Monday, 9 December 2024

Quizzy Mondays 2024-25 Week 18: University Challenge R2M2, Only Connect Play-Off 2, Mastermind Heat 16

Good evening again my friends, and welcome to the penultimate Quizzy Monday of 2024! Well, full strength one anyway; UC and OC are, of course, carrying on with Christmas specials over the festive fortnight, OC this year doubling their festive output to EIGHT specials! Mastermind will be breaking for three weeks after next week and Brain of Britain's final will be dealt with in a seperate blog post on here two weeks today. I hope. Anyway, coming up, the latest installments of those shows, beginning, as ever, with UC, and the second second round match.
 
Durham made a swift return to our screens after their dramatic play-off win over SOAS two weeks ago, winning on a tie-breaker after a 150-each draw; their first match, of course, saw them lose to Oriel. Playing for them for a third time were:
Joe Ancell, from South Gloucestershire, studying History
Emelia Brookfield-Pertusini, from Balham in South London, studying English Literature
Captain: Jake Roberts, from Goostrey in Cheshire, studying Physics
Luke Nash, from Hindolveston in Norfolk, studying Biology

Open were the winners of the second match of the series, and defeated the U.C.L. team who have since strolled into the QFs most easily 190-175. Hoping to join them were the also unchanged team of:
Nicky Maving, from Jarrow, studying Natural Sciences
Tom Barber, from Bournemouth, studying Physics
Captain: Karie Westermann, from Glasgow (originally Denmark), studying Art History
Hector Payne, from Teddington in Middlesex, studying Finance

Durham got off to the better start, taking the first two starters and half the bonuses; Open, in contrast, got nothing from their first set. After the first picture round, Durham led 55-10. Open didn't get any bonuses from their second set either, but then got a run of starters together and the bonuses finally began falling for them. After the music round, which they, or rather, Mr Payne, took a full house on, they'd pulled level on 75-each.

Another starter and full bonus set in a row gave Open the lead. Their tails firmly up now, two further starters meant they now had nearly doubled their opponents' score; AR duly told Durham there was plenty of time for another dramatic comeback! The Wearsiders did take the second picture round, after which they'd cut the gap to 145-95. Another two starters suggested a repeat of two weeks' ago could be on, but Durham only took one of the resulting six bonuses, and Open duly reawoke and increased their lead with a starter and sole bonus. Mr Roberts did the right thing and took an early punt on the next starter, but was wrong and lost five; Mr Maving picked up the points and that was game over. At the gong, Open won 180-115.

A good contest that could easily have gone to either team until Open snuck away again at the end. Well done to them, another good showing against strong opponets; best of luck in the QFs! Hard lines to Durham, but they gave a good contest and can be pleased with their performances this series; thanks for playing!

The stats: Mr Maving was the best buzzer of the night with five starters, while Mr Nash was best for Durham with four. On the bonuses, Durham managed 10 out of 21 (with the night's one penalty) and Open 14 out of 30.

Next week's match: Exeter vs Bristol, the final regular match of the year, then we break for two weeks of Christmas specials

Only Connect’s penultimate regular match of the year was the second play-off match, between the Hopsters and the Al Frescans, both of whose two previous appearances were wins over the Midlanders and defeats to the Sprouters! Though not in the same order of course.
 
I claim the same point as the Hopsters on the first question of the show, my Mum claims the same point as the Al Frescans on the trees question. The former led 4-3 at the end of the first round. My Dad and I were in the process of getting the singing voices question when the Hopsters got it for three in the second round; I worked out the A-N-G-E-L-A question after I heard them say the first pic was of Ang Lee and I’m claiming two for a flat-out guess of ‘1 is A’ for the Base 26 question! The Hopsters now led 10-8 after that.
 
The Frescans went first on the Walls, and got a very quick and well worked out full ten. The Hopsters took longer, but same result, another full ten, so as you were, they led 20-18 going into Missing Vowels. But the Frescans fared considerably better on that to come from behind and win 26-23. Well done them, and best of luck in the QFs, and thanks to the Hopsters for playing.
 
Next week’s match: another avoidable rematch, the Uisge Beathas vs the Crunchers, then we also break for two weeks of specials
 
Mastermind entered the second half of its heats; Jeremy Hicks opened the show, answering on Sir Mark Cavendish, and put in a respectable round about on a par with the series so far, 8 his score. Lucie Knight followed him into the chair; answering on the Darkness, she just bettered Jeremy’s score, finishing with 9. Next up was Dom Tait, captain of the Scribes who won Series 6 of OC and who has also been on UC and the revived Fifteen-to-One; answering on The Day Today, he very much raised the bar with an excellent round and score of 11. Finally, Jeff Davies was answering on author Sylvia Townsend Walker; he duly put in a perfect round and matched Dom’s score of 11.
 
So, all four still reasonably in contention going into GK. Jeremy returned first, and put in an excellent showing that very much gave his opponents something to think about; 13 gave him a very good total of 21. Lucie couldn’t equal that score, starting well before losing momentum and a pass plus some long pauses pretty much ruled her out; she still finished with a respectable total of 17.
 
Dom, on the other hand, gave a very good performance indeed, answering quickly and never really losing momentum despite a few wrong answers; he passed Jeremy’s score with time to spare and ended up scoring a mightily impressive 16 for a superb total of 27. So Jeff had a bit of a task on his hands to match that, let alone better it; he started well, but then hit a run of wrong answers and never looked like catching up afterwards. Clive M was somewhat harsh I thought to disallow one of his later answers, but it didn’t matter in the end; 8 points gave him a respectable total of 19. So Dom is through to the semis! Well done him, and thanks to the others for playing.
 
Brain of Britain’s third semi-final featured a rather neatly themed line-up, with Anthony Fish, token HSNW Andrew Fisher and Shanine Salmon involved; Russell D assured us this was purely coincidental, before saying it was just the ‘net result’ of the draw! (rolling eyes emoji) Vicky Johnson completed the line-up.
 
For the second week in a row, we began with a 5IAR+ABP, this time courtesy of Anthony, who thus led with 7 after the first round. A shutout in the second, however, allowed Andrew and Vicky to pull level, with Shanine just behind on 6. Anthony just eked back ahead in the third round, however, and fared best in a high scoring final round to win with 15 points, two ahead of Andrew with 13; Vicky and Shanine finished with 10 and 8 respectively. Well done all of them, and best of luck Anthony in the final!
 
And that's the penultimate regular week of the year done! Thanks as ever for reading; next week, the last one of the year, then this blog series will be taking a break for Christmas, with a single post for the BoB final and two for the two weeks of Christmas UC. So, until same time same place next week, sayonara...

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