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!