University Challenge 2023-24: Round 1: Match 1: Trinity vs Manchester

Good evening my friends, and welcome to the new season of Quizzy Mondays! Except, this is, of course, no usual season opener, as today was the first University Challenge of the post-Paxo era! And, I have to say, my first impression from tonight's show is that the show is in very safe hands indeed! Mr Rajan did a fine job, and will surely only get better deeper into the series once he's properly settled. Not sure about the new opening titles though, a bit too fast moving for my liking, and Amol reading the questions off a hidden screen instead of the traditional cards will take some getting used to as well (but, hey, that's the way all quizzes are going; even the revived Fifteen-to-One used an iPad instead of cards); the new set is fine enough though. I'm very much looking forward to the rest of this series already! Anyway, the match itself...

Trinity College Cambridge have won UC three times, in 1974 under Bambi, and 1994-95 and 2013-14 under Paxo; its last appearance was two series ago when they went out in the quarter-finals. This year's foursome were:

Sarah Henderson, from North London, studying Japanese

Agnijo Banerjee, from Dundee, studying Maths

Captain: Ryan Joonsuk Kang, form Seoul, studying Organic Chemistry

Jeremi Jaksina, from Bialystok, Poland, studying Genetics

 

Manchester have also won three series, 2005-06, 2011-12 and 2012-13, and they also had the 2008-09 series retroactively awarded to them after that scandal that we do not talk about. It's last appearance was also two years ago, where they lost to Exeter in the first round. This year's quartet were:

Bluma De Los Reyes-White, from Franklin, Massachusetts, studying Genetics

Ilya Kullmann, from London, studying Medicine

Captain: Hiru Senehedheera, from Letchworth Garden City, studying Materials

Dan Grady, from Burton-on-Trent, studying Maths

 

So, off we set once again with the first show of the new era, and already, we notice how AR reads the questions out so much more quickly than Paxo was (forgivably) doing so last series, and the contestants seem to be reacting to this and not conferring as much as well, which is good to see. Mr Banerjee had the honour of the first starter of the new era, identifying Bishop Berkeley; Trinity took one bonus from the opening set of the series. Manchester followed with a starter and sole bonus of their own, before Trinity incurred the first penalty of the new era. The two sides swapped starters, including the first picture round, on Russian titles of samizdat works, after which Manchester led 40-35. Trinity had the better of the buzzers in the second quarter though and, after the music round, on pieces of classical music on a theme of another composer (a nice early-Paxo era throwback, the music round of his second final!), the Cambridge side led 110-55.

The next starter, asking after a county cricket team, suddenly became obvious once Edgbaston was mentioned; Mr Kullman was first to identify Warwickshire. Manchester recovered well in this quarter, reaching three figures as well, but Trinity maintained their advantage and, after the second picture round, on paintings depicting stringed instruments, they led 155-105. Both sides took a starter and two bonuses each, which left Trinity ahead by 50 with not long left, but AR was right to say they were still in it. A starter and full bonus set later, and they were indeed just 25 behind now; a second in a row followed, but just one bonus left them still ten behind! Mr De Los Reyes-White took what was surely the final starter, but their first bonus answer was wrong, and that was the gong! A 175-each tie!

So, a tie-breaker to start the series! And it was Mr Senehedheera who identified the Guerilla Girls to give his side the win!

A great start to the new series, and the new era; two very strong teams, both of whom will surely be back again. Well done to Manchester, and best of luck in the second round! Hard lines to Trinity, but you'll surely be back in the play-offs, so best of luck there!

The stats: Mr Banerjee was the best buzzer of the night with four starters, while Messrs De Los Reyes-White and Senehedheera were joint best for Manchester with three each. On the bonuses, Trinity managed 18 out of 27 (with the night's one penalty) and Manchester 15 out of 28, and all four players got at least one starter right, which is good to see on opening day.

Next week's match: Aberdeen vs Birmingham (the second show of the new era is the same teams as the first of the Paxo era!)

Only Connect returned tonight as well of course, and began its nineteenth series with the Cribbagers, Liz Jaggs, Helen Jewell and captain Stephen Othen, against the Gunners, Michael Tigchelaar, Eleanor Younge and captain Stanley Thomas. The latter led 4-2 (there’s a joke in there somewhere!) after the first round, and 9-4 after the second. A better wall saw that lead increase to 19-8 going into Missing Vowels, which they maintained their advantage in to win 25-11.