OK, before I review this week's Only Connect, I wonder if any of you saw a behind the scenes feature on the show in a recent Radio Times. Good feature, even if the picture used was of a non-first round fixture, thus giving away that one of this week's teams will play one of next week's teams somewhere along the line!
Anyway, playing on Monday were the Durhamites, Adam Robertson, James France and captain George Twigg, and the LARPers, Martel Reynolds, Kiwi Tokoeka and captain Ronny Jackson. You may remember the Durhamites represented the university on UC way back in 2011-12, where they were most unfortunate to lose in the second round.
Round 1. The Durhamites opened the night with Water: '1: Rugby Union', then '19: a cribbage hand', then '23: a dart'; they offered 'number of points you can't score in these games', which was close enough, they are the lowest impossible scores in the games. The LARPers kicked themselves off with Eye of Horus, and the music set: we heard the theme tune to 'Toast of London', then 'The Village Green Presentation Society' as sung by Kate Rusby in the theme to 'Jam and Jerusalem', then the intro to 'Bread', and finally the spoken word intro to 'Porridge'. Neither team spotted the connection there. The Durhamites chose Two Reeds next: 'tv', then 'i', then 'watch', and finally 'mac'. They didn't quite get it, nor did their opponents: they are Apple operating systems. The LARPers chose Lion next: 'Claudius', then 'Michael Corleone', then 'Romulus', and finally 'Cain'. They spotted that they all murdered their brothers for the point, 'Claudius' referring to Hamlet's uncle rather than the Roman. The Durhamites chose 'Horn-ed' Viper next: 'Eve Babitz's chess game vs Marcel Duchamp', then 'Spencer Tunick's photo shoots', then 'Stephen Gough's GB walk', and finally 'Ancient Greek wrestling'; the last one gave it to them, they are things that were done naked. Left with Twisted Flax, and the picture set, the LARPers saw a gentleman pointing at his rather large nose, then some chicken schnitzel, then Schnorbitz the dog with Bernie Winters; they saw the link here, and collected two points. (The first clue representing 'schnozzle'; a still from the classic Frasier episode 'Roz and the Schnoz' would've been better in my book!) At the end of the first round, the teams were tied on 3-each.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Durhamites began with Water: 'Early May', then 'Spring', and then 'Summer'. They didn't quite see it, their opponents (and I) did: they are Bank holidays in England and Wales, so 'Christmas Day' completes the set. For their own question, the LARPers chose Eye of Horus: 'Bath', then 'Bangor', and then 'Armagh'. They correctly offered 'Aberdeen' for the two points, albeit for the wrong reason: they are UK cities alphabetically going backwards. The Durhamites chose Two Reeds next, and got the picture set; we saw a leopard seal, then an E-type jaguar, and then a Lion chocolate bar (one of which VCM proceded to eat while explaining the answer); they saw the sequence, and offered 'a tiger moth' for the points. The LARPers chose Lion next: 'Tesla's solution (not Edison's)', then 'Westernmost province of Canada'; they saw them to be 'AC' and 'BC', so offered 'Edison's solution (not Tesla's)' as 'DC' for the three points. For their final choice, the Durhamites chose Twisted Flax: 'Amateurishly fiddle with', then 'Adapt for a particular purpose', then 'Carry on doggedly'. Neither side got this one: the words underlined (or in green on the show itself) can be replaced with 'Tinker', 'Tailor' and 'Solider', so a sentence where 'Spy' could replace a word, such as 'Spot with your little eye' would be fourth. Left with Horned Viper, the LARPers saw '1 1 2', then '2 2 0', and then '3 3 9'. They saw the sequence, equations with the symbols missing, so offered '4 4 1', as in '4/4+1' for the points. At the end of the round, the LARPers led 11-5.
On to the Walls. The LARPers went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. They quickly isolated their first set: 'Blue', 'Blair', 'Bart' and 'Shriver' are surnames of famous people called Lionel. They then identified a connection of nicknames of London football teams in the singular, and isolated 'Lion', 'O', 'Gunner' and 'Hoop'. They got stuck trying to solve what was left though, failing to solve in their three tries, so had to go for bonuses: 'Eon', 'Rank', 'DNA' and 'Hammer' are British film companies, which they didn't see, while 'Repulsive', 'Flagrant', '144' and 'Pre-tax' can all also mean 'Gross'. Five points there.
The Durhamites thus could catch up somewhat if they could better that on the Water wall. Their first set also came reasonably quickly: 'Row', 'Scrap', 'Spat' and 'Ding-song' are words that can mean a fight. A second set, 'Curl', 'Extension', 'Plank' and 'Squat', which are strength training exercises, followed afterwards. After studying the remnants, they solved it on their second try: 'Line', 'Dog', 'Tightrope' and 'Walk' are things one can walk, which they spotted, while 'Tiff', 'Zip', 'Jar' and 'Doc' are file extensions, which they didn't get. Seven there then, which reduced their gap to 16-12 going into the final round.
So, all to play for with Missing Vowels. 'Quotes from British politics' was split 2-each. 'Things that are not soldiers', such as 'GENERAL ELECTION' and 'MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER', went to the LARPers 3-0. 'Pejorative terms for books', such as 'POTBOILER' and 'BONKBUSTER', was another 2-all split. 'Animals and the island where the exist' saw the Durhamites get the only clue wrong and the LARPers right. At the end of the show, the LARPers won 24-15.
Another good match, plenty of good questions and quizzing to be had. Unlucky Durhamites, well done LARPers, best of luck to both of yous in your next matches!
Next week's match: Pyromaniacs vs Cartoonists
Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Monday, 29 October 2018
University Challenge 2018-19: Round 1: Match 14: Keble vs East Anglia
Evening all. So here we are at the fourteenth and final first round match of this series. So far, Emmanuel, Hertford and Exeter are through to the play-offs, and so would King's, provided tonight's runners-up didn't score 150 or more. No opening credits to the show tonight where I was watching, don't know about the rest of yous. Maybe BBC Scotland added a couple of extra trailers and overran, that's at least the third time that's happened if that's the case.
Keble College Oxford was founded in 1870, and named after churchman and poet John Keble. Alumni include Labour luvvie Lord Adonis, cricketer turned politician Imran Khan, politican turned media personality Ed Balls, performer Katy Brand and writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce. You may recall the last two of those played for the college on the most recent Xmas UC, and won; this, though, is the first student team to appear since the turn of the Millennium. They were:
Ellen Pasternack, from London, studying Evolutionary Biology
Michael Green, from Boston, Massachusetts, studying PPE
Captain: Rose Atkinson, from Durham, studying Physics
Thomas Player, from Damerham in the New Forest, studying Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
The University of East Anglia is more recent, founded in 1963 and based in and around Norwich. Alumni include writer Kazuo Ishiguro, politician Caroline Flint, actors Tim Bentinck and Matt Smith, and funnymen Charlie Higson and Arthur Smith. It has, rather surprisingly, only sent two student teams to UC; the most recent, in 2006-07, were beaten by eventual champs Warwick in a memorably close second round match. This year's quartet were:
Edward Bellamy, from Leamington Spa, studying Medicine
Matt Reid, from Newcastle, studying Medicine
Captain: Matt Walker, from Horsham, studying Economics
Maddy Forde-Roberts, from Essex, studying Medieval and Early Modern Literature
Off we set again then, and the match didn't get off to the best start, with the first two starters both being dropped, East Anglia losing five on one of them. Ms Forde-Roberts finally got some points on the board with 'The Colour Purple', and her side opened their account with two bonuses on Shakespeare. Ms Pasternack set Keble off the mark with 'rhubarb' (sadly interrupting before the cartoon series co-starring Custard could be a clue!); one bonus was sufficient to level the scores. A second starter to their left winger gave Keble the lead, and they took two bonuses on words with no singular form. The first picture round, on bears in heraldry, went to Keble, who drew a blank on the bonuses, but still led 45-15.
Ms Forde-Roberts promptly re-awoke East Anglia on the next starter with 'H'; bonuses on the Association of South East Asian Nations gave them two correct answers. Keble promptly pulled further ahead again courtesy of Ms Pasternack, and the side took one bonus on town halls in Greater Manchester (I got Oldham as Winston Churchill's first parliamentary seat). Back came East Anglia, for whom a bonus set on the Dead Kennedys took them within five points. That lead closed when Ms Atkinson slipped-up on the next starter; Paxo, for once, went a bit far by telling her not to cry! East Anglia couldn't capitalise, and the next starter went begging too. Mr Walker eventually stopped the rot and gave East Anglia the lead and a single bonus went with it.
The music starter saw the teams played 'Good Morning Starshine', a song most of my generation know as having been sung by the late Leonard Nimoy in The Simpsons! The bonuses, on rock musicals, went to Keble, who took two bonuses to reclaim the lead, 75-70. The lead promptly increased when Ms Pasternack took the next starter, and two bonuses took them within one correct answer of three figures. Back came East Anglia, with Ms Forde-Roberts once again doing the honours, and two bonuses took them within five points. A slip-up put the sides level again, and another starter to East Anglia's right winger gave them the lead. One bonus was taken.
The second picture round, on fictional professors, went to Keble, who took two bonuses, giving them back the lead, 110-105. Anyone's game to play for still, and a late charge for the play-offs not out of the question either. Ms Pasternack's educated guess of cuckoo gave Keble further advantage, and bonuses on sea birds provided two correct answers. Mr Green then put them in command position, and two bonuses meant one more starter would bring them back no matter what.
Neither side knew Arthur Ashe as the winner of the 1975 men's singles at Wimbledon, a bit too early for Mr Walker's guess of Boris Becker. Ms Pasternack recognised Smith as the surname shared by authors of listed works for the next starter, and that, plus a single bonus, might just have put the game out of East Anglia's reach. And when Mr Green took the next starter, a repechage place looked out of reach for them too; Keble took one bonus. East Anglia did give it one last go, Mr Bellamy's answer of 'Mondian' for 'Mondrian' was close enough for Paxo to accept on the next starter, but no bonuses went with it. There was time for Ms Pasternack to take one last starter before the gong; Keble won 180-115.
Another low scoring but close and engaging contest, well done both sides. Unlucky East Anglia, but a respectable enough performance, thanks very much for playing. Well done Keble though, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Ms Pasternack was the best buzzer of the night, with seven starters, while Ms Forde-Roberts was East Anglia's best with five. On the bonuses, Keble converted 15 out of 33 (with three penalties), while East Anglia managed 10 out of 21 (with one penalty).
So, the line-up for the play-offs is complete: Emmanuel (175), Hertford and Exeter (150 each), and King's (145).
Next week's match: the first play-off! Emmanuel vs King's is my guess, but we'll see.
More UC alumni on Only Connect tonight, review of that coming up later in the week. And more good new for quiz watchers: Fifteen-to-One 2.0 finally returns next Monday!
Keble College Oxford was founded in 1870, and named after churchman and poet John Keble. Alumni include Labour luvvie Lord Adonis, cricketer turned politician Imran Khan, politican turned media personality Ed Balls, performer Katy Brand and writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce. You may recall the last two of those played for the college on the most recent Xmas UC, and won; this, though, is the first student team to appear since the turn of the Millennium. They were:
Ellen Pasternack, from London, studying Evolutionary Biology
Michael Green, from Boston, Massachusetts, studying PPE
Captain: Rose Atkinson, from Durham, studying Physics
Thomas Player, from Damerham in the New Forest, studying Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
The University of East Anglia is more recent, founded in 1963 and based in and around Norwich. Alumni include writer Kazuo Ishiguro, politician Caroline Flint, actors Tim Bentinck and Matt Smith, and funnymen Charlie Higson and Arthur Smith. It has, rather surprisingly, only sent two student teams to UC; the most recent, in 2006-07, were beaten by eventual champs Warwick in a memorably close second round match. This year's quartet were:
Edward Bellamy, from Leamington Spa, studying Medicine
Matt Reid, from Newcastle, studying Medicine
Captain: Matt Walker, from Horsham, studying Economics
Maddy Forde-Roberts, from Essex, studying Medieval and Early Modern Literature
Off we set again then, and the match didn't get off to the best start, with the first two starters both being dropped, East Anglia losing five on one of them. Ms Forde-Roberts finally got some points on the board with 'The Colour Purple', and her side opened their account with two bonuses on Shakespeare. Ms Pasternack set Keble off the mark with 'rhubarb' (sadly interrupting before the cartoon series co-starring Custard could be a clue!); one bonus was sufficient to level the scores. A second starter to their left winger gave Keble the lead, and they took two bonuses on words with no singular form. The first picture round, on bears in heraldry, went to Keble, who drew a blank on the bonuses, but still led 45-15.
Ms Forde-Roberts promptly re-awoke East Anglia on the next starter with 'H'; bonuses on the Association of South East Asian Nations gave them two correct answers. Keble promptly pulled further ahead again courtesy of Ms Pasternack, and the side took one bonus on town halls in Greater Manchester (I got Oldham as Winston Churchill's first parliamentary seat). Back came East Anglia, for whom a bonus set on the Dead Kennedys took them within five points. That lead closed when Ms Atkinson slipped-up on the next starter; Paxo, for once, went a bit far by telling her not to cry! East Anglia couldn't capitalise, and the next starter went begging too. Mr Walker eventually stopped the rot and gave East Anglia the lead and a single bonus went with it.
The music starter saw the teams played 'Good Morning Starshine', a song most of my generation know as having been sung by the late Leonard Nimoy in The Simpsons! The bonuses, on rock musicals, went to Keble, who took two bonuses to reclaim the lead, 75-70. The lead promptly increased when Ms Pasternack took the next starter, and two bonuses took them within one correct answer of three figures. Back came East Anglia, with Ms Forde-Roberts once again doing the honours, and two bonuses took them within five points. A slip-up put the sides level again, and another starter to East Anglia's right winger gave them the lead. One bonus was taken.
The second picture round, on fictional professors, went to Keble, who took two bonuses, giving them back the lead, 110-105. Anyone's game to play for still, and a late charge for the play-offs not out of the question either. Ms Pasternack's educated guess of cuckoo gave Keble further advantage, and bonuses on sea birds provided two correct answers. Mr Green then put them in command position, and two bonuses meant one more starter would bring them back no matter what.
Neither side knew Arthur Ashe as the winner of the 1975 men's singles at Wimbledon, a bit too early for Mr Walker's guess of Boris Becker. Ms Pasternack recognised Smith as the surname shared by authors of listed works for the next starter, and that, plus a single bonus, might just have put the game out of East Anglia's reach. And when Mr Green took the next starter, a repechage place looked out of reach for them too; Keble took one bonus. East Anglia did give it one last go, Mr Bellamy's answer of 'Mondian' for 'Mondrian' was close enough for Paxo to accept on the next starter, but no bonuses went with it. There was time for Ms Pasternack to take one last starter before the gong; Keble won 180-115.
Another low scoring but close and engaging contest, well done both sides. Unlucky East Anglia, but a respectable enough performance, thanks very much for playing. Well done Keble though, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Ms Pasternack was the best buzzer of the night, with seven starters, while Ms Forde-Roberts was East Anglia's best with five. On the bonuses, Keble converted 15 out of 33 (with three penalties), while East Anglia managed 10 out of 21 (with one penalty).
So, the line-up for the play-offs is complete: Emmanuel (175), Hertford and Exeter (150 each), and King's (145).
Next week's match: the first play-off! Emmanuel vs King's is my guess, but we'll see.
More UC alumni on Only Connect tonight, review of that coming up later in the week. And more good new for quiz watchers: Fifteen-to-One 2.0 finally returns next Monday!
Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Only Connect Series 14: Round 1: Match 1: Hotpots vs Poptimists
OK, off we go with a new series of Only Connect! And after the chaos of the last two series, I'm glad TPTB have decided to revert to the old format where all teams get at least two games. Apparently we'll be getting some specials later this series as well, and there will, including those, be at least 28 shows. Hopefully we'll get more clarity on exactly what's going on later on.
Anyway, kicking the series off on Monday night were the Hotpots, Paul Jackson, Joe Beattie and captain Paul Richardson, and the Poptimists, Oliver Levy, Bob De Caux and captain Matt Loxham. As I said before, you may remember Messrs De Caux and Loxham from UC back in 2013-14, where they featured alongside our old friend Richard Evans for Southampton, reaching the QFs.
Round 1. The Hotpots chose to open the series with Two Reeds: 'Samosas: Somalia', then 'Roquefort: Australia', then 'Kinder Eggs: USA'; that gave it to them, they are banned in those countries, and collected the first two points of the series. The Poptimists opened their series account with 'Horn-ed' Viper: 'McKinley & Hoover', then 'Washington & Monroe', then 'Lincoln & Kennedy'; they suggested at this point that they died 100 years apart, not right. Their opponents saw 'Reagan & Clinton', but didn't get it right either: they are pairs of presidents whose successors had the same surname. Nice question, classic OC. The Hotpots chose Eye of Horus next, and got the first picture question of the series: we saw a green traffic light, then the character Ludo from the show Labyrinth, then the late great Ronnie Corbett in the sitcom Sorry!; they spotted them to be the names of board games, and collected another two points. The Poptimists chose Lion next, and got the first music question of the series: we heard Belle & Sebastian with 'Me and the Major', then Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr with 'Me and My Shadow', then Paul Simon's 'Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard', and finally 'Me and Mrs Jones' by Billy Paul. They correctly spotted the link for their first point. The Hotpots chose Water next: 'Beethoven's 7th', then 'Centre of gravity', then '3rd of November', and finally 'Very beginning'. Neither side saw this devilishly good link: they are cryptic clues to where the letter V appears in the phrases. Welcome back OC, you have been missed! Left with Twisted Flax, the Poptimists saw 'No - No', then 'This - War', then 'Brexit - Brexit'; that gave it to them and me, adding 'means' between them gives phrases. At the end of the first round, the Hotpots lead 4-3.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Hotpots kicked the round off with Horned Viper: 'Hamilton', then 'Wellington', and then 'Christchurch'; that gave it to them, they are the largest cities of New Zealand, so 'Auckland' would be fourth. The Poptimists chose Twisted Flax next, and got the picture set: we saw an ace of hearts, then Jesse Ventura; they instantly gave it to them, 'Ace' and 'Ventura', so 'Pet' would be third, and something for 'Detective', such as Sam Spade, would come fourth. (Never seen the film myself, prefer the animated TV series with the awesome theme tune) The Hotpots chose Lion next: '2015 = 2', then '1985 = 1, 2, 3', and then '1955 = 1, 2, 3'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are the years where the Back to the Future films are set, so '1885 = 3' would be fourth. For their own question, the Poptimists chose Eye of Horus: 'Origin', then 'Inferno'; they saw them to be Dan Brown's Robert Langdon novels going backwards, so 'The Da Vinci Code' comes fourth. For their final choice, the Hotpots chose Water: '21st: i', then '20th: The Sun', and then '19th: The Daily Telegraph'. They didn't offer an acceptable answer, their opponents did: they are newspapers founded in descending centuries, so '18th: The Times', or '18th: The Obsever', would be acceptable. Left with Two Reeds for their own final question, the Poptimists saw '6 Hydrogen', then '5 Hydrogen', and then '4 Carbon Dioxide'. They saw them to be the main planetary gasses of planets nearing the Sun, so '3 Nitrogen' would be correct. At the end of the second round, the Poptimists now led 13-6.
On to the Walls. The Poptimists chose the Lion wall as the first of the series. They quickly isoated 'Watt', 'West', 'Tungsten' and 'Won', which can all be represented by a W, and it didn't take them much longer to get 'Goldilocks', 'Twilight', 'Enterprise' and 'Erogenous', which are can all follow 'zone'. After taking their time with what was left, they solved the wall on their first try: 'Nemesis', 'Tardis', 'Explorer' and 'Nostromo' are spacecrafts, while 'Time', 'Record', 'Wicket' and 'Park' can all be followed by keeper. They didn't spot that last connection though, so seven points.
The Hotpots thus could recovered some lost ground if they could better that on the Water wall. They quickly spotted a few connections, and isolated 'Squirrel', 'Capybara', 'Gundi' and 'Lemming', which are rodents. This was followed quickly by 'Iron', 'War', 'Coster' and 'Fish', which can all precede 'monger'. After working out the final connections, they had both groups sorted: 'Shrew', 'Nothing', 'Venice' and 'Measure' are the last words of Shakespeare titles, while 'Lear', 'Kirkwood', 'Rich' and 'Avery' are the surnames of BBC weather presenters. A full ten there, which reduced their arrears to 20-16 heading into the final round.
So, as ever, Missing Vowels to end and decide the show. 'Things that can be ordered in a chip shop' was a clean sweep to the Poptimists, 4-0. 'Double acts reversed', such as 'WISE AND MORECAMBE' (disappointingly, 'HARDY AND LAUREL' was not one of them), went to the Poptimists 3-1, as did 'Agricultural idioms', such as 'REAP THE BENEFITS' and 'NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK'. 'Things to follow', such as 'THE LEADER', managed two clues, of which the teams took one each. And that was time, the Poptimists won 31-19.
A good start to the series. Unlucky Hotpots, well done Poptimists, but well played both, glad you are both coming back, and best of luck in your respective next matches!
Next week's match: Durhamites vs LARPers
Anyway, kicking the series off on Monday night were the Hotpots, Paul Jackson, Joe Beattie and captain Paul Richardson, and the Poptimists, Oliver Levy, Bob De Caux and captain Matt Loxham. As I said before, you may remember Messrs De Caux and Loxham from UC back in 2013-14, where they featured alongside our old friend Richard Evans for Southampton, reaching the QFs.
Round 1. The Hotpots chose to open the series with Two Reeds: 'Samosas: Somalia', then 'Roquefort: Australia', then 'Kinder Eggs: USA'; that gave it to them, they are banned in those countries, and collected the first two points of the series. The Poptimists opened their series account with 'Horn-ed' Viper: 'McKinley & Hoover', then 'Washington & Monroe', then 'Lincoln & Kennedy'; they suggested at this point that they died 100 years apart, not right. Their opponents saw 'Reagan & Clinton', but didn't get it right either: they are pairs of presidents whose successors had the same surname. Nice question, classic OC. The Hotpots chose Eye of Horus next, and got the first picture question of the series: we saw a green traffic light, then the character Ludo from the show Labyrinth, then the late great Ronnie Corbett in the sitcom Sorry!; they spotted them to be the names of board games, and collected another two points. The Poptimists chose Lion next, and got the first music question of the series: we heard Belle & Sebastian with 'Me and the Major', then Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr with 'Me and My Shadow', then Paul Simon's 'Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard', and finally 'Me and Mrs Jones' by Billy Paul. They correctly spotted the link for their first point. The Hotpots chose Water next: 'Beethoven's 7th', then 'Centre of gravity', then '3rd of November', and finally 'Very beginning'. Neither side saw this devilishly good link: they are cryptic clues to where the letter V appears in the phrases. Welcome back OC, you have been missed! Left with Twisted Flax, the Poptimists saw 'No - No', then 'This - War', then 'Brexit - Brexit'; that gave it to them and me, adding 'means' between them gives phrases. At the end of the first round, the Hotpots lead 4-3.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Hotpots kicked the round off with Horned Viper: 'Hamilton', then 'Wellington', and then 'Christchurch'; that gave it to them, they are the largest cities of New Zealand, so 'Auckland' would be fourth. The Poptimists chose Twisted Flax next, and got the picture set: we saw an ace of hearts, then Jesse Ventura; they instantly gave it to them, 'Ace' and 'Ventura', so 'Pet' would be third, and something for 'Detective', such as Sam Spade, would come fourth. (Never seen the film myself, prefer the animated TV series with the awesome theme tune) The Hotpots chose Lion next: '2015 = 2', then '1985 = 1, 2, 3', and then '1955 = 1, 2, 3'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are the years where the Back to the Future films are set, so '1885 = 3' would be fourth. For their own question, the Poptimists chose Eye of Horus: 'Origin', then 'Inferno'; they saw them to be Dan Brown's Robert Langdon novels going backwards, so 'The Da Vinci Code' comes fourth. For their final choice, the Hotpots chose Water: '21st: i', then '20th: The Sun', and then '19th: The Daily Telegraph'. They didn't offer an acceptable answer, their opponents did: they are newspapers founded in descending centuries, so '18th: The Times', or '18th: The Obsever', would be acceptable. Left with Two Reeds for their own final question, the Poptimists saw '6 Hydrogen', then '5 Hydrogen', and then '4 Carbon Dioxide'. They saw them to be the main planetary gasses of planets nearing the Sun, so '3 Nitrogen' would be correct. At the end of the second round, the Poptimists now led 13-6.
On to the Walls. The Poptimists chose the Lion wall as the first of the series. They quickly isoated 'Watt', 'West', 'Tungsten' and 'Won', which can all be represented by a W, and it didn't take them much longer to get 'Goldilocks', 'Twilight', 'Enterprise' and 'Erogenous', which are can all follow 'zone'. After taking their time with what was left, they solved the wall on their first try: 'Nemesis', 'Tardis', 'Explorer' and 'Nostromo' are spacecrafts, while 'Time', 'Record', 'Wicket' and 'Park' can all be followed by keeper. They didn't spot that last connection though, so seven points.
The Hotpots thus could recovered some lost ground if they could better that on the Water wall. They quickly spotted a few connections, and isolated 'Squirrel', 'Capybara', 'Gundi' and 'Lemming', which are rodents. This was followed quickly by 'Iron', 'War', 'Coster' and 'Fish', which can all precede 'monger'. After working out the final connections, they had both groups sorted: 'Shrew', 'Nothing', 'Venice' and 'Measure' are the last words of Shakespeare titles, while 'Lear', 'Kirkwood', 'Rich' and 'Avery' are the surnames of BBC weather presenters. A full ten there, which reduced their arrears to 20-16 heading into the final round.
So, as ever, Missing Vowels to end and decide the show. 'Things that can be ordered in a chip shop' was a clean sweep to the Poptimists, 4-0. 'Double acts reversed', such as 'WISE AND MORECAMBE' (disappointingly, 'HARDY AND LAUREL' was not one of them), went to the Poptimists 3-1, as did 'Agricultural idioms', such as 'REAP THE BENEFITS' and 'NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK'. 'Things to follow', such as 'THE LEADER', managed two clues, of which the teams took one each. And that was time, the Poptimists won 31-19.
A good start to the series. Unlucky Hotpots, well done Poptimists, but well played both, glad you are both coming back, and best of luck in your respective next matches!
Next week's match: Durhamites vs LARPers
Monday, 22 October 2018
University Challenge 2018-19: Round 1: Match 13: East London vs Manchester
Evening all. Here we go again, after our week off last week, and we have Only Connect back alongside UC as well! We rejoin the contest at a crucial stage, with just two first round matches left, and thus the play-off race hotting up too. Tonight's runners up would need 155 or more to guarantee a return, though 150 would give them a very good chance, two teams already on that.
The University of East London began life as the West Ham Technical Institute, later became East London Polytechnic, and became a university when those were abolished in 1992. Alumni include Turner prize nominees Jake and Dinos Chapman, Labour MPs Rupa Huq and Kate Osamor and musicians Tinchy Stryder and Roger Taylor. This is its second appearance on the revival; its first team two years ago, including our friend Chris Ducklin of the Quizzy Mondays podcast, went out in the second round. This year's foursome were:
Chloe Knecht, from Exeter, New Hampshire, studying Computer Science
Stephen Harvie, from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, studying English Literature
Captain: Chris O'Mahony, from Bandon in County Cork, studying Clinical Psychology
Scott Danielsen, from East Renfrewshire, studying Public Health
Manchester University, founded in its current form in 2004 having been around in various forms since 1824, is UC's joint most succesful institution, winning the title in 2005-06, 2011-12 and 2012-13, as well as being retrospective awarded the 2008-09 series. Between 2004-05 and 2013-14, they never failed to reach the semi-finals, earning them the nickname 'The Team Everyone Wants to Beat'. Since the following year, however, its hit a slump somewhat, going out in the second round that series and the first round in the next two. Hoping to recapture its former imperious form were this year's quartet of:
Alex Antao, from Chingford in London, studying Mathematical Logic
Georgia Lynott, from Burnley, studying Applied Maths
Captain: James Ross, from Coventry, studying Classics and Ancient History
Joe Hanson, from Gravesend, studying Data Intensive Science
Off we set again then, and Ms Lynott opened the scoring with, appropriately for Manchester, 'gig'; the side took two of their opening set of bonuses. A repeat performance followed, as Ms Lynott took the second starter and another two bonuses were taken. Neither side worked out a rather tricky piece of arithmetic for the next starter; Mr Danielsen identified 'Argentina and Chile' for the next starter, and they too took a pair of bonuses. A penalty then cost Manchester five, allowing Mr Danielsen a second starter in a row, but a bonus set on words differing only in the addition of 'at' at the start didn't add to their score. Neither side recognised the outline of Panama for the first picture starter; the bonuses, on locales which give their names to hats, went to Manchester, who, again, took two of them, giving them a lead of 55-30.
Another slip-up dropped another five off that lead, and gave East London the points; again, though, the bonuses, on astronomy, did not add to their score. Mr Hanson got Manchester's score ticking the right away again with the next starter; only one bonus followed this time though, though they did provide an amusing wrong answer to the first. Those five points were then lost to another penalty though; East London failed to pick up, but Mr Harvie identified the character played by Keira Knightley in The Duchess, a film available to buy on DVD in almost every Aberdeenshire charity shop. One bonus on English furniture designers was taken, putting them within five points.
The music starter was dropped; the bonuses, on recordings by Rachmaninoff of other composers' work, went to East London, who took a full house, giving them a lead of 80-60. A good prompt buzz from Mr Ross with 'First Secretary of State' quickly got Manchester up and running again, and yet another pair of bonuses put the sides level again. Mr Harvie gave the Londoners the lead again, and two bonuses were sufficient to take them into three figures first. Mr Danielsen upped the lead further with 'Salvador', and one bonus on WW2 theatre followed.
The second picture round, on stills from 20th century TV dramas, went to Manchester, who took two bonuses once again, which reduced their arrears to 115-100. Mr Antao took a second starter in a row for the Mancunians, and two bonuses took them back into the lead, setting the scene for a close finish.
Mr Antao zigged on the next starter, Mr Harvie zagged to give his side the lead again, and his side took two bonuses on world leaders who took office in 1999 (I got a full set there). Back but Manchester though, Mr Antao offering 'magnesium'; the bonuses, also on elements, more recent post Tom Lehrer ones, gave them a full house, and put the match back in their hands. And when Mr Antao took the next starter, that was likely the game won. Indeed, the gong went during the bonuses; Manchester won 155-135.
A good enjoyable close match, even if it was slightly on the low scoring side. Unlucky East London, but a respectable effort and score to go out on, thanks very much indeed for playing. Well done Manchester though, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Messrs Antao, Harvie and Danielsen were the joint best buzzers of the night, with four each. On the bonuses, East London converted 11 out of 24, while Manchester managed 16 out of 26 (with three penalties), so it was one extra starter plus a slightly better bonus rate that won them the game.
Next week's match: the last first round match, Keble College Oxford vs East Anglia
Only Connect returned tonight with a good match, which featured two UC alumni in the form of Bob De Caux and Matt Loxham, who you may remember were part of the Southampton team that reached the 2013-14 QFs alongside blog reader Richard 'Cromarty(IV)' Evans. Review hopefully later this week, Wednesday or Thursday.
The University of East London began life as the West Ham Technical Institute, later became East London Polytechnic, and became a university when those were abolished in 1992. Alumni include Turner prize nominees Jake and Dinos Chapman, Labour MPs Rupa Huq and Kate Osamor and musicians Tinchy Stryder and Roger Taylor. This is its second appearance on the revival; its first team two years ago, including our friend Chris Ducklin of the Quizzy Mondays podcast, went out in the second round. This year's foursome were:
Chloe Knecht, from Exeter, New Hampshire, studying Computer Science
Stephen Harvie, from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, studying English Literature
Captain: Chris O'Mahony, from Bandon in County Cork, studying Clinical Psychology
Scott Danielsen, from East Renfrewshire, studying Public Health
Manchester University, founded in its current form in 2004 having been around in various forms since 1824, is UC's joint most succesful institution, winning the title in 2005-06, 2011-12 and 2012-13, as well as being retrospective awarded the 2008-09 series. Between 2004-05 and 2013-14, they never failed to reach the semi-finals, earning them the nickname 'The Team Everyone Wants to Beat'. Since the following year, however, its hit a slump somewhat, going out in the second round that series and the first round in the next two. Hoping to recapture its former imperious form were this year's quartet of:
Alex Antao, from Chingford in London, studying Mathematical Logic
Georgia Lynott, from Burnley, studying Applied Maths
Captain: James Ross, from Coventry, studying Classics and Ancient History
Joe Hanson, from Gravesend, studying Data Intensive Science
Off we set again then, and Ms Lynott opened the scoring with, appropriately for Manchester, 'gig'; the side took two of their opening set of bonuses. A repeat performance followed, as Ms Lynott took the second starter and another two bonuses were taken. Neither side worked out a rather tricky piece of arithmetic for the next starter; Mr Danielsen identified 'Argentina and Chile' for the next starter, and they too took a pair of bonuses. A penalty then cost Manchester five, allowing Mr Danielsen a second starter in a row, but a bonus set on words differing only in the addition of 'at' at the start didn't add to their score. Neither side recognised the outline of Panama for the first picture starter; the bonuses, on locales which give their names to hats, went to Manchester, who, again, took two of them, giving them a lead of 55-30.
Another slip-up dropped another five off that lead, and gave East London the points; again, though, the bonuses, on astronomy, did not add to their score. Mr Hanson got Manchester's score ticking the right away again with the next starter; only one bonus followed this time though, though they did provide an amusing wrong answer to the first. Those five points were then lost to another penalty though; East London failed to pick up, but Mr Harvie identified the character played by Keira Knightley in The Duchess, a film available to buy on DVD in almost every Aberdeenshire charity shop. One bonus on English furniture designers was taken, putting them within five points.
The music starter was dropped; the bonuses, on recordings by Rachmaninoff of other composers' work, went to East London, who took a full house, giving them a lead of 80-60. A good prompt buzz from Mr Ross with 'First Secretary of State' quickly got Manchester up and running again, and yet another pair of bonuses put the sides level again. Mr Harvie gave the Londoners the lead again, and two bonuses were sufficient to take them into three figures first. Mr Danielsen upped the lead further with 'Salvador', and one bonus on WW2 theatre followed.
The second picture round, on stills from 20th century TV dramas, went to Manchester, who took two bonuses once again, which reduced their arrears to 115-100. Mr Antao took a second starter in a row for the Mancunians, and two bonuses took them back into the lead, setting the scene for a close finish.
Mr Antao zigged on the next starter, Mr Harvie zagged to give his side the lead again, and his side took two bonuses on world leaders who took office in 1999 (I got a full set there). Back but Manchester though, Mr Antao offering 'magnesium'; the bonuses, also on elements, more recent post Tom Lehrer ones, gave them a full house, and put the match back in their hands. And when Mr Antao took the next starter, that was likely the game won. Indeed, the gong went during the bonuses; Manchester won 155-135.
A good enjoyable close match, even if it was slightly on the low scoring side. Unlucky East London, but a respectable effort and score to go out on, thanks very much indeed for playing. Well done Manchester though, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Messrs Antao, Harvie and Danielsen were the joint best buzzers of the night, with four each. On the bonuses, East London converted 11 out of 24, while Manchester managed 16 out of 26 (with three penalties), so it was one extra starter plus a slightly better bonus rate that won them the game.
Next week's match: the last first round match, Keble College Oxford vs East Anglia
Only Connect returned tonight with a good match, which featured two UC alumni in the form of Bob De Caux and Matt Loxham, who you may remember were part of the Southampton team that reached the 2013-14 QFs alongside blog reader Richard 'Cromarty(IV)' Evans. Review hopefully later this week, Wednesday or Thursday.
Monday, 8 October 2018
University Challenge 2018-19: Round 1: Match 12: U.C.L. vs King's
Evening all. The play-off pressure's mounting with just three games to go in the first round. A score tonight of 155 or more would bring either team back regardless of whether they won or lost. A potentially combustible fixture too, between the University of London's two largest colleges, both arch rivals to the other.
U.C.L. was founded in 1826 by poet Thomas Campbell and lawyer Henry Broom, inspired by Jeremy Bentham, whose remains are housed within the college. Alumni include Mahatma Gandhi, the philosopher John Stewart Mill, Marie Stopes, Ricky Gervais and all four of Coldplay. It has regularly sent teams to UC during the BBC era, runners-up in 2004-05 and 2012-13; last year's team were unlucky to lose in the second round. This year's four were:
George Mitkov, from Warwickshire, studying French and German
Sophia Walker, from Boulder, Colorado, studying Translation
Captain: Robert Johnstone, from Worcester Park in Surrey, studying Medical Imaging
Feiyu Fang, from Leicester, studying Physics
King's College London was founded in 1829 as a Church of England alternative to U.C.L.. Alumni include writers Thomas Hardy and Virginia Woolfe, the poet Keats, the physicist Sir Peters Higgs and impressionist Rory Bremner. It has only occasionally sent teams to the revived series; it sent one last year who were very unlucky to draw and lose to eventual runners-up Merton in the first round. This year's quartet were:
Liam Tsang, from Wanstead in London, studying Medicine
Rhian Jones, from Wrexham, studying Early Modern History
Captain: Anthony Chater, from Surrey, studying Music
Katie Heath, from Bedfordshire, studying Midwifery
Off we set again then, and Ms Walker opened the night's scoring with 'wild'; the first bonus set saw U.C.L. take two correct answers. Mr Mitkov picked up where his colleague left off, but the second bonus set on English rock musicians only gave one bonus right this time. King's took off the mark thanks to Mr Tsang, and they fared better with their first bonuses, taking a full set. A second starter and full bonus set went to King's, firing them into the lead. The first picture round, on the locations of museums, went to King's, who took a third successive 25 pointer, taking them into a 75-35 lead.
I might have gambled on the next starter, on George Orwell's quotation about cricket, a bit sooner than Ms Walker did, but she was right nonetheless. The side struggled with the resultant bonuses on the self-denying ordinance, not taking any. (I took one, but only because I recalled a starter about it from an earlier show! I try to not count such answers towards my final totals!) A second starter in a row went to Ms Walker, and amino acids proved slightly more favourable to them, one correct answer being taken. King's reawoke again thanks to Mr Tsang and upped their lead, but, in contrast to before, took none of the resulting bonuses.
The music round, on French composers overlooked for the Prix de Rome scholarship, went to U.C.L., who managed one correct bonus, reducing their arrears to 85-75. A penalty increased it again, but King's were unable to pick up the advantage. Ms Walker brought her side back within five points, and the side took the lead with two of the resultant bonuses. A second starter in a row went Ms Walker's way, as U.C.L. broke into three figures first, and, again, two bonuses were taken. Still all to play for heading into the latter stages.
The second picture round, on examples of blob architectures (including Bayern Munich's Alianz Arena, which I always think looks like a portable music speaker!), went to U.C.L., who took all three bonuses, giving them a lead of 135-85. With the bit now firmly between their collective teeth, Mr Johnstone took his first starter of the night, and U.C.L. took a second successive full bonus set, on pregnancy. Another starter to U.C.L., and you fancied that was the match won; another two bonuses were taken.
So that left King's with the task of running up a high enough score for the play-offs. They went for it, Mr Tsang taking the next starter, but just the one bonus following. The King's left winger took a second, and third, starter in a row and three of the six bonuses that came with them put them within touching distance of a score that might do it. Mr Chater took the last starter, but there was time for just one bonus, which they didn't take. At the gong, U.C.L. won 180-145.
A good match, well played by both teams, both decent ones at that. Unlucky King's, a good team who started well faded then recovered well late on; you might just make the play-offs, fourth with two games left, we shall wait and see, but thanks in the mean time. Well done U.C.L. though, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Ms Walker and Mr Tsang were joint best buzzers of the night, with five each for their respective teams. On the bonuses, U.C.L. converted an OK 17 out of 30 (with the night's one penalty), while King's managed a respectable 13 out of 22.
No match next week, Autumnwatch gets priority. Hopefully whenever it comes back, Only Connect will (finally) come back with it!
U.C.L. was founded in 1826 by poet Thomas Campbell and lawyer Henry Broom, inspired by Jeremy Bentham, whose remains are housed within the college. Alumni include Mahatma Gandhi, the philosopher John Stewart Mill, Marie Stopes, Ricky Gervais and all four of Coldplay. It has regularly sent teams to UC during the BBC era, runners-up in 2004-05 and 2012-13; last year's team were unlucky to lose in the second round. This year's four were:
George Mitkov, from Warwickshire, studying French and German
Sophia Walker, from Boulder, Colorado, studying Translation
Captain: Robert Johnstone, from Worcester Park in Surrey, studying Medical Imaging
Feiyu Fang, from Leicester, studying Physics
King's College London was founded in 1829 as a Church of England alternative to U.C.L.. Alumni include writers Thomas Hardy and Virginia Woolfe, the poet Keats, the physicist Sir Peters Higgs and impressionist Rory Bremner. It has only occasionally sent teams to the revived series; it sent one last year who were very unlucky to draw and lose to eventual runners-up Merton in the first round. This year's quartet were:
Liam Tsang, from Wanstead in London, studying Medicine
Rhian Jones, from Wrexham, studying Early Modern History
Captain: Anthony Chater, from Surrey, studying Music
Katie Heath, from Bedfordshire, studying Midwifery
Off we set again then, and Ms Walker opened the night's scoring with 'wild'; the first bonus set saw U.C.L. take two correct answers. Mr Mitkov picked up where his colleague left off, but the second bonus set on English rock musicians only gave one bonus right this time. King's took off the mark thanks to Mr Tsang, and they fared better with their first bonuses, taking a full set. A second starter and full bonus set went to King's, firing them into the lead. The first picture round, on the locations of museums, went to King's, who took a third successive 25 pointer, taking them into a 75-35 lead.
I might have gambled on the next starter, on George Orwell's quotation about cricket, a bit sooner than Ms Walker did, but she was right nonetheless. The side struggled with the resultant bonuses on the self-denying ordinance, not taking any. (I took one, but only because I recalled a starter about it from an earlier show! I try to not count such answers towards my final totals!) A second starter in a row went to Ms Walker, and amino acids proved slightly more favourable to them, one correct answer being taken. King's reawoke again thanks to Mr Tsang and upped their lead, but, in contrast to before, took none of the resulting bonuses.
The music round, on French composers overlooked for the Prix de Rome scholarship, went to U.C.L., who managed one correct bonus, reducing their arrears to 85-75. A penalty increased it again, but King's were unable to pick up the advantage. Ms Walker brought her side back within five points, and the side took the lead with two of the resultant bonuses. A second starter in a row went Ms Walker's way, as U.C.L. broke into three figures first, and, again, two bonuses were taken. Still all to play for heading into the latter stages.
The second picture round, on examples of blob architectures (including Bayern Munich's Alianz Arena, which I always think looks like a portable music speaker!), went to U.C.L., who took all three bonuses, giving them a lead of 135-85. With the bit now firmly between their collective teeth, Mr Johnstone took his first starter of the night, and U.C.L. took a second successive full bonus set, on pregnancy. Another starter to U.C.L., and you fancied that was the match won; another two bonuses were taken.
So that left King's with the task of running up a high enough score for the play-offs. They went for it, Mr Tsang taking the next starter, but just the one bonus following. The King's left winger took a second, and third, starter in a row and three of the six bonuses that came with them put them within touching distance of a score that might do it. Mr Chater took the last starter, but there was time for just one bonus, which they didn't take. At the gong, U.C.L. won 180-145.
A good match, well played by both teams, both decent ones at that. Unlucky King's, a good team who started well faded then recovered well late on; you might just make the play-offs, fourth with two games left, we shall wait and see, but thanks in the mean time. Well done U.C.L. though, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Ms Walker and Mr Tsang were joint best buzzers of the night, with five each for their respective teams. On the bonuses, U.C.L. converted an OK 17 out of 30 (with the night's one penalty), while King's managed a respectable 13 out of 22.
No match next week, Autumnwatch gets priority. Hopefully whenever it comes back, Only Connect will (finally) come back with it!
Monday, 1 October 2018
University Challenge 2018-19: Round 1: Match 11: St Peter's vs Pembroke
Evening all. We're at that time of year where it gets cold early, so I've given the heating an extra half hour on tonight. Speaking of things heating up, after tonight's game, we'd know our first play-off team. A score of 180 or more would bring either of tonight's teams back regardless of win or lose. If not, Emmanuel's place would be safe.
St Peter's College Oxford is one of the universty's newer colleges, founded 1929 and becoming a full college in 1961; alumni include director Ken Loach, foodie Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the Rev W Awdry, creator of Thomas the Tank Engine et al. After not appearing for the first twenty years of the revival, it sent two teams in a row in 2014-15 and 15-16, one reaching the semis, the latter only making the play-offs. This year's foursome were:
James Hodgson, from Uxbridge in London, studying Statistics
Seb Braddock, from Geneva, studying History
Captain: Nick Williford, from Maynardville, Tennessee, studying British and European History
Laura Cooper, from Stockport, studying Biological Sciences
Pembroke College Cambridge, by contrast, is one of Cambridge's older colleges, founded 1347 thanks to a loan from Edward III to the eponymous Countess of Pembroke; alumni include prime minister Pitt the Younger, poet Ted Hughes and actors Tom Hiddleston and Naomi Harris. It last sent a team four series ago, who lost to eventual runners-up Magdalen of Oxford in the first round (a match that began this blog's obsession with 'non-interruptions'). This year's quartet were:
Dan James, from Bedford, studying Earth Sciences
Joe Kiernan, from Philadelphia, studying International Relations and Politics
Captain: Anki Deo, from Hampton in London, studying Linguistics
Jamie Bamber, from Cambridge, studying Physics
Off we set again then, and Mr Williford set the scoring for the night rolling by identifying the first Pulitzer prize winners; the Oxonians opened their account with a single bonus on German literature. Mr Kiernan promptly took Pembroke off the mark too, and they fared a bit better with their first bonuses, on astronomy, taking two. St Peter's reclaimed the lead thanks to a very prompt buzz from their captain; an amusing bonus set on Shakespearean insults failed to add to their score though. A starter was dropped, the next was taken by Ms Cooper, and life sciences proved more to her side's liking, two bonuses there. The first picture round, on music sheets for nursery rhymes, went to Pembroke, who also took a pair of bonuses, reducing the gap to 45-40.
Ms Deo took a second starter in a row for the Cambridge side, and they took a pair of bonuses on the songs of The Kinks. Five of those points were then lost to a penalty; St Peter's picked that up, but no bonuses fell their way, leaving the scores level. Ms Cooper then gave her side the lead with 'Why', and the side, again, drew a blank on the bonuses. A second starter in a row went to the St Peter's right winger, and organic chemistry proved more fruitful, two there. St Peter's were probably winning on the buzzer this far, but a slight bonus profligacy was keeping Pembroke in touch.
The music round, on recordings by Leonard Bernstein, went to St Peter's, who took a pair of bonuses to increase their lead to 105-55. The lead increased when Pembroke slipped up again, and Ms Cooper took the points; another solitary bonus went the Oxford side's way. Ms Cooper took a second starter in a row, and another one bonus was taken, another being unluckily missed after Mr Williford misheard a confer. With the game starting to slip away from Pembroke, Mr Bamber did the right thing and buzzed early for the next starter, but no answer came; another five points gone, another pickup to Ms Cooper, another two bonuses, and St Peter's now led 100+ and were likely home safe.
The second picture round, on Oscar winners who did not attend their ceremonies, went to St Peter's, who provoked some humour by mistaking Joan Crawford for Joan Collins! The other two bonuses were taken, giving them a lead of 175-45. Now it was likely just a question of how high either side could go. Pembroke lost yet another five to yet another slip-up, allowing Mr Williford to take the points and the Oxonians to take the first full house of the night, thus confirming they really couldn't be caught.
Another slip-up chalked five from Pembroke's score, but the side were doing exactly the right thing in keeping on going for it. Mr Kiernan came close on the next starter, but not quite there; Mr Hodgson collected the points, and bonuses on cricketer Heather Knight gave St Peter's one correct answer. Finally, Pembroke got some points back on the board, Mr Bamber identifying 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'; their reward was a bonus set on biology of which they took one correct answer. One final starter went to St Peter's, and there was time for one bonus, which they did not take. At the gong, St Peter's won 225-50.
A match that started close, but remained watchable when St Peter's ran away late on. Unlucky Pembroke, a perfectly reasonable team I'd say for whom things just didn't work out on the buzzer; thanks very much indeed for playing though. Very well done St Peter's though on a decent first outing, and best of luck in the next round!
The stats: Ms Cooper was, narrowly, the best buzzer of the night, with six starters to Mr Williford's five, while Ms Deo was Pembroke's best with two. On the bonuses, St Peter's converted 17 out of 40, while Pembroke managed 7 out of 12 (with a damaging five penalties).
Next week's match: U.C.L. vs King's College London, another potentially feisty London derby!
St Peter's College Oxford is one of the universty's newer colleges, founded 1929 and becoming a full college in 1961; alumni include director Ken Loach, foodie Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the Rev W Awdry, creator of Thomas the Tank Engine et al. After not appearing for the first twenty years of the revival, it sent two teams in a row in 2014-15 and 15-16, one reaching the semis, the latter only making the play-offs. This year's foursome were:
James Hodgson, from Uxbridge in London, studying Statistics
Seb Braddock, from Geneva, studying History
Captain: Nick Williford, from Maynardville, Tennessee, studying British and European History
Laura Cooper, from Stockport, studying Biological Sciences
Pembroke College Cambridge, by contrast, is one of Cambridge's older colleges, founded 1347 thanks to a loan from Edward III to the eponymous Countess of Pembroke; alumni include prime minister Pitt the Younger, poet Ted Hughes and actors Tom Hiddleston and Naomi Harris. It last sent a team four series ago, who lost to eventual runners-up Magdalen of Oxford in the first round (a match that began this blog's obsession with 'non-interruptions'). This year's quartet were:
Dan James, from Bedford, studying Earth Sciences
Joe Kiernan, from Philadelphia, studying International Relations and Politics
Captain: Anki Deo, from Hampton in London, studying Linguistics
Jamie Bamber, from Cambridge, studying Physics
Off we set again then, and Mr Williford set the scoring for the night rolling by identifying the first Pulitzer prize winners; the Oxonians opened their account with a single bonus on German literature. Mr Kiernan promptly took Pembroke off the mark too, and they fared a bit better with their first bonuses, on astronomy, taking two. St Peter's reclaimed the lead thanks to a very prompt buzz from their captain; an amusing bonus set on Shakespearean insults failed to add to their score though. A starter was dropped, the next was taken by Ms Cooper, and life sciences proved more to her side's liking, two bonuses there. The first picture round, on music sheets for nursery rhymes, went to Pembroke, who also took a pair of bonuses, reducing the gap to 45-40.
Ms Deo took a second starter in a row for the Cambridge side, and they took a pair of bonuses on the songs of The Kinks. Five of those points were then lost to a penalty; St Peter's picked that up, but no bonuses fell their way, leaving the scores level. Ms Cooper then gave her side the lead with 'Why', and the side, again, drew a blank on the bonuses. A second starter in a row went to the St Peter's right winger, and organic chemistry proved more fruitful, two there. St Peter's were probably winning on the buzzer this far, but a slight bonus profligacy was keeping Pembroke in touch.
The music round, on recordings by Leonard Bernstein, went to St Peter's, who took a pair of bonuses to increase their lead to 105-55. The lead increased when Pembroke slipped up again, and Ms Cooper took the points; another solitary bonus went the Oxford side's way. Ms Cooper took a second starter in a row, and another one bonus was taken, another being unluckily missed after Mr Williford misheard a confer. With the game starting to slip away from Pembroke, Mr Bamber did the right thing and buzzed early for the next starter, but no answer came; another five points gone, another pickup to Ms Cooper, another two bonuses, and St Peter's now led 100+ and were likely home safe.
The second picture round, on Oscar winners who did not attend their ceremonies, went to St Peter's, who provoked some humour by mistaking Joan Crawford for Joan Collins! The other two bonuses were taken, giving them a lead of 175-45. Now it was likely just a question of how high either side could go. Pembroke lost yet another five to yet another slip-up, allowing Mr Williford to take the points and the Oxonians to take the first full house of the night, thus confirming they really couldn't be caught.
Another slip-up chalked five from Pembroke's score, but the side were doing exactly the right thing in keeping on going for it. Mr Kiernan came close on the next starter, but not quite there; Mr Hodgson collected the points, and bonuses on cricketer Heather Knight gave St Peter's one correct answer. Finally, Pembroke got some points back on the board, Mr Bamber identifying 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'; their reward was a bonus set on biology of which they took one correct answer. One final starter went to St Peter's, and there was time for one bonus, which they did not take. At the gong, St Peter's won 225-50.
A match that started close, but remained watchable when St Peter's ran away late on. Unlucky Pembroke, a perfectly reasonable team I'd say for whom things just didn't work out on the buzzer; thanks very much indeed for playing though. Very well done St Peter's though on a decent first outing, and best of luck in the next round!
The stats: Ms Cooper was, narrowly, the best buzzer of the night, with six starters to Mr Williford's five, while Ms Deo was Pembroke's best with two. On the bonuses, St Peter's converted 17 out of 40, while Pembroke managed 7 out of 12 (with a damaging five penalties).
Next week's match: U.C.L. vs King's College London, another potentially feisty London derby!
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