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.
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