Evening all. An interesting match up tonight, between two institutions whose last appearance on the show saw them win the series; one was just last year however, the other was way back in the red set era! The winners would go through to the second round, while the runners-up would be aiming for 100 or more to get onto the play-off board.
Edinburgh University was founded in 1582, making it the fourth university in Scotland at a time when only Oxford and Cambridge existed down south. Alumni include quite a lot of writers, including AC Doyle, RL Stephenson and JM Barrie, quite a lot of politicians, including former PM Gordon Brown, my Dad and quite a lot of my friends. Last series, of course, they won the series, winning a good contest against St Edmund Hall. This year's foursome were:
Richard Moon, from North London, studying Classics
Adam McLauchlan, from Edinburgh, studying Chemistry
Captain: Emma Williams, from Brighton, studying Linguistics
Isaac Stevens, from Sutton Coldfield, studying German and History
Birkbeck is a college of the University of London specialising in higher education, mainly operating in the evening to allow for students to hold down jobs too. Alumni include the first Labour PM Ramsay McDonald, current Labour bigwig John McDonnell, TS Eliot and hotel stayer Bear Grylls. Having regularly appeared in the early days of the BBC era, tonight's team was its first since its series win in 2002-03; they were:
Rob Anderson, from Geneva, studying Cognition and Computation
Rosemary Barnett, from Buckinghamshire, studying Historical Research
Captain: Nooruddean Janmohamed, from London, studying Medieval History
Ian Kernohan, from County Antrim, studying History of Art and Architecture
Off we set again then, and Mr Moon was first in to start the game with 'The Leaning Tower of Pisa'; the reigning champs took two of their opening bonuses. Mr Anderson opened Birkbeck's account with 'Dip', and they matched Edinburgh's tally with two bonuses on US presidents. The Scots side duly retook the lead with Mr McLauchlan offering 'heartburn', and took just the one bonus on mnemonics (or 'pneumonics' as Paxo called them!). A repeat performance followed as Mr McLauchlan took another starter and another sole bonus followed. The first picture round, on musical notes, went to Edinburgh, who took a pair of bonuses, taking their lead to 70-20.
It increased as Mr Anderson lost five after making the understandable mistake of thinking Elvis Presley was born in Memphis; Edinburgh couldn't capitalise. Edinburgh returned the favour by dropping five on a last millisecond interruption, and Birkbeck did pick up the points this time; bonuses on elements discovered in Switzerland gave them one bonus. I guessed Solihull for the next starter asking after a borough between Birmingham and Coventry; Mr Stevens did so too, and we were both right. Edinburgh duly took a full bonus set on Anglo Saxon kingdoms. Mr Janmohamed kept his side in the game by taking the next starter; bonuses on Irish philosophers gave them two correct answers.
The music round, on acts notably critiqued by music critic Ellen Willis, went to Edinburgh, who took one bonus, taking their lead to 105-50. Back came Birkbeck though, with Mr Janmohamed offering 'curlew', and a full set of bonuses on gardening took them right back into procedings. Mr Moon duly increased Edinburgh's lead though with 'willow', but a bonus set on the 1956 Olympics didn't give the Scots side any further points. Poetry about railways proved more to their liking on their next set, just the one bonus, and another saw them mistake their alumnus RL Stephenson for WT McGonagall, something Paxo suggested the former's aficionados might not find very funny!
The second picture starter, on allegorical paintings depicting the three stages of life, went to Edinburgh, who took two bonuses, which took their lead to 150-75. Birkbeck would need to run the show from now on to stand a chance of catching up; Mr Kernohan duly came in with 'Simon Sebag Montefiore', and two bonuses just about kept them in the game.
But when Mr Kernohan duly got beaten by a swerve on the next question and lost five, that was game over; Edinburgh didn't know the French Horn to be the instrument lampooned by Flanders and Swann in their classic 'Ill Wind'. Not that it mattered, as Mr Moon took the last starter of the game, and the side took one of the two bonuses there was time for. At the gong, Edinburgh won 165-90.
A good enough match I thought, even if a bit low scoring and slow in places. Unlucky Birkbeck, but a fair enough effort, thanks very much for playing. Well done Edinburgh though, and best of luck in the second round.
The stats: Mr McLauchlan was the best buzzer of the night, with five starters to Mr Moon's four, while Mr Janmohamed was best for Birkbeck with three. On the bonuses, Edinburgh converted 14 out of 29 (with one penalty), while Birkbeck managed 10 out of 15 (with two penalties).
No show next week, so we're back, I'd guess, on September the 2nd, and an anonymous source tells me Only Connect may be back with it! Still haven't totally decided if I'm going to do full blogs on that this series, I'll keep you posted.
Monday, 19 August 2019
Monday, 12 August 2019
University Challenge 2019-20: Round 1: Match 5: Wolfson vs St John's
Evening all. And after last week, can we please try and keep the strong language to a minimum please? A second Oxbridge match in this still young series, and two teams whose last appearance before tonight was as series runners-up, despite both having been tipped by many to triumph. Winners tonight would go through to the second round, as would the runners-up if their score was good enough.
Wolfson College Cambridge is one of the university's newer colleges, founded 1965; its short list of noted alumni include Hong Kong chief exec Carrie Lam, Tory peer Andrew Tyrie, and the legend that is Eric Monkman, who captained them in that afore-mentioned run to the final three series ago. Their only other BBC appearance besides that was a first round exit in 2003-04. This year's foursome were:
Tom Greig, from Leeds, studying English
Erin Spike, from Sydney, studying Public Health
Captain: Ryan Rhys Griffiths, from Kilkenny in Ireland, studying Physics and Machine Learning
Tommy Lee, from Norwich, studying Classics
St John's College Oxford is a lot older, established in 1555, and, like it's Cambridge namesake once was, is now the university's richest college; it's longer list of alumni include former PM Tony Blair, BBC stalwart Evan Davis and noted quiz host Victoria Coren Mitchell. It is something of a nearly-institution as far as UC is concerned, finishing runners-up three times under Paxo, most recently in 2015-16. This year's quartet were:
Sam Burns, from London, studying History
Isabella Morris, from London, studying English Language and Literature
Captain: Ashley Leeks, from London, studying Evolutionary Biology
Aaron Soor, from London, studying Maths
Off we set again then, and Mr Burns won the buzzer race to say 'Michelle Obama' as soon as Paxo said the trigger word 'Becoming'; a solitary bonus from the opening set followed. A penalty from St John's allowed Wolfson to get off the mark, Mr Lee correctly offering 'Spurs' just before the inevitable football clue came; alas, the Cambridge side got nothing from their first bonus set. Mr Leeks atoned for his earlier error and gave St John's their lead back, again, though, just one bonus followed. The first picture round, on island nations with a large amount of shipping traffic, went to Wolfson, who, again, took just a sole bonus, which put the sides level on 25-each.
Not for long though, as Mr Greig was penalised for buzzing wrongly just as Paxo was finishing the question; St John's couldn't capitalise. Another penalty cost Wolfson another five, and, again, St John's failed to pick up. Mr Soor correctly offered 'Iran' for the next starter though, and they took full advantage with a full bonus set on Rococo architecture. Mr Burns increased the advantage further, giving his side a classic UC bonus set on words differing in the addition of 'VI' at the start; two were taken.
The music starter was, much to Paxo's disgust(!), dropped by both sides; the bonuses, on classical pieces commonly played at weddings, eventually went to St John's (despite them dropping five on a prior replacement starter that Wolfson didn't get either). None of the bonuses were taken, and more grumbling from the host followed as they mistook Bach for Britten! ("You barbarians!") St John's nonetheless led 75-15, but the lead decreased slightly as they lost another five; Wolfson couldn't capitalise again, succeeding only in making Paxo hit the roof again by suggesting Robert the Bruce fought against the invading Romans! Wolfson did get back into the game on the next starter though thanks to Mr Lee, but just the one bonus followed again. Back came St John's thanks to Mr Burns again, and, again, just the one bonus followed from a set on physics. Another two starters was dropped, though Mr Griffiths was unlucky with one to come up with half the answer, but not the other. Mr Leeks finally got one right, and bonuses on 20th century French women named Simone gave them one correct answer to take them into double figures.
The second picture round, on paintings rejected by the Salon but later part of its 'des Refuses' exhibition, went to Wolfson; no correct bonuses followed though, leaving them trailing 100-40 with very little time left to pull back.
Neither side knew 'solitary' to be the last adjective in Milton's 'Paradise Lost'; another very complex starter about monarchs and chemical elements also escaped both teams. Mr Soor took the next starter for St John's, pretty much wrapping up the win, and, once again, just the one bonus followed. And that was the gong; St John's won 115-40.
Well, it was an entertaining game, I'll give it that, credit to both teams for that, but, alas, I must report it as the lowest scoring game of the BBC era thus far, eclipsing the record set back in the 2004-05 second round. Unlucky Wolfson, but thanks very much for playing. Well done St John's though, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Mr Burns was the best buzzer of the night with four starters, while Ms Spike and Mr Lee both got two each for Wolfson. On the bonuses, Wolfson managed just 2 out of 12 (with two penalties), while St John's managed 10 out of 24 (with three penalties).
Next week's match: Edinburgh vs Birkbeck of London, back for the first time since their series victory in 2002-03
Wolfson College Cambridge is one of the university's newer colleges, founded 1965; its short list of noted alumni include Hong Kong chief exec Carrie Lam, Tory peer Andrew Tyrie, and the legend that is Eric Monkman, who captained them in that afore-mentioned run to the final three series ago. Their only other BBC appearance besides that was a first round exit in 2003-04. This year's foursome were:
Tom Greig, from Leeds, studying English
Erin Spike, from Sydney, studying Public Health
Captain: Ryan Rhys Griffiths, from Kilkenny in Ireland, studying Physics and Machine Learning
Tommy Lee, from Norwich, studying Classics
St John's College Oxford is a lot older, established in 1555, and, like it's Cambridge namesake once was, is now the university's richest college; it's longer list of alumni include former PM Tony Blair, BBC stalwart Evan Davis and noted quiz host Victoria Coren Mitchell. It is something of a nearly-institution as far as UC is concerned, finishing runners-up three times under Paxo, most recently in 2015-16. This year's quartet were:
Sam Burns, from London, studying History
Isabella Morris, from London, studying English Language and Literature
Captain: Ashley Leeks, from London, studying Evolutionary Biology
Aaron Soor, from London, studying Maths
Off we set again then, and Mr Burns won the buzzer race to say 'Michelle Obama' as soon as Paxo said the trigger word 'Becoming'; a solitary bonus from the opening set followed. A penalty from St John's allowed Wolfson to get off the mark, Mr Lee correctly offering 'Spurs' just before the inevitable football clue came; alas, the Cambridge side got nothing from their first bonus set. Mr Leeks atoned for his earlier error and gave St John's their lead back, again, though, just one bonus followed. The first picture round, on island nations with a large amount of shipping traffic, went to Wolfson, who, again, took just a sole bonus, which put the sides level on 25-each.
Not for long though, as Mr Greig was penalised for buzzing wrongly just as Paxo was finishing the question; St John's couldn't capitalise. Another penalty cost Wolfson another five, and, again, St John's failed to pick up. Mr Soor correctly offered 'Iran' for the next starter though, and they took full advantage with a full bonus set on Rococo architecture. Mr Burns increased the advantage further, giving his side a classic UC bonus set on words differing in the addition of 'VI' at the start; two were taken.
The music starter was, much to Paxo's disgust(!), dropped by both sides; the bonuses, on classical pieces commonly played at weddings, eventually went to St John's (despite them dropping five on a prior replacement starter that Wolfson didn't get either). None of the bonuses were taken, and more grumbling from the host followed as they mistook Bach for Britten! ("You barbarians!") St John's nonetheless led 75-15, but the lead decreased slightly as they lost another five; Wolfson couldn't capitalise again, succeeding only in making Paxo hit the roof again by suggesting Robert the Bruce fought against the invading Romans! Wolfson did get back into the game on the next starter though thanks to Mr Lee, but just the one bonus followed again. Back came St John's thanks to Mr Burns again, and, again, just the one bonus followed from a set on physics. Another two starters was dropped, though Mr Griffiths was unlucky with one to come up with half the answer, but not the other. Mr Leeks finally got one right, and bonuses on 20th century French women named Simone gave them one correct answer to take them into double figures.
The second picture round, on paintings rejected by the Salon but later part of its 'des Refuses' exhibition, went to Wolfson; no correct bonuses followed though, leaving them trailing 100-40 with very little time left to pull back.
Neither side knew 'solitary' to be the last adjective in Milton's 'Paradise Lost'; another very complex starter about monarchs and chemical elements also escaped both teams. Mr Soor took the next starter for St John's, pretty much wrapping up the win, and, once again, just the one bonus followed. And that was the gong; St John's won 115-40.
Well, it was an entertaining game, I'll give it that, credit to both teams for that, but, alas, I must report it as the lowest scoring game of the BBC era thus far, eclipsing the record set back in the 2004-05 second round. Unlucky Wolfson, but thanks very much for playing. Well done St John's though, and best of luck in the second round!
The stats: Mr Burns was the best buzzer of the night with four starters, while Ms Spike and Mr Lee both got two each for Wolfson. On the bonuses, Wolfson managed just 2 out of 12 (with two penalties), while St John's managed 10 out of 24 (with three penalties).
Next week's match: Edinburgh vs Birkbeck of London, back for the first time since their series victory in 2002-03
Monday, 5 August 2019
University Challenge 2019-20: Round 1: Match 4: Birmingham vs Bristol
Evening all. So, for the first time in a few years, we're not having a week off on the first Monday of August, so here we are with the fourth match of the series, and a classic tie between two instituitions of a similar age and reputation. Winners tonight would go through to the second round, as would the runners-up if they scored high enough.
Birmingham University is a red brick founded in its current form in 1900, having been around in some form since 1825. Alumni include the late great Victoria Wood, actor and comedian Chris Addison, and fellow quiz blogger Iain Weaver. It last sent a team three series ago, who reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual winners Balliol. This year's foursome were:
Alex Milone, from Brockenhurst in Hampshire, studying Medicine
Izzy Lewis, from Monmouth, studying Physics
Captain: Zoe Bleything, from Thornbury in Gloucestershire, studying Medicine
Ben Sculfor, from Aylesbury, studying Maths
Bristol University came into being in 1909, having also been around in various other forms beforehand. Alumni include physicist Paul Dirac, comedy personalities Matt Lucas and David Walliums, and author David Nicholls, author of 'Starter for Ten', the famous novel based on a quiz of some sort. It has sent a team to UC for the last six series unless I'm mistaken; last year's lost to eventual winners Edinburgh in the quarters. This year's quartet were:
Ben Allen, from South Buckinghamshire, studying Aerospace Engineering
Dan Hawkins, from Locks Heath in Hampshire, studying Geology
Captain: Laura Denton, from Winchester, studying Geology and Biology
Ben Joynson, from Nailsworth in Gloucestershire, studying Chemistry
Off we set again then, and Mr Allen took the first starter of the night by identifying the forthcoming sequel to the Handmaid's Tale; just the one bonus came from the first set. Birmingham followed them off the mark thanks to Mr Sculfor, and they fared rather better, taking a full set of their first bonuses. Bristol drew level on the next starter though, and took the lead with two bonuses from a classic UC bonus set on pairs of words differing in the replacing of a U with an E. Another starter to Bristol, and a full set of bonuses went with it, suddenly giving them a strong early lead. The first picture round, on electron dot diagrams of the structures of chemical compounds, went to Bristol, who took two bonuses, increasing their lead to 80-25.
Mr Allen was unfortunate to drop five on the next starter; he heard "Introduced by the English Football League in January 2018...", and shot straight in with 'VAR'. Alas, the question was actually about the Rooney Rule; Birmingham didn't know that, but Mr Milone took the next starter for them, and they took one bonus on fictional hotels. Mr Sculfor then gave them a second starter in a row, and they took two bonuses from the resulting set this time. It was then their turn to drop five though, but, likewise, Bristol didn't pick up. Mr Hawkins took the next starter for them though, and they took a sole bonus on women's sporting achievements, missing another due to not knowing Tracey Neville's forename. (Quoth the Paxman, "Shame on you!")
The music round, on classical pieces used in the films of Wes Anderson, went to Birmingham; no bonuses came though, so they trailed 90-65. The gap narrowed though as Mr Sculfor took the next starter, and bonuses on December 10th gave them two bonuses to pull within five. Then nothing, as Bristol lost five on the next starter, and Mr Milone picked up the drop, giving them the lead; two bonuses followed. Back came Bristol on the next starter though, and two bonuses on rock bands gave them back the lead.
The second picture round, on children's laureates, went to Bristol, who quickly snapped up all three bonuses, which increased their advantage to 130-100. Still either team's game though, and Mr Sculfor kept his side in the game with 'hyperbolic geometry'; a complex bonus set on chemical formulae saw them take a very impressive full set to close the gap to five.
Again, a Bristol penalty put the sides level again, but Birmingham failed to take the lead with the next starter. The next starter asked for a Dickens novel without a character's name in the title; neither team guessed the right one, The Old Curiosity Shop. Then came a crucial moment, as, asked for the year which saw, among other events, Churchill's Iron Curtain speech occurred, Mr Allen was 'ONE YEAR OUT!', and lost another five to boot, giving Birmingham the lead. Another starter was dropped before one finally came up that Mr Sculfor knew... but the gong went before he could give the answer! Not that it mattered, Birmingham won 125-120.
A low scoring match, but a very close one between two reasonable enough teams. Unlucky Bristol, just pipped right at the death, and whose score I don't think will be quite enough for the play-offs, but thanks for playing. Well done Birmingham though, and very best of luck in the next round!
The stats: Mr Sculfor was, just, the best buzzer of the night, with four starters to Mr Hawkins' three. On the bonuses, Birmingham converted 12 out of 21 (with one penalty), while Bristol managed 14 out of 21 (with an ultimately costly four penalties), that's how close and even it was.
Next week's match: Wolfson College Cambridge vs St John's College Oxford
Birmingham University is a red brick founded in its current form in 1900, having been around in some form since 1825. Alumni include the late great Victoria Wood, actor and comedian Chris Addison, and fellow quiz blogger Iain Weaver. It last sent a team three series ago, who reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual winners Balliol. This year's foursome were:
Alex Milone, from Brockenhurst in Hampshire, studying Medicine
Izzy Lewis, from Monmouth, studying Physics
Captain: Zoe Bleything, from Thornbury in Gloucestershire, studying Medicine
Ben Sculfor, from Aylesbury, studying Maths
Bristol University came into being in 1909, having also been around in various other forms beforehand. Alumni include physicist Paul Dirac, comedy personalities Matt Lucas and David Walliums, and author David Nicholls, author of 'Starter for Ten', the famous novel based on a quiz of some sort. It has sent a team to UC for the last six series unless I'm mistaken; last year's lost to eventual winners Edinburgh in the quarters. This year's quartet were:
Ben Allen, from South Buckinghamshire, studying Aerospace Engineering
Dan Hawkins, from Locks Heath in Hampshire, studying Geology
Captain: Laura Denton, from Winchester, studying Geology and Biology
Ben Joynson, from Nailsworth in Gloucestershire, studying Chemistry
Off we set again then, and Mr Allen took the first starter of the night by identifying the forthcoming sequel to the Handmaid's Tale; just the one bonus came from the first set. Birmingham followed them off the mark thanks to Mr Sculfor, and they fared rather better, taking a full set of their first bonuses. Bristol drew level on the next starter though, and took the lead with two bonuses from a classic UC bonus set on pairs of words differing in the replacing of a U with an E. Another starter to Bristol, and a full set of bonuses went with it, suddenly giving them a strong early lead. The first picture round, on electron dot diagrams of the structures of chemical compounds, went to Bristol, who took two bonuses, increasing their lead to 80-25.
Mr Allen was unfortunate to drop five on the next starter; he heard "Introduced by the English Football League in January 2018...", and shot straight in with 'VAR'. Alas, the question was actually about the Rooney Rule; Birmingham didn't know that, but Mr Milone took the next starter for them, and they took one bonus on fictional hotels. Mr Sculfor then gave them a second starter in a row, and they took two bonuses from the resulting set this time. It was then their turn to drop five though, but, likewise, Bristol didn't pick up. Mr Hawkins took the next starter for them though, and they took a sole bonus on women's sporting achievements, missing another due to not knowing Tracey Neville's forename. (Quoth the Paxman, "Shame on you!")
The music round, on classical pieces used in the films of Wes Anderson, went to Birmingham; no bonuses came though, so they trailed 90-65. The gap narrowed though as Mr Sculfor took the next starter, and bonuses on December 10th gave them two bonuses to pull within five. Then nothing, as Bristol lost five on the next starter, and Mr Milone picked up the drop, giving them the lead; two bonuses followed. Back came Bristol on the next starter though, and two bonuses on rock bands gave them back the lead.
The second picture round, on children's laureates, went to Bristol, who quickly snapped up all three bonuses, which increased their advantage to 130-100. Still either team's game though, and Mr Sculfor kept his side in the game with 'hyperbolic geometry'; a complex bonus set on chemical formulae saw them take a very impressive full set to close the gap to five.
Again, a Bristol penalty put the sides level again, but Birmingham failed to take the lead with the next starter. The next starter asked for a Dickens novel without a character's name in the title; neither team guessed the right one, The Old Curiosity Shop. Then came a crucial moment, as, asked for the year which saw, among other events, Churchill's Iron Curtain speech occurred, Mr Allen was 'ONE YEAR OUT!', and lost another five to boot, giving Birmingham the lead. Another starter was dropped before one finally came up that Mr Sculfor knew... but the gong went before he could give the answer! Not that it mattered, Birmingham won 125-120.
A low scoring match, but a very close one between two reasonable enough teams. Unlucky Bristol, just pipped right at the death, and whose score I don't think will be quite enough for the play-offs, but thanks for playing. Well done Birmingham though, and very best of luck in the next round!
The stats: Mr Sculfor was, just, the best buzzer of the night, with four starters to Mr Hawkins' three. On the bonuses, Birmingham converted 12 out of 21 (with one penalty), while Bristol managed 14 out of 21 (with an ultimately costly four penalties), that's how close and even it was.
Next week's match: Wolfson College Cambridge vs St John's College Oxford
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)