University Challenge 2021-22: Round 1: Match 4: Emmanuel vs St Andrews

Good evening friends, and here we go again! England vs Scotland tonight, with two teams hoping to give us a livelier contest than we got between the two nations at Wembley back in June! Winners would go straight through, runners-up would have to wait and see for the play-offs. It's been a rather low scoring start to the series so far, so maybe tonight's match would up the ante a bit...

Emmanuel College Cambridge is appearing on its seventh BBC series tonight, and its fourth in six years. Its most successful run, of course, being when it won the series under the captaincy of Alex Guttenplan in 2009-10, its second most being a semi-final appearance under Bobby Seagull's captaincy in 2016-17. This year's team were:

Nicole Pullinger, from Hong Kong, studying English

Nicholas Thatte, from Oxford (originally Greece), studying Physics

Captain: Kara Malcolm, from Guildford (originally Capetown), studying Engineering

James Wrathall, from Mistley in Essex, studying Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

 

St Andrews is appearing for the seventeenth time in the BBC series; of its previous sixteen appearances, its best was a semi-final run in 2003-04. Its greatest success came in the ITV series though, winning in 1982 and runners-up in 1984 to an Open University team captained by Brain of Britain and Fifteen-to-One champ Barbara Thompson. This year's St Andrews foursome were:

Alastair Fennell, from Edinburgh, studying Physics

Harry Alderson, from Shelford in Cambridgeshire, studying Physics

Captain: Jack Wigg, from Glasgow, studying Maths

Aine McMenamin, from London, studying Classics

 

So off we set once again, and the first starter was a gimme to anyone who's seen the film version of 'Starter for 10', as you'll have known instantly that Patrick Watts was played by Benedict Cumberbatch; Mr Thatte waited for the more obvious clue of Sherlock Holmes before buzzing correctly. Emmanuel took two bonuses from their first set, and all three of the second set that came next. St Andrews got going on the third starter, answered by Ms McMenamin, and they took just one of their first set. They also took the first picture round, on the outlines of equatorial countries; another sole bonus cut the gap to 45-30.

Emmanuel increased that gap again as Mr Wrathall took the next starter, but got nothing from bonuses on recent sporting achievement (I got two). St Andrews then lost five on two successive starters; Emmanuel picked up both, but only got one bonus from both of the resulting sets, amongst them an unfortunate suggestion that Joan Collins was born in 1893! St Andrews got going again as Mr Fennell won the race to identify Oliver! for the music starter; the bonuses, on musicals whose book, music and lyrics were all written by the same person, gave them two correct answers, to reduce the gap to 85-40.

Another starter to the Cambridge side increased it, and they took a full bonus set on piracy. St Andrews needed to get a move on if they were to stand a chance, and get a move on they did, two successive starters and five out of six bonuses took them right back into the game. They also took the second picture round, on paintings by French impressionists of their contemporaries, and took two bonuses to cut the gap to 110-105.

It increased again when the Scots side lost another five, but Emmanuel didn't pick up this time. Ms Pullinger did make a very good quick buzz on the next starter, but just one bonus left the door ajar for their opponents. Mr Wigg duly ensured all four St Andrews players had contributed a starter, and they took a full set of bonuses to put the teams level! A straight shootout to the end now; Emmanuel blinked first, but none of the resulting bonuses kept their opponents in the game. Mr Fennell capitalised as he took the final starter, and one bonus was enough to see his side home and dry. At the gong, St Andrews had snuck the win, 140-135.

Another good close match between two well matched teams, well played both; the second 140-135 of the series too! Well done St Andrews and best of luck in the next round! And well done Emmanuel too, and hopefully 135 will bring you back in the play-offs, we shall wait and see, but thanks for now!

The stats: Mr Wrathall was best on the buzzer with four starters, while Mr Fennell and Ms McMenamin got three each for St Andrews. On the bonuses, Emmanuel managed 11 out of 24 and St Andrews 15 out of 24 (with three penalties), so the bonuses just about won the game.

Next week's match: Queen Mary London vs Oxford Brookes

Only Connect pitted the Golfers, Evan Lynch (UC alumnus), George Charlson and captain Frances Clark-Murray, against the Wildlifers, Harry Kanagaratnam, James True and captain Lucy Harry, wife of Harry. The Golfers led 5-2 after the first round, and 9-4 after the second. Two perfect walls left it as you were, 19-14, going into Missing Vowels, and the Golfers maintained and increased their advantage to win 27-17.

 

Brain of Britain’s third heat was a lower scoring one than the first two; Mark Manson won with ten points, Bernadette Stott, Lisa Tulfer and Caroline Markovitch also competed and finished with 6, 4 and 2 respectively. Highlight was an audio question about I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue that I could’ve answered without the clip!

University Challenge 2021-22: Round 1: Match 3: L.B.S. vs Hertford

Good evening friends, and here we go again! My reviews of the first two matches were a bit on the long side; I usually try and keep my reviews shorter in the early rounds and then gradually and subtly increase as the series goes on. So, I'll try and keep things a bit conciser this week, though don't hold me to that.

The London Business School is appearing in only its second ever UC series; its first, back in 2005-06, saw it impressively reach the semi-finals, where they were soundly beaten by eventual winners Manchester. The second L.B.S. team in the show's history were:

John Butterworth, from Bristol, studying Business Administration

Frederick Ruess, from Germany and Switzerland, studying for an MBA

Captain: Fraser Maddox, from Dunbar, studying for an MBA

Malia Valenzuela, from Lima, Peru, studying for an MBA

 

Hertford College Oxford has appeared twice before on the BBC series, firstly a first round exit in 2010-11; its second team, in 2018-19, reached the second round, and on it was Chris Page, who has since won £250,000 on WWTBAM?. This year's Hertford team was:

Matt Hitchens, from South London, studyign Philosophy

Bridget Donaldson, from Morpeth in Northumberland, studying Engineering

Captain: Matthew Lloyd, from Barnes in London, studying Physiology

Lucy Oswald, from Central London, studying Astrophysics

 

So off we set for the third time this series, and it was Mr Hitchens who identified JF Kennedy for the first starter; the bonuses saw the Oxonians guess correctly twice in a matter not that unreminiscent of the Warwick team that won last series, a full house. L.B.S. followed off the mark with Mr Butterworth doing their honours, but they only took one bonus from their first set. The sides then swapped starters again, Hertford taking a starter and two bonuses, before L.B.S. took the first picture round, on national emblems in the Soviet style; another sole correct cut the gap to 45-30.

The lead was increased again when Mr Lloyd (whom I wonder whether he is related to Jacob Lloyd of the winning Balliol Oxford team from a few series back) took two successive starters, and both occasions saw the Oxonians add two correct bonuses to their score. Mr Hitchens gave them a third in a row, giving them a bonus set on leprosy, which they got the same two correct of as I did. The music starter saw Mr Butterworth first to identify Fatboy Slim; the bonuses, on 90s pop songs that sample film dialogue, gave the Londoners two correct starters, to reduce their arrears to 105-50.

They increased again though when Mr Hitchens was first to identify the metaphysical poets, and, once again, two bonuses were taken (I knew the one they didn't get). Another starter and pair of bonuses pretty much put the game beyond L.B.S.'s realistic reach, but Mr Ruess did take the next starter for them; the bonuses, on Australian birds, saw them take one and give Paxo a scoffing opportunity with another with a suggestion of 'ostrich'! The second picture round, on paintings depicting women and snakes, went to Hertford, who took yet another pair of bonuses, which took their lead to 165-65.

The game was over as a contest, but L.B.S. did at least manage a late rally to respectability, with Mr Ruess taking two successive starters; one bonus from the first set, and two from the second, on poisons used in Agatha Christie novels, saw them deservedly reach three figures. Mr Lloyd took the final starter, identifying Rovers as the suffix shared by the football teams from the places listed; their bonus run ended when they only took one from the resulting set, but it mattered not. At the gong, Hertford won 180-100.

A nice match, with two pleasant and watchable teams, well played both! Thanks to L.B.S. for playing, and giving a respectable account of themselves. And well done to Hertford, a good team on the buzzer and the bonuses, could be one to watch in the next round; best of luck to them there!

The stats: Mr Lloyd was, narrowly, the best buzzer of the night with four starters, while Messrs Butterworth and Ruess both got two each for L.B.S.. On the bonuses, L.B.S. managed 8 out of 18, and Hertford a solid 18 out of 27, and there were no penalties all night.

Next week's match: Emmanuel College Cambridge vs St Andrews

Only Connect continued its first round with its third heat, with the Apollos, Tim Robinson, Rob Butlin and captain Terry Prett, and the Jukebozers, Bhagwan Manky, Laura Myles and captain Paul Mackely. The former led 6-2 after the first round, and an evenly scoring second round saw them maintain the lead at 10-6 (I claim 3 points on the Xbox question). Two perfect walls maintained the gap again, 20-16, but the Jukeboxers fared much better on Missing Vowels and came from behind to win 27-22.

 

Brain of Britain was won by Toby Cox, who I believe was on UC in 1998-99 as part of the second placed Oriel Oxford team captained by David Stainer; he scored a full six on his first round of questions and was never overtaken, though was run close. He finished on 14 points; Rachel Pagan and Michael McPartland, both OC alumni,  finished second and third with 11 and 10 respectively, and fourth participant Joyce Fulbrook finished with 4.

University Challenge 2021-22: Round 1: Match 2: U.C.L. vs St Hilda's

Greetings friends, and here we go again! Last week, the new series opened with a low scoring, but still close and enthralling contest, and, with any luck, we'd continue that form on tonight. Tonight, we'd be meetings two more teams, one from a very regular UC institution, the other from one that hasn't sent a student team since the days when DoND was less than six months old!

U.C.L. is the regular sender, having appeared 13 times on the BBC series, its best performances being two final defeats in 04-05 and 12-13; its last team, three series ago, were narrowly beaten by eventual winners Edinburgh in the second round in a massive Sliding Doors match. This year's team were:

Hugo Fleming, from Weybridge in Surrey, studying Neuroscience

Max Traeger, from East Molesey in Surrey, studying History and Politics of the Americas

Captain: Koshiro Kiso, from Japan, studying Cell Biology

Humaira Maka, from London, studying Medicine

 

St Hilda's College Oxford was last seen on the student series was in 05-06, when they were soundly trounced by eventual winners Manchester in the second round; a victory in the 2016 Christmas series surely went some way to atoning for that, also giving us the first all-female team to win a UC series. Tonight's team were the first mixed gender team from the college; they were:

Luca Chilvers, from Colchester, studying Philosophy and Linguistics

Akshay Pal, from Bolton, studying Engineering

Captain: Catriona Dionisio, from London, studying Classics

Chris Bennett, from Cobham in Surrey, studying Theology and Science

 

So off we set, and Ms Dionisio got her side off the mark first, identifying 'Miller' as the surname linking the authors of the works listed; bonuses on fictional islands gave them one correct answer, and also saw Paxo mispronounce the Island of Sodor as 'SODor' for not the first time on the show! (Maybe that's what the Rev Awdry intended and they changed it for the TV series!) U.C.L. quickly got going too with two starters from Messrs Kiso and Fleming, and a solid haul of five bonuses out of six gave them an early lead. The first picture round, on the names of Shakespeare plays in the language of the country they're set in, went to St Hilda's, who took a full set of their own to pull back to 45-40.

U.C.L. duly increased the lead again, but only took one bonus on astronomy this time. St Hilda's bit back too with Mr Bennett offering, what looked like, an educated guess of 'Murder on the Orient Express'; bonuses on teams that have won all four tiers of the EFL, also gave the Oxonians just one correct answer (I got Preston and Portsmouth, but missed Wolves). A penalty then pulled the sides level, and Mr Bennett then gave St Hilda's the lead, and two bonuses on volcanic eruptions were taken. U.C.L. recovered with the music round, on piano concertos performed by their composer at their premiere; one bonus put the gap back at five points, 75-70.

It increased again when Mr Pal made sure all four Oxonians had a starter to their name; two correct bonuses from a complicated maths set followed, as did another penalty from U.C.L.. St Hilda's moved into three figures first when Ms Dionisio took the next starter, and bonuses on John Keats gave them two correct. Two starters were dropped before Mr Chilvers took the next; no bonuses on Scottish footpaths were taken, but they did now have a potentially match winning lead. But then U.C.L. took the second picture round, on recent TV series developed from films, and took all thee bonuses, which cut the gap down to 125-90.

The Londoners duly took the next starter and two bonuses to cut the gap to 15. And when St Hilda's lost five on the next and they took it, they had pulled level, but couldn't get the one bonus to take the lead. Now a straight shootout, it was Mr Bennett who blinked first, and St Hilda's took two bonuses on anatomy, leaving U.C.L. needing a quick clean sweep. Mr Kiso took the starter they needed, and the first bonus came, but the gong went before they could answer the second. St Hilda's won 140-135.

A good close contest between two well-matched teams, well played both. Well done St Hilda's and best of luck in the second round! And hopefully U.C.L.'s score will bring them back too, but it'll be on the borderline I think; well done to them anyway on a good effort!

The stats: Messrs Fleming, Kiso and Bennett were the best buzzers of the night with three each. On the bonuses, U.C.L. managed 13 out of 23 (with two penalties) and St Hilda's... 13 out of 24 as well! So it was fewer penalties that won it. Also, all eight players contributed at least one starter, good to see so early in the series.

Next week's match: London Business School vs Hertford College Oxford

Only Connect’s second heat pitted the Gamemakers, Andrew Condon, Edward Pearce and captain Nicholas Nagata, and the Animal Lovers, Claire Heywood, Isabella Morris (UC alumnus, St John’s Oxford 19-20) and captain Emily Wolfenden (another UC alumnus, Warwick 18-19). The Lovers led 4-3 after the first round, which they increased to 11-6 after the second, which included another of those incidents where a credible alternate sequence to that TPTB had in mind was offered up. Five each on the Walls took the scores to 16-11, and the Lovers maintained pace in Missing Vowels to win 23-15.

 

Brain of Britain began its competition proper with its first heat this afternoon. Chris Kilbride won the show with 12 points, with another UC alumnus, Lillian Crawford (Trinity Cambridge 19-20) finishing second with 10, which might yet be enough for a highest scoring runners-up place. David Gregson and Clare Barrow, a finalist in the last series of Mastermind, also competed, ending with 8 and 7 respectively.