Only Connect: Series 9: Play-Off Matches Review

OK guys, so we now know the final four in, what has been, a good series of Only Connect. The Europhiles and the Welsh Learners came straight through undefeated; but which two of the four teams who'd lost once and won once (or vice versa) would join them?

Match 9: Heath Family vs Software Engineers
The Heath Family, Kip, Alan and Heather Heath, defeated the Exhibitionists before losing to the Europhiles, while the Software Engineers, Stephen Mcintosh, Chris Howlett and Anne Harrison, lost to the Welsh Learners before overcoming the Erstwhile Atheletes in a good match. They were the dominant team here, taking the lead early on, and though the Heaths did eventually get off the mark and score well, they never quite managed to catch the Engineers. Some very hard questions in this match too. In the end, the Engineers won by 16-10.

Match 10: Relatives vs Record Collectors
The Relatives, Hamish and Davina Galloway and Davina's son Nick Latham, lost to the Europhiles before overcoming the Exhibitionists (like the Heaths), while the Record Collectors, Adam Barr, Rachael 'Cherryade' Neiman and Richard Gilbert, defeated the Erstwhile Athletes before losing to the Welsh Learners (like the Engineers). The two teams stayed pretty closely matched in the first two rounds, with the Relatives taking a narrow advantage. The key round was the Walls round, where the Relatives swept the board, which the Collectors couldn't. That, coupled with a better showing in the final round, saw the Relatives win comfortably, 26-11.

Very well done to the Engineers and the Relatives, who are through to the semis! Bad luck to the Heaths and the Collectors, both of whom performed well throughout the series, and should not be dissatisfied with what they achieved.

So, the semi-final line-up is: the Welsh Learners vs the Relatives, followed by the Europhiles vs the Software Engineers. I'll be back in two weeks' time with summaries of these matches.

R.I.P. Rik Mayall (1958-2014)

We heard earlier this afternoon that Rik Mayall, stalwart of many a British sitcom, most notably the Young Ones, and its famous University Challenge parody, has passed away suddenly, at the relatively young age of 56.

Such sad news; my deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.

Only Connect: Series 9: Qualification Matches Review

OK, so now we've seen both of the qualification matches of this series of Only Connect, and two teams are safely through to the semis undefeated.

Match 7: Heath Family vs Europhiles
The Heath Family, Kip, Alan and Heather Heath, defeated the unlucky Exhibitionists in their first match, while the Europhiles, Douglas Thomson, Mark Seager and Khuram Rashid, defeated the Relatives in a closer first match. The match started close in the first round, before the second round saw the Europhiles take a slight lead. That lead was maintained after the Walls, in which both teams struggled, and, in the final round, the Europhiles ran away to win by 21-8.

Match 8: Welsh Learners vs Record Collectors
The Welsh Learners, Margaret Gabica and Stuart and Chris Hern, convincingly defeated the Software Engineers in their first match, while the Record Collectors, Adam Barr, Rachael 'Cherryade' Neiman and Richard Gilbert, defeated the Erstwhile Athletes in the highest scoring first round match. This was very close, with the teams literally neck-and-neck the entire way through. Tied after both the first two rounds, the Walls allowed the Collectors to take a slim lead. But the Learners overturned that lead in the final round, and ended up winning 20-18.

So, the Europhiles and the Learners are the first two teams to reach the semi-finals of the series; very well done to both teams! Bad luck to the Heaths and the Collectors, but they're not out yet, and could still make the semis if they win their play-offs, where they will join the Relatives and the Software Engineers.

I'll be back in two weeks' time with summaries of the two play-offs.