Quizzy Mondays 2024-25 Week 36: University Challenge Semi-Final 2

Good evening again my friends, and welcome to the antepenultimate Quizzy Monday of the season! Yes, I know, I said that last week as well, but that was before I found out that, not only will there indeed be no quizzes next week due to snooker, but there'd be no Mastermind due to snooker this week as well! Really, this series has been so stop-start at times, it really does deserve better. So, this means we'll now get the Mastermind final in three weeks' time, which actually makes sense as both shows deserve to have their finals on seperate days TBF. Anyway, it does mean, just like in this blog's old days, UC gets our sole focus tonight, and the second semi-final is definitely a game that deserves that, so, let's do this...

 

Darwin College Cambridge defeated Birkbeck and Edinburgh in the first two rounds and, like Christ's last week, went into the QFs as outsiders, but found another level to their game and beat U.C.L. easily and Bristol on a high scoring tie-breaker to reach the semis. They were the same foursome as those previous games:

Rebecca McClelland, from Essex, studying Optical Microscopy

Sophie Willis, from Derby, studying Pathology

Captain: Harrison Whitaker, from Terre Haute, Indiana, studying Film

Rowan Stewart, from Edinburgh, studying Linguistics

 

Warwick were comfortable winners over UEA and Oriel of Oxford in the first two rounds, then beat Queen's in their first QF, but were then beaten by Christ's in their second; their third, however, saw them also defeat U.C.L. to make it here tonight. They were also the same quartet as all those prior occasions:

Ananya Govindarajan, from Edgware in London, studying Engineering

Thomas Hart, from Miskin in South Wales, studying Maths

Captain: Oscar Siddle, from Islington, studying Maths

Benjamin Watson, from Amersham, studying PPE

 

Mr Whitaker, one of the star buzzers of the series, took the first two starters of the game; his side took none of the first set of bonuses, but all of the second. Warwick responded with two starters of their own, including the first picture round, but one bonus from both sets meant they trailed 35-30. The Coventry side then took three starters in a row however, and, with their opponents restricted to a penalty, had suddenly run up a 60-point lead. Darwin finally got going again with two full houses in a row, including the music round, after which they'd closed the gap right down to 90-80.

 

A penalty to Warwick closed the gap to five, but they quickly recouped the points and reopened a lead, only for Darwin to respond with a full house to level the scores! A starters and two bonuses gave Warwick the lead, Darwin responded in kind again, and this was turning into one of the games of the series, if not the game. The Cambridge side then took the second picture round, and with it the lead, 140-125. A grandstand finish looked in the offering, and Warwick obliged by retaking the lead with the next starter and two bonuses. Two dropped starters added to the tension, before that man Mr Whitaker gave Darwin the lead back, and two bonuses meant one more would probably give them the win. But Mr Hart took the next for Warwick, and a bonus pair of their own gave them the lead again! Next starter would probably win it; Mr Hart took it for Warwick, they took the first bonus, and that was the gong! Warwick won 180-160!

 

A fantastic match, right up there as one of the best of the AR era so far, worthy of the semi-finals; well played both teams! Very well done Warwick, worthy winners and worthy finalists; very very best of luck to them there! Hard lines to Darwin, who'd have been worthy winners finalists too, but what a great run they've had this series; thanks very much indeed for taking part!

 

The stats: Mr Whitaker was, once again, the best buzzer of the night, with six starters, giving him a final series total of 40 over five matches, while Mr Siddle was best for Warwick with four. On the bonuses, Darwin managed a very good 17 out of 24 and Warwick 17 out of 28, and both sides incurred one penalty each, so it really was those two extra starters that won the game.

 

Next match: the final! And, for the second time this series, it's Christ's vs Warwick. Unfortunately, we now have to wait two weeks for that final, but it should, hopefully, be worth it; very very best of (retrospective) luck to both teams!

 

And that's this shorter than usual week done! We now pause next week; then, the week after, it's the UC final! Plus Mastermind's final semi, and then the final of that the week after! And, as I said before, I am kinda pleased that the two finals are on seperate days; that feels right. Anyway, thanks as ever for reading, and I'll see yous back here again in two weeks' time...

Quizzy Mondays 2024-25 Week 35: University Challenge Semi-Final 1, Mastermind Semi-Final 5

Good evening again my friends, and welcome to the antepenultimate Quizzy Monday of the season! Later this week, we'll know for sure whether, as I've been speculating for probably the last two months, we'll have to wait two weeks after next week for the finals of both shows due to snooker on Mayday. For now though, lets focus on the quizzing at hand. Mastermind coming up, but first, the first semi-final of UC, between a team you'd have probably expected to reach the semis going into the QFs and one who were dark horses who more than proved themselves.

 

Christ's College Cambridge defeated Exeter College and St Edmund Hall of Oxford in the first two round, then Imperial thanks to a great late sprint in their first QF and then survived one from their opponents Warwick in their second to make it here unbeaten. They were the same unchanged foursome as all those previous games:

Anniko Firman, from The Hague, studying Classics

Brendan Bethlehem, from North London, studying Linguistics

Captain: Oscar Despard, from Dublin, studying Biochemistry

Linus Luu, from Orpington, studying Maths

 

Bristol soundly defeated Gonville & Caius of Cambridge and Exeter University in the first two rounds, then Open in their first QF, before narrowly losing to Darwin in their second, bouncing back last week as they beat Queen's in their third to make it here tonight. They were also the same quartet as those five 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

A penalty allowed Bristol to take the first starter, but no bonuses went with it; Christ's made up for it by taking the next two starters and two bonuses from both sets, to give them the lead. They also took the first picture round, after which they led 55-10. Bristol took a second starter, and two bonuses, but Christ's were dominating on the buzzer, taking a further three starters in a row, but just one bonus from each set meant they didn't pull away as much as they could've. After the music round, they had increased their lead to 115-30.

 

And the lead was just increasing as another starter and a full set of bonuses took the Cambridge side's lead into three figures. Messrs Bethlehem and Despard were their two leading buzzers, but, oddly, they struggled with the bonuses from Mr Despard's starters, but were almost always perfect on those from Mr Bethlehem's. Bristol finally got back into the game with the second picture round, and took one bonus, which took the scores to 180-45. It was long over as a contest; just a question now of how high both teams could get. Another starter, and two bonuses, took Christ's to 200, but a penalty didn't help Bristol's chances of avoiding the Sub-50 club. Thankfully, they did take the final starter of the game to, just about, avoid undeservedly joining that club. At the gong, Christ's won 220-50.

 

Another one-sided contest made watchable by two pleasant teams. Very well done Christ's, a superb performance, on the buzzer especially; whoever wins next week will have to be really good on that front to beat them on that form. Very best of luck to them in the final! Hard lines to Bristol, who didn't deserve to lose as heavily as that after the great run they've had this series; thanks very much to them for playing!

 

The stats: Mr Bethlehem was, once again, the best buzzer of the night, with seven starters, while Mr Flanagan was best for Bristol with two, though Mr Warner was their best for the series overall with a final total of 31 over six games. On the bonuses, Christ's managed 21 out of 36 (with the night's one penalty) and Bristol 3 out of 10.

 

Next week's match: Darwin vs Warwick in the second semi-final!

 

Mastermind’s penultimate semi-final was opened by Nancy Braithwaite, who was answering on Caravaggio; a strong round marred only by a very unfortunate near miss, she scored 12 points. She was followed into the chair by Krish Hook, who was answering on Premier League Darts; there were a few answers he clearly knew but got wrong, which seemed to throw him a bit, but he nonetheless scored 6. Next up, James Barrow was answering on Inside No 9 (a show I’ve never seen but I think my parents might watch it); a steady round, he answered well and scored 10. Finally, Gary Austin was answering on mathematician Grace Hopper; after starting well, he hit a bad run of questions which also saw him pause quite a few times, but he rallied at the end and scored 8.

 

Krish was probably out of the running going into GK and so it proved as he again struggled, though he did well to answer every question and not pass, which is always a good tactic; he scored 4 for a total of 10. Gary needed a good round to stay in the game, but his task became harder when he passed twice quite early on; he scored well enough afterwards and scored 9 for a respectable total of 17, but this would almost certainly not be enough to win.

 

James was next, but he too struggled for momentum; he did just about enough to take the lead, scoring 7 for another total of 17, with no passes, but you fancied Nancy would probably be able to beat it. And beat it she did, and pretty comfortably too despite a few wobbles; she scored 11 for a total of 23 to make it through to the final! Well done her, and best of luck there! And thanks to the others for playing.

 

And that's it for another week! Just two more to come over, hopefully, the next two weeks; we'll find out for sure this week, as I said earlier, if my earlier worries about the snooker are founded or not, and I will be sure to post/repost on the site formerly known as Twitter as soon as is known. We'll definitely be back next week though, so, thanks once again for reading and see yous then...

Quizzy Mondays 2024-25 Week 34: University Challenge Play-Off Quarter-Final 2, Mastermind Semi-Final 4

Good evening again my friends, and welcome to the ante-antepenultimate Quizzy Monday of the season! Only three more after tonight, though we await with baited breath to see if we'll be getting finals day for both shows on Mayday in three weeks' time or whether, as I strongly suspect, snooker will delay it for a week. Anyway, on with tonight's procedings; the fourth Mastermind semi-final to come, but we start, as ever, with UC and the tenth and last QF...

 

Queen's University Belfast easily defeated Liverpool and Cardiff in the first two rounds, were comfortably beaten themselves by Warwick in their first QF, but pulled off the upset of the series in their second as they defeated the fancied Imperial on a tie-breaker. They were unchanged from all those previous games:

Sarah Carlisle, from Ballynahinch in County Down, studying English with Creative Writing

Jason McKillen, from Belfast, studying Artifical Intelligence

Captain: Daniel Rankin, from County Down, studying PPE

Sam Thompson, from Limavady, studying Physics

Bristol were similarly comfortable in their first two matches, against Gonville & Caius of Cambridge and Exeter, then more narrowly defeated Open in their first QF, before their second against Darwin also ended in a tie-breaker, which they were on the wrong end of. They were also the same quartet as all 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

Mr Rankin, very much his side's MVP in these QFs, took the first starter, which was followed by one bonus, but Bristol took the remaining starters of the first phase of play and, after the first picture round, they led 50-10. Another starter pushed the Avonsiders further ahead, but Queen's fought back as their captain took two starters in a row; they only took one bonus though, from a set where AR briefly turned into Vernon Kay and sang the answer! The chairman also gave a somewhat Vernon-esque reaction when neither side got the music starter right! The music bonuses eventually went to Bristol, and they took one, increasing their lead to 80-35.

 

A very quick buzz from Mr Warner increased that lead, but a penalty allowed Queen's back into the game; again, though, just one bonus followed. Bristol duly broke into triple figures and, after the second picture round, they led 130-50. Another starter to the Avonsiders, another pair of bonuses, and their lead suddenly stood at 100 points. And when Mr Flanagan took the next starter, that was game over. Queen's did take one final starter, and one of the obligatory Shakespeare bonuses, but had been well beaten again this time, as the last starter of the game took Bristol to their double century. At the gong, Bristol won 200-65.

 

A solid end to the QFs that wasn't totally one-sided until Bristol ran away in the final third. Well done them, worthy winners and semi-finalists; best of luck to them there! Hard lines to Queen's, but they've had a great run and have been a very pleasant and watchable team; thanks very much to them for playing!

 

The stats: Mr Warner was, once again, the best buzzer of the night, with six starters, while Mr Rankin was, also once again, best for Queen's, with five, as he finishes his team's run easily their best buzzer of the series with 26 over five matches. On the bonuses, Queen's managed 5 out of 15 and Bristol 18 out of 35 and both sides incurred two penalties each.

 

Next week's match: the first semi-final! Don't know the draw yet, but I would expect to see Christ's vs Bristol and Darwin vs Warwick.

 

Mastermind’s fourth semi-final was opened by Dom Tait, who was answering on wildcats of the domestic world; another good round with just one mistake that I noticed, he scored 12 points. He was followed into the chair by Aine McMenamin, who was answering on the tragedies of Euripides; she didn’t fare as well as Dom, a few mistakes, but still a respectable score of 8. Next up was James Waller, who was answering on the Battle of Gettysburg; he ended up going straight down the middle of Dom and Aine, scoring a decent 10. Finally, Dan Shoesmith was answering on West Ham United since 1992 (ie the Premier League era); it looked like he would beat Dan’s score, but mistakes on his last two questions meant he ended up tying it, another very good 12.

 

Aine returned for GK first needing a strong performance to stand a realistic chance; she started well, but then hit a run of questions not to her liking and then incurred a pass as well; she scored 6 for a total of 14. James started well at first, then he also hit a rough patch, before recovering to double his score, another 10 for a total of 20; good score, but you fancied at least one of the remaining two would likely beat it.

 

Dom overtook the score in fairly short order, then he too hit a brief sticky patch, but not for long and he soon motored away with another excellent GK run; a great score of 15 for a superb total of 27 left Dan needing to be pretty much perfect to beat it. He was off the pace pretty quickly however sadly, and a couple of passes pretty much finished off his chances; he nonetheless rallied and scored 7 for a respectable total of 19. Which means Dom is our fourth semi-finalist! Well done him, and thanks to the others for taking part!

 

And that's it for this week! As I said before, not long to go now before we can finally rest easy for a bit! I've pretty much decided already to go back to just a single paragraph (if that) on Mastermind next season, so enjoy the longer write-ups while they last. Anyway, thanks as ever for watching, and see yous again next week, same time same place...

Quizzy Mondays 2024-25 Week 33: University Challenge Play-Off Quarter-Final 1, Mastermind Semi-Final 3

Good evening again my friends, and welcome back to another Quizzy Monday! I've had a week to get used to the new laptop now, so should hopefully be OK tonight. I've also spent much of the last week, as have others if Dave C's recent post on LAM is anything to go by, considering Mastermind and whether the format needs adjusting to account for high scoring heat runners-up. I did have an idea a while back that only the 24 (or however many) highest scoring contenders go through to the semis, win or lose, with tie-breaks being decided by passes and then where they finished in their heat. After all, if you take away the competitive element, then Mastermind is really just four people answering questions individually, not facing off against each other in any way, so this could work. I doubt it would go down very well with purists though. Anyway, that's another story, and possibly another blog; go and read Dave C's if you haven't already. On with tonight's procedings, starting with the penultimate UC QF...

 

Warwick comfortably negotiated the earlier round with wins over UEA and Oriel of Oxford, and then beat Queen's in their first QF, but then lost to Christ's in their second. They were the same foursome as all those previous games:

Ananya Govindarajan, from Edgware in London, studying Engineering

Thomas Hart, from Miskin in South Wales, studying Maths

Captain: Oscar Siddle, from Islington, studying Maths

Benjamin Watson, from Amersham, studying PPE

 

U.C.L. have taken the most scenic route possible, losing their first match to fellow quarter-finalists Open, then beating St Andrews and L.S.E., losing again to Darwin in their first QF, and then avenging their earlier loss by beating Open in their second just last week. They were also the same quartet as those prior occasions:

Calum Jack, from Sutton in Surrey, studying Science Communication

Josh Mandel, from North London, studying US History and Politics

Captain: Olivia Holtermann Entwistle, from London, studying Human Geography

Sanjay Prabhakar, from London, studying Science Education

 

Warwick got off to a flying start, taking the first two starters and all six bonuses that came with them. U.C.L. responded with two starters of their own, including the first picture round, but they only took half the resulting bonuses, and so trailed 50-35. A penalty allowed Warwick to pull further ahead, but two starters in a row allowed the Londoners to pull level. The Coventry side duly retook the lead though with two starters of their own, including the music round, after which they led 100-70.

 

Another starter, a full set of bonuses, and Warwick were threatening to pull away. U.C.L. pulled back a starter and pair of bonuses, but Warwick now had the momentum and two further starters did indeed pull them away. They also took the second picture round, after which they led 175-90. Another starter, another full set to take them to 200, and that was game over. U.C.L. deservedly reached three figures with another couple of starters and a good few bonuses, but had been very much outplayed this time. At the gong, Warwick won 220-125.

 

Another top quality contest despite its one-sidedness, two excellent teams. Very well done Warwick, worthy winners and worthy semi-finalists, very best of luck to them there! Hard lines to U.C.L., but they've had a fine run that they can go away very pleased with; thanks very much for playing!

 

The stats: Mr Hart was, again, the best buzzer of the night, with EIGHT(!) starters, while Mr Jack was best for U.C.L. with three, though Mr Mandel was their best for the series with 30 over six matches. On the bonuses, Warwick managed 21 out of 33 (with one penalty) and U.C.L. 13 out of 21 (with two penalties).

 

Next week's match: Queen's vs Bristol in the last QF.

 

Mastermind’s third semi-final was opened by Cathryn Gahan, who was answering questions on the films of Mel Brooks; a very good round with no mistakes (that I noticed), she scored 12 points. She was followed into the chair by Arnav Umranikar, who was answering on Homer’s Odyssey; he didn’t fare as well, pausing before answering a lot of the time, but did still get most of his questions right, scoring 9. Next up was Roopam Carroll, who was answering on LL Cool J; she also struggled a bit at times, but did finish with 7 points, and a pass. Finally, John Harden was answering on the Rumpole stories of John Mortimer; he fared better and ended up matching Cathryn’s score, another 12.

 

It looked like potentially another two horse race, but, as we saw last week, anything can happen in GK. Roopam returned first, but, again, never really gathered any momentum; nonetheless, she doubled her score, another 7 for a total of 14. Arnav, IIRC, had a really good GK round in his heat; sadly, he didn’t fare well this time, not really getting any momentum going until the end, also scoring 7 for a respectable total of 16.

 

Cathryn was next, and she started well, but then hit the skids, before she recovered well late on; she scored 10 for a good total of 22. John thus needed to beat Cathryn’s GK score to win; it was a close one, but he scored steadily and just about made it over the line, equalling his SS score of 12 for a total of 24. Well done him, and best of luck in the final! And thanks to the others for taking part.

 

And that's it for another week! Only four more to go before both quizzes finish up for the season, though, as I said before, I suspect the Mayday Bank Holiday will be reserved for snooker, so we'll have a (rather agonising!) one week break before the finals of both quizzes. But we'll see when the time comes. In the meantime, thanks as ever for reading; see yous again same time same place next week...