Evening all. My review will be a bit disjointed this evening as I'm getting text updates from my Dad on the massacre currently unfolding at Hampden (the SimpsonsSPFL Twitter thread makes all these results almost worth it!). Tonight's match pitted two teams who have won the show both during the original ITV series and the current BBC series. Same as usual, winners go straight through, runners-up, like Scotland, will be pinning their hopes on the play-offs.
Durham is the third oldest university in England after Oxford and Cambridge, founded 1832, and its alumni since have included the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the broadcasters Jeremy Vine and Gabby Logan and the cricketers Nasser Hussain and Andrew Strauss. Last year's team made it all the way to the semis before losing to eventual winners Edinburgh. This year's foursome were:
Charles Bland, from Sutton in Surrey, studying Philosophy
William Tams, from Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria, studying Biosciences
Captain: Joe Cooper, from London, studying Chemistry
Arthur Raffle, from Manchester, studying French and German
Trinity College Cambridge was founded by Henry VIII in 1546 and is now the largest college in Cambridge; alumni include the poets Byron and Dryden, the PMs Balfour and Baldwin, and the Pointless hosts Armstrong and Osman. Its last appearance prior to tonight was a first round loss two series ago. This year's quartet were:
Nadia Hourihan, from Dublin, studying English
Lillian Crawford, from Kent, studying History
Captain: Joseph Webber, from Bury St Edmunds, studying Maths
Liam Hughes, from Cardiff, studying Maths
Off we set again then, and Mr Cooper started the scoring for the night with 'default', and the Wearsiders opened the night with a pair of bonuses. Mr Tams took the second starter, and they went one better, a full set on sporting positions. Mr Hughes broke Trinity off the mark, and they also took two of their first bonuses. Back came Durham with Mr Cooper again, and another full set of bonuses was duly swept up. The first picture round, on national flags to be identified by geographical locations on maps, went to Durham, who managed two bonuses again, taking their early lead to 90-10.
Mr Hughes duly pulled Trinity back into the game on the next starter, and the Cambridge side, again took a pair of the resulting bonuses. Mr Webber identified the composer Faure for the next starter, and a bonus set on that old quiz staple chemical elements gave them a full house, bringing them well back into the game. The Trinity captain unluckily dropped five on the next starter with a borderline interruption, but Durham couldn't capitalise. Ms Hourihan duly took the next starter, and two bonuses took Trinity within ten.
The music round saw Ms Crawford first on the buzzer to identify Ms K. Minogue; the bonuses, on pop songs written by the late Carol King, gave Trinity two correct answers and the lead, 100-90. Mr Tams decided that was enough of that, and duly took the next starter to put his side back level; two bonuses gave them the lead back. But Trinity now had the bit between their collective teeth, and Mr Webber duly put them level again; bonuses on the works of Mrs Gaskell put them back in front again. And Mr Hughes wasn't letting up, another starter, and bonuses on the town of Gainsborough providing them with one correct answer.
The second picture round, on artworks depicting mythological scenes in the background and everyday life in the foreground, went to Trinity; one bonus followed, taking their lead to 150-110. Still all to play for, and back came Durham, with Mr Raffle identifying the words of Robert Browning just a few seconds after I did; the side duly sped through their bonuses, answering the one they got right quickly and passing the other two only a bit slower.
But Mr Hughes duly quelled any fightback with a lightning fast buzz on the next starter; no bonuses followed, but when Ms Hourihan took the next and two bonuses followed, that was game over. Mr Cooper pulled one back for Durham, and two bonuses lifted them onto a score more likely to bring them back in the play-offs. That was as far as they got though, as Trinity took the two remaining starters, though none of the bonuses there was time for. At the gong, Trinity won 200-145.
Another good high quality match, well done both teams there. Unlucky Durham, but still a fine performance, and hopefully you'll be back in the play-offs, thanks for playing for now though. Well done Trinity though, and very best of luck in the next round!
The stats: Mr Hughes was the best buzzer of the night with four, while Messrs Tams and Cooper were joint best for Durham with three each. On the bonuses, Durham converted 15 out of 21, while Trinity managed 17 out of 34 (with the night's one penalty).
Next week's match: the LSE vs the Courtauld Institute
Only Connect tonight pitted the Gladiators against the Lexplorers. The former were most unfortunate in the first two rounds, trailing 16-0 going into the Walls. They eventually recovered to a respectable 10, but their opponents ended on 36, and must surely be early favourites.
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