the contest as both teams scored slowly. Warwick recovered a bit late on, but Imperial won 115-80, not enough for a return.
Wednesday 1st: Trinity Hall vs Wadham
On paper, this should have been a close contest, with just 20 points separating the team's first round scores. In the event, however, Wadham shot into an early lead and Trinity Hall never really got into gear; matters weren't helped by three penalties dropping them to -15, making one of only a small number of teams to have fallen that far down (New Hall Cambridge from 1997-98 and Imperial from 2015-16 are two others, and I think there may have been another between then and now, I'd better check). The match caused a minor Twitter storm early on when, during a bonus round on pantomine, Paxo appeared for a single shot dressed as a panto dame! (Not the first time something like that's happened; he appeared as Santa for a single shot back in the 2013 Xmas series). He was right to say that the final score of 215-25 didn't do Trinity Hall justice; we know them to be a better team than that. Wadham, however, were worthy winners and finalists.
Thursday 2nd: Leeds vs U.C.L.
Similar story here: while Leeds were comfortable and worthy winners in the end, U.C.L. were a better team than the final score suggests. I remember, many years ago, when UC alumnus Jacob 'Exeter' Funnell wrote a blog recalling his experience on the show, an anonymous commenter said that at least his team (who had lost 350-15 to Gail Trimble's Corpus Christi team) had two previous matches to their credit, which is more than teams similarly trounced in the first round have. Same here: U.C.L. we know to be a good team, but Leeds were just so much better; they ultimately won 205-45.
Friday 3rd: Wadham vs Leeds
A great final, played very well indeed by two very good teams. Wadham took the first starter, but Leeds quickly got the upper hand and had pulled out a sizeable lead by the time the Oxonians next got some points on the board. From then on, the two teams more or less racked up the points at the same pace, but Leeds always maintained their strong advantage. The final score was 235-130 to Leeds; it was, as Mr Mosey pointed out on Twitter, the highest score Xmas UC final, and deservedly so. Well done to him and his team on a worthy effort, but very well done indeed to Leeds, very worthy winners, and the first non-Oxbridge team to win Xmas UC! Well done them!
So, that's Xmas UC done for another year, and it was definitely one of the better series of it, if not the best, with only one low scoring contest and several strong performances by very good teams. Well done and thank you to all who took part, a top series!
The student series resumes tomorrow evening; don't know who's playing yet, but if I see anything, it'll be retweeted. And don't forget, Quizzy Mondays has now expanded, with Mastermind at 7:30 preceding OC and UC, so don't forget to set your alarms for half an hour earlier from now on!
Monday, 30 December 2019
Christmas University Challenge 2019: Matches 1-5 (Monday 23rd - Friday 27th)
OK, well, here we are peeps: the last post on this blog of this decade. Unless you're counting counting 2020 as the last year of the decade, which, given that 2000 is, technically speaking, the last year of the old millennium, rather than the first of the current, is sort of correct. But let's not get bogged down in technicalities now.
It was a strong first week's play on this year's Christmas UC series; ahead of its resumption tonight, let's quickly recap it.
Monday 23rd: Leeds vs Clare Cambridge
Leeds: Jonathan Clements, Henry Gee, Rev. Richard Coles, Tim Allen
Clare Cambridge: Elin Manahan Thomas, Marcel Theroux, Amanda Spielman, Allison Pearson
In which Rev. Coles and Ms Pearson joined the list of people to have been on both Xmas UC and an Only Connect charity special. Leeds took the lead early on, and never lost it, ultimately running out 205-55 winners, and will definitely be coming back later this week.
Tuesday 24th: Birmingham City vs Wadham Oxford
Birmingham City: Bunny Guinness, Carole Boyd, Ian Skelly, Jim Crace
Wadham Oxford: Jonathan Freedland, Tom Solomon, Anne McElvoy, Roger Mosey
Cue jokes on Twitter about why wasn't Trevor Francis on the Birmingham City team! Again, Wadham took the lead early on and never relinquished it, despite a valiant recovery from their opponents. Wadham won 160-75 and, unless both the remaining winning teams today and tomorrow beat it, they'll be back later in the week.
Wednesday 25th: Guildhall vs U.C.L.
Guildhall: Catherine Bott, Bob Barrett, Monica Dolan, Charles Edwards
U.C.L.: Pen Hadow, Poppy Sebag-Montefiore, Maryam Moshiri, Hugh Griffiths
An enjoyable Christmas Day contest between two pleasant sides. It was U.C.L.'s better start that ultimately proved the difference, and though Guildhall valiantly fought back, U.C.L. saw the game out, and won the match 165-120; we'll definitely be seeing them again later in the week.
Thursday 26th: Liverpool vs Hull
Liverpool: Emma Jane Unsworth, Roger Bolton, Anna Maxwell Martin, Beverley Hunt
Hull: Matthew Halsall, Tracy Borman, Lucy Beaumont, Joanna Nadin
It was the bonuses that won this game, with Hull only answering one starter more than their opponents, but faring considerably better on the bonuses, 16 out of 21 to Liverpool's 5 out of 18. Thus, Hull won 150-75; again, should tonight's and tomorrow night's winners not beat that, we'll be seeing them again.
Friday 27th: Royal Holloway vs Sussex
Royal Holloway: Jackie Hunter, Emma Bridgewater, Fern Riddell, Lucy Hughes-Hallett
Sussex: Mark D'Arcy, Zoe Strimpel, Kim Newman, Perdita Barran
Last match of a strong opening week, and another comfortable victory. Royal Holloway took the first starter, but Sussex quickly took the upper hand, and ran out comfortable 130-70 winners, unfortunately not enough for a return.
So, Leeds and U.C.L. are definitely coming back, Wadham have a half decent chance, and Hull are most vulnerable. But it was a fine first week, with all five winning teams getting good scores; we can only hope this week's offerings will continue this strong trend!
Back next week with a review of that; until then, thank you to everyone who has supported me and this blog this year and this decade (/this decade so far), and have a Happy New Year!
It was a strong first week's play on this year's Christmas UC series; ahead of its resumption tonight, let's quickly recap it.
Monday 23rd: Leeds vs Clare Cambridge
Leeds: Jonathan Clements, Henry Gee, Rev. Richard Coles, Tim Allen
Clare Cambridge: Elin Manahan Thomas, Marcel Theroux, Amanda Spielman, Allison Pearson
In which Rev. Coles and Ms Pearson joined the list of people to have been on both Xmas UC and an Only Connect charity special. Leeds took the lead early on, and never lost it, ultimately running out 205-55 winners, and will definitely be coming back later this week.
Tuesday 24th: Birmingham City vs Wadham Oxford
Birmingham City: Bunny Guinness, Carole Boyd, Ian Skelly, Jim Crace
Wadham Oxford: Jonathan Freedland, Tom Solomon, Anne McElvoy, Roger Mosey
Cue jokes on Twitter about why wasn't Trevor Francis on the Birmingham City team! Again, Wadham took the lead early on and never relinquished it, despite a valiant recovery from their opponents. Wadham won 160-75 and, unless both the remaining winning teams today and tomorrow beat it, they'll be back later in the week.
Wednesday 25th: Guildhall vs U.C.L.
Guildhall: Catherine Bott, Bob Barrett, Monica Dolan, Charles Edwards
U.C.L.: Pen Hadow, Poppy Sebag-Montefiore, Maryam Moshiri, Hugh Griffiths
An enjoyable Christmas Day contest between two pleasant sides. It was U.C.L.'s better start that ultimately proved the difference, and though Guildhall valiantly fought back, U.C.L. saw the game out, and won the match 165-120; we'll definitely be seeing them again later in the week.
Thursday 26th: Liverpool vs Hull
Liverpool: Emma Jane Unsworth, Roger Bolton, Anna Maxwell Martin, Beverley Hunt
Hull: Matthew Halsall, Tracy Borman, Lucy Beaumont, Joanna Nadin
It was the bonuses that won this game, with Hull only answering one starter more than their opponents, but faring considerably better on the bonuses, 16 out of 21 to Liverpool's 5 out of 18. Thus, Hull won 150-75; again, should tonight's and tomorrow night's winners not beat that, we'll be seeing them again.
Friday 27th: Royal Holloway vs Sussex
Royal Holloway: Jackie Hunter, Emma Bridgewater, Fern Riddell, Lucy Hughes-Hallett
Sussex: Mark D'Arcy, Zoe Strimpel, Kim Newman, Perdita Barran
Last match of a strong opening week, and another comfortable victory. Royal Holloway took the first starter, but Sussex quickly took the upper hand, and ran out comfortable 130-70 winners, unfortunately not enough for a return.
So, Leeds and U.C.L. are definitely coming back, Wadham have a half decent chance, and Hull are most vulnerable. But it was a fine first week, with all five winning teams getting good scores; we can only hope this week's offerings will continue this strong trend!
Back next week with a review of that; until then, thank you to everyone who has supported me and this blog this year and this decade (/this decade so far), and have a Happy New Year!
Monday, 16 December 2019
University Challenge 2019-20: Round 2: Match 5: Huddersfield vs Manchester
Evening all. Well, here we are: the last (regular) UC of the 2010s; can still remember watching St John's of Oxford beat Girton of Cambridge in the first of the decade back in the big freeze of January 2010. I am still planning my Review of the Decade, but have decided to hold it off until this current series is over, and cover the ten series recorded this decade. For now, though, on with tonight's show, with the winners fighting to be on the top row for the first QF preliminary (if past years are anything to go on).
Huddersfield, appearing on UC for the first time, won a low scoring first round tie against the Open University 145-125 on the last correct starter of the match. They were the same foursome as that time around:
Sean Fisher, from Huddersfield, studying History
Rebecca Wilson, from Leeds, studying Chemistry
Captain: Andy Cook, from Walsall, studying History
Aaron Cahill, from Norwich, studying Drama
Manchester ran out winners by 185-145 in their first match against Jesus of Oxford, a team good enough to survive to the play-offs and go on to reach the QFs. Hoping to join them were the also unchanged quartet of:
Jack Rogers, from Cheshire, studying Maths
Melissa Johnson, from South Africa, studying Economics
Captain: James Green, from the Wirral, studying Modernist Literature
Adam Booth, from Greenford in London, studying Physics
Off we set again then, and Mr Cook picked up where he left off last time around as he identified the derivation of the term 'Cold War' for the first starter; bonuses on breeds of donkey gave the Terriers one correct answer. A penalty dropped Manchester into negative equity, but Huddersfield failed to capitalise, though they were unlucky to, as Mr Cook got all the information right, but not what was asked of him. Mr Green pulled his side back to 5 by identifying Wes Anderson for the next starter, and the Mancunians also managed one correct bonus. Mr Booth then lost another five for buzzing wrongly just as the question was finishing, but, again, Huddersfield, didn't pick up. Another penalty reset Manchester's score to nought; Mr Cook did pick up this time, and his side duly took two bonuses on the work of Rachel Whiteread. The first picture round, on cities that have hosted the main conference of European Maritime Day, went to Manchester; no bonuses followed, which left them trailing 35-10.
Mr Rogers duly got them moving in the right direction again as he took the next starter, and one bonus from a tough set on physics went with it. Ms Johnson then ensured all four Manchester players already had a starter to their names; bonuses on German cities proved more to their liking, a full set, and with it the lead. With the bit now between their collective teeth, Mr Green quickly identified the word 'Kompromat' for the next starter; one bonus followed, as did another starter for Mr Rogers, and two bonuses on astronomy.
Neither side identified Rossini's Barber of Seville for the music starter; the music bonuses, on works completed in a relatively short time, went to Manchester, who took the sole bonus they needed to get into triple figures, now leading 100-35. And on they powered as Mr Green took the next starter, which gave them a classic UC bonus set on words differing in their first letter only, of which they took two. Mr Cook finally reawoke Huddersfield by taking the next starter; one bonus on nuclear physics ensured they wouldn't be joining the Sub 50 club. Back came Manchster as Mr Rogers quickly identified Charles Fourier as the coiner of the term feminism; bonuses on suspension bridges gave the Mancunians one correct bonus. A second starter in a row went to Mr Rogers, and two correct bonuses followed this time.
The second picture round, on artworks donated to the New York Museum of Art by Lillie Bliss, went to Manchester; one correct bonus took their lead to 170-50. The game was now all but over as a contest, as confirmed when Mr Green took the next starter, and a full set of bonuses on South American deserts.
Still, Huddersfield went out on a high, as Mr Cook identified the play 'The Ferryman' for the next starter, and a full set of bonuses on anatomy was banged out in short order. The Terriers captain took a second starter in a row, but just the one bonus on the work of dramatist John Webster followed this time. Mr Green took the last starter of the game, identifying Helvetica as the font derived from the native name of Switzerland, but they were gonged before they could answer the first bonus. At the gong, Manchester won 205-90.
A rather slow contest, but an enjoyable one between two pleasant teams, good on them for clapping each other at the end. Unlucky Huddersfield, but, as Paxo said, a respectable performance for a first time entrant institution, thanks very much indeed for giving it to us. Well done Manchester though, and best of luck in the quarter-finals!
The stats: Mr Green was the best buzzer of the night with seven starters, while Mr Cook was best for Huddersfield with all five of theirs. On the bonuses, Huddersfield converted 8 out of 15, while Manchester managed 18 out of 37 (with three penalties).
And that's it for this year, and indeed this decade! Christmas UC starts next Monday and runs weekdaily for two weeks. The student series will return on the 6th of January.
Only Connect is also now pausing for some festive specials, which start two weeks today; tonight's last regular match of the year, and decade, between the Endeavours and the 007s, ended in a comfortable win for the latter, 26-15.
Huddersfield, appearing on UC for the first time, won a low scoring first round tie against the Open University 145-125 on the last correct starter of the match. They were the same foursome as that time around:
Sean Fisher, from Huddersfield, studying History
Rebecca Wilson, from Leeds, studying Chemistry
Captain: Andy Cook, from Walsall, studying History
Aaron Cahill, from Norwich, studying Drama
Manchester ran out winners by 185-145 in their first match against Jesus of Oxford, a team good enough to survive to the play-offs and go on to reach the QFs. Hoping to join them were the also unchanged quartet of:
Jack Rogers, from Cheshire, studying Maths
Melissa Johnson, from South Africa, studying Economics
Captain: James Green, from the Wirral, studying Modernist Literature
Adam Booth, from Greenford in London, studying Physics
Off we set again then, and Mr Cook picked up where he left off last time around as he identified the derivation of the term 'Cold War' for the first starter; bonuses on breeds of donkey gave the Terriers one correct answer. A penalty dropped Manchester into negative equity, but Huddersfield failed to capitalise, though they were unlucky to, as Mr Cook got all the information right, but not what was asked of him. Mr Green pulled his side back to 5 by identifying Wes Anderson for the next starter, and the Mancunians also managed one correct bonus. Mr Booth then lost another five for buzzing wrongly just as the question was finishing, but, again, Huddersfield, didn't pick up. Another penalty reset Manchester's score to nought; Mr Cook did pick up this time, and his side duly took two bonuses on the work of Rachel Whiteread. The first picture round, on cities that have hosted the main conference of European Maritime Day, went to Manchester; no bonuses followed, which left them trailing 35-10.
Mr Rogers duly got them moving in the right direction again as he took the next starter, and one bonus from a tough set on physics went with it. Ms Johnson then ensured all four Manchester players already had a starter to their names; bonuses on German cities proved more to their liking, a full set, and with it the lead. With the bit now between their collective teeth, Mr Green quickly identified the word 'Kompromat' for the next starter; one bonus followed, as did another starter for Mr Rogers, and two bonuses on astronomy.
Neither side identified Rossini's Barber of Seville for the music starter; the music bonuses, on works completed in a relatively short time, went to Manchester, who took the sole bonus they needed to get into triple figures, now leading 100-35. And on they powered as Mr Green took the next starter, which gave them a classic UC bonus set on words differing in their first letter only, of which they took two. Mr Cook finally reawoke Huddersfield by taking the next starter; one bonus on nuclear physics ensured they wouldn't be joining the Sub 50 club. Back came Manchster as Mr Rogers quickly identified Charles Fourier as the coiner of the term feminism; bonuses on suspension bridges gave the Mancunians one correct bonus. A second starter in a row went to Mr Rogers, and two correct bonuses followed this time.
The second picture round, on artworks donated to the New York Museum of Art by Lillie Bliss, went to Manchester; one correct bonus took their lead to 170-50. The game was now all but over as a contest, as confirmed when Mr Green took the next starter, and a full set of bonuses on South American deserts.
Still, Huddersfield went out on a high, as Mr Cook identified the play 'The Ferryman' for the next starter, and a full set of bonuses on anatomy was banged out in short order. The Terriers captain took a second starter in a row, but just the one bonus on the work of dramatist John Webster followed this time. Mr Green took the last starter of the game, identifying Helvetica as the font derived from the native name of Switzerland, but they were gonged before they could answer the first bonus. At the gong, Manchester won 205-90.
A rather slow contest, but an enjoyable one between two pleasant teams, good on them for clapping each other at the end. Unlucky Huddersfield, but, as Paxo said, a respectable performance for a first time entrant institution, thanks very much indeed for giving it to us. Well done Manchester though, and best of luck in the quarter-finals!
The stats: Mr Green was the best buzzer of the night with seven starters, while Mr Cook was best for Huddersfield with all five of theirs. On the bonuses, Huddersfield converted 8 out of 15, while Manchester managed 18 out of 37 (with three penalties).
And that's it for this year, and indeed this decade! Christmas UC starts next Monday and runs weekdaily for two weeks. The student series will return on the 6th of January.
Only Connect is also now pausing for some festive specials, which start two weeks today; tonight's last regular match of the year, and decade, between the Endeavours and the 007s, ended in a comfortable win for the latter, 26-15.
Monday, 9 December 2019
University Challenge 2019-20: Round 2: Match 4: Imperial vs St John's
Evening all. Here we are at the penultimate regular UC of the 2010s, and as its nearly 2020, I am planning a UC Review of the Decade. Now whether I do it at the end of the year and cover exactly the 2010s or wait until the end of the current series and look back on the last ten series (2010-11 to 2019-20) I haven't decided yet; opinions welcome. For now, though, on with the usual business.
Imperial College London racked up the highest score of the first round, as they beat Brasenose of Oxford 255-70, dominating almost throughout. They were the same foursome as before:
Richard Brooks, from Stockton-on-Tees, studying Mechanical Engineering
Brandon, from Jamaica, Queens in New York City, studying Computing
Captain: Caleb Rich, from Lewisham, studying Controlled Quantum Dynamics
Connor McMeel, from Dublin, studying Computer Science
St John's College Oxford also comfortably won their first match, beating Wolfson of Cambridge 115-40 in the lowest scoring UC match of the Paxo era. They were also unchanged from before:
Sam Burns, from Walthamstow in London, studying History
Isabella Morris, from London, studying English Language and Literature
Captain: Asher Leeks, from Beckenham in London, studying Evolutionary Biology
Aaron Soor, from Woodford in London, studying Maths
Off we set again then, and St John's started with a misfire, allowing Mr Rich to pick up where he left off by taking 'Simon Bolivar' for the first starter; a full set of bonuses on the subtitles of books was a strong statement of intent from the Londoners. They then lost five of their own on the next starter though, but St John's failed to pick up. The Oxonians then slipped up again (I think possibly the first time, in the BBC era at least, that the first three starters saw penalties incurred), and Mr Rich swept in for the pickup; two bonuses followed. Mr Soor finally got St John's moving in the right direction again, giving them a bonus set on trios whose names began with A, B and C respectively, of which they took one. Mr Brooks then was first in with Lincolnshire (just after I got it), but just one bonus on scientific terms ending 'grade' followed. The first picture round, on maps illustrating outbreaks of disease, went to St John's; two bonuses followed, which cut their arrears to 55-25.
They duly increased again though as the mononymous Brandon, wearing a jumper with a picture of Alex Trebek on it to show support for him (he had just been diagnosed with cancer when this episode was filmed), identified the artist Mary Cassatt for the next starter; a full house of bonuses on Pulitzer Prizes followed. Mr Leeks broke back in for St John's, which gave them a bonus set on UK dales, of which they took one. Mr Soor didn't quite get the right end of the stick on the next starter, allowing Brandon to take the points; a bonus set on last year's (men's football) World Cup saw both me and them get Iceland and Brazil, but miss Belgium.
The music round, on jazz artists who went solo after coming to fame alongside Miles Davis, went to Imperial; two bonuses took their lead to 120-40. And it was just getting bigger as Mr Rich identified the Ordnance Survey for the next starter; a tough bonus set on powers of ten gave the Londoners five points. Brandon was in quickly for the next starter for knowing that six non-Earth planets were known to exist by 1820, and got told off by Paxo for 'finding the questions insultingly easy'! Two bonuses followed, before Brandon took a second starter in a row, and a full set of bonuses on historic English counties pretty much ended the match as a contest.
The second picture starter was dropped; the bonuses, on films edited by Dede Allen, went to St John's, who took one bonus, which took the scores to 180-55. Mr McMeel cemented Imperial's win when he took the next starter, giving his side a classic UC bonus set on high scoring words in Scrabble, of which they took two.
So now it was just a question of how much higher both sides could go; Mr Leeks pulled one back for St John's, and a bonus set on the 'stan' countries gave them a full set in short order. Mr Rich pulled Imperial past 200 as he took the next starter, and a bonus set of Tudor rebellions was also dispatched reasonably easily. Mr McMeel was first to work out the next starter; just one bonus on Italian cinema followed, but it mattered not. The next starter was a rerun of a famous bad answer from the show in the 90s: "Pen y Fan is the highest point in which national park?" Neither side said 'Snowdonia' this time; Mr Leeks did get the right answer of the 'Brecon Beacons' though, and another full bonus set deservedly took St John's into triple figures. Mr Brooks took the last starter, and his side answered the one bonus there was time for correctly. At the gong, Imperial won 255-105.
Another good watchable contest, even if it was a rather one sided one. Unlucky St John's, but a valiant performance in the circumstances, thanks very much for playing! Very well done Imperial though, and very best of luck in the QFs; definitely a team to watch!
The stats: Mr Rich was the best buzzer of the night with five, while Messrs Leeks and Soor got three each for St John's. On the bonuses, Imperial converted 26 out of 37 (with one penalty), while St John's managed 11 out of 18 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: the last regular UC of the decade! Again, I don't know who's playing yet, but will be sure to retweet anything I find.
Only Connect was much closer tonight, with the second qualifier, between the Forrests and the Choristers; after a tight contest all the way through, including a welcome mention of Punch and Judy toothpaste (my favoured toothpaste for a while!), the Choristers won it on the last Missing Words of the show, winning 22-21!
Imperial College London racked up the highest score of the first round, as they beat Brasenose of Oxford 255-70, dominating almost throughout. They were the same foursome as before:
Richard Brooks, from Stockton-on-Tees, studying Mechanical Engineering
Brandon, from Jamaica, Queens in New York City, studying Computing
Captain: Caleb Rich, from Lewisham, studying Controlled Quantum Dynamics
Connor McMeel, from Dublin, studying Computer Science
St John's College Oxford also comfortably won their first match, beating Wolfson of Cambridge 115-40 in the lowest scoring UC match of the Paxo era. They were also unchanged from before:
Sam Burns, from Walthamstow in London, studying History
Isabella Morris, from London, studying English Language and Literature
Captain: Asher Leeks, from Beckenham in London, studying Evolutionary Biology
Aaron Soor, from Woodford in London, studying Maths
Off we set again then, and St John's started with a misfire, allowing Mr Rich to pick up where he left off by taking 'Simon Bolivar' for the first starter; a full set of bonuses on the subtitles of books was a strong statement of intent from the Londoners. They then lost five of their own on the next starter though, but St John's failed to pick up. The Oxonians then slipped up again (I think possibly the first time, in the BBC era at least, that the first three starters saw penalties incurred), and Mr Rich swept in for the pickup; two bonuses followed. Mr Soor finally got St John's moving in the right direction again, giving them a bonus set on trios whose names began with A, B and C respectively, of which they took one. Mr Brooks then was first in with Lincolnshire (just after I got it), but just one bonus on scientific terms ending 'grade' followed. The first picture round, on maps illustrating outbreaks of disease, went to St John's; two bonuses followed, which cut their arrears to 55-25.
They duly increased again though as the mononymous Brandon, wearing a jumper with a picture of Alex Trebek on it to show support for him (he had just been diagnosed with cancer when this episode was filmed), identified the artist Mary Cassatt for the next starter; a full house of bonuses on Pulitzer Prizes followed. Mr Leeks broke back in for St John's, which gave them a bonus set on UK dales, of which they took one. Mr Soor didn't quite get the right end of the stick on the next starter, allowing Brandon to take the points; a bonus set on last year's (men's football) World Cup saw both me and them get Iceland and Brazil, but miss Belgium.
The music round, on jazz artists who went solo after coming to fame alongside Miles Davis, went to Imperial; two bonuses took their lead to 120-40. And it was just getting bigger as Mr Rich identified the Ordnance Survey for the next starter; a tough bonus set on powers of ten gave the Londoners five points. Brandon was in quickly for the next starter for knowing that six non-Earth planets were known to exist by 1820, and got told off by Paxo for 'finding the questions insultingly easy'! Two bonuses followed, before Brandon took a second starter in a row, and a full set of bonuses on historic English counties pretty much ended the match as a contest.
The second picture starter was dropped; the bonuses, on films edited by Dede Allen, went to St John's, who took one bonus, which took the scores to 180-55. Mr McMeel cemented Imperial's win when he took the next starter, giving his side a classic UC bonus set on high scoring words in Scrabble, of which they took two.
So now it was just a question of how much higher both sides could go; Mr Leeks pulled one back for St John's, and a bonus set on the 'stan' countries gave them a full set in short order. Mr Rich pulled Imperial past 200 as he took the next starter, and a bonus set of Tudor rebellions was also dispatched reasonably easily. Mr McMeel was first to work out the next starter; just one bonus on Italian cinema followed, but it mattered not. The next starter was a rerun of a famous bad answer from the show in the 90s: "Pen y Fan is the highest point in which national park?" Neither side said 'Snowdonia' this time; Mr Leeks did get the right answer of the 'Brecon Beacons' though, and another full bonus set deservedly took St John's into triple figures. Mr Brooks took the last starter, and his side answered the one bonus there was time for correctly. At the gong, Imperial won 255-105.
Another good watchable contest, even if it was a rather one sided one. Unlucky St John's, but a valiant performance in the circumstances, thanks very much for playing! Very well done Imperial though, and very best of luck in the QFs; definitely a team to watch!
The stats: Mr Rich was the best buzzer of the night with five, while Messrs Leeks and Soor got three each for St John's. On the bonuses, Imperial converted 26 out of 37 (with one penalty), while St John's managed 11 out of 18 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: the last regular UC of the decade! Again, I don't know who's playing yet, but will be sure to retweet anything I find.
Only Connect was much closer tonight, with the second qualifier, between the Forrests and the Choristers; after a tight contest all the way through, including a welcome mention of Punch and Judy toothpaste (my favoured toothpaste for a while!), the Choristers won it on the last Missing Words of the show, winning 22-21!
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