University Challenge 2023-24: Qualification Quarter-Final 2: Trinity vs U.C.L.

Good evening again my friends, and welcome back, once again, to Quizzy Mondays! Only six more weeks of this left after tonight with, if I've got my calculations right, the Mastermind final on Easter Monday (April 1st) and the UC final the week after. Tonight's much anticipated match was the second qualifier between two good teams, one of whom began the QFs among the favourites, the others as outsiders; whoever won would join Imperial in the semis.

Trinity College Cambridge narrowly lost to fellow quarter-finalists Manchester in the first round, but went on to beat Southampton in the repechage, Warwick in R2 and, in their preliminary, they won a good close contest 190-170. They were the same foursome as those previous games:

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

U.C.L. won a low scoring first round contest over King's of Cambridge, then beat the fancied Hertford ox Oxford team in R2, and, in their first QF, were comfortably winners over Christ Church 200-130. They were also the same quartet as all those previous matches:

James Hall, from North Finchley, studying Law

Ali Izzatdust, from Portugal and Azerbaijan, studying Intellectual History

Captain: Tayana Sawh, from North London, studying Medicine

Jacob Finlay, from Cranleigh in Surrey, studying Public Administration

So, off we set once again then, and a penalty immediately gave Trinity the lead, from which they took two bonuses. A second starter was followed by just one bonus, but U.C.L. couldn't pick it up and recoup the lost points. The Cambridge side proceded to take the next two starters, including the first picture round, including the first picture round, on Chinese treaty ports; one bonus from both sets took their lead to 60-(-5). Another five were lost, but, again, U.C.L. couldn't pick up, allowing Trinity to immediately recoup the points with the next starter. The next saw Mr Izzatdust buzz, but no answer came, with AR proceding to do a Russell Davies (to Paxo's Robert Robinson) by calling him by his first name while trying to console him! Trinity picked up, and took all three bonuses. Finally, U.C.L. got some points back on the board with the next starter, and took two bonuses on arthropods. They also took the music round, on artists who contributed to Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' album; no bonuses meant they now trailed 95-30.

A third starter in a row to U.C.L. gave them one correct bonus, but another penalty stopped them dead; Ms Henderson was unlucky not to pick it up when she offered 'London Zoo' instead of 'the Zoological Society of London'. The Londoners continued their revival with another starter and two bonuses, but yet another penalty then gave Trinity possession back and they took full advantage with all three bonuses. Unphased, U.C.L. duly began their revival again, taking two starters in a row and the resulting bonuses meant they were now just one perfect 25 behind. The second picture round, on stills from productions of Shakespeare plays, gave them that full house, and the teams were now tied on 120-each!But Mr Finlay then made the same mistake I did of saying 'Taoiseach' as soon as de Valera was mentioned; had we heard 'Mary McAleese', we'd have probably gotten 'President of Ireland', as Mr Jaksina did. Trinity took just one bonus though, and U.C.L. were determined to complete the comeback, as a starter and pair of bonuses put them level again! And Mr Finlay then gave them the lead for the first time with 'iron'; just one bonus followed, but when Mr Hall took the next starter, it looked like that might be enough with so little time left. Indeed, though Mr Banerjee did take another starter for Trinity, there wasn't time for them to pull back. At the gong, U.C.L. won 165-150!

What a great contest that was, very well done indeed both teams! Very well done U.C.L., who, having kept their cool and fought back so brilliantly after that unlucky bad start, have certainly proved their worth now; very best of luck to them in the semis! Hard lines to Trinity, but the semis are still very much achievable for you too; best of luck in the play-offs!

The stats: Mr Hall was, just, the best buzzer of the night with five starters to Mr Jaksina's four. On the bonuses, Trinity managed 14 out of 26 (with two penalties) and U.C.L. 18 out of 30 (with five penalties).

Next week's match: Open vs Christ Church

Mastermind’s second semi-final was won by George Twigg, whose 25 points was enough for him to beat Rob Jones with 21 and Stephen Dodding with 20, with Sharon Reading completing the line-up with 17.

 

We also had the second Only Connect Champion of Champions show from 2011, this time the Epicureans vs the Gamblers. Compared to last week, where you can tell the show is still in its infancy and finding its feet, this week felt more like the Only Connect we know and love now. (Also, is it me, or do the older graphics look more like they were done with 4:3 in mind rather than widescreen?) Curiously, they’re not (yet) showing the Epicureans vs Crossworders special; instead, we’re moving on to the Scribes vs Analysts one next week.

University Challenge 2023-24: Elimination Quarter-Final 1: Birkbeck vs Sheffield

Good evening my friends, and welcome once again to JOW for Quizzy Mondays! Which is very nearly done for another year, with Mastermind beginning its semi-finals tonight and UC not having that many shows left either. Tonight, the elimination stage of the QFs began (sort of, we alternate unlike OC), and, for one of tonight's teams, tonight would be the last time we'd be seeing them. The winners would join Manchester in the play-offs.

 

Birkbeck were narrow winners over Oxford Brookes and York in the first two rounds, before losing a very tough first QF against Manchester 160-95. They were the same foursome as those three times before:

Danny McMillan, from Belfast, studying Modern Irish History

Olivia Mariner, from London, studying Maths

Captain: Samir Chadha, from Ealing, studying Creative and Critical Writing

Margherita Huntley, from South London, studying Law and Political Economy

 

Sheffield were comfortable first round winners over Loughborough, narrow second round winners over Aberdeen, before losing 195-160 to Imperial in their first QF. They were also the same quartet as all those previous games:

Safiyyah Rujak, from Plymouth, studying History

Joseph McGough, from Coventry, studying History and Spanish

Captain: Cameron Colclough, from Sheffield, studying Biophysics

Matthew Nail, from Blyth, studying Philosophy

 

So, off we set once again then, and Mr Nail made the same mistake I did on the first starter of saying 'Bad' as soon as '1987 Michael Jackson album' was mentioned; minus five to both of us. If we'd waited, as Mr McMillan did, we'd have probably both given the full title of 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'; Birkbeck duly put last time firmly behind them by taking all three bonuses. A second starter to the Londoners gave them two correct bonuses, before Sheffield got going proper with a full house of their own. Birkbeck took the next two starters though, including the first picture round, on lists of Nobel laureates' works in their native languages, after which they led 80-20. Sheffield fought back very well in the second phase though, with three starters in a row, plus a penalty to their opponents, meant they had suddenly taken the lead. They also took the music round, on string quartets of the 1960s or later; no bonuses were taken, but they now led 90-75.

Birkbeck finally reawoke as Mr McMillan identified where the Seven Samurai was filmed, and a pair of bonuses gave them the lead back. Another starter and pair of bonuses took the Londoners into three figures first, before a third in a row gave them, again, two bonuses, including a standard footballing chestnut; if you hear 'won the league in 1962 and/or the FA Cup in 1978', it's going to be Ipswich. A fourth starter in a row gave them, very neatly, a fourth pair of bonuses in a row, before Sheffield finally reawoke with the second picture round, on fish given good ratings by the Marine Conservation Society; two bonuses of their own took the scores to 155-110. A second starter in a row went to the Steelers, but they broke the sequence by just taking one resulting bonuses. Back came Birkbeck through Mr Chadha, and, yep, two bonuses accompanied it. And when Mr McMillan took the next starter, and they went one better by taking all three bonuses, that was game over. Sheffield did at least go out on a rally by taking the remaining starters of the game to equal their score from their previous game. At the gong, Birkbeck won 200-160.

A pretty good contest between two very decent teams, well played both! Well done Birkbeck, and best of luck in the play-offs! Hard lines to Sheffield, but they've had a worthy run, and, again, a deserved one given the bad luck their predecessors have had in recent series; thanks very much for playing!

The stats: Mr McMillan was the best buzzer of the night with six, while Ms Rujak and Mr McGough were joint best for Sheffield with three each, though Mr Nail was, just, their best buzzer of the series overall with 14 over four matches. On the bonuses, Birkbeck managed a solid 21 out of 30 and Sheffield an also good 15 out of 27, and both sides incurred one penalty each.

Next week's match: Trinity vs U.C.L.

Mastermind’s first semi-final was won by Sarah Thornton, whose 26 points saw her just finish ahead of Richard Brooks and Jane Hill with 23 each, with Rashid Mumtaz completing the line-up with 16.

 

We also got, as I mentioned last week, a repeat of the very first Only Connect Champion of Champions special from 2009! Complete with Greek letters instead of the now ubiquitous hieroglyphs! My Dad also opined that it was rather serious and not as light-hearted as the more recent series have been. The second CoC show from 2011 is on next Monday and, if VCM is to believed on X, the others are coming up as well in the weeks after.

University Challenge 2023-24: Qualification Quarter-Final 1: Manchester vs Imperial

Good evening again my friends, and welcome back to Quizzy Mondays! As we venture towards the end of the first series of UC of the Amol Rajan era, which has been a very good first one IMO, not least because there are quite a few teams left I could see winning the title in the right circumstances. Tonight, we'd have our first AR era semi-finalists, as two teams, both hoping to be the first five-time UC winners, met in the first qualifier match of the QFs...

 

Manchester beat fellow quarter-finalists Trinity on a tie-breaker in the first round, then the very good Edinburgh team in the second round, and in their first QF, they beat Birkbeck 160-95. They were the same foursome as those previous outings:

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

 

Imperial defeated two very good Oxford teams, Balliol and Lincoln, very comfortably in the first two rounds, but their first QF was much closer as they narrowly overcame Sheffield . They were also unchanged from all those previous matches:

Justin Lee, from Hong Kong and Canada, studying Chemistry

Adam Jones, from Hong Kong, studying Computer Science

Captain: Suraya Haddad, from Manchester, studying Medicine

Sourajit Debnath, from Calcutta, studying Applied Computational Science and Engineering

 

So, off we set once again then, and it was Mr Lee who showed first as Imperial took the first starter of the game; just one bonus followed, and Manchester duly overtook them as they took their first starter and all three bonuses from the first set. A penalty to Imperial increased this lead further, as did a second starter to Manchester, but AR was most annoyed when they only took one bonus on the late great Shane Warne! A second penalty added to Imperial's problems, but a starter and two bonuses was a decent recovery. The first picture round, on the starting line-ups of men's World Cup finals, went to Manchester; two correct bonuses (I got the starter and the one they didn't get) gave them a lead of 60-25. Two starters allowed pulled Imperial back; no bonuses came from the first set, but all of the second put them on level pegging. Only for Manchester to quickly retake the lead again with a starter and sole bonus. The music round, on 21st century spoken word tracks, went to Imperial; no bonuses meant they trailed 75-70.

The gap increased when the Londoners lost another five on the next starter, but Manchester didn't capitalise, and a starter to Mr Jones plus two bonuses put Imperial in front again. Only for Manchester, again, to immediately retake it and reach three figures with a starter and all three bonuses. Mr Kullman was unlucky on the next starter, asking which European country's vertical tricolour flag could be made with the colours of the flag of Madagascar; he offered Bulgaria, which has the right colours, but is horizontal stripes, not vertical. Mr Lee zagged with Italy, and this, in hindsight, was a turning point, as Imperial took the lead with a full bonus set of their own and followed it up with a second starter in a row. They also took the second picture round, on leaders of anti-Soviet campaigns; one bonus meant they now led 140-100. And they now had the bit between their teeth, as a further two starters to Mr Lee plus half the resulting bonuses meant they now led by 75. And when Ms Haddad identified Prince William's Earthshot prize for the next starter, that was game over. Mr Grady did take another starter and pair of bonuses for Manchester, but they'd lost the game in the final third. At the gong, Imperial won 205-120.

A good contest, close for the first two thirds until Imperial ran away in the last one. Very well done them, worthy semi-finalists; best of luck there! Hard lines to Manchester, but a good performance too which stands them in good stead for the play-offs; best of luck to them in those!

The stats: Mr Lee was easily the best buzzer of the night with seven starters, while Messrs Senehedheera and Grady were joint best for Manchester with two each. On the bonuses, Manchester managed 12 out of 18 and Imperial 18 out of 37 (with three penalties), and, once again, all eight players contributed at least one correct starter to the game.

Next week's match: Birkbeck vs Sheffield

Mastermind’s final heat was certainly a memorable one, as all four contenders, Emily Frank, Richard Brooks (UC winner with Imperial in 2019-20), Jake Denney and Chris Ducklin (UC and OC alumnus and host of the short-lived Quizzy Mondays podcast), all finished with the same score, 20 points each! (Surely a first for the show!) However, Emily and Jake also had one pass, whereas Richard and Chris both had none, so it was just them who went to the resulting tie-breaker! It was Richard who won that 3-1 to take the final place in the semis, which start next week.

 

Another old Only Connect special was shown tonight too, this time the ‘Love’ special from 2022. More interestingly, last time I checked, next week’s repeat is to be the first Champion of Champions special from 2009! An episode so old that the questions are still indicated by Greek letters! Should be fun observing the X reaction at least!