Evening all. So, the quarter-finals kicked off tonight, with two institutions that, six years ago, met each other twice, once in the prelims, and then again in the semis, and those two matches were among the best episodes of UC of the decade. Tonight's two teams hadn't hit similar heights thus far, but both had impressed in their own right on their way through...
Manchester defeated fellow quarter-finalists Jesus 185-145 in the first round in the first round, then more comfortably defeated Huddersfield 205-90 in the second. They were the same foursome as those prior times:
Jack Rogers, from Cheshire, studying Maths
Melissa Johnson, from South Africa, studying Economics
Captain: James Green, from the Wirral, studying Modernist Literature
Adam Booth, from Greenford in London, studying Physics
Trinity College Cambridge saw off fellow quarter-finalists Durham by 200-145 in their opening match of the series, before another comfortable win over Lady Margaret Hall of Oxford in the second. They were also the same quartet as then:
Nadia Hourihan, from Dublin, studying English
Lillian Crawford, from Bearsted in 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 Webber opened procedings with 'capital'; a full set of bonuses on scientists was a big statement of intent. Mr Rogers buzzed on the next starter, but no answer came, so minus five; Trinity couldn't capitalise, but Ms Crawford took the next, and a fairly straight forward bonus set on EU treaties was quickly dispatched. Mr Hughes was next in, but just one bonus on fungal diseases was taken this time. The first picture round, on flags of European sub national divisions, went to Trinity; nothing came from the bonuses, but they had opened up an early lead of 65-(-5).
Ms Johnson promptly took the Mancunians back into positive integers as she took the next starter; a full bonus set on Roman emperors was a sign that they weren't taking this lying down. Mr Hughes re-established Trinity's supremacy as he took the next starter however, with two bonuses on children's literature going with it. Mr Webber took his side into three figures when he took the next, but no further, no bonuses on astronomy following. A second starter in a row went to the Trinity captain however, and two bonuses on the work of architect Owen Jones followed.
The music starter saw Mr Hughes first to identify the late great David Bowie; the bonuses, on pop songs about artists, gave the Cambridge side two correct answers, increasing their lead to 145-20. And it was just getting bigger, Mr Webber identifying the basking shark as the subject of Damian Hurst's work for the next starter, and a full set of bonuses on literature prompted an exclamation of "You're on fire today, aren't you?!" from Paxo! Indeed they were, and Mr Hughes' answer of the Brandenburg Concertos threw more paraffin on them; two bonuses followed. Mr Green did the right thing and had an educated guess at the next starter, but was not correct; Ms Crawford had the right answer, and Trinity were now already at 200; one bonus followed. Mr Webber had the next, and a full bonus set on film adaptations took their lead past 200. A slip-up finally allowed Manchester a free shot, and Mr Green duly took it to finally get his side going again; no bonuses followed though.
The second picture round, on stills from films on which Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Muifune collaborated, went to Manchester; a full house of bonuses took the scores to 225-55. Mr Green took a third starter in a row for the Mancunians, a very quick buzz of 'aubergine', and two bonuses on shared UK and US place names followed.
The Manchester captain went for a fourth, but this time slipped up; Trinity failed to pick up, but Mr Hughes had the next, and a full bonus set on the Lollards was duly converted. A classic starter asked for the smallest number of border crossings one could theoretically make on a journey from Oslo to Hong Kong; Mr Booth knew it to be two (Norway into Russia and Russia into China), and a full bonus set on dinosaurs put them one starter away from three figures. That was as far as they could get though, Ms Crawford taking the next starter, and one bonus on sequences of prime ministers followed. Ms Hourihan took the next, and bonuses on fictional nannies gave them yet another full set, and one starter away from 300. Mr Hughes provided it; nothing came from the bonuses, but it mattered not. At the gong, Trinity won 300-95.
Another high quality match in spite of its one sidedness. Unlucky Manchester, who were outplayed on the buzzer, but did well enough when they did get in, which stands them in good stead for their eliminator; best of luck to them in that. Very well done Trinity though, a seriously impressive showing against a good team, they must now be taken very seriously if they weren't being already; best of luck to them in the qualifiers!
The stats: Mr Hughes was, again, the best buzzer of the night, with seven, while Mr Green was best for Manchester with three. On the bonuses, Manchester converted a solid 11 out of 15 (with two penalties), while Trinity managed 29 out of 48 (with one penalty).
Next week's match: don't know for sure yet, but my guess would be Wolfson vs Corpus Christi
Only Connect moved on to its penultimate play off tonight, with the Endeavours vs the Junipers. After a rather tricky, even by OC's standards, first two rounds, both sides aced their walls, and the latter won it on Missing Vowels, 22-15.
Monday 27 January 2020
Friday 24 January 2020
University Challenge 2019-20: Second Round Review and Quarter-Final Preview
OK, so here we are once again, at the start of the quarter-finals. It's been an OK series thus far, hasn't quite hit the heights of previous years, but its still been good and watchable, and we have eight good quarter-finalists who I strongly suspect will give us a good rest of the series.
So, here, in order of qualification and with their overall and average scores so far, are our last eight teams:
Well, for the first time since the 2011-12 series (a most underrated series, as I'll get to in my Review of the Decade), both teams that came through the repechage have reached the group stage. Jesus lost to Manchester first time around, before narrowly beating the fancied Sheffield in the play-offs and then Birmingham in the second round. Both were close wins though; I fancy they'll need to up their game to progress to the semis.
Durham, meanwhile, after losing to Trinity first time around, impressively defeated York in the play-offs and then Southampton in the second round, both by very big margins. They have responded well following their early lapse, and I would probably place among the early favourites for the semis, though we do know, from their first match, that they can be vulnerable.
As for their two conquerors, both comfortably won their second round matches, Manchester recovering from a slow start to beat Huddersfield, while Trinity eased to victory over Lady Margaret Hall. Of the two, I would probably say Trinity are better bets for the semis, having twice comfortably beaten teams who we know to be good in their own right.
As for the others, Imperial would probably be strongly fancied, having twice run up the same score of 255 and been very impressive in having done so. Corpus Christi have twice triumphed over good opposition, and are definitely not to be written off. So too have and are Wolfson, though given their seeming reliance on captain Ms Jones, there are understandable questions over what could happen if the starters don't fall for her.
Courtauld were the surprise packages of the second round, defeating the fancied Glasgow team, and well too. They will likely start the QFs as outsiders, but are definitely not worth totally writing off.
So, who do I think will go through? Well, it's had to call, as there are five obvious stand out teams, and three outsiders who are definitely worth keeping an eye on. I honestly cannot say who I think will be the final four; any of them would deserve it and could feasibly do it if things go their way.
As with many past series, I suspect it will be a question of who plays who when; last series, for example, Emmanuel were undone by having to play St Edmund Hall and Darwin in successive matches, otherwise I suspect they'd have made at least the play-offs.
Mr Green of Manchester has told me he believes Manchester are playing again on Monday; my guess is they'll play Trinity, followed by Wolfson vs Corpus Christi, and a random draw among the other four. It will probably depend on the rest of the draw who goes through, but we shall have to wait and see.
Now, time for the annual diversity check. Three all male teams are through to the QFs, two with one, and three exactly half and half. Oxford and Cambridge have two teams each through, while London and the North of England account for two each of the other four. Thus, for the first time since 2015-16, we have an all England final eight.
That's pretty much it for now then. As usual, I wish the eight quarter-finalists the best of (retrospective) luck and hope for an excellent set of quarter-finals!
Back on Monday with my usual UC write-up. And look out for a new series starting on my Second Blog soon; keep watching Twitter for details.
So, here, in order of qualification and with their overall and average scores so far, are our last eight teams:
- Jesus College Oxford (465 over three matches, 155)
- Durham (630 over three matches, 210)
- Courtauld Institute of Art (325 over two matches, 162.5)
- Imperial College London (510 over two matches, 255)
- Manchester (390 over two matches, 195)
- Trinity College Cambridge (445 over two matches, 222.5)
- Wolfson College Oxford (390 over two matches, 195)
- Corpus Christi College Cambridge (465 over two matches, 232.5)
Well, for the first time since the 2011-12 series (a most underrated series, as I'll get to in my Review of the Decade), both teams that came through the repechage have reached the group stage. Jesus lost to Manchester first time around, before narrowly beating the fancied Sheffield in the play-offs and then Birmingham in the second round. Both were close wins though; I fancy they'll need to up their game to progress to the semis.
Durham, meanwhile, after losing to Trinity first time around, impressively defeated York in the play-offs and then Southampton in the second round, both by very big margins. They have responded well following their early lapse, and I would probably place among the early favourites for the semis, though we do know, from their first match, that they can be vulnerable.
As for their two conquerors, both comfortably won their second round matches, Manchester recovering from a slow start to beat Huddersfield, while Trinity eased to victory over Lady Margaret Hall. Of the two, I would probably say Trinity are better bets for the semis, having twice comfortably beaten teams who we know to be good in their own right.
As for the others, Imperial would probably be strongly fancied, having twice run up the same score of 255 and been very impressive in having done so. Corpus Christi have twice triumphed over good opposition, and are definitely not to be written off. So too have and are Wolfson, though given their seeming reliance on captain Ms Jones, there are understandable questions over what could happen if the starters don't fall for her.
Courtauld were the surprise packages of the second round, defeating the fancied Glasgow team, and well too. They will likely start the QFs as outsiders, but are definitely not worth totally writing off.
So, who do I think will go through? Well, it's had to call, as there are five obvious stand out teams, and three outsiders who are definitely worth keeping an eye on. I honestly cannot say who I think will be the final four; any of them would deserve it and could feasibly do it if things go their way.
As with many past series, I suspect it will be a question of who plays who when; last series, for example, Emmanuel were undone by having to play St Edmund Hall and Darwin in successive matches, otherwise I suspect they'd have made at least the play-offs.
Mr Green of Manchester has told me he believes Manchester are playing again on Monday; my guess is they'll play Trinity, followed by Wolfson vs Corpus Christi, and a random draw among the other four. It will probably depend on the rest of the draw who goes through, but we shall have to wait and see.
Now, time for the annual diversity check. Three all male teams are through to the QFs, two with one, and three exactly half and half. Oxford and Cambridge have two teams each through, while London and the North of England account for two each of the other four. Thus, for the first time since 2015-16, we have an all England final eight.
That's pretty much it for now then. As usual, I wish the eight quarter-finalists the best of (retrospective) luck and hope for an excellent set of quarter-finals!
Back on Monday with my usual UC write-up. And look out for a new series starting on my Second Blog soon; keep watching Twitter for details.
Monday 20 January 2020
University Challenge 2019-20: Round 2: Match 8: Magdalen vs Corpus Christi
Evening all. In case you missed it former UC winning captain James Devine-Stoneman was on this evening's edition of The Chase; he impressively made it home with £24,000 in his individual chase, but he and his sole teammate (who took -£4,000) got caught by (fellow UC alumnus Jenny Ryan) in the final chase. Anyway, the final second round contest, and what promised to be a good one,
between two teams who impressed in their first round matches against
high scoring opposition.
Magdalen College Oxford defeated the excellent York team 170-150 in a closely fought second round match way back in July, a nip and tuck contest that they won with a well timed flourish. They were the same four as that time:
Dominic Brind, from Hammersmith, studying History
Josie Dallas, from London, studying PPE
Captain: Alex Hardwick, from Wimbledon, studying Ancient Greek Crowd Psychology
Harry Strattan, from Sydney, studying Law
Corpus Christi College Cambridge booked their second round place a week earlier with a 195-140 win over Merton College Oxford, another match won on an impressive late spurt. They were also unchanged from first time around:
Alexander Russell, from Bristol, studying Japanese Studies
Will Stewart, from Peterborough, studying History of Art
Captain: Ian Wang, from Sale in Greater Manchester, studying English
Alex Gunasekera, from from Witney, studying Chemistry
Off we set again then, and Mr Wang was first off the mark for the night spotting various things linked by the word 'royal'; two bonuses on events of 1719 opened the night's scoring. A classic starter asked for the chemical element whose chemical symbol began the names of four different cheeses; Mr Russell knew it to be calcium (CA), and a further two bonuses were correctly taken. Mr Wang looked like he was guessing when he offered 'Jane Eyre' for the next starter, but was right; no bonuses came this time though. Mr Gunasekera provided the next starter's answer, which gave the Cambridge side a classic bonus set on anagrams of nationalities, of which they took two. The first picture round, on maps displaying the results of UK general elections, went to Corpus Christi; they correctly answered the same two bonuses I got right, which increased their lead to 90-0.
Magdalen finally got off the mark on the next starter, as Mr Hardwick identified the dancer Nureyev; one correct bonus followed. Mr Wang quickly snuffed out any chances of a run though as he took the next starter; again, two bonuses followed. Mr Brind took a second starter for Magdalen with 'sine and sino'; bonuses on Eswatini, or Swaziland as it is more commonly known, gave the Oxonians a full set of bonuses. Mr Russell pulled back for Corpus Christi though as he identified McDonald as the surname linking, among others, a Jacobite heroine (Flora); bonuses on winners of the Best Actress Oscar gave them, once again, two correct answers.
The music starter saw Mr Wang first to identify those perennial UC favourites Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five; the music bonuses, on winners of the Polar Music Prize, gave them just one correct answer this time, but they now led 145-40. And their lead was just increasing as Mr Gunasekera identified two of the three composers needed for the next starter; just one bonus on the work of James Joyce followed. Mr Wang was in next as he spotted a list of words that can precede 'trap'; normal service resumed for the Cambridge side as they took two bonuses on hydrocarbons. Mr Wang looked to be buzzing in with a guess on the next starter, but the right one came to him while his name was being called! Bonuses on EU capitals followed, of which, once again, two were answered correctly.
The second picture round, on photographs taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston, went to Corpus Christi; another two correct answers took their lead to 220-40. The game was over as a contest, it was now just a question of how high each team could get. The Cambridge side weren't letting up, as Mr Gunasekera took the next starter, and one correct bonus took them within sight of a 200+ lead.
The starter needed came thanks to Mr Gunasekera, giving them a bonus set on Israeli Nobel laureates, of which they took two. Finally, Magdalen got some more points on the board, with Mr Brind doing the honours, giving them a bonus set on early 19th century classical music, of which they took two correct. Mr Hardwick gave the Oxonians a second starter in a row, and one correct bonuses went with it this time. Mr Gunasekera took the last of the night for Corpus Christi; they took the second bonus and were gonged out on the third. Corpus Christi won 270-75.
A high quality contest and most enjoyable contest despite being one sided. Unlucky Magdalen, a much better team than that scorelines suggests, who were simply outplayed on the buzzer, but a fair effort, thanks very much for playing. Very well done Corpus Christi though, a second impressive showing against strong opponents, and very best of luck in the QFs!
The stats: Mr Wang was, just, the best buzzer of the night, with six starters to Mr Gunasekera's five, while Messrs Bring and Hardwick got two each for Magdalen. On the bonuses, Magdalen converted 7 out of 12, while Corpus Christi managed 24 out of 45.
Next week's match: the first quarter-final. My guess would be Manchester vs Trinity, followed by Wolfson vs Corpus Christi, but we shall see.
Only Connect's second play-off saw the Darksiders play the Forrests. An even contest in the first two rounds, a slighty better wall and a better Missing Vowls saw the latter win 27-20.
Magdalen College Oxford defeated the excellent York team 170-150 in a closely fought second round match way back in July, a nip and tuck contest that they won with a well timed flourish. They were the same four as that time:
Dominic Brind, from Hammersmith, studying History
Josie Dallas, from London, studying PPE
Captain: Alex Hardwick, from Wimbledon, studying Ancient Greek Crowd Psychology
Harry Strattan, from Sydney, studying Law
Corpus Christi College Cambridge booked their second round place a week earlier with a 195-140 win over Merton College Oxford, another match won on an impressive late spurt. They were also unchanged from first time around:
Alexander Russell, from Bristol, studying Japanese Studies
Will Stewart, from Peterborough, studying History of Art
Captain: Ian Wang, from Sale in Greater Manchester, studying English
Alex Gunasekera, from from Witney, studying Chemistry
Off we set again then, and Mr Wang was first off the mark for the night spotting various things linked by the word 'royal'; two bonuses on events of 1719 opened the night's scoring. A classic starter asked for the chemical element whose chemical symbol began the names of four different cheeses; Mr Russell knew it to be calcium (CA), and a further two bonuses were correctly taken. Mr Wang looked like he was guessing when he offered 'Jane Eyre' for the next starter, but was right; no bonuses came this time though. Mr Gunasekera provided the next starter's answer, which gave the Cambridge side a classic bonus set on anagrams of nationalities, of which they took two. The first picture round, on maps displaying the results of UK general elections, went to Corpus Christi; they correctly answered the same two bonuses I got right, which increased their lead to 90-0.
Magdalen finally got off the mark on the next starter, as Mr Hardwick identified the dancer Nureyev; one correct bonus followed. Mr Wang quickly snuffed out any chances of a run though as he took the next starter; again, two bonuses followed. Mr Brind took a second starter for Magdalen with 'sine and sino'; bonuses on Eswatini, or Swaziland as it is more commonly known, gave the Oxonians a full set of bonuses. Mr Russell pulled back for Corpus Christi though as he identified McDonald as the surname linking, among others, a Jacobite heroine (Flora); bonuses on winners of the Best Actress Oscar gave them, once again, two correct answers.
The music starter saw Mr Wang first to identify those perennial UC favourites Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five; the music bonuses, on winners of the Polar Music Prize, gave them just one correct answer this time, but they now led 145-40. And their lead was just increasing as Mr Gunasekera identified two of the three composers needed for the next starter; just one bonus on the work of James Joyce followed. Mr Wang was in next as he spotted a list of words that can precede 'trap'; normal service resumed for the Cambridge side as they took two bonuses on hydrocarbons. Mr Wang looked to be buzzing in with a guess on the next starter, but the right one came to him while his name was being called! Bonuses on EU capitals followed, of which, once again, two were answered correctly.
The second picture round, on photographs taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston, went to Corpus Christi; another two correct answers took their lead to 220-40. The game was over as a contest, it was now just a question of how high each team could get. The Cambridge side weren't letting up, as Mr Gunasekera took the next starter, and one correct bonus took them within sight of a 200+ lead.
The starter needed came thanks to Mr Gunasekera, giving them a bonus set on Israeli Nobel laureates, of which they took two. Finally, Magdalen got some more points on the board, with Mr Brind doing the honours, giving them a bonus set on early 19th century classical music, of which they took two correct. Mr Hardwick gave the Oxonians a second starter in a row, and one correct bonuses went with it this time. Mr Gunasekera took the last of the night for Corpus Christi; they took the second bonus and were gonged out on the third. Corpus Christi won 270-75.
A high quality contest and most enjoyable contest despite being one sided. Unlucky Magdalen, a much better team than that scorelines suggests, who were simply outplayed on the buzzer, but a fair effort, thanks very much for playing. Very well done Corpus Christi though, a second impressive showing against strong opponents, and very best of luck in the QFs!
The stats: Mr Wang was, just, the best buzzer of the night, with six starters to Mr Gunasekera's five, while Messrs Bring and Hardwick got two each for Magdalen. On the bonuses, Magdalen converted 7 out of 12, while Corpus Christi managed 24 out of 45.
Next week's match: the first quarter-final. My guess would be Manchester vs Trinity, followed by Wolfson vs Corpus Christi, but we shall see.
Only Connect's second play-off saw the Darksiders play the Forrests. An even contest in the first two rounds, a slighty better wall and a better Missing Vowls saw the latter win 27-20.
Monday 13 January 2020
University Challenge 2019-20: Round 2: Match 7: Wolfson vs Edinburgh
Evening all. A dull night here, what with the wet and windy weather outside; but then, it is January, so what do we expect?! At least we have Death in Paradise back on Thursdays to cheer us up! And the newly expanded Quizzy Mondays too; I'm honestly surprised it took until this year for someone to come up with that idea. On with tonight's UC then, and the penultimate second round match.
Wolfson College Oxford just scraped through one of the matches of the first round, as they drew 170-each with the excellent Sheffield side and won on a tie-breaker. They were the same four as before:
Mike Perrin, from East Anglia (via Japan), studying Maritime Archaeology
Mary Caple, from Victoria, Canada, studying Art History
Captain: Claire Jones, from Houston, Texas, studying History
Ryan Walker, from Stone in Staffordshire, studying Clinical Medicine
Edinburgh, the defending champions, had a more comfortable victory first time around, as they led throghout and easily defeated Birkbeck of London 165-90. They were also unchanged from before:
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
Off we set again then, and a very quick buzz from Ms Jones opened the scoring for the night; composers as described in the book 'Conversations with Stravinsky' provided the first bonus set, of which two were correctly taken. A penalty gave Edinburgh the chance to follow them off the mark, but they couldn't take the chance. Another starter was dropped, before Ms Jones eventually took a second; one bonus on Ovid's Metamorphoses was taken. Edinburgh finally got off the mark, Mr Moon doing the honours with 'Henry Adams'; a pair of bonuses on English trees followed. The first picture round, on board game boards at the start of a game, went to Wolfson; another single bonus gave them a lead of 45-20.
A slip-up from Edinburgh allowed the impressive Wolfson captain to take a fourth starter of the still young match; just the one bonus was taken with it this time. Mr McLauchlan pulled back for Edinburgh with 'statins'; bonuses on pop music inspired by literature saw the Scots side also take a single bonus and give educated guesses of songs by the artists in question on the other two they didn't know. Ms Jones didn't take long to pull back though as she took the next starter, giving the Oxonians a bonus set on manga, of which they, again, took just the one bonus. Mr Moon bit back for Edinburgh as he spotted 'Under' to be the word linking works listed; just the one bonus followed again. The teams were doing perfectly good on the buzzers at the moment, but neither was really following through on the bonuses.
Mr Perrin was first to identify Neptune from Holst's 'The Planets' for the music starter; the bonuses, on classical pieces prominantly featuring the celeste, providied, again, just the one correct answer, taking their lead to 90-45. Some more vanished off it when Ms Williams took the next starter; bonuses on John Masefield gave them two correct answers (one of which I remembered featuring in one of our friend Jim Gratrex's matches back in the day!). Wolfson responded with Ms Jones taking her latest starter and going one better on the bonuses on the Chatham House Prize, a full set. Back came Edinburgh thanks to Mr Moon; a single bonus on Agatha Christie follow, but when Mr McLauchlan took the next starter, and a full set of bonuses English place name elements was taken, they were now just ten behind.
The second picture round, on depictions of the artist's childhood home, went to Wolfson; two correct bonuses upped their lead to 135-105 going into the home straight. The next starter asked for the African team that lost to Turkey in the 2002 World Cup QFs and went out of the 2018 tournament on fouls committed; I knew it to be Senegal long before Ms Jones correctly offered it. A full set of bonuses on Herodotus put them within sight of victory.
And when Ms Jones took the next starter, identifying the apple and the raspberry as the two fruits that follow 'Golden' to give names of awards, you suspected that was game over. One bonus followed, before the Wolfson captain confirmed the victory with 'Iran'; a full house took them up to 200. Mr Stevens did the right thing and had a punt on a decade the next starter, but only managed to lose five on a technical interruption; Ms Jones, for once, shot wide of the mark too. She did take the final starter of the match though; two bonuses followed and the third was cut off by the gong. Wolfson won 220-100.
Another good enjoyable contest. Unlucky Edinburgh, who were very much in it until the final third, but a respectable effort, thanks very much for playing! Very well done Wolfson though, Ms Jones especially, and very best of luck in the QFs, where, I'm guessing, they'll play next week's winners.
The stats: Ms Jones ended the night with TEN(!) starters, the best single match tally of the series thus far, while Mr Moon was best for Edinburgh with three. On the bonuses, Wolfson converted 21 out of 35 (with one penalty), while Edinburgh managed 10 out of 18 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: Corpus Christi vs Magdalen (such a shame this has to be a knockout match)
Only Connect began its play-off matches tonight with the Electrophiles vs the Suits. Thankfully, a slightly lenient allowance made no difference to the final score, a comfortable win for the latter, 19-11.
Wolfson College Oxford just scraped through one of the matches of the first round, as they drew 170-each with the excellent Sheffield side and won on a tie-breaker. They were the same four as before:
Mike Perrin, from East Anglia (via Japan), studying Maritime Archaeology
Mary Caple, from Victoria, Canada, studying Art History
Captain: Claire Jones, from Houston, Texas, studying History
Ryan Walker, from Stone in Staffordshire, studying Clinical Medicine
Edinburgh, the defending champions, had a more comfortable victory first time around, as they led throghout and easily defeated Birkbeck of London 165-90. They were also unchanged from before:
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
Off we set again then, and a very quick buzz from Ms Jones opened the scoring for the night; composers as described in the book 'Conversations with Stravinsky' provided the first bonus set, of which two were correctly taken. A penalty gave Edinburgh the chance to follow them off the mark, but they couldn't take the chance. Another starter was dropped, before Ms Jones eventually took a second; one bonus on Ovid's Metamorphoses was taken. Edinburgh finally got off the mark, Mr Moon doing the honours with 'Henry Adams'; a pair of bonuses on English trees followed. The first picture round, on board game boards at the start of a game, went to Wolfson; another single bonus gave them a lead of 45-20.
A slip-up from Edinburgh allowed the impressive Wolfson captain to take a fourth starter of the still young match; just the one bonus was taken with it this time. Mr McLauchlan pulled back for Edinburgh with 'statins'; bonuses on pop music inspired by literature saw the Scots side also take a single bonus and give educated guesses of songs by the artists in question on the other two they didn't know. Ms Jones didn't take long to pull back though as she took the next starter, giving the Oxonians a bonus set on manga, of which they, again, took just the one bonus. Mr Moon bit back for Edinburgh as he spotted 'Under' to be the word linking works listed; just the one bonus followed again. The teams were doing perfectly good on the buzzers at the moment, but neither was really following through on the bonuses.
Mr Perrin was first to identify Neptune from Holst's 'The Planets' for the music starter; the bonuses, on classical pieces prominantly featuring the celeste, providied, again, just the one correct answer, taking their lead to 90-45. Some more vanished off it when Ms Williams took the next starter; bonuses on John Masefield gave them two correct answers (one of which I remembered featuring in one of our friend Jim Gratrex's matches back in the day!). Wolfson responded with Ms Jones taking her latest starter and going one better on the bonuses on the Chatham House Prize, a full set. Back came Edinburgh thanks to Mr Moon; a single bonus on Agatha Christie follow, but when Mr McLauchlan took the next starter, and a full set of bonuses English place name elements was taken, they were now just ten behind.
The second picture round, on depictions of the artist's childhood home, went to Wolfson; two correct bonuses upped their lead to 135-105 going into the home straight. The next starter asked for the African team that lost to Turkey in the 2002 World Cup QFs and went out of the 2018 tournament on fouls committed; I knew it to be Senegal long before Ms Jones correctly offered it. A full set of bonuses on Herodotus put them within sight of victory.
And when Ms Jones took the next starter, identifying the apple and the raspberry as the two fruits that follow 'Golden' to give names of awards, you suspected that was game over. One bonus followed, before the Wolfson captain confirmed the victory with 'Iran'; a full house took them up to 200. Mr Stevens did the right thing and had a punt on a decade the next starter, but only managed to lose five on a technical interruption; Ms Jones, for once, shot wide of the mark too. She did take the final starter of the match though; two bonuses followed and the third was cut off by the gong. Wolfson won 220-100.
Another good enjoyable contest. Unlucky Edinburgh, who were very much in it until the final third, but a respectable effort, thanks very much for playing! Very well done Wolfson though, Ms Jones especially, and very best of luck in the QFs, where, I'm guessing, they'll play next week's winners.
The stats: Ms Jones ended the night with TEN(!) starters, the best single match tally of the series thus far, while Mr Moon was best for Edinburgh with three. On the bonuses, Wolfson converted 21 out of 35 (with one penalty), while Edinburgh managed 10 out of 18 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: Corpus Christi vs Magdalen (such a shame this has to be a knockout match)
Only Connect began its play-off matches tonight with the Electrophiles vs the Suits. Thankfully, a slightly lenient allowance made no difference to the final score, a comfortable win for the latter, 19-11.
Monday 6 January 2020
University Challenge 2019-20: Round 2: Match 6: Trinity vs Lady Margaret Hall
Evening all. So, here we go with the first regular UC of the new (/final year of the) decade. It is good to have the regular series back; while the Xmas series always makes for a pleasant interlude, nothing beats the regular series. The prize for tonight's winners, the ante-penultimate place in the QFs, where, I'm guessing, they'll play Manchester in the preliminaries.
Trinity College Cambridge won their first match against Durham 200-145, a win made all the more impressive by their opponents subsequently surviving to the play-offs and strolling through to the QFs with ease. Hoping to join them were the unchanged foursome of:
Nadia Hourihan, from Dublin, studying English
Lillian Crawford, from Bearsted in Kent, studying History
Captain: Joseph Webber, from Bury St Edmunds, studying Maths
Liam Hughes, from Cardiff, studying Maths
Lady Margaret Hall Oxford had a much closer first round affair, just triumphing 150-145 against Downing College Cambridge, who had the misfortune to miss out on the play-offs on questions heard, UC's equivelant of goal difference. They were also the same quartet as before:
Matthew Le Croissette, from Reading, studying Medicine
Mary Lobo, from Woodcote near Reading, studying Law with German Law
Captain: Isaac Brown, from Sheffield, studying French and Linguistics
Rowan Janjuah, from London, studying Classics
Off we set again then, and Mr Hughes took the first starter of the decade with 'anorak'; a full bonus set on poetry showed the Cambridge side meant business tonight. Mr Webber took the second starter, but just one bonus on sports grounds with shared names followed this time (I got Windsor Park). Mr Brown got his side off the mark with the third starter of the game; they also took just a single bonus on John von Neumann. Mr Hughes reasserted Trinity's authority as he took the next starter, giving a bonus set on the actress Rinko Kikuchi, of which they took a full set. The first picture round, on crowns taken from national emblems, went to Lady Margaret Hall; no bonuses followed this time, leaving them trailing 65-25.
Mr Brown gave the Oxonians a second starter in a row by identifying the bluebird as the bird linking various listed items; bonuses on Hell in literature gave them a pair of correct answers. Mr Hughes, by his own admission, guessed 'Lord Palmerston' for the next starter, and was correct, giving a bonus set on Irish place names, of which they took another full set. Mr Webber also looked like he was guessing on the next starter when he suggested various listed artists were exponents in graffiti, but he was right too; just one bonus followed this time though. No guessing needed on the next starter, Mr Hughes spotting a list of the nationalities of popes, but no further points came from the bonuses.
The music round, on pieces that use the Ondes Martneot, went to Trinity; two correct answers took their lead to 135-45. Lady Margaret Hall badly needed a starter, and Mr Brown duly delivered it with 'Dirac'; bonuses on maple trees gave them just the one correct answer, with recently deceased UC alumnus Clive James getting a welcome mention. Mr Hughes resumed Trinity's supremacy on the next starter; one bonus on European forest regions followed, and they were unfortunate to miss another. Ms Lobo gave Lady Margaret Hall another starter with 'patriarch', but a complex physics bonus set was not what they needed in their position, no further points. Mr Webber pushed Trinity further ahead by knowing that the ExoMars Rover was renamed after Rosalind Franklin; the bonuses gave them one correct, and, again, unluckily miss another, Mr Webber passing just before Ms Crawford thought up the right answer!
The second picture round, on stills from thematic film trilogies with one film missing, went to Lady Margaret Hall; two bonuses were taken, taking the scores to 165-90. Mr Le Croissette did the right thing and went in early on the next starter, but only managed to lose five; Mr Hughes took the points, and that was game over. One bonus followed.
Mr Hughes confirmed the win by taking the next starter; bonuses on Iceland gave Trinity a full set to take them past 200. They were running away with it now, and Ms Hourihan added to it by taking the next starter, giving them a bonus set on poetry read at US presidential inaugurations; two correct answers followed. Mr Webber took the next with 'Magnesium', and two bonuses on English counties followed. Mr Brown did take the last starter for Lady Margaret Hall; one bonus deservedly took them into triple figures, and the gong stopped them from getting another. Trinity won 245-100.
A good enjoyable contest despite its one-sidedness. Unlucky Lady Margaret Hall, but a perfectly respectable performance, thanks very much indeed for playing. Very well done Trinity though, another very impressive showing, definitely a team to watch in the QFs; best of luck to them there!
The stats: Mr Hughes was easily the best buzzer of the night with EIGHT starters, while Mr Brown was best for Lady Margaret Hall with four. On the bonuses, Trinity converted 23 out of 39, while Lady Margaret Hall managed 7 out of 21 (with the night's one penalty).
Next week's match: according to Thomas de Bock on Twitter, Edinburgh vs Wolfson, followed by Corpus Christi vs Magdalen
Only Connect returned with its last qualified match, with the Orwellians vs the Turophiles. After a slow start, the former came from behind on the Walls, and won it on the Missing Vowels, 17-14.
Trinity College Cambridge won their first match against Durham 200-145, a win made all the more impressive by their opponents subsequently surviving to the play-offs and strolling through to the QFs with ease. Hoping to join them were the unchanged foursome of:
Nadia Hourihan, from Dublin, studying English
Lillian Crawford, from Bearsted in Kent, studying History
Captain: Joseph Webber, from Bury St Edmunds, studying Maths
Liam Hughes, from Cardiff, studying Maths
Lady Margaret Hall Oxford had a much closer first round affair, just triumphing 150-145 against Downing College Cambridge, who had the misfortune to miss out on the play-offs on questions heard, UC's equivelant of goal difference. They were also the same quartet as before:
Matthew Le Croissette, from Reading, studying Medicine
Mary Lobo, from Woodcote near Reading, studying Law with German Law
Captain: Isaac Brown, from Sheffield, studying French and Linguistics
Rowan Janjuah, from London, studying Classics
Off we set again then, and Mr Hughes took the first starter of the decade with 'anorak'; a full bonus set on poetry showed the Cambridge side meant business tonight. Mr Webber took the second starter, but just one bonus on sports grounds with shared names followed this time (I got Windsor Park). Mr Brown got his side off the mark with the third starter of the game; they also took just a single bonus on John von Neumann. Mr Hughes reasserted Trinity's authority as he took the next starter, giving a bonus set on the actress Rinko Kikuchi, of which they took a full set. The first picture round, on crowns taken from national emblems, went to Lady Margaret Hall; no bonuses followed this time, leaving them trailing 65-25.
Mr Brown gave the Oxonians a second starter in a row by identifying the bluebird as the bird linking various listed items; bonuses on Hell in literature gave them a pair of correct answers. Mr Hughes, by his own admission, guessed 'Lord Palmerston' for the next starter, and was correct, giving a bonus set on Irish place names, of which they took another full set. Mr Webber also looked like he was guessing on the next starter when he suggested various listed artists were exponents in graffiti, but he was right too; just one bonus followed this time though. No guessing needed on the next starter, Mr Hughes spotting a list of the nationalities of popes, but no further points came from the bonuses.
The music round, on pieces that use the Ondes Martneot, went to Trinity; two correct answers took their lead to 135-45. Lady Margaret Hall badly needed a starter, and Mr Brown duly delivered it with 'Dirac'; bonuses on maple trees gave them just the one correct answer, with recently deceased UC alumnus Clive James getting a welcome mention. Mr Hughes resumed Trinity's supremacy on the next starter; one bonus on European forest regions followed, and they were unfortunate to miss another. Ms Lobo gave Lady Margaret Hall another starter with 'patriarch', but a complex physics bonus set was not what they needed in their position, no further points. Mr Webber pushed Trinity further ahead by knowing that the ExoMars Rover was renamed after Rosalind Franklin; the bonuses gave them one correct, and, again, unluckily miss another, Mr Webber passing just before Ms Crawford thought up the right answer!
The second picture round, on stills from thematic film trilogies with one film missing, went to Lady Margaret Hall; two bonuses were taken, taking the scores to 165-90. Mr Le Croissette did the right thing and went in early on the next starter, but only managed to lose five; Mr Hughes took the points, and that was game over. One bonus followed.
Mr Hughes confirmed the win by taking the next starter; bonuses on Iceland gave Trinity a full set to take them past 200. They were running away with it now, and Ms Hourihan added to it by taking the next starter, giving them a bonus set on poetry read at US presidential inaugurations; two correct answers followed. Mr Webber took the next with 'Magnesium', and two bonuses on English counties followed. Mr Brown did take the last starter for Lady Margaret Hall; one bonus deservedly took them into triple figures, and the gong stopped them from getting another. Trinity won 245-100.
A good enjoyable contest despite its one-sidedness. Unlucky Lady Margaret Hall, but a perfectly respectable performance, thanks very much indeed for playing. Very well done Trinity though, another very impressive showing, definitely a team to watch in the QFs; best of luck to them there!
The stats: Mr Hughes was easily the best buzzer of the night with EIGHT starters, while Mr Brown was best for Lady Margaret Hall with four. On the bonuses, Trinity converted 23 out of 39, while Lady Margaret Hall managed 7 out of 21 (with the night's one penalty).
Next week's match: according to Thomas de Bock on Twitter, Edinburgh vs Wolfson, followed by Corpus Christi vs Magdalen
Only Connect returned with its last qualified match, with the Orwellians vs the Turophiles. After a slow start, the former came from behind on the Walls, and won it on the Missing Vowels, 17-14.
Sunday 5 January 2020
Christmas University Challenge 2019: Matches 6-10 (Monday 30th - Friday 3rd)
OK, Happy New Year all! First blog post of the new(/final year of the) decade, at the end of a festive period that's seen me have a long hard think about this blog's future. Why exactly this has come up I shall go into more detail about at a later date. For now, let's focus on the matter in hand: the second week's play of Xmas UC.
Monday 30th: Trinity Hall Cambridge vs St Peter's Oxford
Trinity Hall: Philip Dawid, Sophie Winkleman, Laura Mangan, Tony Palmer
St Peter's: Gordon Corera, Felicity Cloake, Afua Hirsch, Paul Ayers
St Peter's got off to the better starter, but Trinity Hall quickly got the upper hand and ran into a comfortable lead. Though St Peter's recovered later on, Trinity Hall were too far ahead, and ultimately won 185-80, securing a place in the semi-finals.
Tuesday 31st: Warwick vs Imperial
Warwick: Liam Halligan, Tom Goodman-Hill, Ritula Shah, Jonathan Bell
Imperial: Judith Hackitt, Kenan Malik, Brendan Walker, Martin Bland
The year(/decade) ended with a low scoring contest; after Warwick took the first starter, Imperial took the next few and maintained a steady lead throughout the contest as both teams scored slowly. Warwick recovered a bit late on, but Imperial won 115-80, not enough for a return.
Wednesday 1st: Trinity Hall vs Wadham
On paper, this should have been a close contest, with just 20 points separating the team's first round scores. In the event, however, Wadham shot into an early lead and Trinity Hall never really got into gear; matters weren't helped by three penalties dropping them to -15, making one of only a small number of teams to have fallen that far down (New Hall Cambridge from 1997-98 and Imperial from 2015-16 are two others, and I think there may have been another between then and now, I'd better check). The match caused a minor Twitter storm early on when, during a bonus round on pantomine, Paxo appeared for a single shot dressed as a panto dame! (Not the first time something like that's happened; he appeared as Santa for a single shot back in the 2013 Xmas series). He was right to say that the final score of 215-25 didn't do Trinity Hall justice; we know them to be a better team than that. Wadham, however, were worthy winners and finalists.
Thursday 2nd: Leeds vs U.C.L.
Similar story here: while Leeds were comfortable and worthy winners in the end, U.C.L. were a better team than the final score suggests. I remember, many years ago, when UC alumnus Jacob 'Exeter' Funnell wrote a blog recalling his experience on the show, an anonymous commenter said that at least his team (who had lost 350-15 to Gail Trimble's Corpus Christi team) had two previous matches to their credit, which is more than teams similarly trounced in the first round have. Same here: U.C.L. we know to be a good team, but Leeds were just so much better; they ultimately won 205-45.
Friday 3rd: Wadham vs Leeds
A great final, played very well indeed by two very good teams. Wadham took the first starter, but Leeds quickly got the upper hand and had pulled out a sizeable lead by the time the Oxonians next got some points on the board. From then on, the two teams more or less racked up the points at the same pace, but Leeds always maintained their strong advantage. The final score was 235-130 to Leeds; it was, as Mr Mosey pointed out on Twitter, the highest score Xmas UC final, and deservedly so. Well done to him and his team on a worthy effort, but very well done indeed to Leeds, very worthy winners, and the first non-Oxbridge team to win Xmas UC! Well done them!
So, that's Xmas UC done for another year, and it was definitely one of the better series of it, if not the best, with only one low scoring contest and several strong performances by very good teams. Well done and thank you to all who took part, a top series!
The student series resumes tomorrow evening; don't know who's playing yet, but if I see anything, it'll be retweeted. And don't forget, Quizzy Mondays has now expanded, with Mastermind at 7:30 preceding OC and UC, so don't forget to set your alarms for half an hour earlier from now on!
Monday 30th: Trinity Hall Cambridge vs St Peter's Oxford
Trinity Hall: Philip Dawid, Sophie Winkleman, Laura Mangan, Tony Palmer
St Peter's: Gordon Corera, Felicity Cloake, Afua Hirsch, Paul Ayers
St Peter's got off to the better starter, but Trinity Hall quickly got the upper hand and ran into a comfortable lead. Though St Peter's recovered later on, Trinity Hall were too far ahead, and ultimately won 185-80, securing a place in the semi-finals.
Tuesday 31st: Warwick vs Imperial
Warwick: Liam Halligan, Tom Goodman-Hill, Ritula Shah, Jonathan Bell
Imperial: Judith Hackitt, Kenan Malik, Brendan Walker, Martin Bland
The year(/decade) ended with a low scoring contest; after Warwick took the first starter, Imperial took the next few and maintained a steady lead throughout the contest as both teams scored slowly. Warwick recovered a bit late on, but Imperial won 115-80, not enough for a return.
Wednesday 1st: Trinity Hall vs Wadham
On paper, this should have been a close contest, with just 20 points separating the team's first round scores. In the event, however, Wadham shot into an early lead and Trinity Hall never really got into gear; matters weren't helped by three penalties dropping them to -15, making one of only a small number of teams to have fallen that far down (New Hall Cambridge from 1997-98 and Imperial from 2015-16 are two others, and I think there may have been another between then and now, I'd better check). The match caused a minor Twitter storm early on when, during a bonus round on pantomine, Paxo appeared for a single shot dressed as a panto dame! (Not the first time something like that's happened; he appeared as Santa for a single shot back in the 2013 Xmas series). He was right to say that the final score of 215-25 didn't do Trinity Hall justice; we know them to be a better team than that. Wadham, however, were worthy winners and finalists.
Thursday 2nd: Leeds vs U.C.L.
Similar story here: while Leeds were comfortable and worthy winners in the end, U.C.L. were a better team than the final score suggests. I remember, many years ago, when UC alumnus Jacob 'Exeter' Funnell wrote a blog recalling his experience on the show, an anonymous commenter said that at least his team (who had lost 350-15 to Gail Trimble's Corpus Christi team) had two previous matches to their credit, which is more than teams similarly trounced in the first round have. Same here: U.C.L. we know to be a good team, but Leeds were just so much better; they ultimately won 205-45.
Friday 3rd: Wadham vs Leeds
A great final, played very well indeed by two very good teams. Wadham took the first starter, but Leeds quickly got the upper hand and had pulled out a sizeable lead by the time the Oxonians next got some points on the board. From then on, the two teams more or less racked up the points at the same pace, but Leeds always maintained their strong advantage. The final score was 235-130 to Leeds; it was, as Mr Mosey pointed out on Twitter, the highest score Xmas UC final, and deservedly so. Well done to him and his team on a worthy effort, but very well done indeed to Leeds, very worthy winners, and the first non-Oxbridge team to win Xmas UC! Well done them!
So, that's Xmas UC done for another year, and it was definitely one of the better series of it, if not the best, with only one low scoring contest and several strong performances by very good teams. Well done and thank you to all who took part, a top series!
The student series resumes tomorrow evening; don't know who's playing yet, but if I see anything, it'll be retweeted. And don't forget, Quizzy Mondays has now expanded, with Mastermind at 7:30 preceding OC and UC, so don't forget to set your alarms for half an hour earlier from now on!
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