University Challenge 2021-22: Semi-Final 2: Edinburgh vs Reading

Good evening friends, and welcome to the penultimate match of this year's UC! A good match looked in prospect tonight, between two excellent teams who have played brilliantly all series and are both worthy semi-finalists, but only one could join Imperial in the final next week.

Edinburgh got here undefeated, beating Peterhouse of Cambridge easily in the first round, Bristol narrowly in the second, Trinity easily in their first QF and fellow SFers Emmanuel narrowly in their second. They were the same foursome as those previous games: 

Ben Russell Jones, from near Caerphilly (originally Bridgend), studying Philosophy and Politics

Lewis Thomas, from London (originally Strathkinnes in Fife), graduated in History

Captain: Rishi Sundar, from Manchester, studying Computational Physics

Niall Karunaratne, from Hull, studying Physics

 

Reading defeated Strathclyde in the first round and Dundee in the second, both comfortably, then narrowly beat Birmingham in the first QF before losing their second to Imperial; their play-off then saw them comfortably see off St John's. They were the same four as their last two matches: 

Sylvian Jesudoss, from Thanjuvar, India, studying Marketing

Margaret Ounsley, from Reading, studying Poor Law History

Captain: Michael Hutchinson, from Andover, graduated with a PGCE

Kira Bishop, from Slough, studying Maths and Psychology

 

So, off we set for the penultimate time this series, and Mr Thomas opened the scoring points of the game identifying Gladstone, with one of the clues also forming part of the starter that won Edinburgh the final a couple of series back! The Scots side took two bonuses on people called Smith, before Mr Hutchinson took his and Reading's first starter of the game, and they matched their opponents with two bonuses of their own. Edinburgh retook the lead, with Mr Thomas nicely swooping once the key clue to the next starter came; no bonuses came this time, but Mr Sundar then earned his side the first picture round, on trajectories of space probes. A full bonus set took Edinburgh's lead to 55-20.

Mr Hutchinson reawoke Reading with the next starter however, and their bonus work proved more consistant, as they again took two. The Royals captain then gave his side a second successive correct starter, and one bonus on film put them on level pegging. Mr Jones then put Edinburgh back in front, which gave his side a bonus set on matrixes, which they took two correct from. Back came Reading as Ms Ounsley took her first starter of the night; bonuses on adjectives beginning with W provided two correct of their own to level the game again. The Biscuitmen then took the lead as they took the music round, on artists featured in the Museum of New York's Alternative Music exhibition; just one bonus came, but they did now lead 90-75.

Five points were then lost to a penalty however, and Mr Jones duly swooped to take Edinburgh back onto level pegging; a bonus set on dinosaurs failed to give them the points to retake the lead however, and Mr Hutchinson then gave Reading the lead back as he identified Egypt for the next starter, before a timely full bonus set on opera took them into three figures. The second picture round, on images from Absurdist plays, also went to Reading; two correct bonuses meant they had opened up a lead of 130-85.

Edinburgh needed the next starter, an old school UC one requiring a word to be spelled using chemical symbols, and Mr Sundar duly obliged; bonuses on astrophysics gave them the one bonus they needed to get into three figures. But Ms Ounsley took the next starter for Reading, which gave them more room to breathe; just one bonus on revolutions was taken, but time was now in their favour. Edinburgh needed a quick full house; Mr Thomas obliged with the next starter, but just one bonus on ballet was taken, and that was game over. Indeed, there was no time for the second starter they'd have needed; at the gong, Reading won 145-115.

A good contest between two excellent well matched teams, both of whom would've been worthy finalists. Congratulations to Reading, worthy finalists, and very very best of luck to them next week! Hard lines to Edinburgh, but they've also been brilliant this series and would've been worthy finalists as well; well done to them on a fine series of performances and thanks for playing!

The stats: Mr Hutchinson was, once again, the best buzzer of the night with five, taking his running total to 40, while Mr Thomas was best for Edinburgh with three, meaning he and Mr Jones end their run their joint best buzzers with 19 each. On the bonuses, Edinburgh managed 9 out of 21 and Reading 14 out of 24 (with the night's one penalty), so it was a better bonus rate that won it for Reading.

Next week's match: the final! Imperial vs Reading. A fuller preview coming later in the week, hopefully.

Mastermind’s penultimate semi-final was a very good and close one indeed, with Martin McCann and blog reader Rachael Neiman-Wiseman both finishing on 22, and Dom Walker and Counterpoint finalist Sarah Trevarthen both finishing on 23 and no passes! Ms Trevarthen won the resulting tie-breaker 4-2 to win the show and take the penultimate place in the final.

 

Round Britain Quiz returned to Radio 4 this afternoon as well, with Kirsty Lang making her debut as host, and doing a pretty good job of it, and newly crowned Counterpoint champ Frankie Fanko making her debut on the show for the Midlands team, who won the show.

University Challenge 2021-22: Semi-Final 1: Imperial vs Emmanuel

Greetings friends, and welcome to the semi-finals of this year's University Challenge! This hasn't been the best of series of the show, but even a lesser series of UC is still more worthwhile viewing than a lot of other shows I could mention. Plus, with restrictions now easing somewhat, hopefully the next series' teams will have had more chances to play together beforehand than this series' will have. Anyway, on with the show, with the first place in the final up for grabs...

Imperial College London came straight to this stage, with victories over fellow QFers St John's in the first round, Exeter in the second, and King's and fellow SFers Reading in the QFs. They were the same foursome as before: 

Max Zeng, from Singapore, studying Biochemistry

Fatima Sheriff, from Hitchin in Hertforshire, studying Science Communication

Captain: Michael Mays, from Montrose, studying Computational Fluid Dynamics

Gilbert Jackson, from Bury St Edmunds, studying Chemistry

 

Emmanuel College Cambridge came through the repechage, losing to St Andrews in the first round, recovering with wins over RNCM, St Catharine's of Cambridge and St John's, before narrowly losing to fellow SFers Edinburgh, then also beating King's to get here. They were also unchanged from before: 

Nicole Pullinger, from Hong Kong, studying English

Nicholas Thatte, from Oxford (originally Greece), studying Physics

Captain: Kara Malcolm, from Guildford (originally Capetown), studying Engineering 

James Wrathall, from Mistley in Essex, studying Arabic and Hindi

 

So, off we set once again, and an immediate error from Emmanuel gave Imperial the first starter of the game, and the first bonuses on Times Square, which they took one correct from. The Cambridge side quickly recovered their lost points however, and they went one better with their first bonuses, on Shakespeare, two correct put them level. A second starter in a row then went to them, and they took all three resulting bonuses on languages. The first picture round, on excerpts from Dante's Inferno, also went to Emmanuel; another tough set, though not as bad as the flag set from two weeks ago, they did well to get one correct, which took their lead to 55-15.

Imperial quickly got moving again however, as a geography starter fell straight into Mr Zeng's lap; a bonus set on mathematician John Conway gave the London side a full set of bonuses. Five were then unluckily lost though as Ms Sheriff unluckily gave a surname instead of a given name; Emmanuel took the points, and took one of the bonuses that came with it. Back came Imperial through Mr Mays, and they also took a single bonus. The Cambridge side then lost five, and Imperial took the points again, and a full bonus set on Japan gave them the lead. The music starter was then dropped; the bonuses, on works inspired by the Wild Hunt folklore, went to Imperial, but nothing came from the bonuses, though they did now lead 85-65.

Neither side knew Egypt to have won the AFCON the most times for the next starter (I did), but Mr Zeng knew Norfolk and Suffolk to be the two counties required for the next; two bonuses took the London side into three figures. Another starter was dropped, before the next was a complicated one about capital cities and chemical elements; Mr Zeng worked out what was going on though, and the bonuses, on Ptolomy's map of Ireland, were very much to his liking, a full set. And when Mr Mays identified verdigris for the next starter, you fancied that was now game over, even though they missed all the resulting bonuses. The second picture round, on buildings designed by winners of the Jane Drew Prize, also went to Imperial; no bonuses followed, but it mattered not, as they led 150-65 with very little time left.

Indeed, there was only time for one more correct starter, answered by Ms Sheriff; bonuses on scientific terms beginning with A and ending TION provided them with two final correct answers. Another starter was begun, but not completed; at the gong, Imperial won 170-65.

A good match, close at first before Imperial ran away with it in the second half. Congrats to them, very worthy semi-finalists, and very very best of luck to them in two weeks' time! Hard lines to Emmanuel, but there's nothing wrong with going out in the semis and they've had a good run to do so; thanks very much for taking part!

The stats: Mr Zeng was, once again, the best buzzer of the night with five starters, taking his running total to 29, while Ms Malcom was best for Emmanuel with two, though Mr Thatte was their best of the series with 20 over seven games. On the bonuses, Imperial managed 15 out of 30 (with one penalty) and Emmanuel 7 out of 12 (with two penalties).

Next week's match: Edinburgh vs Reading. Whoever wins faces Imperial in, what should be, a fine final.

Mastermind was won by Anthony Fish, who had easily the best specialist round and did more than enough on GK to win comfortably with 27 points, with Andrew Fanko, who lost his heat but was reinstated after Ashley Evans withdrew, finishing second with 22; Graeme Jackson and Ro Duns also took part, finishing with 14 and 10 respectively.

 

Counterpoint concluded with, as I said last week, an all-female final; after a very close run match, Frankie Fanko (Andrew's wife, of course) and Isabelle Heward both finished with 24 points, with Sarah Trevarthen not far behind on 21. The resulting tie-breaker was taken by Frankie for the win! Congrats to her, and thanks to all who took part in this series for most enjoyable listening!

University Challenge 2021-22: Semi-Finals Preview

OK people, here we are once again: another University Challenge semi-finals. The tenth I've covered on this blog. So, here, as usual, is my preview of them, beginning with a reminder of the lineup:

• Imperial College London (Max Zeng, Fatima Sheriff, Michael Mays and Gilbert Jackson) Reached the quarter-finals via two comfortable victories, firstly beating fellow quarter-finalists St John's 210-155, then Exeter 205-70 in the second. Came straight through to the semis by beating King's 235-50 and fellow semi-finalists Reading 225-120. A strong team on the buzzers, with all four players contributing, and generally decent on the bonuses as well; the most consistant of the semi-finalists thus far, they will probably start as favourites for the title.
• Edinburgh (Ben Russell Jones, Lewis Thomas, Rishi Sundar and Al Karunaratne) Scored the highest first round score as they defeated Peterhouse of Cambridge 270-80, before winning an excellent close second round match against Bristol 185-175. Also came straight through the QFs, beating Trinity comfortably 230-95, before winning another close match against fellow semi-finalists Emmanuel 150-145. Another strong collegiate team on the buzzer, though prone to penalties, and also reasonably good on the bonuses; probably the second favourites to win the series.
• Emmanuel College Cambridge (Nicole Pullinger, Nicholas Thatte, Kara Malcolm and James Wrathall) Narrowly lost to St Andrews 140-135 in the first round, but reached the QFs by beating RNCM 180-115 and St Catharine's of Cambridge 125-120. Their QF run saw them beat St John's 155-140, narrowly lose that match to Edinburgh, before that low scoring 85-80 win over King's saw them through to the semis. Reasonable on the buzzer and on the bonuses; certainly capable on their day, but they will probably be underdogs to take the title in this line-up.
• Reading (Sylvian Jesudoss, Margaret Ounsley, Michael Hutchinson and Kira Bishop) Beat Strathclyde 175-110 in the first round, and Dundee 245-50 in the second. Started the QFs by winning a good match against Birmingham 170-135, before slipping up in that defeat to Imperial; recovered though well by beating St John's 145-70 this Monday just gone by. A strong team on the buzzers, with Mr Hutchinson among the best of the series and Ms Ounsley provided ample support, while their bonus rate has ranged from half to two thirds; also a very capable team on their day and, while also probable outsiders, definitely not to be written off.

Another good semi-final line-up; the first since the first series I covered on this blog, 2012-13, that there's only one Oxbridge team in the line-up as well.

So, the draw. Well, as revealed by Imperial on Twitter earlier in the week, they will be playing Emmanuel in the first semi-final this Monday coming, which leaves Edinburgh vs Reading the week afterwards. So, how do I see these games going?

Well, you would have to say Imperial will be heavy favourites to win on Monday, having been comfortably stronger than Emmanuel thus far. That's not to say the Cambridge side should be written off altogether; anything is possible in an individual game, and we saw how they gave Edinburgh a close run in the QFs. On the form so far, however, it's hard to see beyond an Imperial win.

Meanwhile, the second semi would probably be much closer, as the two teams are about the same on the buzzer, and both have proven themselves capable of comfortable wins over strong opponents. If Edinburgh dominate the buzzer as well as they did against Trinity, they'll win easily; if they're a bit shaky and prone to errors like against Emmanuel, Reading are certainly capable of capitalising. This one is too close for me to call, but I'm probably just about favouring Edinbugh.

So, my 'forced' prediction for this year is an Imperial-Edinburgh final this year. But neither semi-final is a foregone conclusion, the second especially; as I said before, anything is possible in a stand-alone game. At the very least, we should hopefully get three good games to finish the series on!

Best of retrospective luck, then, to all four semi-finalist teams; hopefully, we get a strong end to the series!

Back on Monday as usual with my write-up of the first semi.

University Challenge 2021-22: Play-Off Quarter-Final 2: Reading vs St John's

Good evening friends, and welcome back to the home straight of this year's Quizzy Mondays season! Just three more UCs after tonight, four more Masterminds and Counterpoint concludes next Monday as well. Whoever won tonight's match would take the final place in the semi-finals, a fuller previews of which I'll hopefully remember to do later in the week.

Reading came straight through to the QFs with wins over Strathclyde and Dundee, then defeated Birmingham in their first QF, but were beaten by Imperial in their second. They were the same changed foursome as that second QF match: 

Sylvian Jesudoss, from Thanjuvar, India, studying Marketing

Margaret Ounsley, from Reading, studying Poor Law History

Captain: Michael Hutchinson, from Andover, graduated with a PGCE

Kira Bishop, from Slough, studying Maths and Psychology

 

St John's College Cambridge also lost to Imperial, in the first round, recovered with wins over U.C.L. and Queen Mary of London, then lost to Emmanuel in their first QF, before winning a close second against Trinity. They were the same four as all of those previous games: 

Thomas Clark, from the USA and Japan, graduated in Linguistics  

Louie George, from Lyme Regis, studying Sociology  

Captain: Jonathan Chan, from Cambridge, studying Veterinary Medicine  

Kyanna Ouyang, from New Jersey, studying Natural Sciences

 

So off we set once again then, and Reading captain Mr Hutchinson, as he has done so often before this season, quickly zipped in first to take the night's first starter; bonuses on people called Eustace provided the Biscuitmen with two correct answers, before their captain took the second starter in short order, which led to a full bonus set on plants. Mr Jesudoss was unlucky on the next starter, offering the religion 'Buddhism' instead of its leader; Mr George duly tapped into the empty net, and the Cambridge side took two of their first bonus set. Reading then lost another five, but St John's didn't take advantage this time; Ms Ounsley then recouped the lost points, but they got nothing from the resulting bonuses. Neither team got the first picture starter, or the one after; the bonuses, on endorheic basins, eventually went to Reading, who got two of them correct to increase their lead to 65-20.

Mr Hutchinson added to that lead as he then took another starter, which led to a classic UC bonus set on pairs of films where the last three letters of the first's title are the first three of the second's; they impressively took all three of this great set. Another penalty then allowed St John's to break back into the game, giving them a bonus set on the artist Gentileschi, of which they only took just the one. No-one recognised Dizzy Gillespie for the music starter; the bonuses, on jazz contrafacts of Gershwin's 'I Got Rhythm', but they failed to add to their score (unluckily swerving away from one of them right at the end), which nonetheless left them ahead 95-35.

Mr Hutchinson then took the next starter to take them into three figures; a tough bonus set on calculus saw them come close a couple of times, but ultimately take no bonuses. Mr Chan took another starter for St John's, which gave them a bonus set on words originating from James Mill's History of British India, of which they took one correct. But Mr Hutchinson then took the next starter for Reading, and a full bonus set on diarists meant they were more or less out of sight. St John's did take the second picture round, on paintings depicting the Muth of Callisto; two correct bonuses meant they trailed 130-70.

But Mr Clark then lost five with a 'just an' interruption on the next starter, and Ms Ounsley took the points, confirming that it was really was game over; bonuses on Russian history provided the Royals with two correct answers, not that it mattered really now. Both sides them lost five points on the last two starters of the game; Mr Chan did take the final one for St John's, but the gong came before any bonuses could be asked. Reading won 145-70.

Another decent contest despite the low-ish scores, with two good teams playing well in good spirits; well played both! Well done Reading, worthy semi-finalists; best of luck to them there! Hard lines to St John's, who bow out after a fine series of performances; thanks very much to them for playing!

The stats: Mr Hutchinson was, once again, the best buzzer of the night with five, taking his running total to 35, while Mr Chan was best for St John's with three, which means he finishes the series their best buzzer with 34. On the bonuses, Reading managed 15 out of 27 (with four penalties) and St John's 6 out of 12 (with two penalties).

Next week's match: the first semi-final! As revealed on Twitter earlier, it's Imperial vs Emmanuel, leaving Edinburgh vs Reading in two weeks' time. As I said earlier, a fuller preview hopefully coming up later this week.

Mastermind’s third semi-final was won by Eleanor Ayres, whose superb performance on GK, 17 correct, saw her run up a great score of 28, four clear of second place Tom Lea, with Helen Garner just behind on 23; UC alumnus Allister Mallon completed the line-up with 17.

 

Counterpoint's third semi-final, meanwhile, was won by Sarah Trevarthen, meaning we shall have an all-female line-up (and a very strong one too) for the final next week.