All right all? Hope you all have a good Christmas, and have something decent planned to see the New Year in tonight. I myself am worn out after what's been a busy and disjointed week, so Christmas University Challenge has at least provided something to keep me going, even if, as at least one Twitterer has pointed out, it has been on at different times all week. Be thankful you're not viewing it in Scotland, where it has been on as early as 5:45 in the afternoon at least once this week!
Anyway, I meant to do this last night, but became distracted, so let's do this now. (Apologies as I haven't watched these since they first went out, so my memories may be a bit vague.)
Sunday 24th: Durham vs Keble Oxford
Durham: Alexander Talbot-Rice, Caroline Foster (nee Atkins), Nick Mohammed, Rod Clements
Keble: Paul Johnson, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Katy Brand, Anne Marie Imafidon
First match of the series very much a taster of what we should come to expect later in the week. Keble led from the off, with Mr Cottrell-Boyce in particular running the buzzer race, ending the night with six to his name. Durham had their moments, but were clearly outclassed on the buzzer here. Sadly for Mrs Foster, her second go at Christmas UC ended even worse than her first! The final score 220-35 in Keble's favour guarantees them a return next week.
Tuesday 26th: Selwyn Cambridge vs St Andrews
Selwyn: Sophie Wilson, Robin French, David Wilson, Viv Groskop
St Andrews: Michael Hulse, Alistair Moffat, Brian Taylor, Andrew Crumey
Probably the best match of the week; the final score, 145-90 to Selwyn, probably a bit harsh on St Andrews, who were very much in the match til right near the end. Kudos to Ms Wilson too for possibly the longest UC intro of all time! Her namesake was the best buzzer of the match, also with six starters. Sadly Selwyn's score definitely won't bring them back next week.
Wednesday 27th: York vs Southampton
York: Catherine West, Tom Service, Kevin Maguire, Simon Webb
Southampton: Simon Evans, Daniel Sandford, John Wilson, Claire Foges
A flying start from Southampton made another comfortable win look on the cards, but York did well to recover nicely afterwards and pull close after the music round. Southampton then ran away again afterwards though, and won 150-70. Mr Evans finished best on the buzzer with five starters, and, as our old friend Cromarty(IV) pointed out, is not the first 'Southampton Evans' to have appeared on the show! Their score is borderline for next week.
Thursday 28th: Leicester vs U.C.L.
Leicester: Sir Geoff Palmer, Danielle Brown, Pete Lawrence, Adele Parks
U.C.L.: Jeremy Bowen, Julian Baggini, Jane Dacre, Jessica Curry
U.C.L. clearly the better team here, with Mr Bowen, four starters, and Ms Curry, best buzzer of the night with six, running the buzzer race, with poor Leicester unable to get much of a foothold on the match, though they managed a decent run mid-match. U.C.L. though ran out very comfortable winners, 175-45, and they'll definitely be back next week.
Friday 29th: St John's Cambridge vs St Edmund Hall Oxford
St John's: Frederick Raphael, Laura Bates, Giles Foden, Jeremy Bamber
St Edmund Hall: Richard Gozney, Dan Abnett, Emma Kennedy, Anna Botting
The last match of the first week started close, with the teams splitting the first four starters between them. After that though, St John's ran away with the buzzer race, and St Edmund Hall being limited to just one more starter. Despite incurring the disgust of the Twittersphere (and Paxo!) for failing to remember Geoff Hurst as the only man to score a World Cup final hat-trick, St John's won 155-40, with Mr Bamber ending the night the best buzzer with six. Their score will be borderline for next week.
So, at the end of the first week's play, Keble and U.C.L. are definitely coming back next week, while St John's and Southampton are borderline. We shall have to wait and see as ever; hopefully we can get some good close matches next week.
Be back on Tuesday with my review of tomorrow night's Only Connect (finally back on Monday!); until then, good night, and have a safe and Happy New Year!
Sunday, 31 December 2017
Sunday, 24 December 2017
Only Connect Series 13: Play-Off Round 1: Match 1: Meeples vs Parishioners
Well, it's Christmas Day tomorrow, but there's still time for one more Only Connect. In fact, Friday's was the last to be shown on that particular day, as the show is returning to Mondays as of New Year's Day! And it's at 8pm, so maybe this will be a permanent switch with UC? We'll see.
Playing the final Friday night kick-off for now were the Meeples, Tom West, Hugh Trimble, and captain, UC legend Gail Trimble, sister of Hugh and wife of Tom, who beat the Tequila Slammers but were narrowly beaten by the Belgophiles, and the Parishioners, Tracey Rawlins, her husband Andy and captain Ian Fellows, who overcame the Stewards, but were then beaten by the Vikings. Winners stayed on for another play-off, runners-up would bow out.
Round 1. The Parishioners kicked the match off with Eye of Horus, and the picture set: we saw a raspberry, then a joystick controller, then a boot, and finally a globe; they identified them as things that follow 'Golden' to give the names of awards, and collected a point. The Meeples opened their account with Twisted Flax: 'Sutton Coldfield', then 'Tunbridge Wells', then 'Leamington Spa', and finally 'Wootton Bassett'; they saw them to be towns that have had 'Royal' added to their names, and they collected a point. The Parishioners chose Horned Viper next: 'Same-sex fan fiction relationship', then 'Closed HTML tag', then 'Saul Hudson', and finally 'Doing a wee'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are all 'Slash'. For their own question, the Meeples chose Two Reeds: 'Blockbusters', then 'Rorke's Drift', then 'Fox and Geese'; they came in at this point with 'hexagons', but were not right. Their opponents saw 'Ice hockey power play', and offered that they all involve unequal sides; correct for a bonus. For their own question, the Parishioners chose Water: 'Paul Newman's first film', then 'Third Indiana Jones film', then 'First Robert Langdon film', and finally 'First "proper" Monty Python film'. They offered 'crusade'; not right. Their opponents offered 'Holy Grail'; correct for a bonus. Left with Lion, and the music question, for their own question, the Meeples heard Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, then 'Hunting for Witches' by Bloc Party, then the Eagles with 'Witchy Woman', and finally 'Ding Dong the Witch is Dead' from the Wizard of Ox. They saw the link, and collected the point. At the end of a lowish scoring first round, the Meeples led 4-2.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Parishioners chose Eye of Horus first again: '1st: 100', then '2nd: 500', and then '3rd: 1'; they saw it to be Roman numerals in order of where the letters come in the alphabet, and offered '4th: 50' for the two points. The Meeples chose Horned Viper next, and got the picture set: we saw a statue of saxophone inventor Adolphe Sax, then the male and female sex symbols, and then the Roman numeral VI; they saw them to be 'sax', 'sex' and 'six', and so offered 'the Boston Red Sox' for the two points. The Parishioners chose Lion next, and got a music sequence: we heard Wilson Pickett's 'Land of 1000 Dances', then 'Another Hundred People' from the musical Company, and then the Beautful South with 'Perfect 10'. They didn't get it, their opponents did, and offered 'The One and Only' by Chesney Hawkes for a bonus. (Cue an actually pretty good singalong!) For their own question, the Meeples chose Water: 'Ghostly being', then 'Something dropped from the heavens', and then 'Discrete unit of consolation'. They couldn't come up with anything, and their opponents didn't quite see it: they are Daniel's Craig's Bond films, 'Spectre', 'Skyfall' and 'Quantum of Solace', so something representing 'Casino Royale', such as 'Gambling place of regal nature', would complete the set. For their final choice, the Parishioners chose Two Reeds: 'pH scale', then 'Friedrich's younger siblings in 'The Sound of Music'', and then 'Beaufort scale'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are things that go up to 14, 13 and 12, so something that goes up to 11, such as 'Spinal Tap's amplifiers', would be fourth. Left with Twisted Flax for their own final question, the Meeples saw 'Roger Taylor', then 'Jeremy Bates'; they offered 'Andy Murray' at this point, not right. Their opponents saw 'John Lloyd', but their offer of 'Tim Henman' was also not right. They are captains of the GB David Cup team, so 'Leon Smith' would be fourth. At the end of the second round, the Meeples led 8-4. (Both teams had exactly doubled their score)
On to the Walls. The Meeples went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. They quickly spotted two sets and had them in place: 'Simon', 'Wilson', 'Miller' and 'Hellman' are American playwrights, while 'Trash', 'Flag', 'Knuckle' and 'Wedding' can all follow 'white'. After carefully studying the final clues, they had the final sets sorted on their first try: 'Mammoth', 'Elephant', 'Albee' and 'Briefly' all end with the names of insect, which they got, while 'Yankee', 'Goliath', 'Treble' and 'Alphabet' are terms in betting, which they didn't get. Just the one slip, so seven points.
The Parishioners could thus recover some lost ground if they could clean sweep the Water wall. They too isolated their first groups pretty quickly: 'Dome', 'Noddle', 'Coconut' and 'Onion' are slang terms for the head, while 'Wailer', 'Shadow', 'Miracle' and 'Supreme' are backing groups. They too took their time with the final sets, and solved them on their first go: 'Railway', 'Crow', 'Dover' and 'Swanky' all begin with the names of birds, while 'Agency', 'T', 'Village' and 'Theory' can all follow 'model', which they didn't. Another seven there, so as you were, the Meeples led 15-11 going into the final round.
So, still all to play for going into Missing Vowels. 'Geographical food', such as 'CHICKEN KIEV', was split 2-each. 'Film titles advanced by one month', such as 'THE HUNT FOR RED NOVEMBER', went to the Meeples 3-1. 'African languages' was split 1-each. 'Novels with birds in the title' had time for two clues, which the Meeples took both of. The Meeples had won 23-15.
Another good match well quizzed by both teams with some good tough questions. Unlucky Parishioners, but a perfectly respectable series effort, thanks very much for playing. Well done Meeples though, and best of luck in your second play-off.
Next match: the Snake Charmers vs the Inquisitors, on New Year's Day at 8pm.
Back next weekend with summary of the first week's play of Christmas UC; until then, good night and have a Happy Christmas!
Playing the final Friday night kick-off for now were the Meeples, Tom West, Hugh Trimble, and captain, UC legend Gail Trimble, sister of Hugh and wife of Tom, who beat the Tequila Slammers but were narrowly beaten by the Belgophiles, and the Parishioners, Tracey Rawlins, her husband Andy and captain Ian Fellows, who overcame the Stewards, but were then beaten by the Vikings. Winners stayed on for another play-off, runners-up would bow out.
Round 1. The Parishioners kicked the match off with Eye of Horus, and the picture set: we saw a raspberry, then a joystick controller, then a boot, and finally a globe; they identified them as things that follow 'Golden' to give the names of awards, and collected a point. The Meeples opened their account with Twisted Flax: 'Sutton Coldfield', then 'Tunbridge Wells', then 'Leamington Spa', and finally 'Wootton Bassett'; they saw them to be towns that have had 'Royal' added to their names, and they collected a point. The Parishioners chose Horned Viper next: 'Same-sex fan fiction relationship', then 'Closed HTML tag', then 'Saul Hudson', and finally 'Doing a wee'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are all 'Slash'. For their own question, the Meeples chose Two Reeds: 'Blockbusters', then 'Rorke's Drift', then 'Fox and Geese'; they came in at this point with 'hexagons', but were not right. Their opponents saw 'Ice hockey power play', and offered that they all involve unequal sides; correct for a bonus. For their own question, the Parishioners chose Water: 'Paul Newman's first film', then 'Third Indiana Jones film', then 'First Robert Langdon film', and finally 'First "proper" Monty Python film'. They offered 'crusade'; not right. Their opponents offered 'Holy Grail'; correct for a bonus. Left with Lion, and the music question, for their own question, the Meeples heard Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, then 'Hunting for Witches' by Bloc Party, then the Eagles with 'Witchy Woman', and finally 'Ding Dong the Witch is Dead' from the Wizard of Ox. They saw the link, and collected the point. At the end of a lowish scoring first round, the Meeples led 4-2.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Parishioners chose Eye of Horus first again: '1st: 100', then '2nd: 500', and then '3rd: 1'; they saw it to be Roman numerals in order of where the letters come in the alphabet, and offered '4th: 50' for the two points. The Meeples chose Horned Viper next, and got the picture set: we saw a statue of saxophone inventor Adolphe Sax, then the male and female sex symbols, and then the Roman numeral VI; they saw them to be 'sax', 'sex' and 'six', and so offered 'the Boston Red Sox' for the two points. The Parishioners chose Lion next, and got a music sequence: we heard Wilson Pickett's 'Land of 1000 Dances', then 'Another Hundred People' from the musical Company, and then the Beautful South with 'Perfect 10'. They didn't get it, their opponents did, and offered 'The One and Only' by Chesney Hawkes for a bonus. (Cue an actually pretty good singalong!) For their own question, the Meeples chose Water: 'Ghostly being', then 'Something dropped from the heavens', and then 'Discrete unit of consolation'. They couldn't come up with anything, and their opponents didn't quite see it: they are Daniel's Craig's Bond films, 'Spectre', 'Skyfall' and 'Quantum of Solace', so something representing 'Casino Royale', such as 'Gambling place of regal nature', would complete the set. For their final choice, the Parishioners chose Two Reeds: 'pH scale', then 'Friedrich's younger siblings in 'The Sound of Music'', and then 'Beaufort scale'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are things that go up to 14, 13 and 12, so something that goes up to 11, such as 'Spinal Tap's amplifiers', would be fourth. Left with Twisted Flax for their own final question, the Meeples saw 'Roger Taylor', then 'Jeremy Bates'; they offered 'Andy Murray' at this point, not right. Their opponents saw 'John Lloyd', but their offer of 'Tim Henman' was also not right. They are captains of the GB David Cup team, so 'Leon Smith' would be fourth. At the end of the second round, the Meeples led 8-4. (Both teams had exactly doubled their score)
On to the Walls. The Meeples went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. They quickly spotted two sets and had them in place: 'Simon', 'Wilson', 'Miller' and 'Hellman' are American playwrights, while 'Trash', 'Flag', 'Knuckle' and 'Wedding' can all follow 'white'. After carefully studying the final clues, they had the final sets sorted on their first try: 'Mammoth', 'Elephant', 'Albee' and 'Briefly' all end with the names of insect, which they got, while 'Yankee', 'Goliath', 'Treble' and 'Alphabet' are terms in betting, which they didn't get. Just the one slip, so seven points.
The Parishioners could thus recover some lost ground if they could clean sweep the Water wall. They too isolated their first groups pretty quickly: 'Dome', 'Noddle', 'Coconut' and 'Onion' are slang terms for the head, while 'Wailer', 'Shadow', 'Miracle' and 'Supreme' are backing groups. They too took their time with the final sets, and solved them on their first go: 'Railway', 'Crow', 'Dover' and 'Swanky' all begin with the names of birds, while 'Agency', 'T', 'Village' and 'Theory' can all follow 'model', which they didn't. Another seven there, so as you were, the Meeples led 15-11 going into the final round.
So, still all to play for going into Missing Vowels. 'Geographical food', such as 'CHICKEN KIEV', was split 2-each. 'Film titles advanced by one month', such as 'THE HUNT FOR RED NOVEMBER', went to the Meeples 3-1. 'African languages' was split 1-each. 'Novels with birds in the title' had time for two clues, which the Meeples took both of. The Meeples had won 23-15.
Another good match well quizzed by both teams with some good tough questions. Unlucky Parishioners, but a perfectly respectable series effort, thanks very much for playing. Well done Meeples though, and best of luck in your second play-off.
Next match: the Snake Charmers vs the Inquisitors, on New Year's Day at 8pm.
Back next weekend with summary of the first week's play of Christmas UC; until then, good night and have a Happy Christmas!
Monday, 18 December 2017
University Challenge 2017-18: Round 2: Match 5: Bristol vs Trinity
Evening all. Only one week til Christmas, which I honestly expected I'd hear mentioned more than I have today, but still just room for one more regular UC match before we pause for the Christmas specials, which begin on Sunday, then run every weekday from Boxing Day for two weeks, before normal service resumes on the 8th. (The last two Xmas series have been repeated on BBC4 over the last few weeks)
Bristol comfortably saw off Trinity College Cambridge in their first match, taking an early lead and ultimately running out comfortable winners by 230-95, one of the higher first round scores. Hoping for more of the same tonight were the unchanged line-up of:
Ollie Bowes, from Market Harborough, studying Music
Kirsty Biggs, from Southampton, studying Maths
Captain: Sam Hosegood, from Bedford, studying Chemical Physics
Dom Hewett, from Stroud, studying English
Trinity College Oxford had a narrower first round victory, 160-145, but bear in mind their opponents were U.C.L., who survived to the play-offs, and are highly unlucky not to have made it to the group stage. Hoping to do so instead were the also unchanged foursome of:
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
Off we set again then, and Mr Parr-Reid opened the match with his first starter of the series; the resultant bonuses on the presidency of DD Eisenhower provided them with two correct answers. Mr Bowes picked up where he left off last time, taking the first starter of the night for the Avonsiders; the Bristol left-winger also proved his worth with the bonuses, on musicians, helping his side to a full set, and a narrow lead. Ms Biggs was next in, knowing that someone who was under house arrest in Rangoon was almost certainly going to be Aung San Suu Kyi, and another full bonus set followed. Back came Trinity with Mr Gunn doing the honours, and a bonus set on snakes gave them another ten points. The first picture round, on eponymous scales, went to Bristol, who took just two bonuses this time, but still led 70-40.
Mr Parr-Reid bit back for Trinity on the next starter though, but the Oxonians got nothing from the resultant bonuses. Mr Bowes got something from the next starter though, and, again, the bonuses on opera fell nicely into his lap, with two correct answers. Both sides then incurred a penalty each, though Bristol's was a non-interruption, with the opposition failing to pick up in both cases. Mr Hosegood was next in though, giving his side a bonus set on counties ending in 'shire', including the old quizzer's fact of Nottinghamshire having originally been 'Snottinghamshire'. Mr Hewett then made sure all Bristolians had a starter to their name; just one bonus went with it.
The music round, on classical pieces played at the Queen's coronation, went to Bristol (though thumbs down to Mr Bowes for pronouncing Purcell 'per-sell' rather than the correct 'per-sul'), who took a full bonus set, giving them a lead of 145-45. And it increased again when Ms Biggs took the next starter; tungsten mining didn't sound a terribly promising bonus topic, but the Avonsiders took two correct answers. Mr Gunn finally broke Trinity back into proceedings, but bonuses on Spain failed to add to their score. Two starters in a row were dropped (I got WB Yeats), Mr Coker made it third time lucky, and bonuses on astronomy gave his side one correct answer. Back came Bristol with Ms Biggs doing the honours, but they too only took one correct answer.
The picture starter was dropped by both sides; the bonuses, on stills from Frankenstein films, went to Bristol (albeit after they lost five, with Paxo somewhat leniently carrying on the starter after Trinity buzzed), who failed to add to their score, which stood at 185-70. And when Mr Hewett declared 'Ghana' for the next starter, that was game over. Two bonuses followed.
A rather early buzz then cost them five, but Trinity were unable to pick up. A second starter was dropped, the next went to Mr Gunn, and one bonus on poetry followed. Bristol then fell foul of a second non-interruption, their third of the series; this time Trinity did pick up the drop, and two bonuses deservedly took them into triple figures. The final starter went Bristol's way, and that was the gong; Bristol won 205-100.
A low key but enjoyable match to end the regular games for this year. Unlucky Trinity, who were simply outplayed on the buzzer, but no shame in that, thanks very much for taking part. Well played Bristol though; another strong performance against decent opponents, and very best of luck in the group stage!
The stats: Messrs Bowes and Gunn were joint best buzzers of the night, with four each. On the bonuses, Bristol converted a decent 21 out of 33 (with four penalties, only two of them for actual interruptions), whole Trinity managed just 7 out of 21 (with one penalty), so it was a match won on the buzzer and the bonuses.
So, that's it for this year; Christmas specials begin Sunday. We're back on the 8th with Newcastle vs Southampton, followed by Fitzwilliam vs Magdalen and Oxford Brookes.
Only Connect isn't quite finished for this year yet though, final show of the year on Friday, back on Sunday with my review.
Bristol comfortably saw off Trinity College Cambridge in their first match, taking an early lead and ultimately running out comfortable winners by 230-95, one of the higher first round scores. Hoping for more of the same tonight were the unchanged line-up of:
Ollie Bowes, from Market Harborough, studying Music
Kirsty Biggs, from Southampton, studying Maths
Captain: Sam Hosegood, from Bedford, studying Chemical Physics
Dom Hewett, from Stroud, studying English
Trinity College Oxford had a narrower first round victory, 160-145, but bear in mind their opponents were U.C.L., who survived to the play-offs, and are highly unlucky not to have made it to the group stage. Hoping to do so instead were the also unchanged foursome of:
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
Off we set again then, and Mr Parr-Reid opened the match with his first starter of the series; the resultant bonuses on the presidency of DD Eisenhower provided them with two correct answers. Mr Bowes picked up where he left off last time, taking the first starter of the night for the Avonsiders; the Bristol left-winger also proved his worth with the bonuses, on musicians, helping his side to a full set, and a narrow lead. Ms Biggs was next in, knowing that someone who was under house arrest in Rangoon was almost certainly going to be Aung San Suu Kyi, and another full bonus set followed. Back came Trinity with Mr Gunn doing the honours, and a bonus set on snakes gave them another ten points. The first picture round, on eponymous scales, went to Bristol, who took just two bonuses this time, but still led 70-40.
Mr Parr-Reid bit back for Trinity on the next starter though, but the Oxonians got nothing from the resultant bonuses. Mr Bowes got something from the next starter though, and, again, the bonuses on opera fell nicely into his lap, with two correct answers. Both sides then incurred a penalty each, though Bristol's was a non-interruption, with the opposition failing to pick up in both cases. Mr Hosegood was next in though, giving his side a bonus set on counties ending in 'shire', including the old quizzer's fact of Nottinghamshire having originally been 'Snottinghamshire'. Mr Hewett then made sure all Bristolians had a starter to their name; just one bonus went with it.
The music round, on classical pieces played at the Queen's coronation, went to Bristol (though thumbs down to Mr Bowes for pronouncing Purcell 'per-sell' rather than the correct 'per-sul'), who took a full bonus set, giving them a lead of 145-45. And it increased again when Ms Biggs took the next starter; tungsten mining didn't sound a terribly promising bonus topic, but the Avonsiders took two correct answers. Mr Gunn finally broke Trinity back into proceedings, but bonuses on Spain failed to add to their score. Two starters in a row were dropped (I got WB Yeats), Mr Coker made it third time lucky, and bonuses on astronomy gave his side one correct answer. Back came Bristol with Ms Biggs doing the honours, but they too only took one correct answer.
The picture starter was dropped by both sides; the bonuses, on stills from Frankenstein films, went to Bristol (albeit after they lost five, with Paxo somewhat leniently carrying on the starter after Trinity buzzed), who failed to add to their score, which stood at 185-70. And when Mr Hewett declared 'Ghana' for the next starter, that was game over. Two bonuses followed.
A rather early buzz then cost them five, but Trinity were unable to pick up. A second starter was dropped, the next went to Mr Gunn, and one bonus on poetry followed. Bristol then fell foul of a second non-interruption, their third of the series; this time Trinity did pick up the drop, and two bonuses deservedly took them into triple figures. The final starter went Bristol's way, and that was the gong; Bristol won 205-100.
A low key but enjoyable match to end the regular games for this year. Unlucky Trinity, who were simply outplayed on the buzzer, but no shame in that, thanks very much for taking part. Well played Bristol though; another strong performance against decent opponents, and very best of luck in the group stage!
The stats: Messrs Bowes and Gunn were joint best buzzers of the night, with four each. On the bonuses, Bristol converted a decent 21 out of 33 (with four penalties, only two of them for actual interruptions), whole Trinity managed just 7 out of 21 (with one penalty), so it was a match won on the buzzer and the bonuses.
So, that's it for this year; Christmas specials begin Sunday. We're back on the 8th with Newcastle vs Southampton, followed by Fitzwilliam vs Magdalen and Oxford Brookes.
Only Connect isn't quite finished for this year yet though, final show of the year on Friday, back on Sunday with my review.
Sunday, 17 December 2017
Only Connect Series 13: Round 2: Match 6: Detectives vs Arrowheads
OK, last second round match of this year's Only Connect. Winners would join the other second round winners in the group stage. Runners-up would join the other second round runners-up and the two highest scoring second round runners-up in the play-off round, which begins next week. Followed by the long awaited return to Monday nights on New Year's Day!
Anyway, playing the final second round match were the Detectives, Ian King, Tim Harrison and captain Tim Hall, who won a good first round match against the Theatricals, and the Arrowheads, Sarah Lister, Hannah Hogden and captain Nick Lister, husband of Sarah, who comfortably saw off the Wombles.
Round 1. The Detectives opened the show with Lion: 'C: Volt', then 'A: Arlington Million' (I had it at this), then 'B: Henry II', and finally '[cough cough] A: Googol'. They just about offered enough to get the point: they are million pound answers from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? UK. The Arrowheads opened their account with Two Reeds: 'Man-Killer', then 'Penthesilea', then 'Sharron Davies'; they offered them to be Gladiators from the eponymous series, not right. Their opponents saw 'Jeff Bezos company', and offered 'Amazon' as the link for the bonus. For their own question, the Detectives chose Twisted Flax, and got the music question: we heard the Chameleons with 'Up the Down Escalator', then 'White Ladder' by David Gray, then Aerosmith with 'Love in an Elevator', and finally Led Zeppelin's classic 'Stairway to Heaven'. They offered 'stairs', not right. Their opponents simplified it to 'ways of moving between floors', and collected a bonus. For their own question, the Arrowheads chose Water, and got the picture set: we saw the stadium Candlestick Park, then a still from Hitchcock's 'Rope', then the cover to the Beatles' 'Revolver' album, and finally a symbol for a dagger. They were timed out without an answer, and their opponents didn't see it either: they are weapons in Cluedo. The Detectives chose Eye of Horus next: 'Immunisation against infectious diseases', then 'Crime fiction (Pengiun)', then 'Colonel Gaddafi's philosophy', and finally 'Michelin travel guide'. They offered 'green', which Victoria was maybe a bit lenient to let them have, the link being 'green books'. Left with Horned Viper, the Arrowheads saw 'Tuesday 3 Feb-9 Mar', then 'Monday 1 May-7 May', then 'Sunday 22 Mar-25 Apr', and finally 'Thursday 22 Nov-28 Nov'. They didn't quite get it, their opponents did: they are the earliest and latest dates where festivals can fall. At the end of the first round, the Detectives led 4-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Detectives kicked the round off with Horned Viper: '08:43:38', then '09:49:05', and then '10:54:33'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: it's times when the three clocks hands are right in line with each other, so '12:00:00' would be fourth for a bonus. For their own question, the Arrowheads chose Lion: 'Goals', then 'Away goals', and then 'AET'; they offered 'Penalty shootout', correct for two points, the sequence being how two-legged Champions League matches are decided. The Detectives chose Twisted Flax next: 'African leopard < African lion', then 'African lion < Cape buffalo'; they tried 'Giraffe < Elephant', not right. Their opponents saw 'Cape buffalo < Black rhino', but could also not offer an acceptable answer. They are the Big Five of African animals, so 'Black rhino < African elephant' would come fourth. The Arrowheads chose Eye of Horus next: 'Diver', then 'Tawdry', and then 'Lenya'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents. 'Brown' completes the set, the sequence being the victims in the most common version of the song 'Mack the Knife'. For their final choice, the Detectives chose Two Reeds: '00 Henry I', then '01 Edward VII', and then '02 Anne'. They, and I, saw it to be monarchs who took the thrown in years ending in those numbers, so '03: James I' (or, as we call him up here, James VI) would complete the set. Left with Water, and the picture set, the Arrowheads saw the band 'The Nice', then Guy Ritchie and Guy Pearce, and then a checkered flag being waved. Neither side got this excellent cryptic set: the clues are 'Nice', 'Guys' and 'Finish', so something for 'Last', like the composer James Last (of Red Dwarf fame) would complete the set. At the end of the second round, the Detectives led 6-4.
On to the Walls. The Arrowheads went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. They had their first set in line pretty quickly: 'Bangla', 'Lal Toofan', 'Cobra' and 'Kingfisher' are types of Indian beer. After a few wrong guesses trying to feel the clues out, they isolated 'Fetish', 'Albino', 'Vindaloo' and 'Palaver', which are loan words from Portuguese, but they offered 'Hindi' instead, so three dropped. After carefully looking over the remaining clues, they isolated the final sets: 'Eleanor', 'Willpower', 'Marmalade' and 'Madonna' all follow 'Lady' to give song titles, while 'Allen Carr', 'Gum', 'Hypnosis' and 'Patches' are methods of curing smoking habits. Seven for that then.
So the Detectives could increase their lead if they could sweep the Water wall clean. They also isolated a first set very quickly: 'Sward', 'Campo', 'Savannah' and 'Veldt' are areas of grassland. A second set quickly followed suite: 'Grass', 'Sheffield United', 'Helicopter' and 'Razor' are linked by 'blades'. The final sets slotted in nicely after that: 'Mini', 'Gang', 'Oy' and 'Young' can all precede 'ster' to give longer words, while 'Dirndl', 'Hobble', 'Pencil' and 'Prairie' are types of skirt. A full ten there, which increased their advantage to 16-11 going into the final round.
So, still all to play for in Missing Vowels. 'Rhyming slang and its meaning', which saw a penalty for an omitted 'and', went to the Arrowheads 2-0. 'Things that can be drawn', such as 'COMPARISON' and '(A) PAIR OF CURTAINS', was split 2-each. 'Pairs of planetary moons' went to the Arrowheads 3-1, and that was time. The Detectives had snuck home, 19-18!
Another very good match, very well quizzed by both sides. Unlucky Arrowheads, best of luck in the play-offs. Well done Detectives though, and very best of luck in the group stage!
Next week's match: the Meeples vs the Parishioners in the first play-off.
UC back tomorrow at 8:30, see you then with that.
Anyway, playing the final second round match were the Detectives, Ian King, Tim Harrison and captain Tim Hall, who won a good first round match against the Theatricals, and the Arrowheads, Sarah Lister, Hannah Hogden and captain Nick Lister, husband of Sarah, who comfortably saw off the Wombles.
Round 1. The Detectives opened the show with Lion: 'C: Volt', then 'A: Arlington Million' (I had it at this), then 'B: Henry II', and finally '[cough cough] A: Googol'. They just about offered enough to get the point: they are million pound answers from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? UK. The Arrowheads opened their account with Two Reeds: 'Man-Killer', then 'Penthesilea', then 'Sharron Davies'; they offered them to be Gladiators from the eponymous series, not right. Their opponents saw 'Jeff Bezos company', and offered 'Amazon' as the link for the bonus. For their own question, the Detectives chose Twisted Flax, and got the music question: we heard the Chameleons with 'Up the Down Escalator', then 'White Ladder' by David Gray, then Aerosmith with 'Love in an Elevator', and finally Led Zeppelin's classic 'Stairway to Heaven'. They offered 'stairs', not right. Their opponents simplified it to 'ways of moving between floors', and collected a bonus. For their own question, the Arrowheads chose Water, and got the picture set: we saw the stadium Candlestick Park, then a still from Hitchcock's 'Rope', then the cover to the Beatles' 'Revolver' album, and finally a symbol for a dagger. They were timed out without an answer, and their opponents didn't see it either: they are weapons in Cluedo. The Detectives chose Eye of Horus next: 'Immunisation against infectious diseases', then 'Crime fiction (Pengiun)', then 'Colonel Gaddafi's philosophy', and finally 'Michelin travel guide'. They offered 'green', which Victoria was maybe a bit lenient to let them have, the link being 'green books'. Left with Horned Viper, the Arrowheads saw 'Tuesday 3 Feb-9 Mar', then 'Monday 1 May-7 May', then 'Sunday 22 Mar-25 Apr', and finally 'Thursday 22 Nov-28 Nov'. They didn't quite get it, their opponents did: they are the earliest and latest dates where festivals can fall. At the end of the first round, the Detectives led 4-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Detectives kicked the round off with Horned Viper: '08:43:38', then '09:49:05', and then '10:54:33'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: it's times when the three clocks hands are right in line with each other, so '12:00:00' would be fourth for a bonus. For their own question, the Arrowheads chose Lion: 'Goals', then 'Away goals', and then 'AET'; they offered 'Penalty shootout', correct for two points, the sequence being how two-legged Champions League matches are decided. The Detectives chose Twisted Flax next: 'African leopard < African lion', then 'African lion < Cape buffalo'; they tried 'Giraffe < Elephant', not right. Their opponents saw 'Cape buffalo < Black rhino', but could also not offer an acceptable answer. They are the Big Five of African animals, so 'Black rhino < African elephant' would come fourth. The Arrowheads chose Eye of Horus next: 'Diver', then 'Tawdry', and then 'Lenya'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents. 'Brown' completes the set, the sequence being the victims in the most common version of the song 'Mack the Knife'. For their final choice, the Detectives chose Two Reeds: '00 Henry I', then '01 Edward VII', and then '02 Anne'. They, and I, saw it to be monarchs who took the thrown in years ending in those numbers, so '03: James I' (or, as we call him up here, James VI) would complete the set. Left with Water, and the picture set, the Arrowheads saw the band 'The Nice', then Guy Ritchie and Guy Pearce, and then a checkered flag being waved. Neither side got this excellent cryptic set: the clues are 'Nice', 'Guys' and 'Finish', so something for 'Last', like the composer James Last (of Red Dwarf fame) would complete the set. At the end of the second round, the Detectives led 6-4.
On to the Walls. The Arrowheads went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. They had their first set in line pretty quickly: 'Bangla', 'Lal Toofan', 'Cobra' and 'Kingfisher' are types of Indian beer. After a few wrong guesses trying to feel the clues out, they isolated 'Fetish', 'Albino', 'Vindaloo' and 'Palaver', which are loan words from Portuguese, but they offered 'Hindi' instead, so three dropped. After carefully looking over the remaining clues, they isolated the final sets: 'Eleanor', 'Willpower', 'Marmalade' and 'Madonna' all follow 'Lady' to give song titles, while 'Allen Carr', 'Gum', 'Hypnosis' and 'Patches' are methods of curing smoking habits. Seven for that then.
So the Detectives could increase their lead if they could sweep the Water wall clean. They also isolated a first set very quickly: 'Sward', 'Campo', 'Savannah' and 'Veldt' are areas of grassland. A second set quickly followed suite: 'Grass', 'Sheffield United', 'Helicopter' and 'Razor' are linked by 'blades'. The final sets slotted in nicely after that: 'Mini', 'Gang', 'Oy' and 'Young' can all precede 'ster' to give longer words, while 'Dirndl', 'Hobble', 'Pencil' and 'Prairie' are types of skirt. A full ten there, which increased their advantage to 16-11 going into the final round.
So, still all to play for in Missing Vowels. 'Rhyming slang and its meaning', which saw a penalty for an omitted 'and', went to the Arrowheads 2-0. 'Things that can be drawn', such as 'COMPARISON' and '(A) PAIR OF CURTAINS', was split 2-each. 'Pairs of planetary moons' went to the Arrowheads 3-1, and that was time. The Detectives had snuck home, 19-18!
Another very good match, very well quizzed by both sides. Unlucky Arrowheads, best of luck in the play-offs. Well done Detectives though, and very best of luck in the group stage!
Next week's match: the Meeples vs the Parishioners in the first play-off.
UC back tomorrow at 8:30, see you then with that.
Sunday, 10 December 2017
Only Connect Series 13: Round 2: Match 5: Dandies vs Beaks
OK, we're back! After a few weeks' break for football coverage, Only Connect is back and kicking! We're back for two more weeks after this before we break for Christmas, which means we'll wrap up the second round and get the first play-off round underway too before Christmas. Anyway, lets get on with this...
Playing on Friday night were the Dandies, UC legend Oscar Powell, Lewis Barn and captain, and blog reader, Jack Bennett, who comfortably defeated the Gaffers in their first match, and the Beaks, Rob Cromarty, Aidan Sproat-Clements and captain Dan Sproat-Clements, husband of Aidan, who came from behind to beat the Disparates first time around.
Round 1. The Beaks went first, and restarted the series with Two Reeds: 'Hidden Agenda - oac', then 'Heaven Can Wait - ubitsc', then 'Secrets & Lies - eig', and finally 'Mulholland Drive - ync'. They didn't see it, their opponents did: they are films directed by men whose surnames begin with L and end in h (Loach, Lubitsc, Leigh and Lynch) For their own first question, the Dandies chose Water, and got the picture set: we saw the band Toto, then racing driver Christian 'Toto' Wolff, then footballer Salvatore 'Toto' Schillaci, and finally the cast of the Wizard of Oz with an arrow at Toto the dog. That gave them the link, and the point. The Beaks chose 'Horn-ed' Viper next: ''Something's Got To Give'', then ''The Athenaeum Portrait'', then ''The Last Tycoon'', and finally 'Schubert's Symphony No. 8'. That gave it to them: they are all unfinished works. The Dandies chose Twisted Flax next: 'Harlem, New York', then 'Quarter, Naples', then 'City, Whitley Bay'; they saw that the latter are all known as 'the Spanish (former)', and collected two points. The Beaks chose Lion next: 'Faroe Islands (1907-92)', then 'Bournville, Birmingham (1895-2015)'; they offered that they have no pubs, and collected three good points from it. (The unseen clues were 'USA (1920-33)' and 'Saudi Arabia (1952-present)') Left with Eye of Horus, and the music set, the Dandies heard Tom Waits with 'Time', then 'Life' by Des'ree, then 'People' from the musical Funny Girl, and finally Madonna with 'Vogue'. They spotted the titles to be those of magazines, and collected the point. At the end of the first round, the Dandies led 5-4.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Beaks opened the round with Two Reeds: '4th: Making Up', then '3rd: Save Me', and then '2nd: Boom Bang'. They didn't quite see it, their opponents did: they are the first and last words of the UK's four Eurovision winning entries, so '1st: Puppet String' would complete the set. For their own question, the Dandies chose 'Horn-ed' Viper, and got the picture set: we saw a red and yellow striped jacket, then the singers P!nk and Professor Green, and then two chocolates with purple and oranges wrappers. Neither side got it quite right: they are the colours of the rainbow as in the song 'I Can Sing A Rainbow', so something representing just 'blue', such as the eponymous band, would satisfy. The Beaks chose Twisted Flax next: 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?', then 'Art', and then 'The Dumb Waiter'; they saw it to be plays with 4, 3, 2 and 1 characters, so offered 'Underneath the Lintel' for the two points. The Dandies chose Lion next: '2005 Jo Swinson', '2009 Chloe Smith' (I had it at this), and then '2010 Pamela Nash'. They saw it to be the youngest MP in parliament, or 'Baby of the House', so '2015 Mhairi Black' (or 'Mary' Black as Victoria called her) would complete the set. For their final choice, the Beaks chose Water: '5 on 19', then '3 on 17', and then '5 on 12'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are starting positions in backgammon, so '2 on 1' would complete the sequence. Left with Eye of Horus again, the Dandies saw 'La Suisse: quatre', then 'Le Belgique: trois'; they identified it as countries where French is an official languages, and how many official langauges that country has, so 'La France: une' would come fourth there. At the end of the second round, the Dandies led 11-6.
On to the Walls. The Dandies went first, and chose to tackle the Water wall. They spotted some connections, but had little luck getting group slotted in. With just seconds to go, they finally isolated 'Strange', 'No', 'Faustus' and 'Legg', which are fictional doctors. They couldn't get anyway, and had to collect bonuses: 'Pepper', 'Capri', 'Pop' and 'Uni' can all precede 'corn', which they didn't see, 'Aedile', 'Censor', 'Tribune' and 'Quaestor' are Roman officials, which they did get, while 'Prefect', 'Anglia', 'Zephyr' and 'Consul' are old Ford cars, which they also saw. Four points there.
The Beaks thus could put themselves well back in the hunt with a good result on the Lion wall. They, in contrast, had two groups sorted out pretty quickly: 'Claret', 'Measuring', 'Puzzle' and 'Milk' are types of jug, while 'Aled', 'Toby', 'January' and 'Inigo' are famous Joneses. They couldn't quite get the final sets sorted out though, failing to get it in their three tries. They too thus had to collect bonus points: 'Boston', 'Nantucket', 'Quincy' and 'Springfield' are places in Massachusetts, which they spotted, while 'Lakeland', 'Kerry Blue', 'Border' and 'Yorkshire' are terrier dogs, which they also got. Six points there, which meant they trailed 15-12 going into the final round.
So, still all to play for going into Missing Vowels. 'Shakespeare plays and the character who speaks the first line' went to the Beaks 3-1, so just one in it now. 'Symbols of early Christianity' was another 3-1 to the Beaks, giving them the lead. 'Pairs of words and expressions for lavatory' went to the Beaks, 2-(-1), and that was time. The Beaks had come from behind, again, to win 20-16.
Another good match, well played by both teams. Unlucky Dandies, but best of luck in the play-off round. Well done Beaks though, and best of luck in the group stage!
Next week's match: the Detectives vs the Arrowheads in the final second round match, followed by the Meeples vs the Parishioners in the first play-off the week after, then we break for Christmas.
No UC tomorrow night, so see you next Sunday, I guess.
Playing on Friday night were the Dandies, UC legend Oscar Powell, Lewis Barn and captain, and blog reader, Jack Bennett, who comfortably defeated the Gaffers in their first match, and the Beaks, Rob Cromarty, Aidan Sproat-Clements and captain Dan Sproat-Clements, husband of Aidan, who came from behind to beat the Disparates first time around.
Round 1. The Beaks went first, and restarted the series with Two Reeds: 'Hidden Agenda - oac', then 'Heaven Can Wait - ubitsc', then 'Secrets & Lies - eig', and finally 'Mulholland Drive - ync'. They didn't see it, their opponents did: they are films directed by men whose surnames begin with L and end in h (Loach, Lubitsc, Leigh and Lynch) For their own first question, the Dandies chose Water, and got the picture set: we saw the band Toto, then racing driver Christian 'Toto' Wolff, then footballer Salvatore 'Toto' Schillaci, and finally the cast of the Wizard of Oz with an arrow at Toto the dog. That gave them the link, and the point. The Beaks chose 'Horn-ed' Viper next: ''Something's Got To Give'', then ''The Athenaeum Portrait'', then ''The Last Tycoon'', and finally 'Schubert's Symphony No. 8'. That gave it to them: they are all unfinished works. The Dandies chose Twisted Flax next: 'Harlem, New York', then 'Quarter, Naples', then 'City, Whitley Bay'; they saw that the latter are all known as 'the Spanish (former)', and collected two points. The Beaks chose Lion next: 'Faroe Islands (1907-92)', then 'Bournville, Birmingham (1895-2015)'; they offered that they have no pubs, and collected three good points from it. (The unseen clues were 'USA (1920-33)' and 'Saudi Arabia (1952-present)') Left with Eye of Horus, and the music set, the Dandies heard Tom Waits with 'Time', then 'Life' by Des'ree, then 'People' from the musical Funny Girl, and finally Madonna with 'Vogue'. They spotted the titles to be those of magazines, and collected the point. At the end of the first round, the Dandies led 5-4.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Beaks opened the round with Two Reeds: '4th: Making Up', then '3rd: Save Me', and then '2nd: Boom Bang'. They didn't quite see it, their opponents did: they are the first and last words of the UK's four Eurovision winning entries, so '1st: Puppet String' would complete the set. For their own question, the Dandies chose 'Horn-ed' Viper, and got the picture set: we saw a red and yellow striped jacket, then the singers P!nk and Professor Green, and then two chocolates with purple and oranges wrappers. Neither side got it quite right: they are the colours of the rainbow as in the song 'I Can Sing A Rainbow', so something representing just 'blue', such as the eponymous band, would satisfy. The Beaks chose Twisted Flax next: 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?', then 'Art', and then 'The Dumb Waiter'; they saw it to be plays with 4, 3, 2 and 1 characters, so offered 'Underneath the Lintel' for the two points. The Dandies chose Lion next: '2005 Jo Swinson', '2009 Chloe Smith' (I had it at this), and then '2010 Pamela Nash'. They saw it to be the youngest MP in parliament, or 'Baby of the House', so '2015 Mhairi Black' (or 'Mary' Black as Victoria called her) would complete the set. For their final choice, the Beaks chose Water: '5 on 19', then '3 on 17', and then '5 on 12'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are starting positions in backgammon, so '2 on 1' would complete the sequence. Left with Eye of Horus again, the Dandies saw 'La Suisse: quatre', then 'Le Belgique: trois'; they identified it as countries where French is an official languages, and how many official langauges that country has, so 'La France: une' would come fourth there. At the end of the second round, the Dandies led 11-6.
On to the Walls. The Dandies went first, and chose to tackle the Water wall. They spotted some connections, but had little luck getting group slotted in. With just seconds to go, they finally isolated 'Strange', 'No', 'Faustus' and 'Legg', which are fictional doctors. They couldn't get anyway, and had to collect bonuses: 'Pepper', 'Capri', 'Pop' and 'Uni' can all precede 'corn', which they didn't see, 'Aedile', 'Censor', 'Tribune' and 'Quaestor' are Roman officials, which they did get, while 'Prefect', 'Anglia', 'Zephyr' and 'Consul' are old Ford cars, which they also saw. Four points there.
The Beaks thus could put themselves well back in the hunt with a good result on the Lion wall. They, in contrast, had two groups sorted out pretty quickly: 'Claret', 'Measuring', 'Puzzle' and 'Milk' are types of jug, while 'Aled', 'Toby', 'January' and 'Inigo' are famous Joneses. They couldn't quite get the final sets sorted out though, failing to get it in their three tries. They too thus had to collect bonus points: 'Boston', 'Nantucket', 'Quincy' and 'Springfield' are places in Massachusetts, which they spotted, while 'Lakeland', 'Kerry Blue', 'Border' and 'Yorkshire' are terrier dogs, which they also got. Six points there, which meant they trailed 15-12 going into the final round.
So, still all to play for going into Missing Vowels. 'Shakespeare plays and the character who speaks the first line' went to the Beaks 3-1, so just one in it now. 'Symbols of early Christianity' was another 3-1 to the Beaks, giving them the lead. 'Pairs of words and expressions for lavatory' went to the Beaks, 2-(-1), and that was time. The Beaks had come from behind, again, to win 20-16.
Another good match, well played by both teams. Unlucky Dandies, but best of luck in the play-off round. Well done Beaks though, and best of luck in the group stage!
Next week's match: the Detectives vs the Arrowheads in the final second round match, followed by the Meeples vs the Parishioners in the first play-off the week after, then we break for Christmas.
No UC tomorrow night, so see you next Sunday, I guess.
Monday, 4 December 2017
University Challenge 2017-18: Round 2: Match 4: U.C.L. vs Edinburgh
Evening all. You'll be pleased to know I finally seem to have got my heating to acceptable settings, so, for the first time in a few weeks, I am doing this review in a comfortable heat. And with what sounds like a cracking EastEnders to catch up on later on, as things finally get somewhere after nearly a year of slowness, I need to get a move on with tonight's show, as two more teams, both of whom frankly deserve a place in the group stage, fight it out for one. Runners-up highly unfortunately go home.
U.C.L. were narrowly defeated by Trinity of Oxford in their first match 160-145, but survived to the play-offs, where they pulled off a highly impressive demolition of the fancied St Hugh's of Oxford side 315-45, the highest score for a couple of series. Hoping for more of the same were the unchanged foursome of:
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
Edinburgh last graced us with their presence back in the first match of the series, where they beat out our friends Ulster 165-160, who also survived to the play-offs and are now in the group stage, so no mean feat. Hoping to join them and avoid becoming the first team in six series to go less far in the contest than the team they beat in the first round were the also unchanged line-up of:
John Heaton-Armstrong, from Edinburgh, studying Russian and History
Stanley Wang, from Edinburgh, studying Speech and Language Processing
Captain: Innis Carson, from Glasgow, studying Chemistry
Philippa Stone, from Oxford, studying Biology
Off we set again then, and Mr Wang opened the scoring for the night by spotting 'red' to be the colour linking, among others, supporters of Garibaldi; the Scots side took one bonus, but were unlucky to miss another. (I got the other other) Mr Dowell opened U.C.L.'s account for the night, and they promptly took the lead with two bonuses on the song Waltzing Matilda, familiar to me only through the commentary of Jonathan Pearce! Mr Raii, and myself, identified the people listed in the next starter as Agatha Christie murder victims, but just the one bonus followed this time. Ms Stone was next in for Edinburgh, and bonuses on mammals gave them one bonus to put them five behind. The first picture round, on the locations of museums, went to U.C.L., who were unable to take any bonuses, which nonetheless put them ahead 45-30.
Mr Carson took, what looked like, an educated guess on the next starter, and his side were rewarded with a bonus set on years with at least three identical digits, such as 1999, of which they took two. A good quick buzz from Mr Dowell on a starter that was apparently also asked on the Xmas UC repeat that was on BBC4 just before tonight's match(!) gave U.C.L. back the lead, and they took a full set of bonuses on regions of India. Mr Heaton-Armstrong made sure all four Edinburgh players had a starter to their name, and two bonuses on physics gave them the lead again. A slip-up from their opponents the Scots side a bonus set on Eleanor Roosevelt, which they promptly took all three of.
The music round, on power ballads, went to U.C.L., who took two of the bonuses which reduced their arrears to 95-85. Good match so far, and it took another twist as Mr Allinson gave the next correct answer to a starter, thus making sure all eight players had a starter under their collective belts, and the Londoners retook the lead with a full bonus set on countries hidden within other words, such as the frankly brilliant 'pyROMANIAc'! Hope the OC question setters were taking notes! Mr Carson, who unusually has been on that show before UC (it's usually the other way around), took a good starter asking which is the only UK regnal name to also be that of an SI unit (Henry), and a full bonus set of their own gave them the lead again. The Edinburgh captain then took another starter, and his side now had a bit of breathing room as another full bonus set came with it.
The second picture round, on historical figures and the currencies they appear on, went to U.C.L., who took two bonuses, unluckily missing the third, which cut the gap to 140-130, setting up another grandstand finish. This remained firmly on as Mr Gray took the next starter, and bonuses on humanist philosopher saw his side pull off the old trick of giving the same answer, Erasmus, to all three bonuses and getting it right on the last one!
That put them level pegging again, and Mr Raii then gave them the lead with the next correctly answered starter; the bonuses would be crucial in such a close match, and they took two. The next starter was dropped just to add to the tension; Mr Heaton-Armstrong took the next starter, but the Scots side really needed the bonuses. They took just one, but it mattered not, as Ms Stone took the final starter just in time to sneak them in front at the gong. Edinburgh won a good close match 170-165!
Another thrilling match, well played in great spirits by both sides. Unlucky U.C.L., just pipped at the post, but nothing to be ashamed of at all, a fine series of performances, thanks very much for giving us them. Well done Edinburgh though, another good performance against, and close win over, good opponents, and very best of luck in the group stage!
The stats: Messrs Dowell, Raii and Carson ended the night joint best buzzers with three each. On the bonuses, U.C.L. converted 16 out of 27 (with one penalty), while Edinburgh managed 16 out of 24, so it really was fine margins that decided the match. Well played both sides though, frankly a travesty that this is a second round match and one of these teams is out for good.
No show next week as Nigella's Christmas special requires the timeslot, so we're, hopefully, back in two weeks, though whether with a regular show or the first of the Christmas specials, I don't know yet. So if this is indeed the last regular UC of the year, thank you and good night!
Only Connect back from it's sabbatical on Friday, and will definitely finish it's second round before Christmas; back on Sunday with Friday's match.
U.C.L. were narrowly defeated by Trinity of Oxford in their first match 160-145, but survived to the play-offs, where they pulled off a highly impressive demolition of the fancied St Hugh's of Oxford side 315-45, the highest score for a couple of series. Hoping for more of the same were the unchanged foursome of:
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
Edinburgh last graced us with their presence back in the first match of the series, where they beat out our friends Ulster 165-160, who also survived to the play-offs and are now in the group stage, so no mean feat. Hoping to join them and avoid becoming the first team in six series to go less far in the contest than the team they beat in the first round were the also unchanged line-up of:
John Heaton-Armstrong, from Edinburgh, studying Russian and History
Stanley Wang, from Edinburgh, studying Speech and Language Processing
Captain: Innis Carson, from Glasgow, studying Chemistry
Philippa Stone, from Oxford, studying Biology
Off we set again then, and Mr Wang opened the scoring for the night by spotting 'red' to be the colour linking, among others, supporters of Garibaldi; the Scots side took one bonus, but were unlucky to miss another. (I got the other other) Mr Dowell opened U.C.L.'s account for the night, and they promptly took the lead with two bonuses on the song Waltzing Matilda, familiar to me only through the commentary of Jonathan Pearce! Mr Raii, and myself, identified the people listed in the next starter as Agatha Christie murder victims, but just the one bonus followed this time. Ms Stone was next in for Edinburgh, and bonuses on mammals gave them one bonus to put them five behind. The first picture round, on the locations of museums, went to U.C.L., who were unable to take any bonuses, which nonetheless put them ahead 45-30.
Mr Carson took, what looked like, an educated guess on the next starter, and his side were rewarded with a bonus set on years with at least three identical digits, such as 1999, of which they took two. A good quick buzz from Mr Dowell on a starter that was apparently also asked on the Xmas UC repeat that was on BBC4 just before tonight's match(!) gave U.C.L. back the lead, and they took a full set of bonuses on regions of India. Mr Heaton-Armstrong made sure all four Edinburgh players had a starter to their name, and two bonuses on physics gave them the lead again. A slip-up from their opponents the Scots side a bonus set on Eleanor Roosevelt, which they promptly took all three of.
The music round, on power ballads, went to U.C.L., who took two of the bonuses which reduced their arrears to 95-85. Good match so far, and it took another twist as Mr Allinson gave the next correct answer to a starter, thus making sure all eight players had a starter under their collective belts, and the Londoners retook the lead with a full bonus set on countries hidden within other words, such as the frankly brilliant 'pyROMANIAc'! Hope the OC question setters were taking notes! Mr Carson, who unusually has been on that show before UC (it's usually the other way around), took a good starter asking which is the only UK regnal name to also be that of an SI unit (Henry), and a full bonus set of their own gave them the lead again. The Edinburgh captain then took another starter, and his side now had a bit of breathing room as another full bonus set came with it.
The second picture round, on historical figures and the currencies they appear on, went to U.C.L., who took two bonuses, unluckily missing the third, which cut the gap to 140-130, setting up another grandstand finish. This remained firmly on as Mr Gray took the next starter, and bonuses on humanist philosopher saw his side pull off the old trick of giving the same answer, Erasmus, to all three bonuses and getting it right on the last one!
That put them level pegging again, and Mr Raii then gave them the lead with the next correctly answered starter; the bonuses would be crucial in such a close match, and they took two. The next starter was dropped just to add to the tension; Mr Heaton-Armstrong took the next starter, but the Scots side really needed the bonuses. They took just one, but it mattered not, as Ms Stone took the final starter just in time to sneak them in front at the gong. Edinburgh won a good close match 170-165!
Another thrilling match, well played in great spirits by both sides. Unlucky U.C.L., just pipped at the post, but nothing to be ashamed of at all, a fine series of performances, thanks very much for giving us them. Well done Edinburgh though, another good performance against, and close win over, good opponents, and very best of luck in the group stage!
The stats: Messrs Dowell, Raii and Carson ended the night joint best buzzers with three each. On the bonuses, U.C.L. converted 16 out of 27 (with one penalty), while Edinburgh managed 16 out of 24, so it really was fine margins that decided the match. Well played both sides though, frankly a travesty that this is a second round match and one of these teams is out for good.
No show next week as Nigella's Christmas special requires the timeslot, so we're, hopefully, back in two weeks, though whether with a regular show or the first of the Christmas specials, I don't know yet. So if this is indeed the last regular UC of the year, thank you and good night!
Only Connect back from it's sabbatical on Friday, and will definitely finish it's second round before Christmas; back on Sunday with Friday's match.
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