I'm afraid we have had another slip-up from the folk at the Radio Times.
The online RT has printed the fixture for the Grand Final on 29th April, inadvertantly revealing who U.C.L. will be playing! I will not say who.
This is not the first time this has happened. It happened no fewer than three times in 2010-11. It was better last year, with the fixture not going up until after the second semi had gone out.
It has been reported (by me, and others) over on LAM numerous times when it has happened before. The UC crew have read this, and have taken action. And, until this slip-up, things have been fine on the 'accidental spoiler' front.
I can only advise that you don't look at the RT listings for Monday 29th until after next Monday's match. Unless you want to know who wins on Monday, of course, but the majority probably won't.
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Monday, 15 April 2013
University Challenge: Semi-Final 1: U.C.L. vs New College
So, we've finally arrived at the semi-finals. Both tonight's teams had made it thus far undefeated, and had both looked like potential champs at certain points. But, tonight, one of them would be sent packing, while the other proceeded to the grand final in two weeks' time.
U.C.L. got to this stage by beating Exeter, Jesus College Oxford, Bangor and Manchester (the latter two of whom play next week in the second semi-final) en route, scoring at least 190 points on each occasion, and holding their nerve when faced with a challenge. They remained:
Adam Papaphilippopoulos, from London, studying Philosophy
Tom Tyszczuk Smith, from Cambridge, studying Medicine
Captain: Simon Dennis, from London, studying the History and Philosophy of Science
Tom Parton, from Staffordshire, studying Natural Sciences
New College Oxford's road to this stage saw them defeat Homerton College Cambridge, York, King's College Cambridge and St George's London. They were pretty good early on, but seemed to slip down a notch in the quarters, relying mainly on the buzzer to get through. They were still:
Tom Cappleman, from Bracknell, studying Maths
So, on paper, U.C.L. looked to have the advantage, having scored over 100 more points than New College, and overall performing stronger. Also, New College's performances have been largely reliant on the buzzer work of Mr Tom Cappleman, whilst U.C.L. have provided a more collegiate effort, with all four players getting at least one starter right in all their prior matches.
On with the show, and Mr Cappleman continued his impressive showing with the first starter of the match. Then, the momentum shifted in U.C.L.'s favour, and they began an early surge away on the buzzers. I noted that captain Simon Dennis, who has sported bright orange hair in the prior rounds, had changed it to blonde and blue this time. Was this U.C.L.'s first match after a recording break?
The first picture round, on Portuguese speaking nations in Africa, saw Tom Parton get a telling off from Paxo for pausing after buzzing. After the bonuses, U.C.L. led by 85-20. Then, came a run of four unanswered starters, including one about the Aberdeenshire hamlet of Towie, and how it is an acronym of 'The Only Way Is Essex'! 'groan!' Three of these starters saw the teams lose points via incorrect interruptions.
Tom Cappleman finally stemmed the flow of dropped starters, bringing New College back into the match. Another starter was dropped, before Andy Hood got New College's second consecutive correct starter. The music round went to U.C.L., who now led by 95-45.
New College then got two consecutive starters, and slashed the gap down to just fifteen points. Andy Hood was unlucky on the next starter, on MPs who defected, by getting the right idea, but not the correct term, 'crossing the floor', which Adam Papaphilippopoulos duly picked up on. Another starter gave U.C.L. a bit more breathing space. The second picture round went to New College, but they still trailed by 130-95.
Into the final phase, and the gap was still closeable. The next starter went to U.C.L., and the lead rose again. And then another starter pulled U.C.L. into a match-winning lead of 70 points. New College were going to have to get a move on if they were going to catch up; they tried, with two consecutive starters going to them, but just one bonus came out of these.
Step in Simon Dennis, and U.C.L.'s lead rose again, and it looked unlikely that New College could catch them now. A miscue from New College seemed to confirm this, and another starter for Mr Dennis made it definite. At the gong, U.C.L. won by 195-115.
A gallant effort from New College, but it's U.C.L. who go through to the final, as most expected on here and on LAM. Simon Dennis was the best buzzer of the night, getting six starters, and his side managed 19 bonuses out of 33 with two penalties. Andy Hood and Tom Cappleman got three each for New College, who made 10 bonuses out of 24 with three penalties. It's a shame to see them go, but they've done very well this series, and, as Paxo said, going out in the semis is not at all disrespectful. Mr Cappleman may well have one of the highest individual totals of the series; I will find out for sure when I compile the overall tallies at the end of the series.
Next week: Manchester play Bangor for the right to fight U.C.L.. And then, the final!
My review of the Third Degree will hopefully be up on Friday.
U.C.L. got to this stage by beating Exeter, Jesus College Oxford, Bangor and Manchester (the latter two of whom play next week in the second semi-final) en route, scoring at least 190 points on each occasion, and holding their nerve when faced with a challenge. They remained:
Adam Papaphilippopoulos, from London, studying Philosophy
Tom Tyszczuk Smith, from Cambridge, studying Medicine
Captain: Simon Dennis, from London, studying the History and Philosophy of Science
Tom Parton, from Staffordshire, studying Natural Sciences
New College Oxford's road to this stage saw them defeat Homerton College Cambridge, York, King's College Cambridge and St George's London. They were pretty good early on, but seemed to slip down a notch in the quarters, relying mainly on the buzzer to get through. They were still:
Remi Beecroft, from Letchworth in
Hertfordshire, studying Psychology and Philosophy
India Lenon, from London, studying Classics
Captain: Andy Hood, from Wasperton in
Warwickshire, studying PPEIndia Lenon, from London, studying Classics
Tom Cappleman, from Bracknell, studying Maths
So, on paper, U.C.L. looked to have the advantage, having scored over 100 more points than New College, and overall performing stronger. Also, New College's performances have been largely reliant on the buzzer work of Mr Tom Cappleman, whilst U.C.L. have provided a more collegiate effort, with all four players getting at least one starter right in all their prior matches.
On with the show, and Mr Cappleman continued his impressive showing with the first starter of the match. Then, the momentum shifted in U.C.L.'s favour, and they began an early surge away on the buzzers. I noted that captain Simon Dennis, who has sported bright orange hair in the prior rounds, had changed it to blonde and blue this time. Was this U.C.L.'s first match after a recording break?
The first picture round, on Portuguese speaking nations in Africa, saw Tom Parton get a telling off from Paxo for pausing after buzzing. After the bonuses, U.C.L. led by 85-20. Then, came a run of four unanswered starters, including one about the Aberdeenshire hamlet of Towie, and how it is an acronym of 'The Only Way Is Essex'! 'groan!' Three of these starters saw the teams lose points via incorrect interruptions.
Tom Cappleman finally stemmed the flow of dropped starters, bringing New College back into the match. Another starter was dropped, before Andy Hood got New College's second consecutive correct starter. The music round went to U.C.L., who now led by 95-45.
New College then got two consecutive starters, and slashed the gap down to just fifteen points. Andy Hood was unlucky on the next starter, on MPs who defected, by getting the right idea, but not the correct term, 'crossing the floor', which Adam Papaphilippopoulos duly picked up on. Another starter gave U.C.L. a bit more breathing space. The second picture round went to New College, but they still trailed by 130-95.
Into the final phase, and the gap was still closeable. The next starter went to U.C.L., and the lead rose again. And then another starter pulled U.C.L. into a match-winning lead of 70 points. New College were going to have to get a move on if they were going to catch up; they tried, with two consecutive starters going to them, but just one bonus came out of these.
Step in Simon Dennis, and U.C.L.'s lead rose again, and it looked unlikely that New College could catch them now. A miscue from New College seemed to confirm this, and another starter for Mr Dennis made it definite. At the gong, U.C.L. won by 195-115.
A gallant effort from New College, but it's U.C.L. who go through to the final, as most expected on here and on LAM. Simon Dennis was the best buzzer of the night, getting six starters, and his side managed 19 bonuses out of 33 with two penalties. Andy Hood and Tom Cappleman got three each for New College, who made 10 bonuses out of 24 with three penalties. It's a shame to see them go, but they've done very well this series, and, as Paxo said, going out in the semis is not at all disrespectful. Mr Cappleman may well have one of the highest individual totals of the series; I will find out for sure when I compile the overall tallies at the end of the series.
Next week: Manchester play Bangor for the right to fight U.C.L.. And then, the final!
My review of the Third Degree will hopefully be up on Friday.
Friday, 12 April 2013
The Third Degree: Week 3: Edinburgh
OK, onto this week's edition of the Third Degree. This week's show came from Edinburgh University. Now, my Dad studied there, and a couple of friends of mine are/have been there as well. The uni entered University Challenge every year from 1999-00 until the most recent series, but they'll surely be back again next year.
The Students were:
Madu Chakrobarti, studying Biological Sciences
Katerina Stojanavic, studying the History of Art
Katie MacKenzie, studying International Relations and Law
And the Dons were:
David Arnott (Biological Sciences)
Dr Devon McHugh (History of Art)
Dr Sean Malloy (International Relations)
OK, no change in the layout, so we began, as usual, with the alternate general knowledge questions. Interesting questions included how the Biro and the Rubix Cube were both invented by Hungarians, and how Bolivia has a Navy, despite being landlocked, in the hope of regaining a strip of coast lost to Chile. After this round, the Students led 8-7.
Onto to the first specialist round, with Ms Chakrobarti and Mr Arnott facing questions on Biological Sciences. Then, onto the lists round, where the Dons managed a full eight on 'historic counties of Scotland ending in SHIRE'. The students also managed a full set on 'countries beginning with M'.
Specialist round two next, between Ms Stojanovic and Dr McHugh, after which the sides were level on 22-each. Highbrow-Lowbrow next, which is always good for a laugh. This week, the two point option was selected by four participants. Highlight of this round was Dr McHugh trying to name three X-Factor winners after going Lowbrow on 'X', and nearly managing it! There was also an interesting question about how most watch commercials show the watch at 10:10, thus allowing most of the face, and the manufacturer name to be shown. After that, the Dons narrowly led by 25-24.
And so onto the final specialist round between Ms MacKenzie, and Dr Malloy, which saw both get all their questions right, this leaving the gap at 1 point. The final quickfire buzzer round was, again, pretty closely fought by the two teams, until the Dons pulled away late on in the round.
The final score saw the Dons win 36-29. A good performance there by the Students, but not quite enough. But a good showing all round by both teams. Well done!
The Students were:
Madu Chakrobarti, studying Biological Sciences
Katerina Stojanavic, studying the History of Art
Katie MacKenzie, studying International Relations and Law
And the Dons were:
David Arnott (Biological Sciences)
Dr Devon McHugh (History of Art)
Dr Sean Malloy (International Relations)
OK, no change in the layout, so we began, as usual, with the alternate general knowledge questions. Interesting questions included how the Biro and the Rubix Cube were both invented by Hungarians, and how Bolivia has a Navy, despite being landlocked, in the hope of regaining a strip of coast lost to Chile. After this round, the Students led 8-7.
Onto to the first specialist round, with Ms Chakrobarti and Mr Arnott facing questions on Biological Sciences. Then, onto the lists round, where the Dons managed a full eight on 'historic counties of Scotland ending in SHIRE'. The students also managed a full set on 'countries beginning with M'.
Specialist round two next, between Ms Stojanovic and Dr McHugh, after which the sides were level on 22-each. Highbrow-Lowbrow next, which is always good for a laugh. This week, the two point option was selected by four participants. Highlight of this round was Dr McHugh trying to name three X-Factor winners after going Lowbrow on 'X', and nearly managing it! There was also an interesting question about how most watch commercials show the watch at 10:10, thus allowing most of the face, and the manufacturer name to be shown. After that, the Dons narrowly led by 25-24.
And so onto the final specialist round between Ms MacKenzie, and Dr Malloy, which saw both get all their questions right, this leaving the gap at 1 point. The final quickfire buzzer round was, again, pretty closely fought by the two teams, until the Dons pulled away late on in the round.
The final score saw the Dons win 36-29. A good performance there by the Students, but not quite enough. But a good showing all round by both teams. Well done!
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
University Challenge: Semi-Final Preview
So, after 34 matches, some nondescript, some truely memorable, we've finally found the final four. They are:
So, those are the raw stats, but they only tell half the story. What about the actual performance records?
Well, U.C.L. have been the most consistently strong team overall, scoring well and strongly over their four matches, with their only real 'scare' being when they fell well behind Bangor in the quarters, but they soon recovered from that. All four players have contributed well over the matches, and the bonus work has been fair as well.
New College were fairly strong early on in the contest, scoring well in the first two rounds on both buzzer and bonus. But, in the quarter-finals, they seemed to drop down a gear, relying mainly on buzzer strength, and not doing too well on the bonuses. And Tom Cappleman has been getting most of their starters, raising a question over whether the rest of the side can make up if he has an off day.
Manchester got off to a shaky start, trailing Lincoln College Oxford until the last half second of the match. But they've more than made up for that 'scare' since, and have been a strong team on buzzer, and fair on the bonuses, with no real standout player.
Bangor also got off to a shaky start, winning a low scoring affair over St Andrews. But they've since shown that they weren't just lucky to get a lucky draw first time around, and have been a strong consistent team ever since. Most of their starters have been courtesy of Simon Tomlinson, which, again, raises questions about if he has an off-day. The team also comprises two blog readers in the form of Adam 'Welshguy' Pearce, and Nina 'pocketmouse' Grant.
So, those are the stats, and the over performance record. What about the draw?
Well, for the first time under the new quarter-final system, the two teams who came straight through without losing a quarter-final, have been drawn together, with U.C.L. playing New College next. James Gratrex of the King's College Cambridge team has suggested this may be due to U.C.L. beating both Bangor and Manchester in the QFs, and the producers not wanting another rematch so soon.
I am inclined to agree, and suspect that, had James and co won last night, they'd have been placed against U.C.L. in the semis, and New College with Manchester.
So, on Monday, U.C.L. play New College, followed by Manchester vs Bangor the week after. And then, the final!
So, who's my tip for the final? To be honest, I cannot call it. It's been a closely fought series, with no real standout candidates for the title. Whoever wins will fully deserve the title.
- University College London: Adam Papaphilippopoulos, Tom Tyszczuk Smith, Simon Dennis and Tom Parton (895 over four matches)
- New College Oxford: Remi Beecroft, India Lenon, Andrew Hood and Tom Cappleman (770 over four matches)
- Manchester: David Brice, Adam Barr, Richard Gilbert and Debbie Brown (955 over five matches)
- Bangor: Adam Pearce, Mark Stevens, Nina Grant and Simon Tomlinson (830 over five matches)
So, those are the raw stats, but they only tell half the story. What about the actual performance records?
Well, U.C.L. have been the most consistently strong team overall, scoring well and strongly over their four matches, with their only real 'scare' being when they fell well behind Bangor in the quarters, but they soon recovered from that. All four players have contributed well over the matches, and the bonus work has been fair as well.
New College were fairly strong early on in the contest, scoring well in the first two rounds on both buzzer and bonus. But, in the quarter-finals, they seemed to drop down a gear, relying mainly on buzzer strength, and not doing too well on the bonuses. And Tom Cappleman has been getting most of their starters, raising a question over whether the rest of the side can make up if he has an off day.
Manchester got off to a shaky start, trailing Lincoln College Oxford until the last half second of the match. But they've more than made up for that 'scare' since, and have been a strong team on buzzer, and fair on the bonuses, with no real standout player.
Bangor also got off to a shaky start, winning a low scoring affair over St Andrews. But they've since shown that they weren't just lucky to get a lucky draw first time around, and have been a strong consistent team ever since. Most of their starters have been courtesy of Simon Tomlinson, which, again, raises questions about if he has an off-day. The team also comprises two blog readers in the form of Adam 'Welshguy' Pearce, and Nina 'pocketmouse' Grant.
So, those are the stats, and the over performance record. What about the draw?
Well, for the first time under the new quarter-final system, the two teams who came straight through without losing a quarter-final, have been drawn together, with U.C.L. playing New College next. James Gratrex of the King's College Cambridge team has suggested this may be due to U.C.L. beating both Bangor and Manchester in the QFs, and the producers not wanting another rematch so soon.
I am inclined to agree, and suspect that, had James and co won last night, they'd have been placed against U.C.L. in the semis, and New College with Manchester.
So, on Monday, U.C.L. play New College, followed by Manchester vs Bangor the week after. And then, the final!
So, who's my tip for the final? To be honest, I cannot call it. It's been a closely fought series, with no real standout candidates for the title. Whoever wins will fully deserve the title.
Monday, 8 April 2013
University Challenge: Play-Off Quarter-Final 2: Bangor vs King's
Well well well, who'd have thought it would come to this? The two 'blog reader' teams from this year's contest clashing for the last place in the semi-finals. Both had done tremendously well to get this far in the contest, considering neither got off to a terribly promising start, but both fully deserve their subsequent success.
Bangor got off to a slow start, winning a low scoring match over St Andrews, but proved their worth when they shockingly beat Durham in the second round. They then lost to U.C.L., but recovered with a good win over Imperial. The side was the same as the other times before:
Captain: Nina Grant, from Enfield in London, studying French and Linguistics
Simon Tomlinson, from Manchester, studying Neuropsychology
King's College Cambridge, lest we forget, came through the repechage, losing to St George's, but then beating Homerton. Subsequent showings were a narrow win over Warwick, a loss to New College, and a very narrow win over Pembroke last time around. The team remained:
Curtis Gallant, from North London, studying Classics
Amber Ace, from Perthshire, studying Classics
Captain: Fran Middleton, from Chorleywood in Hertfordshire, studying Classics
James Gratrex, from Leeds, studying Physics
Among the teams were three blog readers: Adam 'Welshguy' Pearce, Nina 'pocketmouse' Grant, and James 'jim360' Gratrex. So, no partiality from me tonight.
The match began slowly, with the first two starters being dropped, before the hitherto impressive Simon Tomlinson got the match going, with two consecutive starters. With the aid of Ms Grant, he helped Bangor to the sort of strong start we've seen them do twice before, against Durham and U.C.L.. By the first picture round, on the Beatus map, Bangor led by 90-0.
At the moment, King's already looked to be in trouble, and a miscue only worsened their problems, and allowed Bangor to pull ahead. (Incidentally, I'm not a fan of the camera flipping back to a team who've miscued after the other team take the points; it's just not an idea I approve of.)
But our man James finally got King's off the mark, and they took one bonus on, what appeared to be, a complete guess! Even the guesses count! The music round, on biblical oratorios, saw the starter dropped, followed by a further three. James eventually got a starter, allowing King's back into the game, but they still trailed by 130-30.
The third phase saw both teams make progress, but neither really managing much of a momentum run. Bangor had an unlucky miss on one bonus, saying Dupon instead of Dupin. The second picture round arrived, on female scientists, saw King's get back into the match courtesy of Curtis Gallant. Bangor's lead now stood at 160-60.
King's would need to get a move on if they wanted to catch up. James G. tried an early buzz on the next starter, but was wrong; Adam P. shot in straight away, but he was wrong too, prompting Paxo to quip that he should've let him finish! Adam soon made up for that with another starter, and Bangor were now home and dry.
A set of physics bonuses reduced the Welsh side to laughter, as they unsuccessfully tried to get something out them! (Adam remarked earlier on that Bangor has no maths or science departments) King's did manage on more starter, and a couple of bonuses followed just in time before the gong. Bangor had won, by 195-70.
Bad luck James and co, but, as Paxo said, you've done very well throughout the series, especially given the shaky start, and have given us plenty of laughs along the way. And thank you James for your insight as well, which has been fun to read.
But well done Adam, Nina and co on a well deserved victory. I don't think many could've seen you doing this well after your first performace. Well done indeed, and best of luck in the semis!
The stats: Simon Tomlinson continued his impressive series performance, getting seven starters, as the side made 15 bonuses out of 39, with two penalties. Our man James and Curtis Gallant got two each for King's, and the side managed 7 bonuses out of 14, with three penalties.
Next week: the semi-final finally begin, with U.C.L. vs New College. Now, that should be a good match!
A review of today's Third Degree will hopefully be up by the end of the week.
Bangor got off to a slow start, winning a low scoring match over St Andrews, but proved their worth when they shockingly beat Durham in the second round. They then lost to U.C.L., but recovered with a good win over Imperial. The side was the same as the other times before:
Adam Pearce, from Barry in the Vale of
Glamorgan, studying Translation Studies
Mark Stevens, from Widnes in Cheshire,
studying Environmental ScienceCaptain: Nina Grant, from Enfield in London, studying French and Linguistics
Simon Tomlinson, from Manchester, studying Neuropsychology
King's College Cambridge, lest we forget, came through the repechage, losing to St George's, but then beating Homerton. Subsequent showings were a narrow win over Warwick, a loss to New College, and a very narrow win over Pembroke last time around. The team remained:
Curtis Gallant, from North London, studying Classics
Amber Ace, from Perthshire, studying Classics
Captain: Fran Middleton, from Chorleywood in Hertfordshire, studying Classics
James Gratrex, from Leeds, studying Physics
Among the teams were three blog readers: Adam 'Welshguy' Pearce, Nina 'pocketmouse' Grant, and James 'jim360' Gratrex. So, no partiality from me tonight.
The match began slowly, with the first two starters being dropped, before the hitherto impressive Simon Tomlinson got the match going, with two consecutive starters. With the aid of Ms Grant, he helped Bangor to the sort of strong start we've seen them do twice before, against Durham and U.C.L.. By the first picture round, on the Beatus map, Bangor led by 90-0.
At the moment, King's already looked to be in trouble, and a miscue only worsened their problems, and allowed Bangor to pull ahead. (Incidentally, I'm not a fan of the camera flipping back to a team who've miscued after the other team take the points; it's just not an idea I approve of.)
But our man James finally got King's off the mark, and they took one bonus on, what appeared to be, a complete guess! Even the guesses count! The music round, on biblical oratorios, saw the starter dropped, followed by a further three. James eventually got a starter, allowing King's back into the game, but they still trailed by 130-30.
The third phase saw both teams make progress, but neither really managing much of a momentum run. Bangor had an unlucky miss on one bonus, saying Dupon instead of Dupin. The second picture round arrived, on female scientists, saw King's get back into the match courtesy of Curtis Gallant. Bangor's lead now stood at 160-60.
King's would need to get a move on if they wanted to catch up. James G. tried an early buzz on the next starter, but was wrong; Adam P. shot in straight away, but he was wrong too, prompting Paxo to quip that he should've let him finish! Adam soon made up for that with another starter, and Bangor were now home and dry.
A set of physics bonuses reduced the Welsh side to laughter, as they unsuccessfully tried to get something out them! (Adam remarked earlier on that Bangor has no maths or science departments) King's did manage on more starter, and a couple of bonuses followed just in time before the gong. Bangor had won, by 195-70.
Bad luck James and co, but, as Paxo said, you've done very well throughout the series, especially given the shaky start, and have given us plenty of laughs along the way. And thank you James for your insight as well, which has been fun to read.
But well done Adam, Nina and co on a well deserved victory. I don't think many could've seen you doing this well after your first performace. Well done indeed, and best of luck in the semis!
The stats: Simon Tomlinson continued his impressive series performance, getting seven starters, as the side made 15 bonuses out of 39, with two penalties. Our man James and Curtis Gallant got two each for King's, and the side managed 7 bonuses out of 14, with three penalties.
Next week: the semi-final finally begin, with U.C.L. vs New College. Now, that should be a good match!
A review of today's Third Degree will hopefully be up by the end of the week.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
The Third Degree: Week 2: Exeter
Well, sorry for the long wait for this, but I missed the show on Monday, and haven't had a chance to listen to it again until now.
But, on with a short review of this week's show, which this week came from the University of Exeter. Steve Punt, in his typical way, claimed the show to be harder than University Challenge, as they actually do make the teams sit on top of each other! The students were:
Laurie Belch, studying Biosciences
Anna Clifford, studying Psychology
Jack Griffiths, studying Philosophy
And the Dons were:
Robbie McDonald (Biosciences)
Michelle Ryan (Psychology)
John DuPrey (Philosophy)
So, we kicked off, as usual, with the general knowledge swapping questions. Some interesting questions in this line-up, including why whistling in a theatre is considered bad luck. The students' final question was a complex maths question, which Punt insisted on giving commentary on while they worked it out! The score at the end of the round was a lead for the Dons 4-2.
The first specialist round followed, with Laurie and Robbie facing off on questions on biosciences. This was followed by the lists round, which saw the Dons try to name 'original defendants of the Nuremberg trials', of which they could only manage two. The students had to name the 'original player tokens in Monopoly', of which they managed six; this was enough to give the Students a lead of 11-8.
Specialist round two between Anna and Michelle followed. Then came 'Highbrow-Lowbrow', which is always the highlight of the show. This week, the two-point option (ie a student going highbrow, or a don going lowbrow) was selected by three of the participants. After that round finally ended, the students led by 18-14.
The final specialist round between the remaining student-don combo, came next. And then onto the final quickfire buzzer round. This round saw the Dons impressively fight back at the deficit, while one of the students was caught out by a UC-style swerve question. But it wasn't enough, and the Students won by 25-22. Only the second student victory in the show's brief history. Well done indeed to the students.
Well, hopefully I'll remember to listen to the Monday showing next week, so the review will be up earlier on in the week. We'll have to wait and see.
But, on with a short review of this week's show, which this week came from the University of Exeter. Steve Punt, in his typical way, claimed the show to be harder than University Challenge, as they actually do make the teams sit on top of each other! The students were:
Laurie Belch, studying Biosciences
Anna Clifford, studying Psychology
Jack Griffiths, studying Philosophy
And the Dons were:
Robbie McDonald (Biosciences)
Michelle Ryan (Psychology)
John DuPrey (Philosophy)
So, we kicked off, as usual, with the general knowledge swapping questions. Some interesting questions in this line-up, including why whistling in a theatre is considered bad luck. The students' final question was a complex maths question, which Punt insisted on giving commentary on while they worked it out! The score at the end of the round was a lead for the Dons 4-2.
The first specialist round followed, with Laurie and Robbie facing off on questions on biosciences. This was followed by the lists round, which saw the Dons try to name 'original defendants of the Nuremberg trials', of which they could only manage two. The students had to name the 'original player tokens in Monopoly', of which they managed six; this was enough to give the Students a lead of 11-8.
Specialist round two between Anna and Michelle followed. Then came 'Highbrow-Lowbrow', which is always the highlight of the show. This week, the two-point option (ie a student going highbrow, or a don going lowbrow) was selected by three of the participants. After that round finally ended, the students led by 18-14.
The final specialist round between the remaining student-don combo, came next. And then onto the final quickfire buzzer round. This round saw the Dons impressively fight back at the deficit, while one of the students was caught out by a UC-style swerve question. But it wasn't enough, and the Students won by 25-22. Only the second student victory in the show's brief history. Well done indeed to the students.
Well, hopefully I'll remember to listen to the Monday showing next week, so the review will be up earlier on in the week. We'll have to wait and see.
Monday, 1 April 2013
University Challenge: Play-Off Quarter-Final 1: Manchester vs St George's
Good evening from Ayrshire, for the first match I've viewed outside of my home county since the Summer of 2011! Tonight would see the end of the road for one of two teams, both of whom had impressed early on. As I mentioned over on LAM, this is the first time under the new QF system where the two teams who won their preliminary but lost their qualifier face off in the play-off.
Reigning champions Manchester have more than made up for that 'scare' against Lincoln in the first round, beating Magdalen and Imperial comfortably, before losing a good match to U.C.L.. They were still:
David Brice, from Kingston-upon-Thames, studying Economics
Adam Barr, from Muswell Hill in London, studying Physics with Astrophysics
Captain: Richard Gilbert, from Warwickshire, studying Linguistics
Debbie Brown, from Buxton, studying Pain Epidemiology
St George's impressed hugely in the early stages, narrowly beating our man James G. and co from King's in the first round, before more comprehensive wins over Lancaster and Pembroke, but New College proved too much for them in their qualifier. They remained:
Shashank Sivaji, from Southend-on-Sea, studying Medicine
Alexander Suebsaeng, from London, studying Medicine
Captain: Rebecca Smoker, from County Kildare, studying Medicine
Sam Mindel, from London, studying Medicine
You know, I've been wondering what happens at reunions for St George's graduates; it might end up a bit like this.
Alexander Suebsaeng, impressive in earlier rounds, got St George's off to the better start, but no bonuses followed. Manchester then dominated the remainder of the opening phase, with both starters and bonuses falling their way. A mis-buzz from St George's reduced their score into single figures. The first picture round was on a map of the Ivy League unis, the starter of which I (correctly) guessed on, as it made sense.
Manchester currently led by 75-5, and continued their domination with the next starter. But then two consecutive starters from Sam Mindel, and two full sets of bonuses bought St George's back into the game with a bang. A third starter followed for the medics, but no bonuses this time. Shashank Sivaji tried an early buzz on an American politics question, only to be beaten by a swerve. The music round saw Manchester employ the common tactic of answering all three bonuses with the same answer, in the hope it will be right once! It worked! And the champs now led by 110-60.
Throughout the third phase, the sides generally swapped starters, with neither being able to gather a run of momentum. The second picture round was on female winners of Nobel prizes, which saw St George's have an unlucky miss on Marie Curie, naming one of the awards she won, but not the other. The score was now 140-90 to Manchester, so the scores had risen, but the gap had stayed the same.
Going into the final phase, it was still all to play for. A very impressive early buzz from Adam Barr saw Manchester increase their lead. But St George's hit straight back, with two consecutive starters, reducing the gap to 35.
But this was as close as they were going to get, as Manchester pulled ahead again with the next starter. An incorrect early buzz from Manchester gave the medics the chance to close the gap again, but no bonuses followed the starter. And from that point on, Manchester pulled away, and firmly cemented their lead. At the gong, Manchester won by 220-135. The final score suggests a far less closer match than it was.
It's a shame for St George's, who were looking like potential champions at one point, but clearly the pressure got to them in the end. Sam Mindel led the way for them tonight, getting six starters, and the side managed 11 bonuses out of 27 with two penalties. Adam Barr also managed six starters, which was Manchester's best tally, and the side answered 19 bonuses out of 36 correctly, with one late penalty.
Next week: the final quarter-final sees Bangor play King's for the last place in the semi-finals, in a clash of the 'blog reader' teams. Best of luck to all involved!
Hopefully, a review of this afternoon's Third Degree will be up by Sunday night. I missed it this afternoon, as I forgot it was on, but I know the outcome, and it sounds intriguing.
Reigning champions Manchester have more than made up for that 'scare' against Lincoln in the first round, beating Magdalen and Imperial comfortably, before losing a good match to U.C.L.. They were still:
David Brice, from Kingston-upon-Thames, studying Economics
Adam Barr, from Muswell Hill in London, studying Physics with Astrophysics
Captain: Richard Gilbert, from Warwickshire, studying Linguistics
Debbie Brown, from Buxton, studying Pain Epidemiology
St George's impressed hugely in the early stages, narrowly beating our man James G. and co from King's in the first round, before more comprehensive wins over Lancaster and Pembroke, but New College proved too much for them in their qualifier. They remained:
Shashank Sivaji, from Southend-on-Sea, studying Medicine
Alexander Suebsaeng, from London, studying Medicine
Captain: Rebecca Smoker, from County Kildare, studying Medicine
Sam Mindel, from London, studying Medicine
You know, I've been wondering what happens at reunions for St George's graduates; it might end up a bit like this.
Alexander Suebsaeng, impressive in earlier rounds, got St George's off to the better start, but no bonuses followed. Manchester then dominated the remainder of the opening phase, with both starters and bonuses falling their way. A mis-buzz from St George's reduced their score into single figures. The first picture round was on a map of the Ivy League unis, the starter of which I (correctly) guessed on, as it made sense.
Manchester currently led by 75-5, and continued their domination with the next starter. But then two consecutive starters from Sam Mindel, and two full sets of bonuses bought St George's back into the game with a bang. A third starter followed for the medics, but no bonuses this time. Shashank Sivaji tried an early buzz on an American politics question, only to be beaten by a swerve. The music round saw Manchester employ the common tactic of answering all three bonuses with the same answer, in the hope it will be right once! It worked! And the champs now led by 110-60.
Throughout the third phase, the sides generally swapped starters, with neither being able to gather a run of momentum. The second picture round was on female winners of Nobel prizes, which saw St George's have an unlucky miss on Marie Curie, naming one of the awards she won, but not the other. The score was now 140-90 to Manchester, so the scores had risen, but the gap had stayed the same.
Going into the final phase, it was still all to play for. A very impressive early buzz from Adam Barr saw Manchester increase their lead. But St George's hit straight back, with two consecutive starters, reducing the gap to 35.
But this was as close as they were going to get, as Manchester pulled ahead again with the next starter. An incorrect early buzz from Manchester gave the medics the chance to close the gap again, but no bonuses followed the starter. And from that point on, Manchester pulled away, and firmly cemented their lead. At the gong, Manchester won by 220-135. The final score suggests a far less closer match than it was.
It's a shame for St George's, who were looking like potential champions at one point, but clearly the pressure got to them in the end. Sam Mindel led the way for them tonight, getting six starters, and the side managed 11 bonuses out of 27 with two penalties. Adam Barr also managed six starters, which was Manchester's best tally, and the side answered 19 bonuses out of 36 correctly, with one late penalty.
Next week: the final quarter-final sees Bangor play King's for the last place in the semi-finals, in a clash of the 'blog reader' teams. Best of luck to all involved!
Hopefully, a review of this afternoon's Third Degree will be up by Sunday night. I missed it this afternoon, as I forgot it was on, but I know the outcome, and it sounds intriguing.
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