OK, on with Only Connect. A most curious fixture tonight; we were supposed to be seeing the Forrests tonight ostensibly, but they were not present, and appeared to have been replaced by the team they defeated in the first round (who have since been eliminated). Curiously, though, Victoria claimed in her intro that it was the Dragons, already through to the play-offs via the eliminator bracket, who'd pulled out. Shome mishtake shurely? All will become clear in time I suppose.
Anyway, playing on Monday were the Brews, Andy Christley, James Buchanan and captain Daniel Foskett, who were beaten by the Forrests in the first round and by the Birdwatchers in the eliminators, but have been granted a reprieve thanks to whoever pulled out pulling out, and the Dicers, George Corfield, Joey Goldman and captain Hugh Binnie, who, ironically, defeated the Birdwatchers in their first match! It all comes around in the end!
Round 1. The Brews chose to open the game with Horned Viper: 'Palamon and Arcite', then 'Antonio', then 'Alice Ford and Margaret Page', and finally 'Valentine and Proteus'. They suggested 'merchants', not right; their opponents suggested 'title characters of Shakespeare plays', correct for the bonus. (The plays being The Two Nobel Kinsmen, the Merchant of Venice, the Merry Wives of Windsor and the Two Gentlemen of Verena respectively) For their own first question, the Dicers chose Eye of Horus: 'Royal Institute of Oil Painters', then 'International Organisation for Standardisation', then 'The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence', and finally 'World Wife Fund For Nature'. They didn't quite get it, nor did their opponents: they are organisations whose common abbreviations don't correspond to their actual initials. The Brews chose Lion next: 'Scorpions lead singer', then 'Waldo in 'Twin Peaks'', then 'Person not allowed to but alchohol, fireworks or tobacco', and finally 'Bevin Boy'. They didn't quite see it, their opponents did: they are 'Meine', 'Mynah', 'Minor' and 'Miner' respectively, so all homophones. For their own question, the Dicers chose Twisted Flax, and got the picture set: we saw Ronald Reagan and some cowboys, then Dwight Eisenhower and a golf scorecard, then Richard Nixon and a flashlight, and finally Bill Clinton and a bald eagle. They saw them to be Secret Service codenames of those presidents, and collected the point. (The cowboys for Reagen being 'Rawhide' and Nixon 'Searchlight'). The Brews chose Two Reeds next: 'Batman Avenue, VIC 3121', then 'Avenue Gordon Bennett, 75016 PARIS', then 'Corona Park, NY 11368', and finally 'Church Road, SW19 5AE'. That gave it to them, they are the addresses of the locations of the four Tennis Grand Slam tournaments. Left with Water, and the music set, the Dicers heard the Super Furry Animals with '(Drawing) Rings Around the World', then a piece of music from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, then Anita Ward with 'Ring My Bell', and finally Johnny Cash's immortal 'Ring of Fire'. They saw the link, and collected the point. At the end of the first round, the Dicers led 4-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Brews kicked things off with Lion: 'Ancestral', then 'Oryk'; they saw it to be anagrams of successive royal houses, and, unable to come up with one for 'Stuart', simply offering 'Straut', which was sufficient for the three points! The Dicers chose Eye of Horus next: 'Like a sausage', then 'Soft blobs with clear edges'; they saw it to be the Bristol stool scale, and thus suggested 'Entirely liquid' for the three points! (Cue much hilarity!) The Brews chose Twisted Flax next: 'Street (e.g. Liverpool)', then 'Green (e.g. Willesden)'. Now, they came it at this point and suggested 'Bec (e.g. Tooting)', reasoning that they are second words of London tube stations going down by a letter each time. For the third time this series, the answer and seqeunce wasn't what TPTB had in mind, but it did fit the available clues (and still would've with the third clue, 'Road (e.g. Gloucester)'), so they were allowed the three points. The model sequence was the most common tube station name endings, and 'Park (e.g. Belsize)' the answer. The Dicers chose Horned Viper next: 'A-D: 1332', then 'E-H: 1424'; they saw it to be the values of those letters in Scrabble, and promptly offered 'M-P: 3113' for ANOTHER three points! For their final choice, the Brews chose Two Reeds, and got a music question: we heard Miley Cyrus with 'Party in the USA', then Ella Fitzgerald with 'Slow Boat to China', and then the 'Blame Canada' song from South Park. They didn't see it, their opponents did, and suggested a piece of music with 'Russia' in the name for the bonus. (Cue Mr Foskett offering us one verse of 'From Russia With Love'!) Left with Water for their own question, the Dicers got the picture set, and saw Bob Marley, then the music score for 'The Holly and the Ivy', and then Ted from the Seth MacFarlane film of the same name. Neither team got this: someone called Alice would complete the set, the sequence being the film 'Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'. At the end of a high scoring second round, the Dicers led 11-7.
On to the Walls. The Dicers went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. They quickly isolated 'Yukatan', 'Chihuahua', 'Tabasco' and 'Sonora', which are states of Mexico, followed fairly soon after by 'XO', 'Piri-piri', 'Sriracha' and 'Chipotle', which are spicy sauces. After taking their time with what was left, they solved it on their first try: 'Hidalgo', 'Blanc', 'Deschamps' and 'Houllier' are managers of the French national football team, while 'Beagle', 'Havanese', 'Saluki' and 'Basenji' are breeds of dog. A full ten there.
The Brews thus set to work on the Water wall. They too had a set in the bag fairly quickly: 'Lima', 'Paramaribo', 'Asuncion' and 'Quito' are South American capitals. After a few false efforts, they had a second: 'Jalapeno', 'Pimiento', 'Peter' and 'Bird's eye' are types of chilli pepper. With time running out, the final sets were sorted on their final attempt: 'Cayenne', 'Panamera', 'Cayman' and 'Boxster' are cars made by Porsche, while 'Vervet', 'Woolly', 'Spider' and 'Proboscis' are types of monkey. Another full ten, so as you were, the Dicers led 21-17 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels would decide who went where. 'Soups and their main ingredient' was split 2-each. 'Inappropriate things to play football in', such as 'SLIPPERS' and 'STILETTOS' was another 2-each. 'Full names of cable TV channels' went to the Brews 2-1. 'Old Testament miracles' only had time for one clue, which neither team got. The Dicers won 26-23.
Another good high scoring contest, some great answering especially in the second round, well played both times! Unlucky Brews, best of luck in the play-offs. Well done Dicers though, and best of luck in the quarter-finals!
Next week's match: the Ancient Alumni vs the Westenders
Wednesday, 30 January 2019
Monday, 28 January 2019
University Challenge 2018-19: Preliminary Quarter-Final 1: Glasgow vs Durham
Evening all. So, here we go with the ever confusing quarter-final stage! It's not that confusing really, you keep playing until you either win twice, in which case you're through to the semis, or lose twice, in which you're out. In fact, this format is now in its tenth year would you believe! In fact, Saturday was the tenth anniversary of that memorable game when Gail Trimble answered 15 starters correctly as her Corpus Christi team beat Exeter 350-15! That was then, this is now...
Glasgow won probably the best match of the first round as they narrowly saw off fellow quarter-finalists Emmanuel 200-175, before just surviving a magnificent fightback from Goldsmiths in the second round, just squeaking through here 135-125. Hoping to recover their first round form tonight were the unchanged foursome of:
Lewis Barn, from Airdrie, studying Professional Legal Practice
Freya Whiteford, from Bonybridge near Falkirk, studying Physics with Astrophysics
Captain: James Hampson, from Helsby in Cheshire, studying Medicine
Cam Herbert, from Burley-in-Wharfedale in West Yorkshire, studying Sociology with Quantatitive Methods
Durham rocketed through their first match against Strathclyde, ultimately coming home 360-55, before defeating Keble of Oxford only slightly less imperiously in the second round, 200-100 the score on that occasion. Considered by many the team to beat going into the group stage, they were also the same four as before:
Sian Round, from the Wirral, studying English
Cameron Yule, from Harrow in London, studying English
Captain: Matthew Toynbee, from South Derbyshire, studying Maths
Ben Murray, from Davenham in Cheshire, studying Chemistry
Off we set again then, and Mr Hampson opened the night's scoring with 'Boris Pasternak' (or 'Boris Parsnip' as his name translates into English as!); the Scots side opened their account with two correct bonuses. The Glasgow captain showed he was up for it as he took the second starter as well; just the one bonus again, but Mr Hampson wasn't done yet, taking the third starter as well, and two bonuses on carcinogenic elements meant they already had a 55 point lead. The first picture round, on director's filmographies in their original languages, allowed Durham to open their account; and open it they did, with a full house, which reduced the gap to 55-25.
And it decreased further when Glasgow slipped up on the next starter; Ms Round duly picked up the drop by identifying 'Window' as the word linking a controversial tax to a Hitchcock film (I knew that too), and the Wearsiders pulled within five by taking two bonuses. Mr Toynbee then gave them the lead, and they pushed their advantage home with a full bonus set on 'great crested' birds, including that old quiz staple the Macaroni Penguin! A second starter in a row went to the Durham captain; one bonus was taken, before another starter, from Mr Yule, gave Durham a classic UC bonus set on trios of words caused by adding a letter each time (such as 'rim, grim and grime'), of which they took all three, moving into triple figures.
The music round, on recordings by singer Marian Anderson, went to Glasgow; nothing came from the bonuses though, which left them trailing 110-60. The Scots side did seem to have reawoken now, as Mr Hampson gave them a second starter in a row; again, though, they got nothing from the resulting bonuses, on Sherlock Holmes short stories. Durham then let slip their first penalty of the series, but Glasgow were unable to pick it up; Mr Hampson did take the next starter though, and one bonus on plant derived substances followed. A great buzz from Mr Toynbee saw him work out 34 to be the ninth number in the Fibonacci sequence, but his side too could only follow it up with one bonus.
The second picture round, on French writers known by one name, went to Glasgow, who took just the one bonus again, which left their deficit at 120-100. Still either side's game; Mr Murray moved his side closer to victory with 'jerk', and they pushed advantage home with a full set of bonuses, which put them in the driving seat going into the home straight.
Mr Barn, who I gather was on The Chase last week, kept his side in the game with 'Icarus', but, again, the Scots side drew a blank on the bonuses, Mr Hampson unluckily overruling his teammate's correct suggestion on one of them. Two starters in a row were dropped, Mr Murray finally stopped the rot with 'Bolivia'; just the one bonus followed, but Durham were home and dry now. Mr Toynbee took one more starter just to make sure, and the gong prevented them from answering the first bonus. Durham won, 170-110.
A good game, either team's game until the closing minutes, well played both teams overall. Unlukcy Glasgow, but a fair performance nonetheless, best of luck in the eliminator round. Well played Durham though, another strong showing against good opposition, best of luck in your qualifier match!
The stats: Mr Hampson was the best buzzer of the night, with six starters, while Mr Toynbee was Durham's best with five. On the bonuses, Glasgow converted just 7 out of 24, while Durham managed 17 out of 27, with both sides incurring one penalty, suggesting the game was won largely on the bonuses as well as on the buzzer.
Next week's match: I would imagine Darwin vs Bristol
Only Connect was unusual tonight, with an eliminated team returning to fill in for another team who had to pull out, though not the team I'd have thought would've. All will hopefully become clear when I get my blog done, hopefully on Wednesday.
Glasgow won probably the best match of the first round as they narrowly saw off fellow quarter-finalists Emmanuel 200-175, before just surviving a magnificent fightback from Goldsmiths in the second round, just squeaking through here 135-125. Hoping to recover their first round form tonight were the unchanged foursome of:
Lewis Barn, from Airdrie, studying Professional Legal Practice
Freya Whiteford, from Bonybridge near Falkirk, studying Physics with Astrophysics
Captain: James Hampson, from Helsby in Cheshire, studying Medicine
Cam Herbert, from Burley-in-Wharfedale in West Yorkshire, studying Sociology with Quantatitive Methods
Durham rocketed through their first match against Strathclyde, ultimately coming home 360-55, before defeating Keble of Oxford only slightly less imperiously in the second round, 200-100 the score on that occasion. Considered by many the team to beat going into the group stage, they were also the same four as before:
Sian Round, from the Wirral, studying English
Cameron Yule, from Harrow in London, studying English
Captain: Matthew Toynbee, from South Derbyshire, studying Maths
Ben Murray, from Davenham in Cheshire, studying Chemistry
Off we set again then, and Mr Hampson opened the night's scoring with 'Boris Pasternak' (or 'Boris Parsnip' as his name translates into English as!); the Scots side opened their account with two correct bonuses. The Glasgow captain showed he was up for it as he took the second starter as well; just the one bonus again, but Mr Hampson wasn't done yet, taking the third starter as well, and two bonuses on carcinogenic elements meant they already had a 55 point lead. The first picture round, on director's filmographies in their original languages, allowed Durham to open their account; and open it they did, with a full house, which reduced the gap to 55-25.
And it decreased further when Glasgow slipped up on the next starter; Ms Round duly picked up the drop by identifying 'Window' as the word linking a controversial tax to a Hitchcock film (I knew that too), and the Wearsiders pulled within five by taking two bonuses. Mr Toynbee then gave them the lead, and they pushed their advantage home with a full bonus set on 'great crested' birds, including that old quiz staple the Macaroni Penguin! A second starter in a row went to the Durham captain; one bonus was taken, before another starter, from Mr Yule, gave Durham a classic UC bonus set on trios of words caused by adding a letter each time (such as 'rim, grim and grime'), of which they took all three, moving into triple figures.
The music round, on recordings by singer Marian Anderson, went to Glasgow; nothing came from the bonuses though, which left them trailing 110-60. The Scots side did seem to have reawoken now, as Mr Hampson gave them a second starter in a row; again, though, they got nothing from the resulting bonuses, on Sherlock Holmes short stories. Durham then let slip their first penalty of the series, but Glasgow were unable to pick it up; Mr Hampson did take the next starter though, and one bonus on plant derived substances followed. A great buzz from Mr Toynbee saw him work out 34 to be the ninth number in the Fibonacci sequence, but his side too could only follow it up with one bonus.
The second picture round, on French writers known by one name, went to Glasgow, who took just the one bonus again, which left their deficit at 120-100. Still either side's game; Mr Murray moved his side closer to victory with 'jerk', and they pushed advantage home with a full set of bonuses, which put them in the driving seat going into the home straight.
Mr Barn, who I gather was on The Chase last week, kept his side in the game with 'Icarus', but, again, the Scots side drew a blank on the bonuses, Mr Hampson unluckily overruling his teammate's correct suggestion on one of them. Two starters in a row were dropped, Mr Murray finally stopped the rot with 'Bolivia'; just the one bonus followed, but Durham were home and dry now. Mr Toynbee took one more starter just to make sure, and the gong prevented them from answering the first bonus. Durham won, 170-110.
A good game, either team's game until the closing minutes, well played both teams overall. Unlukcy Glasgow, but a fair performance nonetheless, best of luck in the eliminator round. Well played Durham though, another strong showing against good opposition, best of luck in your qualifier match!
The stats: Mr Hampson was the best buzzer of the night, with six starters, while Mr Toynbee was Durham's best with five. On the bonuses, Glasgow converted just 7 out of 24, while Durham managed 17 out of 27, with both sides incurring one penalty, suggesting the game was won largely on the bonuses as well as on the buzzer.
Next week's match: I would imagine Darwin vs Bristol
Only Connect was unusual tonight, with an eliminated team returning to fill in for another team who had to pull out, though not the team I'd have thought would've. All will hopefully become clear when I get my blog done, hopefully on Wednesday.
Sunday, 27 January 2019
Only Connect Series 14: Qualification Round: Match 2: Pyromaniacs vs Time Ladies
OK, sorry for another long wait, but finally we can get on to Only Connect from last Monday, and the second qualifier match. Two teams here who won their quarter-final matches by narrow margins against well matched opponents, and who again seemed well matched on paper. Sadly, thanks to that Radio Times article I think I've mentioned here before, I had half an idea of how this game would go; all will become clear in due course.
Anyway, playing were the Pyromaniacs, Suzy Turner, her brother Jeremy Turner and captain Dave Ryan, who narrowly won out against the Cartoonists in their first game, and the Time Ladies, Charlotte Jackson, Emma Harris and captain Rebecca Shaw, who pipped the Motorheads on a tie-breaker first time out.
Round 1. The Ladies kicked the contest off with Lion: 'Foster's', then 'Lastminute.com', then 'Intelligent Finance', and finally 'Perrier'. They suggested 'sponsors of comedy on Channel 4', not right. Their opponents didn't quite get close enough by suggesting 'sponsors of comedy festivals'; they are, specifically, sponsors of the Edinburgh Comedy Award. The Pyromaniacs opened their show with Two Reeds: 'Debbie Reynolds 1964', then 'Judi Dench 1997', then 'Pam Grier 1997', and finally 'Brendon O'Carroll 2011 onwards'. That gave it to them: they played characters known as 'Mrs Brown' in those years. The Ladies chose Water next: 'West Bromwich', then 'Goodnite Sweetheart', then 'Run Fatboy'; they suggested that the first word can be repeated after the second to give phrases, and collected two points (West Bromwich West being a constituency). The Pyromaniacs chose Horned Viper next: 'Fracture: Scottish Fantasy', then 'Ostrich: Elektra', then 'Trade: Messiah', and finally 'Creek: St Matthew Passion'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are the translations of the names of German composers plus one of their compositions. The Ladies chose Eye of Horus next, and got the music question: we heard James Yorkston singing 'When the Haar Rolls In', then 'Misty', then Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze', and finally 'Fog on the Tyne'. They didn't spot it, nor did their opponents: 'low visibility' the link there. Left with Twisted Flax, and the picture set, the Pyromaniacs saw Ruth Madoc as Gladys Pugh in 'Hi-De-Hi!', then a jack of hearts, then the Needles of the Isle of Wight, and finally a graphic showing lots of phone apps. Neither team saw it again: they are homophones for parts of a church ('Pew', 'Nave', 'Aisle' and 'Apse' being the correct words). At the end of the first round, the Ladies led 2-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Ladies started the round with Two Reeds: 'Booker', then 'Torv', and then 'Deng'; they saw them to be the surnames of Rupert Murdoch's wives, so suggested 'Hall' for the points. The Pyromaniacs chose Twisted Flax next: 'North: Poland', then 'East: Slovakia'; they came in at this point with 'West: Austria', but were not correct. Their opponents saw 'South: Austria', and suggested 'West: Germany' for the points, the sequence being countries that border the Czech Republic. For their own question, the Ladies chose Water: '1/4: Hitler imprisoned', then '2/5: Osama Bin Laden killed'; they spotted them to be events that happened on the 1st of April and 2nd of May, so suggested '4/7: American Independence Day' for the three points. The Pyromaniacs chose Lion next: '1999 (303)', then '2003 (304)', and then '2011 (305)'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are years represented by prime numbers, so '2017 (306)' would be fourth. For their final choice, the Ladies chose Eye of Horus: 'Hermes', then 'Aphrodite', and then 'Gaia'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are the Greek equivalents of the Roman Gods after whom the planets are named, so 'Ares' would come fourth. Left with Horned Viper, and the pictures, for their own final question, the Pyromaniacs saw someone getting a tattoo, then a young lady driving a car, and then a lottery ticket being printed. Neither team got this: they are things you have to be 18, 17 and 16 to do, so something one must be 15 to do, like see a 15 rated film, would come fourth. At the end of the second round, the Ladies led 8-2.
On to the Walls. The Pyromaniacs went first, and chose the Lion wall. They quickly isolated 'Slough', 'Cookham', 'Windor' and 'Ascot', which are locales in Berkshire, followed soon after by 'Javert', 'Juliet', 'Antigone' and 'Brunnhilde', which are, not operatic heroines as they suggested, but fictional characters who commit suicide. They had the final clues sorted on their second try: 'Sedan', 'Club', 'Easy' and 'High' are types of chair, which they knew, while 'Reading', 'Queen', 'Romeo' and 'Rook' are things represented by the letter R, which they didn't get. Six points there then.
The Ladies thus could put the game beyond realistic reach with a good result on the Water wall. It proved somewhat difficult though; though they could see numerous connections, they couldn't isolate anything. Eventually, they were timed out with nothing sorted, and had to try for bonus connection points: 'Stamford Bridge', 'Hastings', 'Badon' and 'Edington' are Anglo-Saxon battles, which they got, 'Turf Moor', 'Anfield', 'Deepdale' and 'Molineux' are English football stadiums, which they also got, 'Red', 'Traveling Matt', 'Wembley' and 'Boober' are Fraggles from Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock, which they also knew, while 'Spotlight', 'Cyc flood', 'Gobo' and 'Scroller' are types of lighting, which they also spotted. Four there then, which gave them a lead of 12-8 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels would decide who went where. 'Characters and the food they like' was split 2-each. 'Three consecutive things', such as 'THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY' and 'BROWN CAMERON MAY' (which I spotted, but neither team did), went to the Ladies 3-0. 'People who took part in the D-Day Landings' went to the Ladies 2-1, and that was time. The Ladies won, 19-11.
A good game, some tough questions there, well played both teams in the circumstances. Unlucky Pyromaniacs, best of luck in the play-off matches (where they'll possibly play the Durhamites, if that afore-mentioned article is to be believed). Well done Ladies though, and best of luck in the quarter-finals!
Tomorrow's match: the Brews vs the Dicers (it would appear the Forrests have had to withdraw, so the Brews have been given a reprieve)
Anyway, playing were the Pyromaniacs, Suzy Turner, her brother Jeremy Turner and captain Dave Ryan, who narrowly won out against the Cartoonists in their first game, and the Time Ladies, Charlotte Jackson, Emma Harris and captain Rebecca Shaw, who pipped the Motorheads on a tie-breaker first time out.
Round 1. The Ladies kicked the contest off with Lion: 'Foster's', then 'Lastminute.com', then 'Intelligent Finance', and finally 'Perrier'. They suggested 'sponsors of comedy on Channel 4', not right. Their opponents didn't quite get close enough by suggesting 'sponsors of comedy festivals'; they are, specifically, sponsors of the Edinburgh Comedy Award. The Pyromaniacs opened their show with Two Reeds: 'Debbie Reynolds 1964', then 'Judi Dench 1997', then 'Pam Grier 1997', and finally 'Brendon O'Carroll 2011 onwards'. That gave it to them: they played characters known as 'Mrs Brown' in those years. The Ladies chose Water next: 'West Bromwich', then 'Goodnite Sweetheart', then 'Run Fatboy'; they suggested that the first word can be repeated after the second to give phrases, and collected two points (West Bromwich West being a constituency). The Pyromaniacs chose Horned Viper next: 'Fracture: Scottish Fantasy', then 'Ostrich: Elektra', then 'Trade: Messiah', and finally 'Creek: St Matthew Passion'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are the translations of the names of German composers plus one of their compositions. The Ladies chose Eye of Horus next, and got the music question: we heard James Yorkston singing 'When the Haar Rolls In', then 'Misty', then Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze', and finally 'Fog on the Tyne'. They didn't spot it, nor did their opponents: 'low visibility' the link there. Left with Twisted Flax, and the picture set, the Pyromaniacs saw Ruth Madoc as Gladys Pugh in 'Hi-De-Hi!', then a jack of hearts, then the Needles of the Isle of Wight, and finally a graphic showing lots of phone apps. Neither team saw it again: they are homophones for parts of a church ('Pew', 'Nave', 'Aisle' and 'Apse' being the correct words). At the end of the first round, the Ladies led 2-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Ladies started the round with Two Reeds: 'Booker', then 'Torv', and then 'Deng'; they saw them to be the surnames of Rupert Murdoch's wives, so suggested 'Hall' for the points. The Pyromaniacs chose Twisted Flax next: 'North: Poland', then 'East: Slovakia'; they came in at this point with 'West: Austria', but were not correct. Their opponents saw 'South: Austria', and suggested 'West: Germany' for the points, the sequence being countries that border the Czech Republic. For their own question, the Ladies chose Water: '1/4: Hitler imprisoned', then '2/5: Osama Bin Laden killed'; they spotted them to be events that happened on the 1st of April and 2nd of May, so suggested '4/7: American Independence Day' for the three points. The Pyromaniacs chose Lion next: '1999 (303)', then '2003 (304)', and then '2011 (305)'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are years represented by prime numbers, so '2017 (306)' would be fourth. For their final choice, the Ladies chose Eye of Horus: 'Hermes', then 'Aphrodite', and then 'Gaia'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are the Greek equivalents of the Roman Gods after whom the planets are named, so 'Ares' would come fourth. Left with Horned Viper, and the pictures, for their own final question, the Pyromaniacs saw someone getting a tattoo, then a young lady driving a car, and then a lottery ticket being printed. Neither team got this: they are things you have to be 18, 17 and 16 to do, so something one must be 15 to do, like see a 15 rated film, would come fourth. At the end of the second round, the Ladies led 8-2.
On to the Walls. The Pyromaniacs went first, and chose the Lion wall. They quickly isolated 'Slough', 'Cookham', 'Windor' and 'Ascot', which are locales in Berkshire, followed soon after by 'Javert', 'Juliet', 'Antigone' and 'Brunnhilde', which are, not operatic heroines as they suggested, but fictional characters who commit suicide. They had the final clues sorted on their second try: 'Sedan', 'Club', 'Easy' and 'High' are types of chair, which they knew, while 'Reading', 'Queen', 'Romeo' and 'Rook' are things represented by the letter R, which they didn't get. Six points there then.
The Ladies thus could put the game beyond realistic reach with a good result on the Water wall. It proved somewhat difficult though; though they could see numerous connections, they couldn't isolate anything. Eventually, they were timed out with nothing sorted, and had to try for bonus connection points: 'Stamford Bridge', 'Hastings', 'Badon' and 'Edington' are Anglo-Saxon battles, which they got, 'Turf Moor', 'Anfield', 'Deepdale' and 'Molineux' are English football stadiums, which they also got, 'Red', 'Traveling Matt', 'Wembley' and 'Boober' are Fraggles from Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock, which they also knew, while 'Spotlight', 'Cyc flood', 'Gobo' and 'Scroller' are types of lighting, which they also spotted. Four there then, which gave them a lead of 12-8 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels would decide who went where. 'Characters and the food they like' was split 2-each. 'Three consecutive things', such as 'THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY' and 'BROWN CAMERON MAY' (which I spotted, but neither team did), went to the Ladies 3-0. 'People who took part in the D-Day Landings' went to the Ladies 2-1, and that was time. The Ladies won, 19-11.
A good game, some tough questions there, well played both teams in the circumstances. Unlucky Pyromaniacs, best of luck in the play-off matches (where they'll possibly play the Durhamites, if that afore-mentioned article is to be believed). Well done Ladies though, and best of luck in the quarter-finals!
Tomorrow's match: the Brews vs the Dicers (it would appear the Forrests have had to withdraw, so the Brews have been given a reprieve)
Friday, 25 January 2019
University Challenge 2018-19: Second Round Review and Look Forward to the Quarter-Finals
OK, so we've arrived at the group stage of this year's contest. It's been a good series so far, with some excellent contests, albeit very few of real note. Both the first and second round were good rounds I'd say, both definitely among the best I've covered on here, and we can only hope that this form carries on into the quarter-finals.
So, after 24 games, we have our eight quarter-finalists: they are, in order of qualification, and alongside their aggregate and average scores:
Starting with Emmanuel, who came through the play-offs after losing narrowly to fellow quarter-finalists Glasgow in the first round. They have since comfortably seen off King's of London in the play-offs, and then St Peter's of Oxford in the second round, both by comfortable margins. To pull off two such impressive wins after the early setback is a seriously good feat, they must therefore be among the front runners to progress.
Glasgow themselves, meanwhile, after that first round victory, defeated Goldsmiths of London in the second round, racking up a big lead in the first half of the contest, but very nearly letting it slip as their opponents shot back into contention, ultimately only winning by ten points. The first round win over an impressive team in their own right, though, does tip the balance back in their favour somewhat; even the best teams have had off games in the past, and Glasgow should definitely not be totally written off.
Their aggregates five points either side of Glasgow's, Bristol and Manchester have both had similar runs thus far: a low scoring narrow first round win, over Queen's of Belfast and East London respectively, followed by a steady win over a comparable team, Warwick and Hertford of Oxford. Both will start as outsiders, but, like Glasgow, should definitely not be total write offs, Manchester especially given their track record.
Lying in the middle of the field are Edinburgh, comfortable winners over Sidney Sussex of Cambridge first time around, and narrow winners over U.C.L. in the best match of the second round. Slight outsiders, but definitely capable of springing a surprise or two, depending on who they play when.
Darwin's run so far comprises a comfortable win over SOAS of London in the first round, and a steady win over Downing in a good second round match last week. Captain Jason Golfinos has been the main driving force behind their success so far, answering the vast majority of their correct starters; whether his teammates can pick up the slack should things not fall for him remains to be seen, but they will start among the frontrunners.
As will St Edmund Hall, who, like Darwin, mainly have their captain to thank for their prowess thus far, Freddie Leo having been their MVP in both their victories thus far, both comfortable wins, over York and Clare of Cambridge. It would appear that his team are maybe a bit better prepared to pick up the slack than Mr Golfinos'; they too would be favoured to progress on the evidence of what we've seen so far.
And finally the ante post favourites, Durham, whose first round win over Strathclyde broke all sorts of long standing records, before they triumphed over Keble of Oxford in an only slightly less imperious second round performance. Comfortably strong on the buzzer in both their appearances, their bonus rate in the second round was a bit off compared to that from their first. But they will undoubtedly go into the group stage as firm favourites to progress.
So, we have a good spread of teams in these quarter-finals, all distinctively useful outfits in their own way, and all quite capable of performing when they need to. If you pushed me, I'd pick Durham, St Edmund Hall and the two Cambridge teams as the semi-finalists, but the other four are more than capable of disproving that prediction. It should be a good round. We hope.
This, I believe based on the available information at the moment, is the preliminary line-up:
Now for the annual diversity check. Only four all-male teams made it onto the show this year, two of them, Darwin and Edinburgh, are still in the contest, the other two were both beaten by St Edmund Hall! The Oxford side are the only one of the six 'mixed' teams with multiple females; of the other five, two have the sole female as their captain (Emmanuel and Bristol).
Another good thing about the quarter-final line-up is the spread of teams from across the country: only three Oxbridge teams is the lowest since the 2013-14 series, while two Scots teams is the most non-English teams since the same series, unless I'm mistaken. Two Northern teams and one Southern complete the line-up.
It's a strong line-up for what should, hopefully, be a strong round. The quarter-finals of the last two series have both been great rounds, and I can only hope the same will be true of this series. It's been a good one thus far, and I hope, and suspect, the drama is not over yet!
Back on Sunday with my belated review of Monday's OC; see yous then I guess.
So, after 24 games, we have our eight quarter-finalists: they are, in order of qualification, and alongside their aggregate and average scores:
- Emmanuel College Cambridge (605 over three matches, 201.67)
- Manchester (340 over two matches, 170)
- Edinburgh (390 over two matches, 195)
- St Edmund Hall Oxford (485 over two matches, 242.5)
- Glasgow (335 over two matches, 167.5)
- Durham (560 over two matches, 280)
- Darwin College Cambridge (465 over two matches, 232.5)
- Bristol (330 over two matches, 165)
Starting with Emmanuel, who came through the play-offs after losing narrowly to fellow quarter-finalists Glasgow in the first round. They have since comfortably seen off King's of London in the play-offs, and then St Peter's of Oxford in the second round, both by comfortable margins. To pull off two such impressive wins after the early setback is a seriously good feat, they must therefore be among the front runners to progress.
Glasgow themselves, meanwhile, after that first round victory, defeated Goldsmiths of London in the second round, racking up a big lead in the first half of the contest, but very nearly letting it slip as their opponents shot back into contention, ultimately only winning by ten points. The first round win over an impressive team in their own right, though, does tip the balance back in their favour somewhat; even the best teams have had off games in the past, and Glasgow should definitely not be totally written off.
Their aggregates five points either side of Glasgow's, Bristol and Manchester have both had similar runs thus far: a low scoring narrow first round win, over Queen's of Belfast and East London respectively, followed by a steady win over a comparable team, Warwick and Hertford of Oxford. Both will start as outsiders, but, like Glasgow, should definitely not be total write offs, Manchester especially given their track record.
Lying in the middle of the field are Edinburgh, comfortable winners over Sidney Sussex of Cambridge first time around, and narrow winners over U.C.L. in the best match of the second round. Slight outsiders, but definitely capable of springing a surprise or two, depending on who they play when.
Darwin's run so far comprises a comfortable win over SOAS of London in the first round, and a steady win over Downing in a good second round match last week. Captain Jason Golfinos has been the main driving force behind their success so far, answering the vast majority of their correct starters; whether his teammates can pick up the slack should things not fall for him remains to be seen, but they will start among the frontrunners.
As will St Edmund Hall, who, like Darwin, mainly have their captain to thank for their prowess thus far, Freddie Leo having been their MVP in both their victories thus far, both comfortable wins, over York and Clare of Cambridge. It would appear that his team are maybe a bit better prepared to pick up the slack than Mr Golfinos'; they too would be favoured to progress on the evidence of what we've seen so far.
And finally the ante post favourites, Durham, whose first round win over Strathclyde broke all sorts of long standing records, before they triumphed over Keble of Oxford in an only slightly less imperious second round performance. Comfortably strong on the buzzer in both their appearances, their bonus rate in the second round was a bit off compared to that from their first. But they will undoubtedly go into the group stage as firm favourites to progress.
So, we have a good spread of teams in these quarter-finals, all distinctively useful outfits in their own way, and all quite capable of performing when they need to. If you pushed me, I'd pick Durham, St Edmund Hall and the two Cambridge teams as the semi-finalists, but the other four are more than capable of disproving that prediction. It should be a good round. We hope.
This, I believe based on the available information at the moment, is the preliminary line-up:
- Glasgow vs Durham
- Darwin vs Bristol
- Edinburgh vs Manchester
- Emmanuel vs St Edmund Hall
Now for the annual diversity check. Only four all-male teams made it onto the show this year, two of them, Darwin and Edinburgh, are still in the contest, the other two were both beaten by St Edmund Hall! The Oxford side are the only one of the six 'mixed' teams with multiple females; of the other five, two have the sole female as their captain (Emmanuel and Bristol).
Another good thing about the quarter-final line-up is the spread of teams from across the country: only three Oxbridge teams is the lowest since the 2013-14 series, while two Scots teams is the most non-English teams since the same series, unless I'm mistaken. Two Northern teams and one Southern complete the line-up.
It's a strong line-up for what should, hopefully, be a strong round. The quarter-finals of the last two series have both been great rounds, and I can only hope the same will be true of this series. It's been a good one thus far, and I hope, and suspect, the drama is not over yet!
Back on Sunday with my belated review of Monday's OC; see yous then I guess.
Monday, 21 January 2019
University Challenge 2018-19: Round 2: Match 8: Warwick vs Bristol
Evening all. The final second round match tonight, between two teams who were narrow winners in their respective first round contests. The winners would take the final coveted place in the group stage. It's been a hard-fought round so far; no double digit scores and some decent teams have fallen by the wayside, so hopefully another good one to finish it off tonight.
Warwick were the winners of the first show in the series way back in mid July (the day after the World Cup final!), where they narrowly defeated play-off survivors Exeter 165-150. Playing their reserve tonight, their slightly tweaked foursome were:
Emily Wolfenden, from Dereham in Norfolk, studying Maths
Yifei Painter, from Nottingham, studying Maths and Physics
Captain: Ben Beardsley, from Settle in North Yorkshire, studying Maths
Robert Gowers, from Market Harborough, studying Neuroscience
Bristol won a rather low scoring first round match against Queen's of Belfast in mid-September (can't remember what happened the day before it), recovering from a sluggish start to ultimately triumph 140-110. Their foursome were untweaked from before:
George Sumner, from South London, studying Physics
Owen Iredale, from Hadleigh in Suffolk, studying Biology
Captain: Anne Le Maistre, from Adelaide, studying History
Pushan Basu, from Newcastle, studying English Literature
Off we set again then, and Warwick's substitute Ms Painter wasted no time in scoring with her first buzz of the series; one bonus on 2017 Booker Prize nominees was taken. A Bristol slip-up handed the Coventry side a second starter, and they took full advantage with a full house of bonuses. It was then their turn to drop five, but the Avonsiders couldn't capitalise; they did when the same thing happened on the next starter though, and they also took a full set, on portaits by Holbein the Younger. The first picture round, on cities named after historical figures, went to Bristol, who took two bonuses, and unluckily missed the other by offering the wrong King George (offering just 'King George' producing the inevitable response of 'WHICH ONE?!'!); this gave them the lead, 40-30.
Another Warwick penalty, a technical one albeit, cost them another five, and handed Ms Le Maistre the correct answer for the points; another full house, a classic tough UC set on towns hidden in words, went with it. Warwick finally got their score going the right way again thanks to Mr Gowers, and one bonus meant they had now recouped all their earlier lost points. A second starter in a row went the Coventry side's way, and two bonuses put them back within five points. A penalty put the sides level, but Bristol promptly reclaimed the lead courtesy of Mr Sumner; no further points came from the bonuses though.
The music round, on film scores whose composers have won both a BAFTA and Academy Award for them, went to Warwick; one correct bonus was enough to give them the lead, 75-70. Again, Bristol very quickly took it back, with Mr Basu coming in with 'Hegel'; one bonus was taken. Warwick promptly drew level again, and then went ahead again thanks to a single bonus on France. A second starter in a row for Warwick meant they broke triple figures first, and bonuses on 'demons' gave them two correct answers. Back came Bristol with Mr Iredale in very promptly on the next starter, and they took the sole bonus they needed to break three figures too.
The second picture round, on recipients of Harvard's WEB Du Bois medal, went to Warwick, and the appearance of Pam Grier during the bonuses provided this week's crossover with OC; they didn't get her, but did know the other two, giving them a lead of 130-100. Mr Sumner then proved he knows his early QIs, as he knew 'sepia' to derive from the Greek for 'cuttlefish' (that particular episode was on Dave the other day!); two correct bonuses put them ten behind as we headed into the home straight.
Another prompt intervention from Bristol, this time Mr Basu, put them on level pegging; one bonus from a tough set on chronology was enough to put the Avonsiders in front. Next starter asked for three counties which border Wales; Ms Wolfenden had two correct, but mistakenly offered Worcestershire in lieu of Herefordshire. Mr Iredale made no mistake, and two bonuses on events of 1962, including Alf Ramsey's Ipswich Town, put the Avonsiders within sight of victory. And when Warwick slipped up on the next starter, and Mr Sumner took the points, and two bonuses on director Josie Rourke followed, that was game over. Mr Sumner made sure by taking the next starter, but the bonuses were interrupted by the gong. Bristol won 190-125.
Another good game, close until the very final minutes, well played both teams there. Unlucky Warwick, a decent team, another unlucky to go out at this point, thanks very much for playing! Very well done Bristol though, and very best of luck in the group stage!
The stats: Messrs Sumner and Iredale were joint best buzzers of the night with four each, while Messrs Beardsley and Gowers were joint best for Warwick with three each. On the bonuses, Warwick converted 13 out of 24 (with four penalties), while Bristol managed 18 out of 32 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: the first quarter-final! Past years' fixtures suggests the first two will be Glasgow vs Durham and Darwin vs Bristol, but we shall see. A fuller review will follow on Friday.
Only Connect carried on with its qualification round tonight; blog of that coming up on Thursday at the earliest.
Warwick were the winners of the first show in the series way back in mid July (the day after the World Cup final!), where they narrowly defeated play-off survivors Exeter 165-150. Playing their reserve tonight, their slightly tweaked foursome were:
Emily Wolfenden, from Dereham in Norfolk, studying Maths
Yifei Painter, from Nottingham, studying Maths and Physics
Captain: Ben Beardsley, from Settle in North Yorkshire, studying Maths
Robert Gowers, from Market Harborough, studying Neuroscience
Bristol won a rather low scoring first round match against Queen's of Belfast in mid-September (can't remember what happened the day before it), recovering from a sluggish start to ultimately triumph 140-110. Their foursome were untweaked from before:
George Sumner, from South London, studying Physics
Owen Iredale, from Hadleigh in Suffolk, studying Biology
Captain: Anne Le Maistre, from Adelaide, studying History
Pushan Basu, from Newcastle, studying English Literature
Off we set again then, and Warwick's substitute Ms Painter wasted no time in scoring with her first buzz of the series; one bonus on 2017 Booker Prize nominees was taken. A Bristol slip-up handed the Coventry side a second starter, and they took full advantage with a full house of bonuses. It was then their turn to drop five, but the Avonsiders couldn't capitalise; they did when the same thing happened on the next starter though, and they also took a full set, on portaits by Holbein the Younger. The first picture round, on cities named after historical figures, went to Bristol, who took two bonuses, and unluckily missed the other by offering the wrong King George (offering just 'King George' producing the inevitable response of 'WHICH ONE?!'!); this gave them the lead, 40-30.
Another Warwick penalty, a technical one albeit, cost them another five, and handed Ms Le Maistre the correct answer for the points; another full house, a classic tough UC set on towns hidden in words, went with it. Warwick finally got their score going the right way again thanks to Mr Gowers, and one bonus meant they had now recouped all their earlier lost points. A second starter in a row went the Coventry side's way, and two bonuses put them back within five points. A penalty put the sides level, but Bristol promptly reclaimed the lead courtesy of Mr Sumner; no further points came from the bonuses though.
The music round, on film scores whose composers have won both a BAFTA and Academy Award for them, went to Warwick; one correct bonus was enough to give them the lead, 75-70. Again, Bristol very quickly took it back, with Mr Basu coming in with 'Hegel'; one bonus was taken. Warwick promptly drew level again, and then went ahead again thanks to a single bonus on France. A second starter in a row for Warwick meant they broke triple figures first, and bonuses on 'demons' gave them two correct answers. Back came Bristol with Mr Iredale in very promptly on the next starter, and they took the sole bonus they needed to break three figures too.
The second picture round, on recipients of Harvard's WEB Du Bois medal, went to Warwick, and the appearance of Pam Grier during the bonuses provided this week's crossover with OC; they didn't get her, but did know the other two, giving them a lead of 130-100. Mr Sumner then proved he knows his early QIs, as he knew 'sepia' to derive from the Greek for 'cuttlefish' (that particular episode was on Dave the other day!); two correct bonuses put them ten behind as we headed into the home straight.
Another prompt intervention from Bristol, this time Mr Basu, put them on level pegging; one bonus from a tough set on chronology was enough to put the Avonsiders in front. Next starter asked for three counties which border Wales; Ms Wolfenden had two correct, but mistakenly offered Worcestershire in lieu of Herefordshire. Mr Iredale made no mistake, and two bonuses on events of 1962, including Alf Ramsey's Ipswich Town, put the Avonsiders within sight of victory. And when Warwick slipped up on the next starter, and Mr Sumner took the points, and two bonuses on director Josie Rourke followed, that was game over. Mr Sumner made sure by taking the next starter, but the bonuses were interrupted by the gong. Bristol won 190-125.
Another good game, close until the very final minutes, well played both teams there. Unlucky Warwick, a decent team, another unlucky to go out at this point, thanks very much for playing! Very well done Bristol though, and very best of luck in the group stage!
The stats: Messrs Sumner and Iredale were joint best buzzers of the night with four each, while Messrs Beardsley and Gowers were joint best for Warwick with three each. On the bonuses, Warwick converted 13 out of 24 (with four penalties), while Bristol managed 18 out of 32 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: the first quarter-final! Past years' fixtures suggests the first two will be Glasgow vs Durham and Darwin vs Bristol, but we shall see. A fuller review will follow on Friday.
Only Connect carried on with its qualification round tonight; blog of that coming up on Thursday at the earliest.
Wednesday, 16 January 2019
Only Connect Series 14: Qualification Round: Match 1: Poptimists vs LARPers
OK, so here we go with the next 'round' of Only Connect; now we meet again the eight preliminary winners, of whom four will go through to the knockouts, and four will go to the play-offs against the four elimination match winners. I'm watching a football match at the same time I'm writing this, so apologies in advance for any mistakes.
Anyway, playing on Monday were the Poptimists, Oliver Levy, Box De Caux and captain Matt Loxham, who triumphed over the Hotpots in their first match, and the LARPers, Martel Reynolds, Kiwi Tokoeka and captain Ronny Jackson, who were victorious against the Durhamites first time around.
Round 1. The LARPers kicked the show off with Eye of Horus, and the music question: we heard 'If You Were Mine', then 'If You Were the Only Girl (in the World)', then 'If I Didn't Have You', and finally 'If I Could Turn Back Time'. They didn't see the link, nor did their opponents. The Poptimists opened their show with 'Horn-ed' Viper: 'Andy Murray (2016)', then 'International Committee of the Red Cross (1963)'; they suggested at this point that they won something for the second time in those years, not correct. Their opponents saw 'Franklin D Roosevelt (1940)' and 'Daniel Day-Lewis (2013)', and offered third time winners for the bonus. (2016, in this case, referring to Sir Andy's third SPOTY rather than his second Wimbledon) For their own question, the LARPers chose Lion, and got the picture set: we saw Captain Scott's ill fated party with an arrow at Titus Oates, then rower Constantine Louloudis, then Nero from 'Danger Mouse', and finally Augustus Gloop from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. They didn't get the link, their opponents did, Roman Emperors, and they collected their own bonus. (On a point of pedantry, though, Titus was not that Oates' real first name, it was a nickname after the 17th century plotter of the same name. A photo of him would've been more appropriate.) For their own question, the Poptimists chose Water: 'Cadabra', then 'Backrub'; they offered at this point 'old names of Internet search engines', close enough for the three points, they are simply the original names of Internet companies. The LARPers chose Two Reeds next: 'Patrick Stewart (Fire Officer)', then 'Norman Wisdom (Ernie Crabb)', then 'Prince Charles (Himself)', and finally 'Cheryl Cole (Herself)'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are cameo appearances in Coronation Street. Left with Twisted Flax, the Poptimists saw 'Musical instrument: Flute', then 'Animal collateral adjective: Bovine', then 'Oscar-winning film: Fargo'; they spotted that taking off the first letter gives another word that fits the same description, and collected another three points. At the end of the first round, the Poptimists led 6-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The LARPers started with Eye of Horus again, and, also again, got a music question: we heard Beethoven's Eighth Symphony, then his Seventh, and then his Sixth. They didn't recognise them, their opponents did for the bonus. (Cue a 'sing-along' of Beethoven's Fifth!) For their own question, the Poptimists chose Lion: '4: 12 countries in Europe', then '3: 34 countries in Europe', and then '2: Africa'. They didn't get it, their opponents did, albeit they didn't know the sequence: they are dialling codes by continent, so '1: North America' would be fourth. For their own question, the LARPers chose 'Horn-ed' Viper: 'A ≈ and', then 'E ≈ there', and then 'I ≈ garlic'. They didn't get it, despite a respectably good guess; their opponents knew them to be French words that sound a bit like those vowels sound in English, so 'O ≈ water' would be fourth. For their own question, the Poptimists chose Two Reeds, and got the picture set: we saw a black cat with yellow eyes, then an identical cat with white eyes, and then a second white eyed black cat. They spotted them to be cat's eye colours on the motorways going outwards, so offered a black cat with red eyes for the two points. For their final choice, the LARPers chose Twisted Flax: 'Golden', then 'Grand Canyon', and then 'Land of Enchantment'. They saw them to be the nicknames of US states going west to east so suggested 'Lone Star' for the two points. Left with Water, the Poptimists saw '_____ the Fourth', then '_____ Again', and then 'More _____'. They didn't see it, and their opponents didn't quite get it either: they are the 'Just William' books, so 'Just _____' would be fourth. At the end of the second round, the Poptimists led 10-4.
On to the Walls. The Poptimists went first, and chose the Water wall to tackle. They quickly isolated their first set: 'Ban', 'Piano', 'Hadid' and 'Goldfinger' are architects. This was followed by a second set: 'Slam', 'Cayman', 'Marnier' and 'Prix' can all follow 'Grand'. Taking their time with what left, they solved it on their last try: 'Cuba', 'Highlander', 'The Rock' and 'Marnie' are Sean Connery films, while 'Saba', 'Curacao', 'Aruba' and 'Bonaire' are Dutch Caribbean islands. A full ten there.
The LARPers thus set to work on the Lion wall. They also had a set in the bag reasonably quickly: 'Boss', 'Sleep', 'Kahuna' and 'Short' can all follow 'The Big' to give films titles. A second set, 'Pundit', 'Sage', 'Guru' and 'Mahatma' are words for experts (or 'wise people', and they had the last few sorted on their second attempt: 'Basil', 'Savory', 'Perilla' and 'Hyssop' are herbs of the mint family, while 'Sander', 'Lagerfeld', 'Joop' and 'Dassler' are German fashion designers, which they got close enough to for the point (just 'fashion designers' they offered). Another full ten, so as you were, the Poptimists led 20-14 going into the last round.
So, Missing Vowels to finish with as always. 'Good places', such as 'THE GARDEN OF EDEN' and 'GOODWOOD' was split 2-each. 'Bad places', such as 'HADES', went to the LARPers 3-1. 'Things invented by Swedes' was another 2-each split. 'Famous Mayors and their cities' went to the Poptimists 2-(-1), and that was time. The Poptimists won 27-20.
Another good game, well played both teams there. Unlucky LARPers, best of luck in the play-offs. Well done Poptimists though, and best of luck in the knockout stage!
Next week's match: the Pyromaniacs vs the Time Ladies
Anyway, playing on Monday were the Poptimists, Oliver Levy, Box De Caux and captain Matt Loxham, who triumphed over the Hotpots in their first match, and the LARPers, Martel Reynolds, Kiwi Tokoeka and captain Ronny Jackson, who were victorious against the Durhamites first time around.
Round 1. The LARPers kicked the show off with Eye of Horus, and the music question: we heard 'If You Were Mine', then 'If You Were the Only Girl (in the World)', then 'If I Didn't Have You', and finally 'If I Could Turn Back Time'. They didn't see the link, nor did their opponents. The Poptimists opened their show with 'Horn-ed' Viper: 'Andy Murray (2016)', then 'International Committee of the Red Cross (1963)'; they suggested at this point that they won something for the second time in those years, not correct. Their opponents saw 'Franklin D Roosevelt (1940)' and 'Daniel Day-Lewis (2013)', and offered third time winners for the bonus. (2016, in this case, referring to Sir Andy's third SPOTY rather than his second Wimbledon) For their own question, the LARPers chose Lion, and got the picture set: we saw Captain Scott's ill fated party with an arrow at Titus Oates, then rower Constantine Louloudis, then Nero from 'Danger Mouse', and finally Augustus Gloop from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. They didn't get the link, their opponents did, Roman Emperors, and they collected their own bonus. (On a point of pedantry, though, Titus was not that Oates' real first name, it was a nickname after the 17th century plotter of the same name. A photo of him would've been more appropriate.) For their own question, the Poptimists chose Water: 'Cadabra', then 'Backrub'; they offered at this point 'old names of Internet search engines', close enough for the three points, they are simply the original names of Internet companies. The LARPers chose Two Reeds next: 'Patrick Stewart (Fire Officer)', then 'Norman Wisdom (Ernie Crabb)', then 'Prince Charles (Himself)', and finally 'Cheryl Cole (Herself)'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are cameo appearances in Coronation Street. Left with Twisted Flax, the Poptimists saw 'Musical instrument: Flute', then 'Animal collateral adjective: Bovine', then 'Oscar-winning film: Fargo'; they spotted that taking off the first letter gives another word that fits the same description, and collected another three points. At the end of the first round, the Poptimists led 6-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The LARPers started with Eye of Horus again, and, also again, got a music question: we heard Beethoven's Eighth Symphony, then his Seventh, and then his Sixth. They didn't recognise them, their opponents did for the bonus. (Cue a 'sing-along' of Beethoven's Fifth!) For their own question, the Poptimists chose Lion: '4: 12 countries in Europe', then '3: 34 countries in Europe', and then '2: Africa'. They didn't get it, their opponents did, albeit they didn't know the sequence: they are dialling codes by continent, so '1: North America' would be fourth. For their own question, the LARPers chose 'Horn-ed' Viper: 'A ≈ and', then 'E ≈ there', and then 'I ≈ garlic'. They didn't get it, despite a respectably good guess; their opponents knew them to be French words that sound a bit like those vowels sound in English, so 'O ≈ water' would be fourth. For their own question, the Poptimists chose Two Reeds, and got the picture set: we saw a black cat with yellow eyes, then an identical cat with white eyes, and then a second white eyed black cat. They spotted them to be cat's eye colours on the motorways going outwards, so offered a black cat with red eyes for the two points. For their final choice, the LARPers chose Twisted Flax: 'Golden', then 'Grand Canyon', and then 'Land of Enchantment'. They saw them to be the nicknames of US states going west to east so suggested 'Lone Star' for the two points. Left with Water, the Poptimists saw '_____ the Fourth', then '_____ Again', and then 'More _____'. They didn't see it, and their opponents didn't quite get it either: they are the 'Just William' books, so 'Just _____' would be fourth. At the end of the second round, the Poptimists led 10-4.
On to the Walls. The Poptimists went first, and chose the Water wall to tackle. They quickly isolated their first set: 'Ban', 'Piano', 'Hadid' and 'Goldfinger' are architects. This was followed by a second set: 'Slam', 'Cayman', 'Marnier' and 'Prix' can all follow 'Grand'. Taking their time with what left, they solved it on their last try: 'Cuba', 'Highlander', 'The Rock' and 'Marnie' are Sean Connery films, while 'Saba', 'Curacao', 'Aruba' and 'Bonaire' are Dutch Caribbean islands. A full ten there.
The LARPers thus set to work on the Lion wall. They also had a set in the bag reasonably quickly: 'Boss', 'Sleep', 'Kahuna' and 'Short' can all follow 'The Big' to give films titles. A second set, 'Pundit', 'Sage', 'Guru' and 'Mahatma' are words for experts (or 'wise people', and they had the last few sorted on their second attempt: 'Basil', 'Savory', 'Perilla' and 'Hyssop' are herbs of the mint family, while 'Sander', 'Lagerfeld', 'Joop' and 'Dassler' are German fashion designers, which they got close enough to for the point (just 'fashion designers' they offered). Another full ten, so as you were, the Poptimists led 20-14 going into the last round.
So, Missing Vowels to finish with as always. 'Good places', such as 'THE GARDEN OF EDEN' and 'GOODWOOD' was split 2-each. 'Bad places', such as 'HADES', went to the LARPers 3-1. 'Things invented by Swedes' was another 2-each split. 'Famous Mayors and their cities' went to the Poptimists 2-(-1), and that was time. The Poptimists won 27-20.
Another good game, well played both teams there. Unlucky LARPers, best of luck in the play-offs. Well done Poptimists though, and best of luck in the knockout stage!
Next week's match: the Pyromaniacs vs the Time Ladies
Monday, 14 January 2019
University Challenge 2018-19: Round 2: Match 7: Downing vs Darwin
Evening all. The penultimate second round match tonight, and thus far, the group stage line-up is pretty unusual in that, after six games, there are only two Oxbridge teams in it: Emmanuel and St Edmund Hall. One more would join them though, as two Cambridge teams played tonight, both comfortable and impressive winners in their first matches, and most unfortunate to be playing each other at this stage of the contest.
Downing College Cambridge were easy winners over Pembroke of Oxford back in July, pulling ahead after an evenly matched started to ultimately triumph 230-75. Hoping for more of the same were the unchanged foursome of:
Fergus O'Dowd, from Winchester, studying Linguistics
Jane O'Connor, from Dublin, studying Human, Social and Political Sciences
Captain: Yanbo Yin, from Beijing, studying Physics
Felix Prutton, from Wootton in Norfolk, studying Natural Sciences
Darwin College Cambridge were similarly dominant against the London School of Oriental and African Studies two weeks later, leading almost from the off and ultimately romping home by 260-90. Also hoping for similar tonight were the also unchanged quartet of:
Stuart MacPherson, from Bothwell in South Lanarkshire, studying Physics
Christopher Davis, from London (originally California), studying Plant Sciences
Captain: Jason Golfinos, from New York City, studying Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, in particular Arabic Studies
Guy Mulley, from Loughton in Essex, studying Law
Off we set again then, and Mr Golfinos, answerer of all but one of his side's correct starters in the first round, quickly took his side off the mark with 'Angkor Wat'; they quickly set out their intent with a full set of bonuses. A penalty allowed Downing to quickly set off in pursuit though, but they took just one bonus from their opening set. Back came Darwin with their captain doing the honours again, but Irish counties only provided one correct bonus for them too. 'Controversial opera' proved more to their liking on their next set, a full house there. The first picture round, on topological surfaces, went to Darwin, who took two of their bonuses, taking their lead to 80-15.
Mr Yin, another captain who had a virtuoso first outing, moved his side further along by taking the next starter, and Downing took two of their bonuses on birds. A rare slip-up by the Darwin captain gave his opposite number a second starter in a row, and they moved closer still with a second bonus set requiring the names of French departments to be spelled. Mr Golfinos thought that was enough of that as he bit his side back into the game, but they got nothing from a bonus set on actress Myrna Loy. Another starter went the Darwin captain's way, and metallurgy proved a tad more favourable to them, one correct answer.
The music round, on rap songs and the original songs they sample (both were played), went to Darwin, and saw a minor tiff between Messrs Golfinos and Davis, after which Paxo encouraged them to have a fight! One bonus was taken, giving them a lead of 115-60. And they weren't stopping there, as Mr Golfinos beat his opposite number to the buzzer to answer 'Peter' to the next starter, and a full bonus set on law terms went with it. A classic UC question requiring arithmetic between chemical numbers was then taken by Mr MacPherson, and two bonuses on Dutch artists gave Darwin a 100 point lead. Back came Downing, as Mr O'Dowd was first in with 'Leningrad', but just the one bonus went with it.
The second picture round, on stills from films featuring disastrous social gatherings, went to Downing; nothing came from the bonuses, meaning they trailed 160-85 going into the final straight. Mr Yin gave them a third starter in a row, though, thanks to a nice bit of anticipation about where the starter was about to swerve; a much needed full bonus set on European borders took them into three figures, and meant they were just about still in it.
Mr Golfinos thought otherwise though as he took 'Lakme' for the next starter, and a pair of bonuses put them within sight of victory. And when Mr Yin lost five on the next starter, and Mr MacPherson picked up the drop, that was game over. One bonus on oil painting went with it. Mr Yin gave his side one more starter, and one bonus on the Lake District accompanied it. There was time for Mr Golfinos to break his side past 200, but the gong went during the bonuses. Darwin won 205-120.
A good high quality contest, well played by both sides there, most unfortunate this is a knockout game. Unlucky Downing, a fine team who gave another good account of themselves, would've certainly beaten another team on that form, thanks very much indeed for taking part! Very well done Darwin though, a second strong performance against good opponents, and very best of luck in the group stage!
The stats: the two captains were, again, their side's best buzzers, with Mr Yin taking five for Downing and Mr Golfinos, again, the best of the night with nine for Darwin. On the bonuses, Downing converted 11 out of 21 (with one penalty), while Darwin managed 19 out of 36 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: the last second round match, Warwick vs Bristol
Only Connect began its qualifier quarter-finals tonight, also with a high quality contest; review coming up on Wednesday at the earliest.
Downing College Cambridge were easy winners over Pembroke of Oxford back in July, pulling ahead after an evenly matched started to ultimately triumph 230-75. Hoping for more of the same were the unchanged foursome of:
Fergus O'Dowd, from Winchester, studying Linguistics
Jane O'Connor, from Dublin, studying Human, Social and Political Sciences
Captain: Yanbo Yin, from Beijing, studying Physics
Felix Prutton, from Wootton in Norfolk, studying Natural Sciences
Darwin College Cambridge were similarly dominant against the London School of Oriental and African Studies two weeks later, leading almost from the off and ultimately romping home by 260-90. Also hoping for similar tonight were the also unchanged quartet of:
Stuart MacPherson, from Bothwell in South Lanarkshire, studying Physics
Christopher Davis, from London (originally California), studying Plant Sciences
Captain: Jason Golfinos, from New York City, studying Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, in particular Arabic Studies
Guy Mulley, from Loughton in Essex, studying Law
Off we set again then, and Mr Golfinos, answerer of all but one of his side's correct starters in the first round, quickly took his side off the mark with 'Angkor Wat'; they quickly set out their intent with a full set of bonuses. A penalty allowed Downing to quickly set off in pursuit though, but they took just one bonus from their opening set. Back came Darwin with their captain doing the honours again, but Irish counties only provided one correct bonus for them too. 'Controversial opera' proved more to their liking on their next set, a full house there. The first picture round, on topological surfaces, went to Darwin, who took two of their bonuses, taking their lead to 80-15.
Mr Yin, another captain who had a virtuoso first outing, moved his side further along by taking the next starter, and Downing took two of their bonuses on birds. A rare slip-up by the Darwin captain gave his opposite number a second starter in a row, and they moved closer still with a second bonus set requiring the names of French departments to be spelled. Mr Golfinos thought that was enough of that as he bit his side back into the game, but they got nothing from a bonus set on actress Myrna Loy. Another starter went the Darwin captain's way, and metallurgy proved a tad more favourable to them, one correct answer.
The music round, on rap songs and the original songs they sample (both were played), went to Darwin, and saw a minor tiff between Messrs Golfinos and Davis, after which Paxo encouraged them to have a fight! One bonus was taken, giving them a lead of 115-60. And they weren't stopping there, as Mr Golfinos beat his opposite number to the buzzer to answer 'Peter' to the next starter, and a full bonus set on law terms went with it. A classic UC question requiring arithmetic between chemical numbers was then taken by Mr MacPherson, and two bonuses on Dutch artists gave Darwin a 100 point lead. Back came Downing, as Mr O'Dowd was first in with 'Leningrad', but just the one bonus went with it.
The second picture round, on stills from films featuring disastrous social gatherings, went to Downing; nothing came from the bonuses, meaning they trailed 160-85 going into the final straight. Mr Yin gave them a third starter in a row, though, thanks to a nice bit of anticipation about where the starter was about to swerve; a much needed full bonus set on European borders took them into three figures, and meant they were just about still in it.
Mr Golfinos thought otherwise though as he took 'Lakme' for the next starter, and a pair of bonuses put them within sight of victory. And when Mr Yin lost five on the next starter, and Mr MacPherson picked up the drop, that was game over. One bonus on oil painting went with it. Mr Yin gave his side one more starter, and one bonus on the Lake District accompanied it. There was time for Mr Golfinos to break his side past 200, but the gong went during the bonuses. Darwin won 205-120.
A good high quality contest, well played by both sides there, most unfortunate this is a knockout game. Unlucky Downing, a fine team who gave another good account of themselves, would've certainly beaten another team on that form, thanks very much indeed for taking part! Very well done Darwin though, a second strong performance against good opponents, and very best of luck in the group stage!
The stats: the two captains were, again, their side's best buzzers, with Mr Yin taking five for Downing and Mr Golfinos, again, the best of the night with nine for Darwin. On the bonuses, Downing converted 11 out of 21 (with one penalty), while Darwin managed 19 out of 36 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: the last second round match, Warwick vs Bristol
Only Connect began its qualifier quarter-finals tonight, also with a high quality contest; review coming up on Wednesday at the earliest.
Wednesday, 9 January 2019
Only Connect Series 14: Elimination Round: Match 4: Dragons vs Three Peaks
OK, off we go with Only Connect once again, and the final eliminator match. Winners went through to the play-off round, the runners-up would be out for good. I've said it often enough, but I'm so glad we've gone back to the format where all teams get at least two games; far more satisfying than the elaborate systems of the last two series.
Anyway, playing on Monday night were the Dragons, Niall Williams, Ian Welham and captain Lawrence Cook, who were pipped by the Westenders in their first match, and the Three Peaks, Lauren Probert, Peter Dawson and captain Ross Drayton, who were overpowered by the Ancient Alumni first time around.
Round 1. The Dragons opened the show with Twisted Flax: 'M23 East Sussex', then 'M11 Suffolk', then 'M275 Isle of Wight', and finally 'M5 Cornwall'. They identified them as counties without motorways and the ones that go closest to them, and collected the first point of the night. The Peaks opened with Lion, and the music round: we heard UC favourites X-Ray Spex, then Charlie Parker with 'Ornithology', then Papa Roach, and finally Echo and the Bunnymen with 'The Killing Moon'. They didn't spot it, nor did their opponents: they all have NATO alphabet words in their names. The Dragons chose 'Horn-ed' Viper next: we saw a frog croaking, then a pair of curtains, then a man in bed alongside three fish; they spotted them to be euphemisms for death, and collected two points. The Peaks chose Eye of Horus next: 'Julius Caesar's Gaul', then ''Henry VI'', then 'Freud's structural model of the mind', and finally 'Insect's body'. That gave it to them: they are conposed of three parts. The Dragons chose Water next: 'Anderson: fight scenes', then 'Shaw: unmasked face', then 'Prowse: physique'; they saw it to be people who contributed those aspects to Darth Vader, and collected another two points. ('Jones: voice' would, of course, have been the last clue. Paul Merton used to do a great bit about how David Prowse voicing Darth Vader himself would've gone!) Left with Two Reeds, the Peaks saw 'Fighting', then 'Fleeing', then 'Feeding'; they knew them to be the basic animal instincts, and collected two points of their own. At the end of the first round, the Dragons led 5-3.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Dragons started the round with Lion: 'Trials in the Crown Court', then 'The Great British Bake Off', and then 'Championship boxing matches'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are things with one, two and three judges, so something with four judges, such as 'Pop Idol', or 'Strictly Come Dancing', would be fourth. The Peaks chose Two Reeds next: 'Blair', then 'Stephenson', and then 'Hogan-Howe'. They didn't get it, their opponents, and I, did: they are commissioners of the Metropolitan Police, so 'Dick', as in Cressida, would be fourth. For their own question, the Dragons chose Eye of Horus: '4th = R', then '3rd = I', and then '2nd = E'. They didn't see this classic OC sequence, their opponents did: they are the fourth, third and second letters of the words 'fourth', 'third' and 'second', so '1st = F' would complete the set. For their own question, the Peaks chose Water: 'Call return', then '(17x7) + (17x2) - 6', and then 'Lines in a sonnet'. They saw to be 1471, 147 and 14, so offered 'Wheels on a unicycle', which acceptable for the points. For their final choice, the Dragons chose Twisted Flax: 'Poppy', then 'Marigold', and then 'Daffodil'; they saw them to be red, orange and yellow flowers, so suggested 'Shamrock' as a green one, which was acceptable for the points. Left with Horned Viper, the Peaks got the picture set, and saw Pinocchio, then another Pinocchio, and then a pair of underpants. They didn't see it, their opponents did: they are 'liar', 'liar' and 'pants', so something on fire would complete the sequence! At the end of the second round, the Dragons led 9-6.
On to the Walls. The Peaks went first, and chose to tackle the Water wall. This proved a mistake, as they became completely stumped, and, despite spotting several links, were unable to untangle anything. Timed out, they thus had to try for bonus connection points: 'Black', 'Elder', 'Logan' and 'Goose' are types of berry, which they didn't see, 'George Bush', 'Dulles', 'Douglas' and 'Sky Harbor' are US airports, which they did get, 'Barnum', 'Memphis', 'Van Helsing' and 'Valjean' are characters who Hugh Jackman has played, which they also got, while 'Whitehall', 'London', 'Ma' and 'Charlton' are the surnames of famous men called Jack. Three points there then.
The Dragons could thus put the game beyond realistic reach with a good result on the Lion wall. They, in contrast, managed two sets reasonably quickly: 'Squealer', 'Snitch', 'Stoolie' and 'Rat' are informants, while 'Melon', 'Mile', 'Among' and 'Lemon' are anagrams of fruits. After that, they took their time with what was left, and soon had it all sorted: 'Horn', 'Handshake', 'Raspberry' and 'Eagle' can all follow 'Golden', while 'Grape', 'Rango', 'Wood' and 'Brasco' are title characters played by Johnny Depp. A full ten there, which gave them a lead of 19-9 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels to finish with, with the Peaks needing a virtual shutout to stand any chance. 'Types of poem and the number of lines they have' went to the Peaks 2-1. 'Boxing terms in everyday parlance', such as 'SAVED BY THE BELL' and 'BELOW THE BELT', went to the Peaks 3-0. 'Archbishops of Canterbury' went to the Peaks 2-1. '"Catch" phrases' managed just one clue, 'CATCH TWENTY-TWO', which neither team got. At the end of the show, the Dragons won 21-16.
Another good game, more good quizzing, ultimately decided on the Walls, unusually. Unlucky Peaks, but nothing to be ashamed of, two respectable performances, thanks for playing! Well done Dragons though, and best of luck in the play-offs!
Next week's match: the first qualifier match, between the Poptimists and the LARPers
Anyway, playing on Monday night were the Dragons, Niall Williams, Ian Welham and captain Lawrence Cook, who were pipped by the Westenders in their first match, and the Three Peaks, Lauren Probert, Peter Dawson and captain Ross Drayton, who were overpowered by the Ancient Alumni first time around.
Round 1. The Dragons opened the show with Twisted Flax: 'M23 East Sussex', then 'M11 Suffolk', then 'M275 Isle of Wight', and finally 'M5 Cornwall'. They identified them as counties without motorways and the ones that go closest to them, and collected the first point of the night. The Peaks opened with Lion, and the music round: we heard UC favourites X-Ray Spex, then Charlie Parker with 'Ornithology', then Papa Roach, and finally Echo and the Bunnymen with 'The Killing Moon'. They didn't spot it, nor did their opponents: they all have NATO alphabet words in their names. The Dragons chose 'Horn-ed' Viper next: we saw a frog croaking, then a pair of curtains, then a man in bed alongside three fish; they spotted them to be euphemisms for death, and collected two points. The Peaks chose Eye of Horus next: 'Julius Caesar's Gaul', then ''Henry VI'', then 'Freud's structural model of the mind', and finally 'Insect's body'. That gave it to them: they are conposed of three parts. The Dragons chose Water next: 'Anderson: fight scenes', then 'Shaw: unmasked face', then 'Prowse: physique'; they saw it to be people who contributed those aspects to Darth Vader, and collected another two points. ('Jones: voice' would, of course, have been the last clue. Paul Merton used to do a great bit about how David Prowse voicing Darth Vader himself would've gone!) Left with Two Reeds, the Peaks saw 'Fighting', then 'Fleeing', then 'Feeding'; they knew them to be the basic animal instincts, and collected two points of their own. At the end of the first round, the Dragons led 5-3.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Dragons started the round with Lion: 'Trials in the Crown Court', then 'The Great British Bake Off', and then 'Championship boxing matches'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents: they are things with one, two and three judges, so something with four judges, such as 'Pop Idol', or 'Strictly Come Dancing', would be fourth. The Peaks chose Two Reeds next: 'Blair', then 'Stephenson', and then 'Hogan-Howe'. They didn't get it, their opponents, and I, did: they are commissioners of the Metropolitan Police, so 'Dick', as in Cressida, would be fourth. For their own question, the Dragons chose Eye of Horus: '4th = R', then '3rd = I', and then '2nd = E'. They didn't see this classic OC sequence, their opponents did: they are the fourth, third and second letters of the words 'fourth', 'third' and 'second', so '1st = F' would complete the set. For their own question, the Peaks chose Water: 'Call return', then '(17x7) + (17x2) - 6', and then 'Lines in a sonnet'. They saw to be 1471, 147 and 14, so offered 'Wheels on a unicycle', which acceptable for the points. For their final choice, the Dragons chose Twisted Flax: 'Poppy', then 'Marigold', and then 'Daffodil'; they saw them to be red, orange and yellow flowers, so suggested 'Shamrock' as a green one, which was acceptable for the points. Left with Horned Viper, the Peaks got the picture set, and saw Pinocchio, then another Pinocchio, and then a pair of underpants. They didn't see it, their opponents did: they are 'liar', 'liar' and 'pants', so something on fire would complete the sequence! At the end of the second round, the Dragons led 9-6.
On to the Walls. The Peaks went first, and chose to tackle the Water wall. This proved a mistake, as they became completely stumped, and, despite spotting several links, were unable to untangle anything. Timed out, they thus had to try for bonus connection points: 'Black', 'Elder', 'Logan' and 'Goose' are types of berry, which they didn't see, 'George Bush', 'Dulles', 'Douglas' and 'Sky Harbor' are US airports, which they did get, 'Barnum', 'Memphis', 'Van Helsing' and 'Valjean' are characters who Hugh Jackman has played, which they also got, while 'Whitehall', 'London', 'Ma' and 'Charlton' are the surnames of famous men called Jack. Three points there then.
The Dragons could thus put the game beyond realistic reach with a good result on the Lion wall. They, in contrast, managed two sets reasonably quickly: 'Squealer', 'Snitch', 'Stoolie' and 'Rat' are informants, while 'Melon', 'Mile', 'Among' and 'Lemon' are anagrams of fruits. After that, they took their time with what was left, and soon had it all sorted: 'Horn', 'Handshake', 'Raspberry' and 'Eagle' can all follow 'Golden', while 'Grape', 'Rango', 'Wood' and 'Brasco' are title characters played by Johnny Depp. A full ten there, which gave them a lead of 19-9 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels to finish with, with the Peaks needing a virtual shutout to stand any chance. 'Types of poem and the number of lines they have' went to the Peaks 2-1. 'Boxing terms in everyday parlance', such as 'SAVED BY THE BELL' and 'BELOW THE BELT', went to the Peaks 3-0. 'Archbishops of Canterbury' went to the Peaks 2-1. '"Catch" phrases' managed just one clue, 'CATCH TWENTY-TWO', which neither team got. At the end of the show, the Dragons won 21-16.
Another good game, more good quizzing, ultimately decided on the Walls, unusually. Unlucky Peaks, but nothing to be ashamed of, two respectable performances, thanks for playing! Well done Dragons though, and best of luck in the play-offs!
Next week's match: the first qualifier match, between the Poptimists and the LARPers
Monday, 7 January 2019
University Challenge 2018-19: Round 2: Match 6: Durham vs Keble
Evening all. So, we're back to the regular series after our two weeks of Christmas specials. And we start the New Year with a fixture similar to that which we started last year with: one of the standout high scorers of the first round vs a middle of the road scoring team. Last year, the middling team won; would lightning strike twice?
Durham soundly won the battle of my Mother's alumni back in August, as they demolished Strathclyde 360-55, the highest score seen on the regular contest this century. Very much hoping for more of the same tonight were the unchanged foursome of:
Sian Round, from the Wirral, studying English
Cameron Yule, from North London, studying English
Captain: Matthew Toynbee, from South Derbyshire, studying Maths
Ben Murray, from Davenham in Cheshire, studying Chemistry
Keble College Oxford had a slightly closer run contest in their first match against East Anglia, ultimately winning 185-110 thanks to an impressive late spurt. Hoping history would repeat itself from last year were the also unchanged quartet of:
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
Off we set again then, and Mr Green opened the scoring for the night with 'Da Vinci'; his side, though, failed to make the most of the early advantage and didn't take any bonuses. Ms Pasternack, impressive in the first round, took a second starter to the Oxonians, and fish bonuses proved more to their liking, taking two. Mr Murray took Durham's first starter of the night, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC provided their first bonus set, of which they got two correct. A second starter went to Durham courtesy of Ms Round, and the Wearsiders took the lead with a full bonus set. The first picture round, on algebraic chess notation, went to Durham, who took another pair of bonuses, which gave them a lead of 65-30.
Mr Toynbee moved his side further ahead with 'Simnel cake', but his side managed just the one bonus, on building material, this time. Composer and alumnus of the Xmas UC series just finished Anne Dudley reappeared as the subject of Durham's next bonus set, but, again, they only took the one bonus (the same one I got). Mr Green finally reawoke his side, and they too managed just a single bonus, on scientific awards. An unfortunate pedantic penalty then knocked that five off Keble's score, but Durham failed to capitalise. They did, though, when the Oxonians incurred a second slip-up in a row, and duly reasserted their authority with a full bonus set.
The music round, on singers who share their surnames with prime ministers, went to Durham, who failed to add to their score, but had now built up a lead of 130-35. Ms Pasternack promptly came in and recouped the points her side had earlier lost, but the bonuses, on Latin American national flags, didn't add to their score. A second starter in a row went to the Oxonians, but, again, they drew a blank with the bonuses. Mr Murray promptly resumed Durham's scoring, and a bonus set on plagiarism provided them with two correct answers, and, the way things were going, pretty much wrapped up the game.
The second picture round, on self portraits with dogs, went to Durham, who took one correct bonus, increasing their lead to 165-55. And what looked like an educated guess from Mr Toynbee increased the lead further; a bonus set on yoga didn't add to their score, but it didn't really matter now, the match was won.
A second starter in a row went to the Durham captain; again, no bonuses followed, but now it was really just a matter of how high each side could get. Ms Pasternack upped Keble's score a bit when she took the next starter, and one bonus went with it. A second starter went to the Oxonians, and they fared better with a bonus set on ancient Egypt, taking two. Back came Durham with Mr Yule though, and one bonus was enough to bring up their double century. Keble managed their single century when Mr Green took the next starter, but the gong cut off their bonus deliberation. Durham won 200-100.
Another one sided contest, but still a watchable one still. Unlucky Keble, a reasonable team unfortunate to draw such strong opponents this early, but a fair effort to go out on, thanks very much indeed for playing! Very well done to Durham, though, on another strong showing against decent opposition, and very best of luck in the group stage!
The stats: Messrs Toynbee, Murray and Green were the joint best buzzers of the night, with four each. On the bonuses, Durham converted 16 out of 36, while Keble managed just 6 out of 23 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: don't know yet, but reports suggest Downing vs Darwin and Warwick vs Bristol are the remaining two first round fixtures.
Only Connect saw its final elimination match tonight; hopefully I'll be able to review it a bit quicker than last week's game.
Durham soundly won the battle of my Mother's alumni back in August, as they demolished Strathclyde 360-55, the highest score seen on the regular contest this century. Very much hoping for more of the same tonight were the unchanged foursome of:
Sian Round, from the Wirral, studying English
Cameron Yule, from North London, studying English
Captain: Matthew Toynbee, from South Derbyshire, studying Maths
Ben Murray, from Davenham in Cheshire, studying Chemistry
Keble College Oxford had a slightly closer run contest in their first match against East Anglia, ultimately winning 185-110 thanks to an impressive late spurt. Hoping history would repeat itself from last year were the also unchanged quartet of:
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
Off we set again then, and Mr Green opened the scoring for the night with 'Da Vinci'; his side, though, failed to make the most of the early advantage and didn't take any bonuses. Ms Pasternack, impressive in the first round, took a second starter to the Oxonians, and fish bonuses proved more to their liking, taking two. Mr Murray took Durham's first starter of the night, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC provided their first bonus set, of which they got two correct. A second starter went to Durham courtesy of Ms Round, and the Wearsiders took the lead with a full bonus set. The first picture round, on algebraic chess notation, went to Durham, who took another pair of bonuses, which gave them a lead of 65-30.
Mr Toynbee moved his side further ahead with 'Simnel cake', but his side managed just the one bonus, on building material, this time. Composer and alumnus of the Xmas UC series just finished Anne Dudley reappeared as the subject of Durham's next bonus set, but, again, they only took the one bonus (the same one I got). Mr Green finally reawoke his side, and they too managed just a single bonus, on scientific awards. An unfortunate pedantic penalty then knocked that five off Keble's score, but Durham failed to capitalise. They did, though, when the Oxonians incurred a second slip-up in a row, and duly reasserted their authority with a full bonus set.
The music round, on singers who share their surnames with prime ministers, went to Durham, who failed to add to their score, but had now built up a lead of 130-35. Ms Pasternack promptly came in and recouped the points her side had earlier lost, but the bonuses, on Latin American national flags, didn't add to their score. A second starter in a row went to the Oxonians, but, again, they drew a blank with the bonuses. Mr Murray promptly resumed Durham's scoring, and a bonus set on plagiarism provided them with two correct answers, and, the way things were going, pretty much wrapped up the game.
The second picture round, on self portraits with dogs, went to Durham, who took one correct bonus, increasing their lead to 165-55. And what looked like an educated guess from Mr Toynbee increased the lead further; a bonus set on yoga didn't add to their score, but it didn't really matter now, the match was won.
A second starter in a row went to the Durham captain; again, no bonuses followed, but now it was really just a matter of how high each side could get. Ms Pasternack upped Keble's score a bit when she took the next starter, and one bonus went with it. A second starter went to the Oxonians, and they fared better with a bonus set on ancient Egypt, taking two. Back came Durham with Mr Yule though, and one bonus was enough to bring up their double century. Keble managed their single century when Mr Green took the next starter, but the gong cut off their bonus deliberation. Durham won 200-100.
Another one sided contest, but still a watchable one still. Unlucky Keble, a reasonable team unfortunate to draw such strong opponents this early, but a fair effort to go out on, thanks very much indeed for playing! Very well done to Durham, though, on another strong showing against decent opposition, and very best of luck in the group stage!
The stats: Messrs Toynbee, Murray and Green were the joint best buzzers of the night, with four each. On the bonuses, Durham converted 16 out of 36, while Keble managed just 6 out of 23 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: don't know yet, but reports suggest Downing vs Darwin and Warwick vs Bristol are the remaining two first round fixtures.
Only Connect saw its final elimination match tonight; hopefully I'll be able to review it a bit quicker than last week's game.
Sunday, 6 January 2019
Only Connect Series 14: Elimination Round: Match 3: Birdwatchers vs Brews
OK, moving on to Only Connect, in what is the first time I've blogged twice in the same day since way back when I first started this blog back in 2012! Not deliberately, I was going to do UC yesterday, but other things got in the way. In fact, if UC hadn't been on all week, I would've done this on Wednesday or Thursday as I said I would. Anyway, we're here now, let's get on with t.
Playing on Tuesday were the Birdwatchers, Chris Grandison, Keli Richards and captain Lauren Hamer, who were defeated by the Dicers, and the Brews, Andy Christley, James Buchanan and captain Daniel Foskett, who were taken out by the Forrests first time around.
Round 1. The Birdwatchers opened the game with Two Reeds, and the music question: we heard David Whitfield sining 'Cara Mia', then 'Hakuna Matata' from the Lion King, then ABBA with 'Voulez-Vou', and finally 'Y Viva Espana'. They knew them to be songs sung in English with non-English titles, and collected the game's first point. The Brews opened their game with Lion: 'Oneness (Rastafarianism)', then 'Button-shaped chocolate', then 'Therapeutic time off', and finally 'Cheap overnight accommodation'. They identified them duplicated single letters terms (M&M, B&B etc), and also collected a sole point. The Birdwatchers chose Twisted Flax next: 'Port Elizabeth, South Africa', then 'Baku, Azerbaijan', then 'Wellington, New Zealand', and finally 'Chicago, USA'. They suggested 'hosts of Grand Prix', not correct. Their opponents knew them to be cities with nicknames relating to 'wind', and collected a bonus. For their own question, the Brews chose Horned Viper: 'Logistello Murakami', then 'Chinook Tinsley', then 'AlphaGo Lee', and finally 'Deep Blue Kasparov'. They saw them to be computers and World Champions they have beaten at their game, and collected another single point. The Birdwatchers chose Water next: 'Consonants', then 'Drugs', then 'Brexit'; they saw them to be things that can follow both 'hard' and 'soft', and collected two points. Left with Eye of Horus, and the pictures, the Brews saw Danny Baker and a Labrador dog, then Pedro Almodovar and a pony, then Zoe Wanamaker and a zebra, and finally George Clooney and a pig. They didn't get it, neither did their opponents: the celebrities forenames and the animals give characters in Peppa Pig! (Only familiar with that show through YouTube parodies myself) At the end of the first round, the teams were tied on 3-each.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Birdwatchers opened the round with Eye of Horus: '...a problem', then '...can help'; they saw it to be the voice-over at the start of the A-Team, and so offered '...The A-Team' for the three points. The Brews chose Horned Viper next: 'F', then 'B16', and then 'JP2'. They saw them to be the initials and numbers of Popes going backwards, so 'JP1' would be fourth. The Birdwatchers chose Lion next: 'Point', then 'Line'. They saw them to be elements of geometry with 0 and 1 dimension(s), and thus offered 'Cube', which was acceptable for the points, as would have been any solid shape. The Brews chose Two Reeds next: 'Food (weeks)', then 'Water (days)', and then 'Shelter (hours)'. They offered 'Oxygen (minutes)', and were correct for the two points, the sequence being the rule of three, ie how long one can survive without of those things (without food for three weeks, water for three days, and so on). For their final choice, the Birdwatchers chose Twisted Flax: 'Paragon', then 'Most frequently occurring value', and then 'Rocker's rival'; they saw them to be 'MODEL', 'MODE' and 'MOD', so offered 'Sir, Farah', which was acceptable for the two points. Left with Water, and the pictures again, the Brews saw a triangle pointing downwards, then a large 'L', and then an upside down 'B'. They saw them to be Greek letters upside down, so suggested an upside down 'A' for the points. At the end of a good second round, the Birdwatchers led 11-9.
On to the Walls. The Brews went first, and chose to tackle the Water wall. They quickly isolated 'Prince', 'Fire', 'Stone' and 'Phoenix', which are the final words of Harry Potter book titles, followed shortly afterwards by 'Rescue', 'Birthday', 'Coach' and 'Labour', which can all precede 'party'. They took their time with the final clues, but had everything sorted easily in the end: 'Saints', 'Hallows', 'Present and correct' and 'Square' can all precede 'All', while 'Surprise', 'Scottsdale', 'Flagstaff' and 'Tucson' are places in Arizona. A good full ten there.
The Birdwatchers thus set to work on the Lion wall. The first two sets fell in straight away: 'Denis', 'Call Me', 'Dreaming' and 'Atomic' are songs by Blondie, while 'Dirty', 'Bouncing', 'Stink' and 'Pipe' can all precede 'bomb'. They used their plenty of remaining time to study what was left, but were unable to untangle the final sets in their three tries, so had to go for bonuses: 'Edith', 'd'Abernon', 'Newington' and 'Mandeville' can all follow 'Stoke' to give place names, which they knew, while 'Fanny', 'Maria', 'Fairfax' and 'Officer Crabtree' are characters in 'Allo 'Allo, which they also knew. Six points there, which meant the Brews now led 19-17 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels would decide who went through to the play-offs and who went out. 'Words with four Rs' went to the Brews 3-1. 'Inappropriate wedding songs', such as 'WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW?' and 'WE ARE NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER', went to the Birdwatchers 3-1. 'First line of rhyming proverbs' was another 3-1 to the Birdwatchers. 'Well known biscuits' was split 2-each. And that was time, the Brews had 26 points, the Birdwatchers had 26 points!
So, the second tie-breaker of the series: 'FR TNF VRST HBRV'. Ms Hamer was first in: 'FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE': riiiiiiiiiight!
A great game, high quality, well played by both sides, shame this is a sudden death match. Unlucky Brews, but a fine performance to go out on, thanks for playing! Well done Birdwatchers though, and best of luck in the play-offs!
Tomorrow's match: the Dragons vs the Three Peaks
Playing on Tuesday were the Birdwatchers, Chris Grandison, Keli Richards and captain Lauren Hamer, who were defeated by the Dicers, and the Brews, Andy Christley, James Buchanan and captain Daniel Foskett, who were taken out by the Forrests first time around.
Round 1. The Birdwatchers opened the game with Two Reeds, and the music question: we heard David Whitfield sining 'Cara Mia', then 'Hakuna Matata' from the Lion King, then ABBA with 'Voulez-Vou', and finally 'Y Viva Espana'. They knew them to be songs sung in English with non-English titles, and collected the game's first point. The Brews opened their game with Lion: 'Oneness (Rastafarianism)', then 'Button-shaped chocolate', then 'Therapeutic time off', and finally 'Cheap overnight accommodation'. They identified them duplicated single letters terms (M&M, B&B etc), and also collected a sole point. The Birdwatchers chose Twisted Flax next: 'Port Elizabeth, South Africa', then 'Baku, Azerbaijan', then 'Wellington, New Zealand', and finally 'Chicago, USA'. They suggested 'hosts of Grand Prix', not correct. Their opponents knew them to be cities with nicknames relating to 'wind', and collected a bonus. For their own question, the Brews chose Horned Viper: 'Logistello Murakami', then 'Chinook Tinsley', then 'AlphaGo Lee', and finally 'Deep Blue Kasparov'. They saw them to be computers and World Champions they have beaten at their game, and collected another single point. The Birdwatchers chose Water next: 'Consonants', then 'Drugs', then 'Brexit'; they saw them to be things that can follow both 'hard' and 'soft', and collected two points. Left with Eye of Horus, and the pictures, the Brews saw Danny Baker and a Labrador dog, then Pedro Almodovar and a pony, then Zoe Wanamaker and a zebra, and finally George Clooney and a pig. They didn't get it, neither did their opponents: the celebrities forenames and the animals give characters in Peppa Pig! (Only familiar with that show through YouTube parodies myself) At the end of the first round, the teams were tied on 3-each.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Birdwatchers opened the round with Eye of Horus: '...a problem', then '...can help'; they saw it to be the voice-over at the start of the A-Team, and so offered '...The A-Team' for the three points. The Brews chose Horned Viper next: 'F', then 'B16', and then 'JP2'. They saw them to be the initials and numbers of Popes going backwards, so 'JP1' would be fourth. The Birdwatchers chose Lion next: 'Point', then 'Line'. They saw them to be elements of geometry with 0 and 1 dimension(s), and thus offered 'Cube', which was acceptable for the points, as would have been any solid shape. The Brews chose Two Reeds next: 'Food (weeks)', then 'Water (days)', and then 'Shelter (hours)'. They offered 'Oxygen (minutes)', and were correct for the two points, the sequence being the rule of three, ie how long one can survive without of those things (without food for three weeks, water for three days, and so on). For their final choice, the Birdwatchers chose Twisted Flax: 'Paragon', then 'Most frequently occurring value', and then 'Rocker's rival'; they saw them to be 'MODEL', 'MODE' and 'MOD', so offered 'Sir, Farah', which was acceptable for the two points. Left with Water, and the pictures again, the Brews saw a triangle pointing downwards, then a large 'L', and then an upside down 'B'. They saw them to be Greek letters upside down, so suggested an upside down 'A' for the points. At the end of a good second round, the Birdwatchers led 11-9.
On to the Walls. The Brews went first, and chose to tackle the Water wall. They quickly isolated 'Prince', 'Fire', 'Stone' and 'Phoenix', which are the final words of Harry Potter book titles, followed shortly afterwards by 'Rescue', 'Birthday', 'Coach' and 'Labour', which can all precede 'party'. They took their time with the final clues, but had everything sorted easily in the end: 'Saints', 'Hallows', 'Present and correct' and 'Square' can all precede 'All', while 'Surprise', 'Scottsdale', 'Flagstaff' and 'Tucson' are places in Arizona. A good full ten there.
The Birdwatchers thus set to work on the Lion wall. The first two sets fell in straight away: 'Denis', 'Call Me', 'Dreaming' and 'Atomic' are songs by Blondie, while 'Dirty', 'Bouncing', 'Stink' and 'Pipe' can all precede 'bomb'. They used their plenty of remaining time to study what was left, but were unable to untangle the final sets in their three tries, so had to go for bonuses: 'Edith', 'd'Abernon', 'Newington' and 'Mandeville' can all follow 'Stoke' to give place names, which they knew, while 'Fanny', 'Maria', 'Fairfax' and 'Officer Crabtree' are characters in 'Allo 'Allo, which they also knew. Six points there, which meant the Brews now led 19-17 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels would decide who went through to the play-offs and who went out. 'Words with four Rs' went to the Brews 3-1. 'Inappropriate wedding songs', such as 'WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW?' and 'WE ARE NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER', went to the Birdwatchers 3-1. 'First line of rhyming proverbs' was another 3-1 to the Birdwatchers. 'Well known biscuits' was split 2-each. And that was time, the Brews had 26 points, the Birdwatchers had 26 points!
So, the second tie-breaker of the series: 'FR TNF VRST HBRV'. Ms Hamer was first in: 'FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE': riiiiiiiiiight!
A great game, high quality, well played by both sides, shame this is a sudden death match. Unlucky Brews, but a fine performance to go out on, thanks for playing! Well done Birdwatchers though, and best of luck in the play-offs!
Tomorrow's match: the Dragons vs the Three Peaks
Christmas University Challenge 2018: Matches 6-10 (Monday 31st - Friday 4th)
OK, Happy New Year all! Lets gets started blogging all the remaining quizzing from the festive period, starting with the second week of Christmas UC. I meant to do this yesterday, but events got in the way.
Monday 31st: Sheffield vs Manchester
Sheffield: Bryony Page, Elizabeth Watts, Paul Mason, David Blunkett
Manchester: Simon Brodkin, David Aaronovitch, David Edgar, Matt Allwright
A match where Manchester, who all donned Santa hats after the intros(!), lead for the most part and deserved the win ultimately, though Sheffield kept them in check throughout. In the end, a 115-90 victory for Manchester a fair reflection of the game. A large number of penalties denied Manchester a return later in the week.
Tuesday 1st: Edinburgh vs L.S.E.
Edinburgh: JJ Chalmers, Joanna Cherry, Mitch Benn, Gavin Francis
L.S.E.: Jagjit Chadha, Maya Jaggi, Ekow Eshun, Simon Garfield
L.S.E. led from the start, and though Edinburgh pulled close, they weren't quite able to slightly overhaul the opposition. Shame this was a first round match really. In the end, L.S.E. won 160-120, the highest score of the first round.
Wednesday 2nd: Bristol vs King's
The first semi-final between two teams who scored the same in their first round matches, so a close match seemed likely. In the end, after an even enough start, Bristol pulled away and won comfortably 205-100, though King's have nothing to be ashamed of, a respectable effort.
Thursday 3rd: Peterhouse vs L.S.E.
After their narrow first round win, Peterhouse played much better this time, while L.S.E. failed to carry on the standard of their first round match. The Cambridge side pulled away after a close start, and in the end won 215-60, the highest score of the series overall, though, again, L.S.E. have nothing to be ashamed of.
Friday 4th: Bristol vs Peterhouse
After the last few finals all proved rather one sided mismatches, it was good to have a close final for a change, with both sides playing very well and remaining in touch with each other throughout. In the end, Peterhouse just pulled away later on and won 190-125. Well done them, and well played Bristol too, a great effort.
Another good festive series, an excellent two weeks of quizzing, and a good high standard as well; well done all teams who took part!
Regular series resumes tomorrow evening with Durham vs Keble.
Monday 31st: Sheffield vs Manchester
Sheffield: Bryony Page, Elizabeth Watts, Paul Mason, David Blunkett
Manchester: Simon Brodkin, David Aaronovitch, David Edgar, Matt Allwright
A match where Manchester, who all donned Santa hats after the intros(!), lead for the most part and deserved the win ultimately, though Sheffield kept them in check throughout. In the end, a 115-90 victory for Manchester a fair reflection of the game. A large number of penalties denied Manchester a return later in the week.
Tuesday 1st: Edinburgh vs L.S.E.
Edinburgh: JJ Chalmers, Joanna Cherry, Mitch Benn, Gavin Francis
L.S.E.: Jagjit Chadha, Maya Jaggi, Ekow Eshun, Simon Garfield
L.S.E. led from the start, and though Edinburgh pulled close, they weren't quite able to slightly overhaul the opposition. Shame this was a first round match really. In the end, L.S.E. won 160-120, the highest score of the first round.
Wednesday 2nd: Bristol vs King's
The first semi-final between two teams who scored the same in their first round matches, so a close match seemed likely. In the end, after an even enough start, Bristol pulled away and won comfortably 205-100, though King's have nothing to be ashamed of, a respectable effort.
Thursday 3rd: Peterhouse vs L.S.E.
After their narrow first round win, Peterhouse played much better this time, while L.S.E. failed to carry on the standard of their first round match. The Cambridge side pulled away after a close start, and in the end won 215-60, the highest score of the series overall, though, again, L.S.E. have nothing to be ashamed of.
Friday 4th: Bristol vs Peterhouse
After the last few finals all proved rather one sided mismatches, it was good to have a close final for a change, with both sides playing very well and remaining in touch with each other throughout. In the end, Peterhouse just pulled away later on and won 190-125. Well done them, and well played Bristol too, a great effort.
Another good festive series, an excellent two weeks of quizzing, and a good high standard as well; well done all teams who took part!
Regular series resumes tomorrow evening with Durham vs Keble.
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