University Challenge 2021-22: Round 1: Match 8: Exeter vs Manchester

Good evening friends, and welcome back! We're now into the second half of, what's been, a low scoring first round of University Challenge; this can probably be put down to the difficult circumstances under which these teams were put together, allowing for very little or, in the case of last week's Durham team, no practice at all in actual buzzer conditions. Hopefully, when teams start appearing for a second time, and are thus more comfortable, things will start to improve on that front. For now, on with the first round matches...

Exeter University is appearing for a twelfth series of the BBC era; it has never got beyond the QFs, reaching those three times, all three of which would see them lose heavily to eventual grand finalist teams, two of which would win the final (wording deliberate to include Gail Trimble's Corpus Christi team). This year's four were:

Ollie Kirwin, from Henley-in-Arden in Warwickshire, studying Economics and Politics

Jefferson Ting, from Kuala Lumpur, studying Law

Captain: Jacob Evans, from Brecon, studying Geography 

TJ Alabi, from Newnham in London and County Laois in Ireland, studying Creative Writing

 

Manchester University is appearing for a 20th time tonight, and previously underwent a ten year period of reaching at least the SFs, winning three series and being retroactively named winners of a fourth; they haven't hit such heights again in more recent series, two successive QF appearance their more recent high. This year's quartet were:

James McCafferty, from Nuneaton, studying PPE

Tom Stone, from Leicestershire, studying Theoretical Physics

Captain: Alice Irving, from Peterborough, studying Medicine

Richard McNair, from Leatherhead in Surrey, studying Applied Maths

 

So off we set for the eighth time this series, and it was McCafferty who opened the scoring by identifying 'Once Upon a Time' as the words linking the title of listed films; the Mancunians kicked off with one bonus on twinned towns and cities. Mr Kirwin was just as quick to get Exeter off the mark, and they fared better on their first bonuses, two correct. Another starter to Mr Kirwin and two bonuses to Exeter was followed by the first picture starter, where neither team identified a very nice photo of Glasgow at night. The bonuses, on the locations of working shipyards, went to Manchester, who didn't add to their score, leaving the scores at 40-25.

Exeter increased their lead at Mr Evans remembered 2008 as the year Man Utd and Chelsea met in the Champions League final (a timely question given Mr C. Ronaldo's impending return to Stretford!); the Grecians went one better on the bonuses, a full set on Nobel Prize winners with shared surnames. Manchester then lost points on two starters, neither of which Exeter picked up, but they did take another starter and single bonus. Mr Stone finally got Manchester going again, and they took one bonus on characters in the first Matrix film. They also took the music round, on classical German songs from song cycles, but took no bonuses, leaving them trailing 80-40.

The two sides then swapped starters, but got nothing from the resulting bonuses, and Manchester lost another five on the starter that Exeter picked up. Mr Alabi then took Exeter into thee figures, and this time they took two bonuses, which put them within sight of a match winning lead. The second picture round, on winners of the women's Ballon d'Or, went to Exeter, who took one bonus, to increase their advantage to 125-45.

 

And when Mr Alabi very quickly took the next starter, that was most definitely game over; no bonuses followed, but it didn't really matter now. Despite subsequently picking up yet another penalty, Manchester did at least manage a late rally to respectability, taking two successive starters, and the bonuses finally fell their way, two from both sets. At the gong, Exeter won 130-80.

 

Another low scoring contest, but, again, made watchable by two pleasant teams. Well done to Exeter, who look a reasonably decent and promising team, best of luck in the next round! Hard lines to Manchester, but they fared pretty well in the circumstances, thanks very much for playing!

 

The stats: Messrs Alabi and Stone were joint best buzzers of the night, with three each for their respective teams. On the bonuses, Exeter managed 11 out of 24 (with one 'just a' penalty) and Manchester 6 out of 21 (with four penalties).

 

Next week's match: Edinburgh vs Peterhouse Cambridge

 

Only Connect introduced its final two teams, the Godyn Family, Charles, George and captain Alice Godyn, and the Data Wizards, Claire Turner, Jonathan Cairns and captain Tim Brown. The Wizards led 5-2 after the first round, and 10-6 after a second round where Victoria was maybe a tad lenient to give the Godyns two points on one of their questions. A better wall saw the Wizards increase their lead to 20-11, and they increased it with a better performance on Missing Vowels to win 29-15.

 

Clive Myrie’s second Mastermind was won by Ian Wang, making a triumphant return to Quizzy Mondays after his success on UC a couple of series ago. He won by with 24 points, with Brian Hyslop coming second with 22; Barbara Cunningham and Laura Masters also competed, and finished with 20 and 18 respectively. No show next week, or the week after, Mastermind returns on September 20^th.

 

Brain of Britain was won by Heather Auton with 14 points; Ian McKillop came second with 11, and might yet return as a high scoring runner up. Emma Napper and George Bulmer also took part, and finished with 4 and 3 respectively.