Evening all. It's fair to say this hasn't been the highest scoring series; the fact that, at the start of the day, the four highest scoring runners-up were the only ones to break three figures. But after tonight's match, and having finally seen the full first round fixtures list (thanks to Chris Ducklin and whoever added to Wikipedia), I am optimistic that we'll get some good matches in the remainder of the round. So, on with tonight.
Imperial College London is a science specialising college, formerly of the University of London, becoming independent in 2007. Alumni include Sir Alexander Fleming who re-rediscovered penicillin, the writer HG Wells, and former Mastermind and Brain of Britain champ Ian Bayley, who captained its UC team in 1996-97; it won the tournament the previous year, and again in 2000-01. Last year's team were unlucky to draw eventual champs Balliol in the first round. This year's foursome were:
James Pollard, from Cheshire, studying Electrical Engineering
Ed Waddingham, from Charlton in London, studying Medical Statistics
Captain: Istvan Kleijn, from Ermelo in the Netherlands, studying Biothematics and Medical Systems Biology
Juan Rubio Gorrochategui, from Alicante, studying Chemistry
Strathclyde University was founded in 1796, by a Glasgow University professor who felt there should be a second university in the city; alumni include missionary David Livingston, TV inventor John Logie Baird and musician Alex Kapranos. It's last UC venture was a first round defeat in 2012-13, while 2003-04 captain Aidan McQuade went on to win Mastermind. This year's quartet were:
Ian Brown, from Oban, studying to be an English teacher
James Flannigan, from Glasgow, studying Chemical Engineering
Captain: Alistair Logan, from Motherwell, studying Mechanical Engineering
Paul Dijkman, from Port Glasgow, studying Economics
Off we set again then, and Mr Logan got the ball rolling for the night with 'chevron'; the Clydesides took just the one bonus from the firsts set. Mr Kleijn opened Imperial's account in short order, and they fared a bit better on their first bonus set, on scientific terms now commonplace in politics. Mr Waddingham doubled Imperial's lead, and they took another two bonuses on Palme D'or winners, during which Paxo rather poorly mispronounced Errnest Borgnine's surname! Another starter went to Imperial, but no bonuses came this time. The first picture round, on commemorative plaques and their locations, went to Imperial, who got nothing from the bonuses again, which left their lead at 60-15.
Mr Rubio Gorrechategui moved Imperial further ahead by taking the next starter, and his side added ten more to their score from the resultant bonuses. Mr Waddingham was then next up for the Londoners, but nothing from a bonus set on fictional cricket matches was taken this time. Mr Logan finally broke Strathclyde back into the match, and they capitalised with a full bonus set of prime numbers, thus suggesting they were certainly back in the game.
The music round, on Fanny Mendelssohn's 'Year' cycle, went to Strathclyde, who took just the one bonus this time, but did nonetheless reduce the gap to 90-55. Indeed, Mr Logan took the next starter, and bonuses on the Wizard of Oz, including the Scarecrow's famous triangle gaffe later repeated by Homer Simpson, gave them one correct answer again. And when Mr Logan took a second starter in a row, and two bonuses were taken this time, the teams were level. Mr Kleijn then showed that he knows his Flanders and Swann as he identified the second law of thermodynamics to give Imperial back the lead; again, though, they could get nothing from the bonuses, which in a game this tight, could be costly.
The second picture starter was dropped, as were the next two replacement starters; the picture bonuses, on paintings intended to be copied as tapestries, eventually went to Strathclyde, who took one bonus, to give themselves a slim lead of 105-100. Another starter to the Strathclyde captain increased the lead, and two bonuses of Indira Gandhi gave them the upper hand for the crucial final minutes.
Back came Imperial though, with Mr Waddingham doing the honours; the side picked a good time to pull off a full set of bonuses, refusing to wait for Paxo to complete the last two before answering! That put the sides level again; Mr Logan identified George Orwell for the next starter, and when his side took a full bonus set on last year's Euros (as did I, possibly my first ever full set!), that was most likely game over. A penalty gave Imperial the chance to prove that wrong, but they couldn't take it. And that was the gong, Strathclyde won 145-125.
Another low scoring match, but a good close one nonetheless, so I enjoyed it. Unlucky Imperial, who fell away somewhat after a decent starter, but the way things are going, 125 might yet be enough for the play-offs, we shall see, but thanks for playing for now. Well played Strathclyde though, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Mr Logan was the best buzzer of the night, with six starters under his belt at the gong, while Mr Waddingham was Imperial's best with four; on the bonuses, Imperial converted just 9 out of 24, while Strathclyde managed 14 out of 24 (with one late penalty); that's where the match was won and lost.
Next week's match: Emmanuel College Cambridge vs St Hugh's College Oxford
Back with Only Connect on Sunday, and after Friday's show, my Dad has offered up a suggestion on the changing of the points system; I'm keeping it to myself for now, as I may choose to share it somewhere else another time.
Monday 25 September 2017
Sunday 24 September 2017
Only Connect Series 13: Round 1: Match 9: Disparates vs Beaks
OK, I think we can safely say the show is not using a two group split for the first round draw, but I'm carrying on calling my reviews what they are for now, until it is confirmed for definite in the play-offs. If there are any. The other explanation for this 'two highest scoring losers' they said is that there are no play-offs, and the 37 is made up by the return of the celeb specials. We shall see.
Anyway, playing on Friday were the Disparates, Steve Havard, Ruth Ellis and captain Huw Meredith, and the Beaks, Rob Cromarty, Aidan Sproat-Clements and captain Dan Sproat-Clements, husband of Aidan.
Round 1. The Disparates went first, and kicked the show off with Twisted Flax, and the picture set: we saw a whale shark, then an elephant seal, then a tiger moth; they saw them to be animals whose names include another animal, and collected two points. The Beaks opened their account with Eye of Horus, and the music question: we heard Bobby Darin's 'Beyond the Sea', then NWA with 'Straight Outta Compton', then Edith Piaf with 'La Vie en Rose', and finally Johnny Cash's classic 'Walk the Line'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: their titles were used for biopics of their singers. For their own question, the Disparates chose Two Reeds: 'Houston, Texas', then 'The Ryder Cup', then 'Morse code', and finally 'Colt pistol'. They identified them as being named after people called Samuel, or Sam, and collected the point. The Beaks chose Lion next: 'Criminal', then 'The final', then 'Cut to'; they spotted that they can all precede the names of quiz shows ('Criminal' Mastermind, 'The final' Countdown, 'Cut to' The Chase, and the final clue would've been 'Only as strong as' The Weakest Link), a nice set, for two points. The Disparates chose Water next: 'Disposition matrix', then 'Enhanced interrogation', then 'Blue on blue', and finally 'Collateral damage'. They didn't quite get it, their opponents did: they are euphemisms used in the military. Left with Horned Viper for their own question, the Beaks saw 'Alceste (anthropo)', then 'Wolverine (aero)', then 'Peter Pan (gerasco)', and finally 'Ron Weasley (arachno)'. They got it from the final clue: they are phobias that the characters suffer from. At the end of the first round, the teams were tied on 4-each.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Disparates kicked the round off with Two Reeds: 'UK's tallest roller coaster', then 'Card game (aka Chinese poker)', and then 'Lloyd George, Clemenceau, Wilson'; they identified them as 'Big One', 'Big Two' and 'Big Three', so offered 'Top accountancy firms', or 'Big Four' for two points. The Beaks chose Eye of Horus next: 'Thomas Gabriel', then 'Simon Gruber', and then 'Colonel Stuart'. They didn't quite see it, nor did their opponents; they are the villains of the Die Hard films, so 'Hans Gruber' completes the set. The Disparates chose Twisted Flax next: 'D', then ')', and then 'I' (closest I can get, sorry); they saw them to be the symbols for face emojis, so offered '(' for two points. The Beaks chose 'Horn-ed' Viper next: 'Greece', then 'Philippines', and then 'Morocco'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are countries with three Es, three Is and threes Os, so 'Uruguay', with three Us, would complete the set. For their final choice, the Disparates chose Lion: 'M21 F-', then 'M21 F30', and then 'M21 F21'; they offered 'M18 F18', which was correct, the sequence being the age at which both sexes could vote in the UK. Left with Water, the Beaks got the picture sequence: we saw a pineapple, then a tree, and then another pineapple; they saw it to be the lyrics to the (very annoying) song 'Agadoo', but got the order muddled up and thus didn't get it. Nor did their opponents. Some coffee would complete the set. At the end of the second round, the Disparates led 10-4.
On to the Walls. The Beaks, needing a good score, chose to tackle the Water wall. After spotting some connections, they had little luck finding groups, before eventually isolated 'Windsor', 'Castle', 'Hepworth' and 'Back', which are surnames of famous Barbaras. A second set, 'Zoosk', 'Match', 'Tinder' and 'Badoo', which are dating apps, eventually followed. With barely any time left, the final sets settled in on their first attempt: 'Coxswain', 'Grinder', 'Mate' and 'Lookout' are jobs on a ship, while 'Slip', 'Stevedore', 'Granny' and 'Gordian' are knots. A full ten there.
The Disparates thus set to work on the Lion wall with the ball still in their court, just about. In contrast, their first set, 'Dover', 'Hythe', 'Sandwich' and 'New Romney', which are 'cinque ports' in Kent, came almost instantly. After that, though, they couldn't untangle any more, spotting the links, but not being able to isolate any groups. They were eventually timed out, and thus had to pick up bonus group points: 'Hastings', 'Oliver', 'Lemon' and 'Japp' are characters in the Poirot books, which they didn't quite get, 'Grinder', 'Hoagie', 'Hero' and 'Submarine' are types of sandwich, they did just about get, while 'Fever', 'Belly', 'Jersey' and 'Pages' can all follow 'Yellow', which they also got. Four points there, which left the teams level at 14-each going into the final round.
So Missing Vowels would decide the show. 'Things that can be purple', which saw the Beaks fortuitously get a point for saying 'PEARS' instead of 'PROSE', went to them 2-(-1). 'Full names of fictional characters', such as 'JAMES TIBERIUS KIRK', was a clean sweep to the Beaks 4-0, and that was game over. '2016 dictionary additions' only had time for one clue, which was timed out. The Beaks won 20-13.
Another good show with some good questions and good answering. Unlucky Disparates, who will probably not be coming back in the play-offs whatever's going on, but thanks for playing. Well done Beaks though, and best of luck in the second round!
Next week's match: Dandies vs Gaffers
Anyway, playing on Friday were the Disparates, Steve Havard, Ruth Ellis and captain Huw Meredith, and the Beaks, Rob Cromarty, Aidan Sproat-Clements and captain Dan Sproat-Clements, husband of Aidan.
Round 1. The Disparates went first, and kicked the show off with Twisted Flax, and the picture set: we saw a whale shark, then an elephant seal, then a tiger moth; they saw them to be animals whose names include another animal, and collected two points. The Beaks opened their account with Eye of Horus, and the music question: we heard Bobby Darin's 'Beyond the Sea', then NWA with 'Straight Outta Compton', then Edith Piaf with 'La Vie en Rose', and finally Johnny Cash's classic 'Walk the Line'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: their titles were used for biopics of their singers. For their own question, the Disparates chose Two Reeds: 'Houston, Texas', then 'The Ryder Cup', then 'Morse code', and finally 'Colt pistol'. They identified them as being named after people called Samuel, or Sam, and collected the point. The Beaks chose Lion next: 'Criminal', then 'The final', then 'Cut to'; they spotted that they can all precede the names of quiz shows ('Criminal' Mastermind, 'The final' Countdown, 'Cut to' The Chase, and the final clue would've been 'Only as strong as' The Weakest Link), a nice set, for two points. The Disparates chose Water next: 'Disposition matrix', then 'Enhanced interrogation', then 'Blue on blue', and finally 'Collateral damage'. They didn't quite get it, their opponents did: they are euphemisms used in the military. Left with Horned Viper for their own question, the Beaks saw 'Alceste (anthropo)', then 'Wolverine (aero)', then 'Peter Pan (gerasco)', and finally 'Ron Weasley (arachno)'. They got it from the final clue: they are phobias that the characters suffer from. At the end of the first round, the teams were tied on 4-each.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Disparates kicked the round off with Two Reeds: 'UK's tallest roller coaster', then 'Card game (aka Chinese poker)', and then 'Lloyd George, Clemenceau, Wilson'; they identified them as 'Big One', 'Big Two' and 'Big Three', so offered 'Top accountancy firms', or 'Big Four' for two points. The Beaks chose Eye of Horus next: 'Thomas Gabriel', then 'Simon Gruber', and then 'Colonel Stuart'. They didn't quite see it, nor did their opponents; they are the villains of the Die Hard films, so 'Hans Gruber' completes the set. The Disparates chose Twisted Flax next: 'D', then ')', and then 'I' (closest I can get, sorry); they saw them to be the symbols for face emojis, so offered '(' for two points. The Beaks chose 'Horn-ed' Viper next: 'Greece', then 'Philippines', and then 'Morocco'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are countries with three Es, three Is and threes Os, so 'Uruguay', with three Us, would complete the set. For their final choice, the Disparates chose Lion: 'M21 F-', then 'M21 F30', and then 'M21 F21'; they offered 'M18 F18', which was correct, the sequence being the age at which both sexes could vote in the UK. Left with Water, the Beaks got the picture sequence: we saw a pineapple, then a tree, and then another pineapple; they saw it to be the lyrics to the (very annoying) song 'Agadoo', but got the order muddled up and thus didn't get it. Nor did their opponents. Some coffee would complete the set. At the end of the second round, the Disparates led 10-4.
On to the Walls. The Beaks, needing a good score, chose to tackle the Water wall. After spotting some connections, they had little luck finding groups, before eventually isolated 'Windsor', 'Castle', 'Hepworth' and 'Back', which are surnames of famous Barbaras. A second set, 'Zoosk', 'Match', 'Tinder' and 'Badoo', which are dating apps, eventually followed. With barely any time left, the final sets settled in on their first attempt: 'Coxswain', 'Grinder', 'Mate' and 'Lookout' are jobs on a ship, while 'Slip', 'Stevedore', 'Granny' and 'Gordian' are knots. A full ten there.
The Disparates thus set to work on the Lion wall with the ball still in their court, just about. In contrast, their first set, 'Dover', 'Hythe', 'Sandwich' and 'New Romney', which are 'cinque ports' in Kent, came almost instantly. After that, though, they couldn't untangle any more, spotting the links, but not being able to isolate any groups. They were eventually timed out, and thus had to pick up bonus group points: 'Hastings', 'Oliver', 'Lemon' and 'Japp' are characters in the Poirot books, which they didn't quite get, 'Grinder', 'Hoagie', 'Hero' and 'Submarine' are types of sandwich, they did just about get, while 'Fever', 'Belly', 'Jersey' and 'Pages' can all follow 'Yellow', which they also got. Four points there, which left the teams level at 14-each going into the final round.
So Missing Vowels would decide the show. 'Things that can be purple', which saw the Beaks fortuitously get a point for saying 'PEARS' instead of 'PROSE', went to them 2-(-1). 'Full names of fictional characters', such as 'JAMES TIBERIUS KIRK', was a clean sweep to the Beaks 4-0, and that was game over. '2016 dictionary additions' only had time for one clue, which was timed out. The Beaks won 20-13.
Another good show with some good questions and good answering. Unlucky Disparates, who will probably not be coming back in the play-offs whatever's going on, but thanks for playing. Well done Beaks though, and best of luck in the second round!
Next week's match: Dandies vs Gaffers
Monday 18 September 2017
University Challenge 2017-18: Round 1: Match 9: Leicester vs Fitzwilliam
Evening all. In a week when I've purchased the first two UC quiz books of the Paxo era, and been looking back on the eras they came from. As I told Chris Ducklin's excellent Quizzy Mondays podcast, the starters were generally a lot shorter in those days, and a return to that might be beneficial given how long and drawn out the starters often are nowadays. A return to the red set of the early noughties might not be a bad idea also. Anyway, on with tonight.
Leicester University was founded in 1957, and won the first ever series of UC just six years later. Alumni include politicians Norman Lamb and Natalie Bennett and funny man Bob Mortimer. It has sporadically sent teams to the revived series, the last such side, three series ago, were unlucky to lose in the second round. This year's foursome were:
Graham Aldred, from West Yorkshire, studying Toponymic Archaeology
Stan French, from Norwich, studying Chemistry
Captain: Pip Brown, from Devon, studying Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
Jamie Byrne, from Bristol, studying Physics
Fitzwilliam College Cambridge also won UC not long after its foundation, seven years after it became a proper college in 1966. Alumni include politicians Andy Burnham and Vince Cable and historian David Starkey. It last appeared on UC in 1999-2000; their unused reserve later appeared on the Professionals series on the 'Lawyers' team. This year's quartet were:
Theo Tindall, from Bristol, studying Russian and Arabic
Theo Howe, from Oxfordshire, studying Japanese Studies
Captain: Hugh Oxlade, from South Woodford in London, studying History
Jack Maloney, from Harpenden in Hertfordshire, studying Medicine
Off we set again then, and Mr Tindall got the ball rolling for the night with the word 'guru'; bonuses on Internet companies provided them with two correct answers to start off with. Mr French wasted no time getting Leicester off the mark, but they managed just the one bonus from their first set on Asia. They took the lead with the next starter though, with two bonuses accompanying. A penalty then handed Fitzwilliam the advantage back, however, which they took, along with two bonuses on famous husband and wife pairs. The first picture round, a classic UC round on culinary terms spelt using chemical symbols, went to Fitzwilliam, who wiped the plate clean with the bonuses, giving them a lead of 65-30.
Mr Tindall's excellent early buzzer work continued as he took the next starter, but smelling salts in Victorian literature proved a fruitless bonus set. 20th century industry proved more to their liking, as they took a swift full set. A debatable penalty then set them back five however, though Leicester failed to pick up; Mr Aldred took the next starter though, and bonuses on the Peterloo massacre gave them two correct answers.
The music round, on classical pieces whose titles refer to another composer, went to Leicester, who took just the one bonus, which reduced their arrears to 95-65. A starter on Charlie Chaplin's Great Dictator gave Leicester a third in a row (I might have got it were I not yet to read a book about him I took out from the library earlier!); two bonuses on bacteria put them just ten behind, before another Fitzwilliam penalty (no debate this time) cut the gap to just five. It then went up again as Mr Maloney took the next starter; bonuses on banana cultivation didn't appear very fruitful (pun intended) at first, but they took two.
The second picture round, on England cricketers with noted success in the Ashes, went to Fitzwilliam, who took just the one bonus, which stood their lead at 125-85. After a quiet spell, Mr Tindall spoke up again with the next starter; bonuses on Elizabeth I, appropriate given what's on after UC at the moment, gave them ten points and surely enough points to come back win or lose.
Back came Leicester though, with Miss Brown doing the honours; ten bonus points deservedly took them into triple figures and back within sight. What looked like a guess from Mr Maloney gave Fitzwilliam possession back though, and two bonuses on humanism followed. And when Mr Oxlade took the next starter, that was game over. Another starter and bonus set might have been enough for Leicester to get to the play-offs, but Mr Howe would rather ensure all four Fitzwilliam players had a starter to their name. The gong cut the bonuses off; Fitzwilliam won 200-105.
A pretty decent enjoyable match well played by both sides. Unlucky Leicester, who gave a good account of themselves and are unlucky to, I would imagine, go out at this stage, but thanks for playing and well done on a good effort. Well done Fitzwilliam though on a solid first outing against good opposition, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Mr Tindall was the best buzzer of the night with six under his belt, while Messrs Aldred and French and Miss Brown all took two each for Leicester. On the bonuses, Leicester converted an OK 10 out of 18 (with one penalty), while Fitzwilliam managed an also pretty decent 20 out of 32 (with two penalties); could be dark horses for the second round should they get a favourable draw.
Next week's match: Imperial vs Strathclyde
Only Connect carries on on Friday, with my review on Sunday, by which point what exactly is going on with the tournament structure will be a bit clearer.
Leicester University was founded in 1957, and won the first ever series of UC just six years later. Alumni include politicians Norman Lamb and Natalie Bennett and funny man Bob Mortimer. It has sporadically sent teams to the revived series, the last such side, three series ago, were unlucky to lose in the second round. This year's foursome were:
Graham Aldred, from West Yorkshire, studying Toponymic Archaeology
Stan French, from Norwich, studying Chemistry
Captain: Pip Brown, from Devon, studying Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
Jamie Byrne, from Bristol, studying Physics
Fitzwilliam College Cambridge also won UC not long after its foundation, seven years after it became a proper college in 1966. Alumni include politicians Andy Burnham and Vince Cable and historian David Starkey. It last appeared on UC in 1999-2000; their unused reserve later appeared on the Professionals series on the 'Lawyers' team. This year's quartet were:
Theo Tindall, from Bristol, studying Russian and Arabic
Theo Howe, from Oxfordshire, studying Japanese Studies
Captain: Hugh Oxlade, from South Woodford in London, studying History
Jack Maloney, from Harpenden in Hertfordshire, studying Medicine
Off we set again then, and Mr Tindall got the ball rolling for the night with the word 'guru'; bonuses on Internet companies provided them with two correct answers to start off with. Mr French wasted no time getting Leicester off the mark, but they managed just the one bonus from their first set on Asia. They took the lead with the next starter though, with two bonuses accompanying. A penalty then handed Fitzwilliam the advantage back, however, which they took, along with two bonuses on famous husband and wife pairs. The first picture round, a classic UC round on culinary terms spelt using chemical symbols, went to Fitzwilliam, who wiped the plate clean with the bonuses, giving them a lead of 65-30.
Mr Tindall's excellent early buzzer work continued as he took the next starter, but smelling salts in Victorian literature proved a fruitless bonus set. 20th century industry proved more to their liking, as they took a swift full set. A debatable penalty then set them back five however, though Leicester failed to pick up; Mr Aldred took the next starter though, and bonuses on the Peterloo massacre gave them two correct answers.
The music round, on classical pieces whose titles refer to another composer, went to Leicester, who took just the one bonus, which reduced their arrears to 95-65. A starter on Charlie Chaplin's Great Dictator gave Leicester a third in a row (I might have got it were I not yet to read a book about him I took out from the library earlier!); two bonuses on bacteria put them just ten behind, before another Fitzwilliam penalty (no debate this time) cut the gap to just five. It then went up again as Mr Maloney took the next starter; bonuses on banana cultivation didn't appear very fruitful (pun intended) at first, but they took two.
The second picture round, on England cricketers with noted success in the Ashes, went to Fitzwilliam, who took just the one bonus, which stood their lead at 125-85. After a quiet spell, Mr Tindall spoke up again with the next starter; bonuses on Elizabeth I, appropriate given what's on after UC at the moment, gave them ten points and surely enough points to come back win or lose.
Back came Leicester though, with Miss Brown doing the honours; ten bonus points deservedly took them into triple figures and back within sight. What looked like a guess from Mr Maloney gave Fitzwilliam possession back though, and two bonuses on humanism followed. And when Mr Oxlade took the next starter, that was game over. Another starter and bonus set might have been enough for Leicester to get to the play-offs, but Mr Howe would rather ensure all four Fitzwilliam players had a starter to their name. The gong cut the bonuses off; Fitzwilliam won 200-105.
A pretty decent enjoyable match well played by both sides. Unlucky Leicester, who gave a good account of themselves and are unlucky to, I would imagine, go out at this stage, but thanks for playing and well done on a good effort. Well done Fitzwilliam though on a solid first outing against good opposition, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Mr Tindall was the best buzzer of the night with six under his belt, while Messrs Aldred and French and Miss Brown all took two each for Leicester. On the bonuses, Leicester converted an OK 10 out of 18 (with one penalty), while Fitzwilliam managed an also pretty decent 20 out of 32 (with two penalties); could be dark horses for the second round should they get a favourable draw.
Next week's match: Imperial vs Strathclyde
Only Connect carries on on Friday, with my review on Sunday, by which point what exactly is going on with the tournament structure will be a bit clearer.
Sunday 17 September 2017
Only Connect Series 13: Round 1: Match 8: Wanderers vs Pedagogues
OK, so it seems that Only Connect isn't going ahead with splitting the first round into groups, and is instead just using the entire first round as a single entity. But lets just stick with this until we know for sure, why don't we? Anyway, on with Friday night's show.
Playing were the Wanderers, John Payne, Richard Arthur and captain Sanjoy Sen, and the Pedagogues, James Manson, his wife Megan Mason and her sister, captain, Jennifer Shearman.
Round 1. The Pedagogues went first, and kicked the show off with Lion, and the music round: we heard 'When I am Laid In Earth' from Purcell's Porgy and Bess, then the Hollies with 'Air That I Breathe', then Handel's Water Music, and finally The Crazy World of Arthur Brown with 'Fire'. They didn't quite get it, their opponents did: they all represent the four Aristotelian elements, for a bonus. For their own first question, the Wanderers chose Two Reeds: 'Senkaku Islands 1971', then 'Christmas Island 1958', then 'Macau 1999'; they saw them to be islands that changed sovereignty in that year, and collected two points. The Pedagogues chose Twisted Flax next: 'Song from 'Les Miserables'', then 'Rubbers on a table tennis bat', then 'Roulette wheel'; they identified them to be red and black, and collected two points. (Cue a voluntary sing-along from Mr Payne!) The Wanderers chose 'Horn-ed' Viper next: 'Chit', then 'Knick'; a nice one this, replacing the I with an A gives a two word phrase, which they spotted for three points. The Pedagogues chose Eye of Horus next: 'Ben', then 'O'', then 'ap', and finally 'dottir'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are surname affixes that indicate your lineage. Left with Water, and the picture set, for their own question, the Wanderers saw a still from the film Holiday Inn, then the band The Small Faces with frontman Steve Marriott circled, then a four seasons pizza, and finally the media personality Perez Hilton. Neither team saw this: they all share their names with hotel chains. At the end of the first round, the Wanderers led 7-2.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Pedagogues kicked the round off with Lion, and got the picture set: we saw Richard Ayoade (or Richard Okanoyu as my Dad now calls him thanks to Pointless!), then Stephen Merchant (which gave it to me), and then Ed Tudor-Pole. They didn't get an answer in time, and their opponents didn't see it neither: they are, of course, the hosts of The Crystal Maze, so Richard O'Brien would come fourth. The Wanderers chose Twisted Flax next: '3: Cage', then '2: Barn'; they saw it to be EU classifications of eggs, but their answer of '0: Free Range' was incorrect. Their opponents saw '1: Free Range', and so offered '0: Organic' for a bonus point. For their own question, the Pedagogues chose Two Reeds: '4: Netherlands', then '5: France, Luxembourg & United Kingdom', and then '6: Sweden'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: it's the countries that have won Eurovision the most, so '7: Republic of Ireland' completes the set. For their own question, the Wanderers chose 'Horn-ed' Viper: 'Kits', then 'Cats'; they saw it to be the St Ives poem, so 'Sacks' would be third, and 'Wives' completes the set for three points. For their final choice, the Pedagogues chose Eye of Horus: 'Perth football team', then 'BBC journalist kidnapped in 2007', and then 'Nixon's predecessor'. Both teams saw the sequence, 'Johnstone', 'Johnston' and 'Johnson', but neither could come up with an acceptable answer: 'Author of 'The Alchemist'', ie Ben Jonson, would suffice. Left with Water, the Wanderers saw 'Call for a cab', then 'Member of a learned society', and then 'Vertical shaft containing water'; they saw the clues to represent 'Hail', 'Fellow' and 'Well', suggesting the phrase 'Hail-fellow-well-met', so something for 'Met', like 'The Metropolitan Police', would come fourth for two points. At the end of the second round, the Wanderers led 13-3.
On to the Walls. The Wanderers went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. The first sets came pretty quickly, 'Angel', 'Turkish', 'Shepherd's' and 'Rapper's' can all precede 'delight', while 'Homity', 'Mince', 'Cottage' and 'Stargazy' are pies. The wall was solved pretty comfortable after that: 'Burnt Oak', 'Highgate', 'Bank' and 'Oval' are tube stations (rather unfortunate question to have on Friday), while 'Frozen', 'Hollywood', 'Holiday' and 'Erotica' are songs by Madonna. A full wall well solved, so a full ten points.
The Pedagogues thus set to work on the Water wall in danger of falling out of sight. They spotted a sequence of Citreon cars, and isolated 'Picasso', 'Saxo', 'Cactus' and 'Berlingo' (the last of which of greatly amused my parents, who have just bought one!). A second set followed: 'Mirage', 'Oasis', 'Camel' and 'Sand dune' are things typically associated with the desert. The final clues promptly fell into place: 'Golden Nugget', 'Stratosphere', 'Bellagio' and 'Flamingo' are noted casinos in Las Vegas, while 'Dali', 'Goya', 'Miro' and 'Velazquez' are Spanish painters. Another well resolved full ten points, which left them trailing 23-13 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels to finish off, with the Pedagogues needing a good performance to catch up/reach contention for the repechage. 'Comic book characters and their alter egos', such as 'SUPERMAN AND CLARK KENT', went to the Pedagogues 2-0. 'US State mottos' went to the Pedagogues 2-1. 'Vegetarian dishes', which included 'BOILED EGG AND SOLDIERS'(!), was split 2-each. 'Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge' was announced, but the only clue there was time for was timed out. The Wanderers won 26-19.
Another excellent half hour of quality quizzing. Well done Wanderers, and best of luck in the second round. Unlucky Pedagogues, who did perfectly reasonably, and whose fate will lie in whether I understand correctly, and the draw is not split. If it is, they stand a decent chance of a return. If not, they will probably sit behind the Geocachers on points scored in the first two rounds. Victoria's chat with them at the end seems to imply the latter. We shall have to wait and see, hopefully it will all make sense in the end.
Next week's match: Disparates vs Beeks
Playing were the Wanderers, John Payne, Richard Arthur and captain Sanjoy Sen, and the Pedagogues, James Manson, his wife Megan Mason and her sister, captain, Jennifer Shearman.
Round 1. The Pedagogues went first, and kicked the show off with Lion, and the music round: we heard 'When I am Laid In Earth' from Purcell's Porgy and Bess, then the Hollies with 'Air That I Breathe', then Handel's Water Music, and finally The Crazy World of Arthur Brown with 'Fire'. They didn't quite get it, their opponents did: they all represent the four Aristotelian elements, for a bonus. For their own first question, the Wanderers chose Two Reeds: 'Senkaku Islands 1971', then 'Christmas Island 1958', then 'Macau 1999'; they saw them to be islands that changed sovereignty in that year, and collected two points. The Pedagogues chose Twisted Flax next: 'Song from 'Les Miserables'', then 'Rubbers on a table tennis bat', then 'Roulette wheel'; they identified them to be red and black, and collected two points. (Cue a voluntary sing-along from Mr Payne!) The Wanderers chose 'Horn-ed' Viper next: 'Chit', then 'Knick'; a nice one this, replacing the I with an A gives a two word phrase, which they spotted for three points. The Pedagogues chose Eye of Horus next: 'Ben', then 'O'', then 'ap', and finally 'dottir'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are surname affixes that indicate your lineage. Left with Water, and the picture set, for their own question, the Wanderers saw a still from the film Holiday Inn, then the band The Small Faces with frontman Steve Marriott circled, then a four seasons pizza, and finally the media personality Perez Hilton. Neither team saw this: they all share their names with hotel chains. At the end of the first round, the Wanderers led 7-2.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Pedagogues kicked the round off with Lion, and got the picture set: we saw Richard Ayoade (or Richard Okanoyu as my Dad now calls him thanks to Pointless!), then Stephen Merchant (which gave it to me), and then Ed Tudor-Pole. They didn't get an answer in time, and their opponents didn't see it neither: they are, of course, the hosts of The Crystal Maze, so Richard O'Brien would come fourth. The Wanderers chose Twisted Flax next: '3: Cage', then '2: Barn'; they saw it to be EU classifications of eggs, but their answer of '0: Free Range' was incorrect. Their opponents saw '1: Free Range', and so offered '0: Organic' for a bonus point. For their own question, the Pedagogues chose Two Reeds: '4: Netherlands', then '5: France, Luxembourg & United Kingdom', and then '6: Sweden'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: it's the countries that have won Eurovision the most, so '7: Republic of Ireland' completes the set. For their own question, the Wanderers chose 'Horn-ed' Viper: 'Kits', then 'Cats'; they saw it to be the St Ives poem, so 'Sacks' would be third, and 'Wives' completes the set for three points. For their final choice, the Pedagogues chose Eye of Horus: 'Perth football team', then 'BBC journalist kidnapped in 2007', and then 'Nixon's predecessor'. Both teams saw the sequence, 'Johnstone', 'Johnston' and 'Johnson', but neither could come up with an acceptable answer: 'Author of 'The Alchemist'', ie Ben Jonson, would suffice. Left with Water, the Wanderers saw 'Call for a cab', then 'Member of a learned society', and then 'Vertical shaft containing water'; they saw the clues to represent 'Hail', 'Fellow' and 'Well', suggesting the phrase 'Hail-fellow-well-met', so something for 'Met', like 'The Metropolitan Police', would come fourth for two points. At the end of the second round, the Wanderers led 13-3.
On to the Walls. The Wanderers went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. The first sets came pretty quickly, 'Angel', 'Turkish', 'Shepherd's' and 'Rapper's' can all precede 'delight', while 'Homity', 'Mince', 'Cottage' and 'Stargazy' are pies. The wall was solved pretty comfortable after that: 'Burnt Oak', 'Highgate', 'Bank' and 'Oval' are tube stations (rather unfortunate question to have on Friday), while 'Frozen', 'Hollywood', 'Holiday' and 'Erotica' are songs by Madonna. A full wall well solved, so a full ten points.
The Pedagogues thus set to work on the Water wall in danger of falling out of sight. They spotted a sequence of Citreon cars, and isolated 'Picasso', 'Saxo', 'Cactus' and 'Berlingo' (the last of which of greatly amused my parents, who have just bought one!). A second set followed: 'Mirage', 'Oasis', 'Camel' and 'Sand dune' are things typically associated with the desert. The final clues promptly fell into place: 'Golden Nugget', 'Stratosphere', 'Bellagio' and 'Flamingo' are noted casinos in Las Vegas, while 'Dali', 'Goya', 'Miro' and 'Velazquez' are Spanish painters. Another well resolved full ten points, which left them trailing 23-13 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels to finish off, with the Pedagogues needing a good performance to catch up/reach contention for the repechage. 'Comic book characters and their alter egos', such as 'SUPERMAN AND CLARK KENT', went to the Pedagogues 2-0. 'US State mottos' went to the Pedagogues 2-1. 'Vegetarian dishes', which included 'BOILED EGG AND SOLDIERS'(!), was split 2-each. 'Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge' was announced, but the only clue there was time for was timed out. The Wanderers won 26-19.
Another excellent half hour of quality quizzing. Well done Wanderers, and best of luck in the second round. Unlucky Pedagogues, who did perfectly reasonably, and whose fate will lie in whether I understand correctly, and the draw is not split. If it is, they stand a decent chance of a return. If not, they will probably sit behind the Geocachers on points scored in the first two rounds. Victoria's chat with them at the end seems to imply the latter. We shall have to wait and see, hopefully it will all make sense in the end.
Next week's match: Disparates vs Beeks
Monday 11 September 2017
University Challenge 2017-18: Round 1: Match 8: Sheffield Hallam vs Newcastle
Evening all. And we start tonight with an apology. In my review of Friday's OC, I mistakenly credited Luke Kelly of the Inquisitors with having won UC with Manchester; turns out the Luke Kelly of that team was a completely different gentleman who just looked a bit similar. My apologies to both Mr Kellys, and my thanks to Julia Hobbs for pulling me up on this on Twitter. Now, on with tonight.
Sheffield Hallam University was formerly Sheffield Polytechnic, becoming a university in 1992. Alumni include Nick Park of Wallace & Gromit fame, Howard Wilkinson of football fame and Andy Akinwolere of Blue Peter fame. It has sent a team to UC once before, in 2000-01, who reached the QFs. This year's foursome were:
Richard Simkins, from Sheffield, studying English
Alex Crombie, from Hedon in East Yorkshire, studying Education
Captain: Chris Doyle, from Wigan, studying English
James Hanson, from Rotherham, studying History
Newcastle University is also reasonable recent by standards, founded in 1963. Alumni include British institution Rowan Atkinson, music man Bryan Ferry and some chap called Tim Farron, whoever he was. It has regularly sent teams to UC, last appearing two series ago and reaching the QF play off stage. This year's quartet were:
Jack Reynard, from Leeds, studying Medicine
Molly Nielsen, from London, studying Medicine
Captain: Jonathan Noble, from Newcastle, studying for a PGCE
Adam Lowery, from Sunderland, studying Chemistry
Off we set again then, and not the best start to the night, with Newcastle losing five and Sheffield Hallam failing to take possession. The second starter was dropped too, before Miss Nielsen finally broke the duck on the third; Newcastle proceeded to make up for the slow start by taking all three bonuses on Russian composers' first symphonies. Another starter was dropped, with Sheffield Hallam losing five; Mr Crombie made up for that though by taking the next starter, though his side got nothing from the bonuses on Orwell's 1984. Mr Noble was next up for Newcastle, and his side took two bonuses on the work of John Napier. The first picture round, on graphs showing how often politicians were looked up on Google, went to Sheffield Hallam, who, again, got nothing from what was a rather tricky round, which left them trailing 40-15.
Another five points were lost, this time by Sheffield Hallam, and again Newcastle failed to pick up, and a second starter in a row was then dropped again. Miss Nielsen once again took it on herself to stop the rot, and her side took two of the resulting bonuses. Miss Nielsen then took a second starter in a row, which unlocked a tricky bonus set on the duration of 'seasons' on other planets, of which the Tynesiders took one.
Neither side indentified Marvin Gaye for the music starter, though, like myself, they probably did recognise it as the song Robin Thicke was accused of ripping off with 'Blurred Lines'; the bonuses, on other music plagiarism cases, went to Newcastle, who got nothing from another complex bonus set, leaving their lead at 85-10. The works of Umberto Eco provided Newcastle's next bonus set, following another starter from Miss Nielsen; two came this time. Mr Doyle finally broke Sheffield Hallam back into the match, but another tricky bonus set, on melting points of metals, provided them with no correct answers again. Another starter was dropped, Mr Noble took the next, all three bonuses followed, and that was game over I'm afraid.
The second picture round, on paintings used for, or as the inspiration for, album covers, went to Newcastle, who took just the one bonus this time, which left their lead at 145-20. Mr Simkins took another starter for Sheffield Hallam, but, once again, they got nothing from the bonuses; at this point, I genuinely feared for them that they'd become the first side (that I know of) to end the match having answered no bonuses correctly.
Newcastle, by contrast, seemed to be doing decently on the bonuses when they got them; Mr Noble took the next starter, and bonuses on novels and the prime ministers in office when they were first published gave them a full house. Another starter was dropped, Mr Crombie took the next, but, alas, there was no time for any bonuses. At the gong, Newcastle won 170-40.
Another rather low scoring match, probably due to some unusually hard questions for the first round. Unlucky Sheffield Hallam, for whom things just didn't fall tonight, but who came across well and must be a decent team to have made it on the show in the first place, so thanks for taking part. Well done Newcastle though on a not bad first performance, and best of luck in the next round!
The stats: Miss Nielsen was the best buzzer of the night with five starters, while Mr Crombie was best for Sheffield Hallam with three. On the bonuses, Sheffield Hallam, alas, converted 0 out of 12, which I think might be an unfortunate first for the show (plus two penalties as well), while Newcastle, by contrast, managed an OK 17 out of 27 (with one penalty).
Next week's match: Leicester vs Fitzwilliam College Cambridge
Only Connect, meanwhile, will be carrying on on Sunday nights for the foreseeable future, until the show returns to Monday, in which case I'll, hopefully, be able to return to doing it on Tuesday nights.
Sheffield Hallam University was formerly Sheffield Polytechnic, becoming a university in 1992. Alumni include Nick Park of Wallace & Gromit fame, Howard Wilkinson of football fame and Andy Akinwolere of Blue Peter fame. It has sent a team to UC once before, in 2000-01, who reached the QFs. This year's foursome were:
Richard Simkins, from Sheffield, studying English
Alex Crombie, from Hedon in East Yorkshire, studying Education
Captain: Chris Doyle, from Wigan, studying English
James Hanson, from Rotherham, studying History
Newcastle University is also reasonable recent by standards, founded in 1963. Alumni include British institution Rowan Atkinson, music man Bryan Ferry and some chap called Tim Farron, whoever he was. It has regularly sent teams to UC, last appearing two series ago and reaching the QF play off stage. This year's quartet were:
Jack Reynard, from Leeds, studying Medicine
Molly Nielsen, from London, studying Medicine
Captain: Jonathan Noble, from Newcastle, studying for a PGCE
Adam Lowery, from Sunderland, studying Chemistry
Off we set again then, and not the best start to the night, with Newcastle losing five and Sheffield Hallam failing to take possession. The second starter was dropped too, before Miss Nielsen finally broke the duck on the third; Newcastle proceeded to make up for the slow start by taking all three bonuses on Russian composers' first symphonies. Another starter was dropped, with Sheffield Hallam losing five; Mr Crombie made up for that though by taking the next starter, though his side got nothing from the bonuses on Orwell's 1984. Mr Noble was next up for Newcastle, and his side took two bonuses on the work of John Napier. The first picture round, on graphs showing how often politicians were looked up on Google, went to Sheffield Hallam, who, again, got nothing from what was a rather tricky round, which left them trailing 40-15.
Another five points were lost, this time by Sheffield Hallam, and again Newcastle failed to pick up, and a second starter in a row was then dropped again. Miss Nielsen once again took it on herself to stop the rot, and her side took two of the resulting bonuses. Miss Nielsen then took a second starter in a row, which unlocked a tricky bonus set on the duration of 'seasons' on other planets, of which the Tynesiders took one.
Neither side indentified Marvin Gaye for the music starter, though, like myself, they probably did recognise it as the song Robin Thicke was accused of ripping off with 'Blurred Lines'; the bonuses, on other music plagiarism cases, went to Newcastle, who got nothing from another complex bonus set, leaving their lead at 85-10. The works of Umberto Eco provided Newcastle's next bonus set, following another starter from Miss Nielsen; two came this time. Mr Doyle finally broke Sheffield Hallam back into the match, but another tricky bonus set, on melting points of metals, provided them with no correct answers again. Another starter was dropped, Mr Noble took the next, all three bonuses followed, and that was game over I'm afraid.
The second picture round, on paintings used for, or as the inspiration for, album covers, went to Newcastle, who took just the one bonus this time, which left their lead at 145-20. Mr Simkins took another starter for Sheffield Hallam, but, once again, they got nothing from the bonuses; at this point, I genuinely feared for them that they'd become the first side (that I know of) to end the match having answered no bonuses correctly.
Newcastle, by contrast, seemed to be doing decently on the bonuses when they got them; Mr Noble took the next starter, and bonuses on novels and the prime ministers in office when they were first published gave them a full house. Another starter was dropped, Mr Crombie took the next, but, alas, there was no time for any bonuses. At the gong, Newcastle won 170-40.
Another rather low scoring match, probably due to some unusually hard questions for the first round. Unlucky Sheffield Hallam, for whom things just didn't fall tonight, but who came across well and must be a decent team to have made it on the show in the first place, so thanks for taking part. Well done Newcastle though on a not bad first performance, and best of luck in the next round!
The stats: Miss Nielsen was the best buzzer of the night with five starters, while Mr Crombie was best for Sheffield Hallam with three. On the bonuses, Sheffield Hallam, alas, converted 0 out of 12, which I think might be an unfortunate first for the show (plus two penalties as well), while Newcastle, by contrast, managed an OK 17 out of 27 (with one penalty).
Next week's match: Leicester vs Fitzwilliam College Cambridge
Only Connect, meanwhile, will be carrying on on Sunday nights for the foreseeable future, until the show returns to Monday, in which case I'll, hopefully, be able to return to doing it on Tuesday nights.
Sunday 10 September 2017
Only Connect Series 13: Round 1: Match 7: Cricketers vs Inquisitors
OK, Only Connect time. Unless I say otherwise, we shall carry on on Sunday nights until the show returns to its rightful place on Monday nights. And when Victoria mentioned having been visited by three spirits in her intro, I can't have been the only one expecting her to go on to say she drank them!
Playing the final match of this half of the first round (I think) were the Cricketers, Andrew Burford, Simon Williams and captain Neil Clarke, and the Inquisitors, Luke Kelly (winner of £64,000 on Millionaire), Rob Cumming and captain Julia Hobbs (Mastermind regular and runner-up to Beth Webster in Make Me an Egghead Women's tournament).
Round 1. The Inquisitors went first, and kicked the match off with Lion: they saw 'Cat Flap: head', and after a bit of discussion, buzzed and offered 'spoonerisms'. Correct for FIVE POINTS! Excellent work! (The other clues were 'Marking Peter: street', 'Flock of Bats: residential area' and 'Belly Jeans: sweet shop') The Cricketers thus set to business with Twisted Flax, and the picture set: we saw a racoon, then Madonna, then a submarine; they saw them to be Beatles song titles, and collected two points. The Inquisitors chose Horned Viper next: 'Ffynnon Garw', then 'Football League First Division', then 'Pluto'; they offered at this point that they were all things that were downgraded, and they too collected two points. The Cricketers chose Water next: The Pied Piper of Hamelin', then 'Dolly Parton', then 'Colin Baker's Doctor Who', and finally 'Joseph'. They didn't see it, their opponents did: they all famously wear coats of many colours. For their own question, the Inquisitors chose Eye of Horus, and got the music set: we heard Little Boots with 'Remedy', then Little Jimmy Osmond singing 'Tweedle Dee', then Little Richard singing 'Lucille'; they spotted the link, and collected another two points. (I can name all the Osmonds by heart, despite being far too young to remember them BTW!) Left with Two Reeds, the Cricketers saw 'Dumbo', then 'Nolita', then 'Soho', and finally 'Tribeca'. They identified them as neighbourhoods of New York, for a point. At the end of the first round, the Inquisitors led 10-3.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Inquisitors kicked the round off with Twisted Flax: 'Cheltenham (567)', then 'Puniness (3456)'; they identified them as words with descending numbers in them, but having buzzed, couldn't provide an acceptable answer. Their opponents saw 'Freighters (34567)', but couldn't pick up either. They are words with descending numbers in them, but the numbers represent where the hidden number is, so, for example, 'Seventy (12345)', would be acceptable. Nice cryptic question, but maybe too much for the first round! The Cricketers chose Lion next: 'Sundar Pichai', then 'Larry Page', and then 'Eric Schmidt'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents. They are CEOs of Google, so 'Larry Page' again would be fourth. The Inquisitors chose Eye of Horus next: 'Le chagrin', then 'La joie', and then 'Une fille'; they saw it to be the Magpie rhyme in French, so 'Un garcon' would be fourth. The Cricketers chose Two Reeds next, and got the picture set: we saw Wendi Deng, Rupert Murdoch's ex, then Ding Junhui the snooker player, and then the Vietnamese dong; they saw the sequence, and offered 'a pile of dung', for two points. For their final choice, the Inquisitors chose Water: 'Calida', then 'Almeria'; they spotted it to be the Spanish costas, but their offer at this point of 'Brava' was not correct. Their opponents saw 'Tropical', but couldn't pick up. It is the costas, but going south, so 'Del Sol' is fourth. Left with Horned Viper, the Cricketers saw 'Glenn', then 'Anil'; a rather appropriate question for them, they quickly saw it to be leading wicket takers in Test cricket, so 'Shane' would be third, and 'Muttiah' fourth. At the end of the second round, the Inquisitors led 12-8.
On to the Walls. The Cricketers took their turn to go first, and opted for the Lion wall. They immediately isolated 'Whippy', 'Muscle', 'Kipling' and 'Sheen', which all follow 'Mr' to give brand names. This was followed by 'Bolton', 'Ball', 'Portillo' and 'Palin', which are surnames of famous Michaels. They took their time with the final sets, and eventually worked it out on their first try: 'Hockey', 'Age', 'Lolly' and 'Floe' can all follow 'Ice', while 'Ball', 'Staccato', 'Sheet' and 'Forked' are types of lightning. A full ten well worked out there.
The Inquisitors thus set to work on the Water wall. They too isolated a set immediately: 'Knoxville', 'Vegas', 'Morris' and 'Ball' are surnames of famous Johnnys. A second set came pretty easily too: 'Measure', 'Shaker', 'Muddler' and 'Shot' are bartending terms. They came unstuck with the remainders though, and thus had to pick up bonus connection points: 'Butter', 'Pucker', 'Cough' and 'Wrap' can all precede 'up', which they got, while 'Set', 'Belly', 'Barn' and 'Tap' are dances, which they spotted when they saw it. Six points there, which left the scores level at 18-each going into the final round.
So Missing Vowels would decide who went straight through, and who'd have to hope for the play-offs. 'Planes' went to the Inquisitors 3-1, as did 'Trains'. 'Automobiles' went to the Inquisitors 2-1, while 'Films with transport in the title' finished 2-0 to the Inquisitors, and that was time. The Inquisitors won the show 28-21.
A high quality show, well played both teams. Well done Inquisitors on a very impressive first performance, could be a team to watch in the next round, best of luck in it! Unlucky Cricketers, but a decent effort, and, if I understand the format correctly, they will survive to play-offs alongside the Escapologists, having scored the same number of points as the Lapsed Physicists, but acquired more in the first two rounds. If someone could explain precisely what is going on, that'd be much appreciated.
Next week's match: Wanderers vs Pedagogues
Playing the final match of this half of the first round (I think) were the Cricketers, Andrew Burford, Simon Williams and captain Neil Clarke, and the Inquisitors, Luke Kelly (winner of £64,000 on Millionaire), Rob Cumming and captain Julia Hobbs (Mastermind regular and runner-up to Beth Webster in Make Me an Egghead Women's tournament).
Round 1. The Inquisitors went first, and kicked the match off with Lion: they saw 'Cat Flap: head', and after a bit of discussion, buzzed and offered 'spoonerisms'. Correct for FIVE POINTS! Excellent work! (The other clues were 'Marking Peter: street', 'Flock of Bats: residential area' and 'Belly Jeans: sweet shop') The Cricketers thus set to business with Twisted Flax, and the picture set: we saw a racoon, then Madonna, then a submarine; they saw them to be Beatles song titles, and collected two points. The Inquisitors chose Horned Viper next: 'Ffynnon Garw', then 'Football League First Division', then 'Pluto'; they offered at this point that they were all things that were downgraded, and they too collected two points. The Cricketers chose Water next: The Pied Piper of Hamelin', then 'Dolly Parton', then 'Colin Baker's Doctor Who', and finally 'Joseph'. They didn't see it, their opponents did: they all famously wear coats of many colours. For their own question, the Inquisitors chose Eye of Horus, and got the music set: we heard Little Boots with 'Remedy', then Little Jimmy Osmond singing 'Tweedle Dee', then Little Richard singing 'Lucille'; they spotted the link, and collected another two points. (I can name all the Osmonds by heart, despite being far too young to remember them BTW!) Left with Two Reeds, the Cricketers saw 'Dumbo', then 'Nolita', then 'Soho', and finally 'Tribeca'. They identified them as neighbourhoods of New York, for a point. At the end of the first round, the Inquisitors led 10-3.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Inquisitors kicked the round off with Twisted Flax: 'Cheltenham (567)', then 'Puniness (3456)'; they identified them as words with descending numbers in them, but having buzzed, couldn't provide an acceptable answer. Their opponents saw 'Freighters (34567)', but couldn't pick up either. They are words with descending numbers in them, but the numbers represent where the hidden number is, so, for example, 'Seventy (12345)', would be acceptable. Nice cryptic question, but maybe too much for the first round! The Cricketers chose Lion next: 'Sundar Pichai', then 'Larry Page', and then 'Eric Schmidt'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents. They are CEOs of Google, so 'Larry Page' again would be fourth. The Inquisitors chose Eye of Horus next: 'Le chagrin', then 'La joie', and then 'Une fille'; they saw it to be the Magpie rhyme in French, so 'Un garcon' would be fourth. The Cricketers chose Two Reeds next, and got the picture set: we saw Wendi Deng, Rupert Murdoch's ex, then Ding Junhui the snooker player, and then the Vietnamese dong; they saw the sequence, and offered 'a pile of dung', for two points. For their final choice, the Inquisitors chose Water: 'Calida', then 'Almeria'; they spotted it to be the Spanish costas, but their offer at this point of 'Brava' was not correct. Their opponents saw 'Tropical', but couldn't pick up. It is the costas, but going south, so 'Del Sol' is fourth. Left with Horned Viper, the Cricketers saw 'Glenn', then 'Anil'; a rather appropriate question for them, they quickly saw it to be leading wicket takers in Test cricket, so 'Shane' would be third, and 'Muttiah' fourth. At the end of the second round, the Inquisitors led 12-8.
On to the Walls. The Cricketers took their turn to go first, and opted for the Lion wall. They immediately isolated 'Whippy', 'Muscle', 'Kipling' and 'Sheen', which all follow 'Mr' to give brand names. This was followed by 'Bolton', 'Ball', 'Portillo' and 'Palin', which are surnames of famous Michaels. They took their time with the final sets, and eventually worked it out on their first try: 'Hockey', 'Age', 'Lolly' and 'Floe' can all follow 'Ice', while 'Ball', 'Staccato', 'Sheet' and 'Forked' are types of lightning. A full ten well worked out there.
The Inquisitors thus set to work on the Water wall. They too isolated a set immediately: 'Knoxville', 'Vegas', 'Morris' and 'Ball' are surnames of famous Johnnys. A second set came pretty easily too: 'Measure', 'Shaker', 'Muddler' and 'Shot' are bartending terms. They came unstuck with the remainders though, and thus had to pick up bonus connection points: 'Butter', 'Pucker', 'Cough' and 'Wrap' can all precede 'up', which they got, while 'Set', 'Belly', 'Barn' and 'Tap' are dances, which they spotted when they saw it. Six points there, which left the scores level at 18-each going into the final round.
So Missing Vowels would decide who went straight through, and who'd have to hope for the play-offs. 'Planes' went to the Inquisitors 3-1, as did 'Trains'. 'Automobiles' went to the Inquisitors 2-1, while 'Films with transport in the title' finished 2-0 to the Inquisitors, and that was time. The Inquisitors won the show 28-21.
A high quality show, well played both teams. Well done Inquisitors on a very impressive first performance, could be a team to watch in the next round, best of luck in it! Unlucky Cricketers, but a decent effort, and, if I understand the format correctly, they will survive to play-offs alongside the Escapologists, having scored the same number of points as the Lapsed Physicists, but acquired more in the first two rounds. If someone could explain precisely what is going on, that'd be much appreciated.
Next week's match: Wanderers vs Pedagogues
Monday 4 September 2017
University Challenge 2017-18: Round 1: Match 7: Trinity vs U.C.L.
Evening all. So, who would witness the better match tonight: me, here in my flat watching UC as usual, or my Dad, who is at Hampden with his mates watching Scotland play Malta. Well, at the time of writing, I am unaware of the score of that match, or of the England game for that matter, so don't anyone tell me, I'll find out after I've done this. So lets get on with it...
Trinity College Oxford is one of the university's smaller colleges, founded in 1555; alumni include PMs Pitt the Elder and Lord North, news quiz panelist Jacob Rees-Mogg and Jay Gatsby, allegedly. Unlike it's Cambridge namesake, it has rarely appeared on UC, it's only prior Paxo appearance being in 2005-06. This year's foursome were:
Maxim Parr-Reid, from Olney in Buckinghamshire, studying History and Politics
Nicole Rosenfeld, from Hertfordshire, studying Maths
Captain: James Gunn, from Melbourne, studying Classics
Ben Coker, from Hadlow in Kent, studying PPE
University College London, founded in 1826, may be part of the University of London, but its student body is larger than many actual independent universities. Alumni include Mahatma Gandhi, philosopher John Stuart Mill, all four members of Coldplay. It has regularly sent teams to UC, the last, three series ago, going out in the second round. This year's quartet were:
Tom Allinson, from Whitchurch in Hampshire, studying History
Charlie Dowell, from Chelmsford, studying Neuroscience
Captain: Robert Gray, from Kingston-upon-Thames, studying Cell Biology
Omar Raii, from Kabul, studying Maths
Off we set again then, and Mr Gunn took the first starter of the night; a bonus set on 'patience' provided Trinity with two correct bonuses to start off with. U.C.L.'s first buzz of the match saw them lose five, and handed Trinity another starter and pair of bonuses. Mr Dowell moved the London side back into positive figures, and they too took two bonuses from their first set. Mr Gunn took already his third starter of the night, but no bonuses came this time. The first picture round, on maps showing rock distribution, went to U.C.L., after the starter was dropped; just the one bonus followed, leaving them trailing 50-30.
Another slip-up cost them another five though, but their opponents couldn't pick up this time. Another starter was dropped, before Mr Gunn resumed his excellent early buzzing, identifying the angler fish; bonuses on pineapples got them nothing more though. Mr Allinson brought U.C.L. their third starter of the match; bonuses on Irish counties provided them with just the one correct answer. Miss Rosenfeld then added her name to the buzzer scoresheet, and the Oxonians also took just the one bonus.
The music round, on songs from Hamilton, went to Trinity, who, despite having not actually seen it yet(!), quickly hoovered up the bonuses, which increased their lead to 105-40. Mr Raii then made up for his earlier slip-up taking U.C.L.'s latest starter, but just the one bonus followed again. Miss Rosenfeld took a second starter of the night, giving her side a bonus set on female politicians in the Americas, of which they also took just the one. Mr Gray now entered the fray for U.C.L., ensuring all four Londoners had a starter to their names, and two bonuses on the Roman Empire came their way.
The second picture round, on paintings housed at Holkham Hall, went to U.C.L., who took two bonuses, which meant they had now closed the gap to 120-95. Just a starter and full bonus set in it now, until Mr Coker increased it by taking the next starter. A full bonus set on pairs of words differing by 'con' and 'pro' made the London side's task a bit harder. Mr Gray did his best to achieve it, taking the next starter, and two bonuses on vitamins accompanied.
Dying minutes of the show, and U.C.L. were certainly still in contention; Mr Allinson took the next starter, and a bonus set on Russia gave them two correct answers which put them just ten points behind. But when Mr Coker took the next starter, that was most likely it; Trinity took two bonuses just to be sure of it. Mr Gunn, who had gone quiet after the excellent first half, lost five on the next starter; Mr Raii took the pick up, and despite his best attempts to hurry Paxo's preamble to the bonuses, there was no time for any further questions. At the gong, Trinity won 160-145.
Not a bad match at all, a pretty decent one actually all things considered. Unlucky U.C.L., but 145 looks like it would probably be enough for the repechage, so hopefully we'll see you again there, and good luck in making it there. Well done Trinity though; a decent first effort against decent opponents, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Mr Gunn finished the best buzzer of the night, with five starters to his name, while Messrs Allinson and Raii were best for U.C.L. with three each. On the bonuses, Trinity converted 15 out of 27 (with one late penalty), while U.C.L. managed 13 out of 24 (with two penalties); not bad rates those, so it was the buzzers where the match was won.
Next week's match: Sheffield Hallam vs Newcastle
As for Only Connect, I'm considering moving my reviews back to Tuesdays earlier than I planned, but we'll wait and see how I feel this Sunday.
Trinity College Oxford is one of the university's smaller colleges, founded in 1555; alumni include PMs Pitt the Elder and Lord North, news quiz panelist Jacob Rees-Mogg and Jay Gatsby, allegedly. Unlike it's Cambridge namesake, it has rarely appeared on UC, it's only prior Paxo appearance being in 2005-06. This year's foursome were:
Maxim Parr-Reid, from Olney in Buckinghamshire, studying History and Politics
Nicole Rosenfeld, from Hertfordshire, studying Maths
Captain: James Gunn, from Melbourne, studying Classics
Ben Coker, from Hadlow in Kent, studying PPE
University College London, founded in 1826, may be part of the University of London, but its student body is larger than many actual independent universities. Alumni include Mahatma Gandhi, philosopher John Stuart Mill, all four members of Coldplay. It has regularly sent teams to UC, the last, three series ago, going out in the second round. This year's quartet were:
Tom Allinson, from Whitchurch in Hampshire, studying History
Charlie Dowell, from Chelmsford, studying Neuroscience
Captain: Robert Gray, from Kingston-upon-Thames, studying Cell Biology
Omar Raii, from Kabul, studying Maths
Off we set again then, and Mr Gunn took the first starter of the night; a bonus set on 'patience' provided Trinity with two correct bonuses to start off with. U.C.L.'s first buzz of the match saw them lose five, and handed Trinity another starter and pair of bonuses. Mr Dowell moved the London side back into positive figures, and they too took two bonuses from their first set. Mr Gunn took already his third starter of the night, but no bonuses came this time. The first picture round, on maps showing rock distribution, went to U.C.L., after the starter was dropped; just the one bonus followed, leaving them trailing 50-30.
Another slip-up cost them another five though, but their opponents couldn't pick up this time. Another starter was dropped, before Mr Gunn resumed his excellent early buzzing, identifying the angler fish; bonuses on pineapples got them nothing more though. Mr Allinson brought U.C.L. their third starter of the match; bonuses on Irish counties provided them with just the one correct answer. Miss Rosenfeld then added her name to the buzzer scoresheet, and the Oxonians also took just the one bonus.
The music round, on songs from Hamilton, went to Trinity, who, despite having not actually seen it yet(!), quickly hoovered up the bonuses, which increased their lead to 105-40. Mr Raii then made up for his earlier slip-up taking U.C.L.'s latest starter, but just the one bonus followed again. Miss Rosenfeld took a second starter of the night, giving her side a bonus set on female politicians in the Americas, of which they also took just the one. Mr Gray now entered the fray for U.C.L., ensuring all four Londoners had a starter to their names, and two bonuses on the Roman Empire came their way.
The second picture round, on paintings housed at Holkham Hall, went to U.C.L., who took two bonuses, which meant they had now closed the gap to 120-95. Just a starter and full bonus set in it now, until Mr Coker increased it by taking the next starter. A full bonus set on pairs of words differing by 'con' and 'pro' made the London side's task a bit harder. Mr Gray did his best to achieve it, taking the next starter, and two bonuses on vitamins accompanied.
Dying minutes of the show, and U.C.L. were certainly still in contention; Mr Allinson took the next starter, and a bonus set on Russia gave them two correct answers which put them just ten points behind. But when Mr Coker took the next starter, that was most likely it; Trinity took two bonuses just to be sure of it. Mr Gunn, who had gone quiet after the excellent first half, lost five on the next starter; Mr Raii took the pick up, and despite his best attempts to hurry Paxo's preamble to the bonuses, there was no time for any further questions. At the gong, Trinity won 160-145.
Not a bad match at all, a pretty decent one actually all things considered. Unlucky U.C.L., but 145 looks like it would probably be enough for the repechage, so hopefully we'll see you again there, and good luck in making it there. Well done Trinity though; a decent first effort against decent opponents, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Mr Gunn finished the best buzzer of the night, with five starters to his name, while Messrs Allinson and Raii were best for U.C.L. with three each. On the bonuses, Trinity converted 15 out of 27 (with one late penalty), while U.C.L. managed 13 out of 24 (with two penalties); not bad rates those, so it was the buzzers where the match was won.
Next week's match: Sheffield Hallam vs Newcastle
As for Only Connect, I'm considering moving my reviews back to Tuesdays earlier than I planned, but we'll wait and see how I feel this Sunday.
Sunday 3 September 2017
Only Connect Series 13: Round 1: Match 6: Meeples vs Tequila Slammers
OK, time to look back at one of the most hotly anticipated episodes of Only Connect for a long long time!
For playing we had the Meeples, Tom West, Hugh Trimble and captain Gail Trimble, one of the all-time UC greats, accompanied by her husband and brother, and the Tequila Slammers, Michael Tomsett, of last year's Bristol UC team, George Ferzoco, Mastermind alumnus, and captain Roderick Cromar, alumnus of Mastermind, Brain of Britain and UC, captain of the Aberdeen side that reached the semis of Paxo's first series.
Round 1. The Meeples went first, and kicked the match off with Eye of Horus: 'Tom Finney', then 'Joe Wurzelbacher', then 'Thomas Crapper'; they tried 'inventors of things that sound like they were named after them', not right. Their opponents saw 'Mario', but were none the wiser: they were plumbers. The Slammers chose Two Reeds to start with: 'Charging bull's testicles', then Juliet's right breast', then 'John Harvard's left shoe', and finally 'Abraham Lincoln's nose'. They saw them to be things rubbed for good luck, and collected the first point of the night. The Meeples chose Twisted Flax next: 'Wine and Beverage Appreciation', then 'Cult Satanic Stories', then 'Critically Acclaimed Animal Tales', and finally 'Cerebral Scandanavian Movies'. They didn't get this, nor did their opponents: they are micro-genres on Netflix. The Slammers chose Lion next, and got the music question: we heard Motown Junk by the Manic Street Preachers, then Tom Waits singing Downtown Train, then Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat, and finally Billy Joel with Uptown Girl. They didn't see it, their opponents did, and collected their first point of the game. For their own question, the Meeples chose Horned Viper, and got the picture set: we saw Stan Lee, then Eric Bana, then Kyle Edmund the tennis player; misidentifying him as Stan Wawrinka, they offered that they are all called Stan. Not right. Their opponents saw Kenny Everett, but were none the wiser. They, of course, share their names with those of the main characters in South Park! Left with Water, the Slammers saw 'The Fleadh Cheoil', then 'Archbishop of Armagh', then 'Sinn Fein', and finally 'Irish national rugby team'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they operate in both Northern Ireland and the Republic as one entity. At the end of a surprisingly low scoring first round, the Meeples led 2-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Meeples kicked the round off with Lion: 'Triangle 0', then 'Trapezium 1', and then 'Parallelogram 2'; they saw it to be shapes with that many parallel lines, and offered 'Regular hexagon 3' for two points. The Slammers chose Two Reeds next: 'George II', then 'George IV', and then 'William IV'. Neither side got it: they are monarchs who were not succeeded by their offspring, so 'Edward VIII' would complete the set. The Meeples chose Water next: 'Larry', then 'Leslie'; they saw it to be the Durrell siblings in order of age in 'My Family and Other Animals', so 'Margo' would be third, and 'Gerald', who wrote the book, fourth, for three points. The Slammers chose Twisted Flax next: 'Question', then 'Suffer', and then 'Fortune'. They didn't spot it, their opponents did: it's the final words in the lines of the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy, so 'Troubles' would be fourth. For their own final choice, the Meeples chose Eye of Horus, and got the picture set: we saw the band Rage Against the Machine, then a cash machine; they saw them to be 'RATM' and 'ATM', so offered 'Judi Dench as M', and collected another three points. Left with Horned Viper, and in need of points, the Slammers saw 'Journey', then 'Heuretics', and then 'Minutest'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents; they are words that begin with French units of time descending, so something like 'Seconded' would satisfy. Now that's a bit hard for the first round IMO! At the end of a rather one sided second round, the Meeples led 11-1.
On to the Walls. The Slammers chose to tackle the Lion wall. They promptly isolated 'Bullpen', 'Mound', 'Diamond' and 'Foul line', which are features of a baseball pitch, followed shortly by 'Samurai', 'Killer', 'Jigsaw' and 'Tredoku', which are variants of Sodoku. After spending a good long while looking over the final clues, they solved it on their final go: 'Deadly', 'Kate', 'Hardy', 'Quick' can all follow 'Kiss Me', while 'Matrix', 'Cuticle', 'Plate' and 'Lunula' are parts of a fingernail. Fully solved, so a much needed full ten points.
The Meeples thus set to work on the Water wall, and quickly got stuck. They eventually spotted a link of types of chip, and isolated 'Micro', 'Tortilla', 'Wood' and 'Blue'. That was as far as they could get though, so they had to settle for bonus point collections: 'Thatcher', 'Tufnell', 'Blackburn' and 'Brooks' are surnames of I'm A Celebrity winners, which they didn't get, 'Caroline', 'Marshall', 'Cook' and 'Solomon' are islands in the Pacific, which they did get, while 'William', 'Potato', 'Spot' and 'Talk' can all follow 'Sweet', which they didn't. Just three points there, which left their lead at 14-11 going into the final round.
So, suddenly, we had a close match, and it would be decided on Missing Vowels. 'Expressions involving body parts', such as 'HARD SHOULDER', was split 2-each. 'CD', such as 'COMPACT DISC' and 'FOUR HUNDRED', went to the Slammers 3-1. 'Things that come in sevens' went to the Meeples 3-0, and that was time. The Meeples won 20-16.
A surprisingly low scoring match, but certainly not a bad match by any means. Unlucky Slammers, who did very well to recover after the second round, and have alas fallen short of the repechage, but well done anyway on a valiant effort. Well done Meeples though, and best of luck in the next round!
Next week's match: Cricketers vs Inquisitors
For playing we had the Meeples, Tom West, Hugh Trimble and captain Gail Trimble, one of the all-time UC greats, accompanied by her husband and brother, and the Tequila Slammers, Michael Tomsett, of last year's Bristol UC team, George Ferzoco, Mastermind alumnus, and captain Roderick Cromar, alumnus of Mastermind, Brain of Britain and UC, captain of the Aberdeen side that reached the semis of Paxo's first series.
Round 1. The Meeples went first, and kicked the match off with Eye of Horus: 'Tom Finney', then 'Joe Wurzelbacher', then 'Thomas Crapper'; they tried 'inventors of things that sound like they were named after them', not right. Their opponents saw 'Mario', but were none the wiser: they were plumbers. The Slammers chose Two Reeds to start with: 'Charging bull's testicles', then Juliet's right breast', then 'John Harvard's left shoe', and finally 'Abraham Lincoln's nose'. They saw them to be things rubbed for good luck, and collected the first point of the night. The Meeples chose Twisted Flax next: 'Wine and Beverage Appreciation', then 'Cult Satanic Stories', then 'Critically Acclaimed Animal Tales', and finally 'Cerebral Scandanavian Movies'. They didn't get this, nor did their opponents: they are micro-genres on Netflix. The Slammers chose Lion next, and got the music question: we heard Motown Junk by the Manic Street Preachers, then Tom Waits singing Downtown Train, then Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat, and finally Billy Joel with Uptown Girl. They didn't see it, their opponents did, and collected their first point of the game. For their own question, the Meeples chose Horned Viper, and got the picture set: we saw Stan Lee, then Eric Bana, then Kyle Edmund the tennis player; misidentifying him as Stan Wawrinka, they offered that they are all called Stan. Not right. Their opponents saw Kenny Everett, but were none the wiser. They, of course, share their names with those of the main characters in South Park! Left with Water, the Slammers saw 'The Fleadh Cheoil', then 'Archbishop of Armagh', then 'Sinn Fein', and finally 'Irish national rugby team'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they operate in both Northern Ireland and the Republic as one entity. At the end of a surprisingly low scoring first round, the Meeples led 2-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Meeples kicked the round off with Lion: 'Triangle 0', then 'Trapezium 1', and then 'Parallelogram 2'; they saw it to be shapes with that many parallel lines, and offered 'Regular hexagon 3' for two points. The Slammers chose Two Reeds next: 'George II', then 'George IV', and then 'William IV'. Neither side got it: they are monarchs who were not succeeded by their offspring, so 'Edward VIII' would complete the set. The Meeples chose Water next: 'Larry', then 'Leslie'; they saw it to be the Durrell siblings in order of age in 'My Family and Other Animals', so 'Margo' would be third, and 'Gerald', who wrote the book, fourth, for three points. The Slammers chose Twisted Flax next: 'Question', then 'Suffer', and then 'Fortune'. They didn't spot it, their opponents did: it's the final words in the lines of the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy, so 'Troubles' would be fourth. For their own final choice, the Meeples chose Eye of Horus, and got the picture set: we saw the band Rage Against the Machine, then a cash machine; they saw them to be 'RATM' and 'ATM', so offered 'Judi Dench as M', and collected another three points. Left with Horned Viper, and in need of points, the Slammers saw 'Journey', then 'Heuretics', and then 'Minutest'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents; they are words that begin with French units of time descending, so something like 'Seconded' would satisfy. Now that's a bit hard for the first round IMO! At the end of a rather one sided second round, the Meeples led 11-1.
On to the Walls. The Slammers chose to tackle the Lion wall. They promptly isolated 'Bullpen', 'Mound', 'Diamond' and 'Foul line', which are features of a baseball pitch, followed shortly by 'Samurai', 'Killer', 'Jigsaw' and 'Tredoku', which are variants of Sodoku. After spending a good long while looking over the final clues, they solved it on their final go: 'Deadly', 'Kate', 'Hardy', 'Quick' can all follow 'Kiss Me', while 'Matrix', 'Cuticle', 'Plate' and 'Lunula' are parts of a fingernail. Fully solved, so a much needed full ten points.
The Meeples thus set to work on the Water wall, and quickly got stuck. They eventually spotted a link of types of chip, and isolated 'Micro', 'Tortilla', 'Wood' and 'Blue'. That was as far as they could get though, so they had to settle for bonus point collections: 'Thatcher', 'Tufnell', 'Blackburn' and 'Brooks' are surnames of I'm A Celebrity winners, which they didn't get, 'Caroline', 'Marshall', 'Cook' and 'Solomon' are islands in the Pacific, which they did get, while 'William', 'Potato', 'Spot' and 'Talk' can all follow 'Sweet', which they didn't. Just three points there, which left their lead at 14-11 going into the final round.
So, suddenly, we had a close match, and it would be decided on Missing Vowels. 'Expressions involving body parts', such as 'HARD SHOULDER', was split 2-each. 'CD', such as 'COMPACT DISC' and 'FOUR HUNDRED', went to the Slammers 3-1. 'Things that come in sevens' went to the Meeples 3-0, and that was time. The Meeples won 20-16.
A surprisingly low scoring match, but certainly not a bad match by any means. Unlucky Slammers, who did very well to recover after the second round, and have alas fallen short of the repechage, but well done anyway on a valiant effort. Well done Meeples though, and best of luck in the next round!
Next week's match: Cricketers vs Inquisitors
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