Good evening again friends, and welcome back to Quizzy Mondays! Which, now that I have a holiday booked for the week after UC is currently on track to finish, I'm really hoping doesn't take any weeks off between now and then! For now, though, its business as usual, as we arrive at the final match of the second round and, rather neatly, the two institutions competing tonight competed in the last second round match of the first UC series I covered on this blog ten years ago! Winners would take the last place in an already high quality quarter-final line-up.
Durham won the very first match of the series way back in August, as they narrowly triumphed 195-185 over a Bristol team good enough to return in the play-offs and reach the QFs. Hoping to join them were the unchanged foursome of:
Harry Scully, from Welwyn Garden City, studying Physics and Chemistry
Chloe Margaux, from Haringey in London, studying Sociology
Captain: Alex Radcliffe, from Edinburgh, studying Maths
Bea Bennett, from Icomb in Gloucestershire, studying English
Bangor beat Nottingham by the same margin in a lower scoring match, the last of the show's brief exile on Tuesdays back in Nottingham, 135-125 the final scores there. So, like ten years ago, they were the underdogs, and we all know what happened in that match. Hoping to repeat history were the also unchanged quartet of:
Gus Bastiani, from Dorset, studying History and Archaeology
Ethan Silcocks, from Overton in Cumbria, studying Molecular Medicine
Captain: Laura Lloyd-Williams, from North Wales, studying Medical Sciences
Roy Pounder, from Reading, studying Medieval and Early Modern History
So, off we set once again then, and a race for the buzzer ensured immediately as the words 'shape of warning signs on British roads' came out of Paxo's mouth; Ms Lloyd-Williams won it, and Bangor took one bonus on fictional clubs, namely Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club. An equally quick buzz from Ms Bennett set Durham off the mark quickly too, and they started with a full set on Hilbert's problems. Mr Silcocks quickly gave Bangor back the lead though, and, again, they took a single bonus on plantain. The first picture round, on locations of model villages, went to Durham; two bonuses gave them the lead back, 45-30.
A second starter in a row from Mr Scully, who was only just getting started for the night, gave the Wearsiders a bonus set on Mary Queen of Scots (providing this week's UC and OC crossover), of which they took another two. And Durham were now building up a head of steam on the buzzer, as Ms Bennett took the next starter, Mr Scully the next, and Mr Radcliffe the one after that; but, in contrast to their initially strong bonus form, they only took one of the nine that came with these starters. The music starter was missed by both sides, with Bangor losing five on the replacement starter; Durham took the points, and got the music bonuses, on classical pieces involving two sets of timpani, but, again, they drew a blank on the bonuses. Nonetheless, they now led 110-25.
And the lead was just getting bigger as Mr Radcliffe took the next starter, but bonuses on Werner Herzog saw them drop a fourth full set in a row. Finally, after Ms Bennett took the next starter, bonuses on John Major's premiership, gave them a single correct answer (I had a full set). Mr Pounder finally gave Bangor some more points on the board, but a bonus set on chloroform didn't give them any further points. The second picture round, on paintings prominantly featuring yellow houses, went to Durham; two bonuses took their lead to 155-35.
Another starter from Mr Scully, who had quietly built up an impressive tally, pretty much ended the game as a contest, meaning it was now just a question of how high both teams could get; Durham took a single bonus from this set. Ms Bennett looked like she was guessing 'crosses' for the next starter, but was correct; just one bonus on 'Fort' place names followed again, but it didn't matter now. Chess notation proved more to their liking, a full bonus set on that taking them past 200. Ms Lloyd-Williams did the right thing and took a punt on the next starter, but was wrong, allowing Mr Scully to tap into an empty net and Durham to take two bonuses on astronomy. That man Mr Scully took the last starter of the game, but there was only time for Durham to get the first bonus wrong. At the gong, Durham won 240-35.
A one-sided contest, but still an enjoyable half-hour's quizzing. Very well done to Durham, another superb performance despite the slight dip in their bonus form in the middle third, and very best of luck to them in the QFs! Hard lines to Bangor, who were simply outplayed all round, but we know from their first match they're capable of better things; thanks to them for playing!
The stats: Mr Scully was easily the best buzzer of the night with EIGHT(!) starters, while Ms Lloyd-Williams and Messrs Silcocks and Pounder all got one each for Bangor. On the bonuses, Durham managed 18 out of 43 and Bangor 2 out of 9 (with the night's one penalty).
Next week's match: the first quarter-final! Will let you know who's playing in it as soon as I find out; hopefully we'll know in time for my preview on Thursday. If I remember to do it.
Only Connect reached its first
semi-final, between the Strigiformes and the Morporkians. The former led 4-2
after the first round, but the latter levelled it up at 8-each after the
second. A better wall allowed the Strigiformes to take back the lead 13-10
going into Missing Vowels, and, after a very tight round, they just about edged
it to win 16-15! They go through to the final, the Morporkians to the third place
play-off.
Mastermind was a very close contest
indeed, with Stephen Finn (WWTBAM alumnus) triumphing with 18 points, 1 ahead
of Rema Wilkins in second place and 2 ahead of Ronan McKenna in third (the
three were even tighter, just one between them at the end of the first round);
Shaun Cairns completed the line-up with 11.
Counterpoint was a very high
scoring contest indeed; Charles Dusting won the game to take the seventh of
nine semi-final places.
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