Good evening folks, and welcome back! So, after I vented my frustrations about the second round being sudden death on this blog for the umpteenth time last week, I've been thinking, and I think I have a possible solution: reduce the number of teams to 24 and draw them into eight groups of three, who all play each other once, with the group winners going through to the QFs. It'd be the exact same number of matches, but a tiny bit fairer maybe. Anyway, on with the show...
Glasgow won the first match of the series back in July, leading for the vast majority of the match and eventually beating Exeter 200-145. Doubts were raised on here about whether at least one of their team would return, but they were the same foursome as before:
Brian Nieves, from Stevensville, Maryland, studying History
James Warburton, from Stalmine in Lancashire, studying the History of Medicine
Captain: Rory McDowell, from Belfast, studying Global Security
Michael Greencorn, from Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, studying Engineering
King's College London won their first round match in September, swapping the lead with York throughout the game before a late sprint saw them win 170-100. They were also unchanged from their first time around:
Simon Xu, from Wallington in London, studying Cardiovascular Science
Louie Triggs, from England and New England, studying Politics, Philosophy and Law
Captain: Sam Jackson, from halway between Bath and Stonehenge, studying War Studies and History
Grace Weaver, from Bournemouth, studying Medicine
So off we set once more, and Glasgow struck first with Mr Warburton identifying a list of people suspected of being Banksy; the first bonuses were the weekly Shakespeare set, which they took one of. Mr Jackson brought his side off the mark just as quickly with a list of early winners of the FA Cup, and they went one better, two bonuses. Another starter and two points was followed by a penalty, which allowed Glasgow a pickup and two bonuses to draw level. The Londoners retook the lead with the first picture round, on Russian subnational divisions, but no bonuses nonetheless left their lead at 45-35.
A fourth starter to King's gave them a bonus set on Dutch painters; they didn't take any of them, but did offer an amusing joke guess of 'Robin van Persie'! Poetry and the counties they're set in proved more to the Londoners' linking, two of that set. Glasgow reawoke with what looked like an educated guess of 'Iran', and they added a sole bonus on astronomy. Mr Nieves then gave the Scots side a second in a row, and two bonuses put them within five points. They then took the lead as Mr Warburton was first to identify Men at Work's 'Down Under' for the music starter; the bonuses, on tracks on the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Sounds of Australia list, gave Glasgow two bonuses, and a lead of 90-75.
Back came King's with Mr Jackson; two bonuses on Hindu gods gave them the lead back, before a second starter in a row put them into three figures. A third in a row was followed by the first full bonus set of the night, on fossils. Which took us to the second picture round, on presidents of the Berlin Film Festival jury; no-one identified Frank Capra for the starter, before King's eventually got the bonuses, and took one, which left their lead at 155-90.
Glasgow were still in with a shot if they could get a run going, and Mr McDowell was right to take a flyer on the next starter, but was wrong and lost five. Another starter was missed by both sides, but when Mr Jackson took the next, that was game over; bonuses on Tokaj wine gave them two correct answers. The match petered out with two further dropped starters; Glasgow did take the last, and that was the gong: King's won 175-90.
An enjoyable match despite the low scores, that was close at first until King's ran away in the second half, a bit like their first match. Well done them and best of luck in the QFs! Hard lines to Glasgow, who just didn't quite hit their stride tonight, but thanks very much indeed for playing!
The stats: Mr Jackson was the best buzzer of the night with four starters, while Messrs Nieves and Warburton were joint best for Glasgow with two each. On the bonuses, Glasgow managed 8 out of 15 (with two penalties) and King's 16 out of 30 (with one penalty).
Next week's match: the final regular one of the year before the Xmas specials begin in two weeks' time (last year's series is currently being repeated on BBC4); don't know who's playing, but it'll be two of Open, Birkbeck, Corpus Christi and Magdalene, will retweet anything I find.
Only Connect concluded its
elimination matches with the Colleagues playing the Sandy Shores. (Good to hear
VCM acknowledge that the ruling that cost the latter their first match was a
bit contentious) The Colleagues led 6-4 after the first round, and 10-7 after a
second round of which the highlight was a question about losses on WWTBAM
(topical given the clip show series currently showing on ITV). The Walls proved
decisive, the Shores only managing two bonus connections points, the Colleagues
getting four plus three for a 17-9 lead; they just about hung on in the final
round for a 21-17 win. Like last year, the show will be pausing for four friendly specials over New
Year’s week.
Mastermind was won by Claire
Murphy, whose 21 points was three clear of second place contender Nick Roberts.
Harry Shaw and Stephen Bell also took part. It will have its usual run of Xmas
celeb specials on BBC1 over the festive period.
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