University Challenge 2021-22: Preliminary Quarter-Final 2: King's vs Imperial

Good evening friends, and welcome back to the penultimate week of the season when we have a full three part line-up for Quizzy Mondays! Only Connect ends next week; haven't decided yet whether I'm going to do a full blog or not this year. In the meantime, we carry on with UC, and our second preliminary quarter-final, a London derby and a rematch from last series.

 

King's College London reached the quarter-finals for a second series running via a low scoring 115-100 first round win over Glasgow and an improved 175-115 second round victory over Hertford of Oxford that ended that university's interest in this series. They were unchanged from those two wins: 

Ananth Sathyanath, from Southampton, studying Medicine

Rachel Bedwin, from South East London, studying Developmental Biology

Captain: Atyab Rahid, from Daventry, studying Philosophy 

Oliver Beard, from South East London, studying the History of War 

Imperial College London had two higher scoring victories to reach a third successive group stage, firstly beating fellow QFers St John's 210-155 in the first round, and then just two weeks ago, they beat Exeter 205-70 in the second round. They were also the same foursome as before: 

Max Zeng, from Singapore, studying Biochemistry

Fatima Sheriff, from Hitchin in Hertforshire, studying Science Communication

Captain: Michael Mays, from Montrose, studying Computational Fluid Dynamics

Gilbert Jackson, from Bury St Edmunds, studying Chemistry

 

So off we set for the second time in this longest of long rounds, and for the second week in a row, five points were lost on the first starter; Imperial took advantage of their opponents' mistake as Ms Sheriff took the points and two bonuses were taken. Mr Zeng confirmed his geography expertise hadn't vanished between recordings as he quickly took yet another on the next starter; Imperial consistantly took another two bonuses, before Mr Rashid took King's off the mark, and they went one better taking a full set on their first bonus set. The first picture round, on Indian state capitals and their states, went to Imperial, or rather to Mr Zeng, who single handedly took the starter and all three bonuses to take his side's lead to 65-20.

Both sides then lost five on successive starters, before Mr Zeng got the scoring going the right way again; bonuses on art though saw them get just one starter, and then those five points were lost to yet another penalty. Ms Sheriff identified the origins of the phrase 'tenterhooks' for the next starter, but they got nothing from a bonus set on fungi. Mr Zeng looked to have been beaten by a swerve on the next starter, but quickly adjusted his answer to collect the points; bonuses on the band They Might Be Giants gave Imperial a full set, though, to my astonishment, Malcolm in the Middle wasn't an answer! The music round, on mothers singing to their children in opera, also went to Imperial, but their fortunes on the bonuses swung right back the other way again with none taken; still, they led 120-15.

And when Mr Zeng quickly took the next starter, and all three bonuses on bank notes were taken, the match already looked good as over. At which point, Mr Sathyanath reawoke King's by identifying Chievo and Hellas as the two main football teams in Verona; one bonus was taken. Mr Sathyanath did the right thing and buzzed quickly again on the next starter, but no answer came; Ms Sheriff took the points and two points were taken. Mr Zeng then predictably took yet another geography starter very quickly, and Paxo brought out the old favourite "sorry it's so easy!" when Imperial took the first bonus; they took one of the other two as well. The second picture round, on long serving non-royal world leaders, went to King's, who took another sole bonus to take the scores to 185-40.

Mr Rashid took a second starter in a row to deservedly lift his side out of the Sub-50 Club, and another sole bonus on anatomy was taken with it. The King's captain went for the hattrick, but this time was wrong, allowing Mr Zeng to take the points; no bonuses were taken, but Mr Mays took the next starter and a full set on US geography was once again duly swept up by that man Mr Zeng. He took the next starter too; just one bonus followed, but it mattered not. At the gong, Imperial won 235-50.

Another one sided but enjoyable contest. Very well done to Imperial, Mr Zeng in particular, on another superfluous performance which marks them down as a team to beat; very best of luck in the qualifier matches! Hard lines to King's, who were simply outplayed and did the right thing in keeping on going for it early; best of luck to them in the eliminator rounds!

The stats: Mr Zeng was easily the best buzzer of the night with EIGHT(!) starters (taking his running total to 19), while Mr Rashid was best for King's with three. On the bonuses, King's managed 6 out of 12 (with four penalties) and Imperial a decent 23 out of 39 (with two penalties).

Next week's match: don't know yet, except that it'll be two of St John's, Emmanuel, Edinburgh and Trinity; if I find anything for definite, I'll say so on Twitter.

Only Connect paused before next week’s final with the third place play-off, between the Ramblers and the Animal Lovers, a line-up composed almost entirely of recent UC alumni. The Ramblers led 6-4 after the first round, before a shutout second round saw that lad increase to 18-4 (I claim two points on the Charles Ingram question, natch, and the horizontal numbers). A better wall saw them increase their advantage to 28-9, which meant Missing Vowels was just a formality, the final score 30-13.

 

Mastermind would be won by Tom Lea with 22 points, with Louisa Radice finishing second with 18, and third and fourth place Shanine Salmon and John Ball finishing just behind with 16 and 14 respectively.

University Challenge 2021-22: Preliminary Quarter-Final 1: Reading vs Birmingham

Good evening friends, and welcome to the quarter-finals of this year's University Challenge! After a rather hit and miss first round, the second round was a definite step in the right direction, and, at the end of it, we have a very decent line-up of eight teams, any of whom could, as I said last night, reach the semis in the right circumstances. Tonight we opened with two teams who have had two comfortable wins so far...

Reading have defeated two Scottish institutions so far, beating Strathclyde 175-115 in the first round, before very easily seeing off Dundee 245-50 in the second. They were unchanged from those two matches: 

Alex Skopic, from Springville, Pennsylvania, studying English Literature

Margaret Ounsley, from Reading, studying Poor Law History

Captain: Michael Hutchinson, from Caversham (originally Andover), studying for a PGCE

Sylvain Jesudoss, from Thanjuvar, India, studying Marketing

 

Birmingham very also very easy winners of Sussex in a first round match where their opponents made history for the wrong reasons, before a similarly imperious second round win saw them beat St Andrews 225-50. They were also unchanged from before: 

Mark McParlan, from Crosby near Liverpool, studying History and English

John Robinson, from Birmingham (originally Sevenoaks), studying Literature and Culture

Captain: Michael Joel Bartelle, from San Antonio, Texas, studying Shakespeare Studies

Jaimy Sajit, from Derby, studying Medicine

 

So, off we set on the quarter-final stage once again, and a Birmingham penalty immediately handed Reading an early advantage, with the Biscuitmen taking two bonuses on academies of learning. Birmingham quickly recovered their lost points though, and pulled level with a full set of bonuses, only for Ms Ounsley to quickly give Reading the lead again; one bonus on Shanghai was taken. The first picture round, on crown lands of Austria-Hungary, went to Birmingham; two correct gave them a 40-35 lead.

Mr Bartelle then increased this advantage with 'tabernacle', and a full set of bonuses on Owain Glyndwr was duly taken. Another starter to Birmingham gave them two correct bonuses, before Mr Hutchinson, easily Reading's best buzzer in the rounds prior, opened his account for this game; two correct bonuses were taken, but five of those points were then lost to a penalty. Birmingham picked up the points, but they got nothing from a bonus set on Thomas Hardy. Neither side got the music starter; the bonuses, on pop groups noted for use of sampling, went to Birmingham, who got nothing from a second successive bonus set, but still led 105-50.

 

Ms Sajit then ensured all four Birmingham players had answered a starter correctly, but, again, the bonuses didn't fall for them, nothing on Ancient Greek philosophy. Mr Hutchinson then reawoke Reading, and they, in contrast, took a full set on storms in classical music. The Reading captain then appeared to take an educated guess on the next starter, but was correct, and his side pulled right back into the game with a second successive full house. The second picture starter was dropped; the bonuses, on sculptures of birds, went to Reading, who took one bonus to pull level on 115-each, and set up a straight sprint for the finish.

Reading blinked first as that man Mr Hutchinson took a fourth correct starter in a row, which was followed by two correct bonuses on rivers. Back came Birmingham with Mr McParlan identifying the jay, and they too took two correct bonuses, which leveled the scores up again. Next starter would be crucial: Mr Hutchinson took it, and a full bonus set on Ireland put his side more or less over the line. The Reading captain made sure of the win by taking the final starter; they missed the one bonus there was time for, but it mattered not. At the gong, Reading won 170-135.

A good contest between two excellent well matched teams, well played both of them! Congrats to Reading, another good win and best of luck in the qualifiers! Hard lines to Birmingham, but they still gave a good account of themselves, and best of luck in the eliminators!

The stats: Mr Hutchinson was once again the best buzzer of the night with seven starters, taking his running total to 27, while Messrs McParlan and Bartelle were joint best for Birmingham with three each. On the bonuses, Reading managed 17 out of 25 and Birmingham 12 out of 24 (with both sides incurring one penalty each).

Next week's match: don't know yet, I would guess King's vs Imperial, but I'll retweet anything I find for definite.

Only Connect reached its second semi-final, which saw the Data Wizards play the Ramblers. The Wizards led 4-1 after the first round (I claim FIVE POINTS on the very first question; I knew about James Buchanan’s niece Harriet Lane from an old UC!), before the Ramblers closed the gap to 9-7 after the second. Two very quick perfect walls made it as you were, 19-17 going into Missing Vowels, which ended an even split, giving the Data Wizards a 24-22 win; they go through the final against the Golfers in two weeks’ time, the Ramblers will play the Animal Lovers in the third place play-off next week.

 

Mastermind was won comfortably by Lucy Westall with 25 points, six clear of second place Morgan Walmsley-Davies; Lynn Roulstone and John Kiernan also partook, finishing with 16 and 17 respectively.

University Challenge 2021-22: Second Round Review and Quarter-Final Preview

OK, so, after a rather sluggish first round, this year's UC looks to have got into gear in the second round, with, yes, some rather one sided walkovers, but some good close matches as well, and, at the end of it all, we have a pretty strong line-up for the always controversial quarter-final stage.

Our eight quarter-finalists are, in order of qualication and alongside their overall and average scores:

• St John's College Cambridge (550 over three matches, 183.33)
• Emmanuel College Cambridge (440 over three matches, 146.67)
• Edinburgh (455 over two matches, 227.5)
• Trinity College Cambridge (425 over two matches, 212.5)
• Reading (420 over two matches, 210)
• King's College London (280 over two matches, 140)
• Birmingham (470 over two matches, 235)
• Imperial College London (415 over two matches, 207.5) 

So, that's the boring raw stats out of the way; now for the slightly less boring bit where I disect them and try to pick the four most likely quarter-finalists.

Well, firstly, I would earmark Edinburgh as the main favourites, given they had easily the highest score of the first round, and then won the best match of the second round over the excellent Bristol team, holding their nerve to do so after their opponents so nearly pipped them at the end. A well balanced team with all four players contributing on the buzzer, they will definitely start as favourites.

After them, we have Birmingham and Trinity; while their comfortable first round victories could've been said at the time to be due to being against weaker opponents, their equally emphtic second round victories over proven decent teams (both of whom defeated teams who survived to the play-offs in the first round) shows they are definitely teams worthy of consideration as favourites.

 

Then we have Imperial, who defeated fellow quarter-finalists St John's in the first round comfortably, then also had a comfortable second round win in which they were excellent on the buzzers again. St John's themselves went on to a close scare in the play-offs against U.C.L., but recovered nicely with a comfortable win over Queen Mary. Reading also relied mainly on the buzzer work of their captain Mr Hutchinson in both their two comfortable wins so far. Any of these three teams are certainly capable of being worthy semi-finalists in the right circumstances.

 

And finally, we have King's, the lowest scoring quarter-finalists so far, who had a low scoring slow start, but a better and decent second showing, and Emmanuel, another team who survived through the play-offs and who also have a low scoring close win and a decent but not spectacular comfortable win to their names. They will both probably start as underdogs, but both are certainly capable of making a mockery of that status.

 

As usual, I suspect it will probably come down to who plays who when, which has been quite crucial when it comes to who progresses to the semis in the past; a tough draw could see one team go out sooner than they might've with a more favourable one. If the last few years are any guide, the first two games will be Reading vs King's and Birmingham vs Imperial, but we shall have to wait and see.

 

One thing we do is that there are no Oxford teams in the draw; as I've said before on Twitter, only the second time Oxford has been wiped out before the QFs, and the first time one of Oxford or Cambridge has been so since the 2006-07 series. In contrast, Cambridge has three teams through, and London two, thought only one of them still belongs to the University of London.

So, in short, there are three teams I'd probably back to reach the semis, and two I probably wouldn't, but, as usual, anything can happen; time and time again, ante post favourites have faltered in the QFs while unfancied teams have flourished. In many ways, the first two rounds (and the semis and final) are a straight sprint for the line, but the QFs are more of a marathon, very much about durability and sticking power as much as quizzing prowess.

In short, any of the eight quarter-finalists could reach the semis. Best of luck to all of them, and here's hoping the QFs continue the momentum this series has!

Back tomorrow with my usual Monday night write-up; see yous then I guess...

University Challenge 2021-22: Round 2: Match 8: Exeter vs Imperial

Good evening friends, and welcome to the first UC of 2022! After two weeks of festive specials, we resume tonight with the final match of a second round that's been a definite step-up from the first thus far; whoever won would take the eighth and final place in, what's already, a pretty strong quarter-final line-up.

Exeter won a low scoring first round match against Manchester, which they led virtually throughout and eventually finished on top 130-80. They were unchanged from that match: 

Ollie Kirwin, from Henley-in-Arden in Warwickshire, studying Economics and Politics

Jefferson Ting, from Kuala Lumpur, studying Law

Captain: Jacob Evans, from Brecon, studying Geography 

TJ Alabi, from Newnham in London and County Laois in Ireland, studying Creative Writing

 

Imperial won a higher scoring match, a 210-155 victory over St John's, who survived to the play-offs and have since reached the quarter-finals. Hoping to join them were the also unchanged foursome of: 

Max Zeng, from Singapore, studying Biochemistry

Fatima Sheriff, from Hitchin in Hertforshire, studying Science Communication

Captain: Michael Mays, from Montrose, studying Computational Fluid Dynamics

Gilbert Jackson, from Bury St Edmunds, studying Chemistry

 

Off we set for the first time this year then, and a very quick buzz saw Mr Mays (and myself) identifying 'Charlotte' as the name needed from just one clue; the London side firmly set off the mark with a full bonus set on rivers. A penalty lost them five of those points, but Exeter didn't quite provide the correct answer; Mr Alabi did take the next starter though, but their bonuses didn't fall for them, none taken. Back came Imperial with Mr Jackson atoning for his earlier mistake, but they missed all of a gettable bonus set on FA Cup finals (and infuriated quite a few people by describing Wimbledon FC as "what MK Dons were"!). They did take the first picture round though, on American 'Cities of Roses', and took a full set to increase their lead to 55-10.

Mr Zeng increased this lead with a second starter in a row, but their hit and miss bonus form continued, missing a full set on knitting. Collaborations between Robert de Niro and Martin Scorcese proved more to their liking, two taken from that particular set. Mr Ting broke Exeter back into the game with the next correct starter, and they took just the one correct bonus from their set. Neither team identified Mr E. Presley singing 'All Shook Up' for the music starter; the bonuses, on songs co-written by Otis Blackwell, went to Imperial, but they got nothing from the bonuses, leaving their lead at 95-25.

And when Exeter lost five on the next starter, and Imperial picked up the points and took all three bonuses, they had one foot in the QFs. Mr Alabi then atoned for his error though, and Exeter just about kept the game alive with a full bonus set of their own. Ms Sheriff then ensured all four Imperial players had a starter to their name; two bonuses were followed, before Mr Kirwin gave another starter to Exeter, but they got nothing from a bonus set on opera. The Grecians did take the second picture round, on recipients of the title Royal Designer for Industry, and took a full set of bonuses to take the scores to 140-80.

But Mr Zeng quickly took the next starter, and one bonus put Imperial just about over the finishing line. The next starter was, I'm pretty sure, a repeat from last Friday's Christmas final! Neither team knew Milton as the author of Areopagitica, and a penalty to Exeter pretty much ended their hopes of recovering. Mr Mays confirmed this by taking the next starter; no bonuses came with it, including an amusing joke guess of 'Spiderman' for a Tobey Maguire film(!), but you fancy it didn't matter now. Two more starters were dropped, with Exeter losing another five on one of them; the remaining correct starters went to Imperial, who only got one bonus from each of the resulting sets, but it mattered not. At the gong, Imperial won 205-70.

An entertaining game between two pleasant teams to start the year on. Well done to Imperial on another strong victory, and very best of luck to them in the quarter-finals! Hard lines to Exeter, who I'd say were better than their final score suggests, but they gave a respectable account of themselves, thanks for playing!

The stats: Mr Zeng was just the best buzzer of the night with six starters to Mr Mays' five, while Messrs Kirwin and Alabi got two each for Exeter. On the bonuses, Exeter managed 7 out of 15 (with three penalties) and Imperial 17 out of 36 (with two penalties).

Next week's match: the first quarter-final! Don't know who's playing yet, but I'll keep an eye out, and I'll hopefully remember to do a preview at some point this coming week.

Only Connect began its semi-finals with the Golfers vs the Animal Lovers. The former led 4-2 after the first round, before increasing to 10-2 after the second. The gap only increased to 17-3 after the walls, and Missing Vowels was a mere formality; the Golfers won 21-5.

 

Mastermind was won very comfortably by serial quizzer Anthony Fish, who ran up a superb score of 30 points to win by eight points from second place Bryan Dunlop. Lisa von Fircks and Charlie Bonham also competed, finishing with 18 and 12 respectively.

Christmas University Challenge 2021: Matches 6-10 (Monday 27th - Friday 31st)

Greetings friends, and a Happy New Year to all of yous! Hope you all had a good and safe one! Anyway, on with the small matter of the second week of Christmas UC.

Monday 27th: Birkbeck, London vs Portsmouth

Birkbeck: Shabnam Nasimi, Simon Ings, Jo Maugham, Eliane Glaser

Portsmouth: Poppy Jaman, Tayo Oguntonade, Nira Chamberlain, Christine Foyer

A low scoring, but still entertaining enough, contest, with Birkbeck dominating on the buzzer, but, like their opponents when they did get in, struggling somewhat with the bonuses; they were ultimately worthy winners, 125-30, but four penalties meant they wouldn't be returning.

Tuesday 28th: Kent vs Goldsmiths, London

Kent: Jackie Clune, YolanDa Brown, Peter White, Judith Blake

Goldsmiths: Laura Coryton, Mark Wallinger, Sarah Gillespie, Simon Toyne

Two very well matched teams provided another low scoring, but close and entertaining game, with Kent dominant at first before Goldsmiths recovered well. Ultimately, Kent saw out the win 115-95, but not enough to ensure a return for the semis.

Wednesday 29th: Edinburgh vs Bradford

Ms Ribeiro-Addy was unable to return for Bradford, so archaeologist Julian Thomas came in off the substitutes bench. This was a good contest, two decent teams provided a closely fought game that could've gone either way. Ultimately, Edinburgh won the game on the bonuses; Bradford got one starter more than them, but didn't fare as well on them, which meant Edinburgh managed to eke out a 145-125 victory.

Thursday 30th: Hertford vs St Anne's

No subs this game, both teams returned unchanged. Hertford started off the better and quickly pulled into a steady lead; St Anne's recovered somewhat later in the game, but were unable to pull the gap back. Hertford were good value for their 155-95 win.

Friday 31st: Edinburgh vs Hertford

The final started off closely, with the two teams swapping starters at first, but then Edinburgh started dominating on the buzzer and pulled away into a strong lead, helped, again, by a strong bonus rate. Hertford deservedly recovered late on, but Edinburgh were well over the horizon by then, and won the game and the series 235-95.

 

Well done to them, very worthy winners, and thanks to all the teams who competed for another enjoyable festive series! Special mention as well to Paxo, who was clearly unwell for large portions of the series; that he managed his usual fine job considering is a testament to him. Alas, I do fear that it won't be long now before we will need to find someone to take over from him, but let's hope he can keep up his usual good work in the meantime...

Speaking of which, its back to business as usual tomorrow, with the final second round match, between Exeter and Imperial, and the rest of Quizzy Mondays also returns to normal as well. Back tomorrow with my usual write-up; until then, sayonara!

Christmas University Challenge 2021: Matches 1-5 (Monday 20th - Friday 24th)

Greetings friends! Hope you all had a good Christmas; mine personally didn't feel all that great, but wasn't that bad now I'm looking back on it today.

Anyway, on with Christmas UC. You'll remember last year I reviewed it in one big blog, which was a change from my usual doing it in two halves; this wasn't deliberate, I just forgot to do it after the first week. But I've remember this year, so, let's do this:

Monday 20th: Edinburgh vs Leicester

Edinburgh: Cath Slessor, Thomasina Miers, Miles Jupp, Phil Swanson

Leicester: Jeffrey Boakye, Sian Lloyd, Dallas Campbell, Andrew Shepherd

Well, they sure picked a good one to start with! Both teams performed excellently, but ultimately, Edinburgh were worthy of their 160-125 victory, which ensures they will be returning this coming week.

Tuesday 21st: Winchester vs Bradford

Winchester: Nicole Farley, Mike Bushell, Shappi Khorsandi, Dirk Maggs

Bradford: Anthony Finkelstein, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Martin Roberts, David Cowling

This quickly turned into Mr Maggs vs Mr Finkelstein, the former answering all of his team's starters, the latter all but one of his team's. Bradford were ultimately the deserved winners, 130-95, and might come back this week...

Wednesday 22nd: Bristol vs King's Cambridge

Bristol: Lucrezia Millarini, Camilla Pang, Aasmah Mir, Mark Ravenhill

King's: Mike Braddick, Tom Shakespeare, Shahidha Bari, Kate Whitley

A game of two halves, with Bristol having the better of the first before King's managed to break in in the second, and ultimately won the game 125-95; sadly, this won't be enough for a return this week.

Thursday 23rd: LSE vs Hertford Oxford

LSE: Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, Fatima Manji, Robert Elms, Ollie Cook

Hertford: Soweto Kinch, Elizabeth Norton, Adam Fleming, Isabelle Westbury

This match was probably closer than its final scoreline suggests, with Hertford not eking out that big a lead until later on in the game; they ended up winning 130-75, which might get them back this week, though how they'll decide who goes through out of them and Bradford if a tie occurs, I don't know.

Friday 24th: Corpus Christi Cambridge vs St Anne's Oxford

Corpus Christi: Hazel Moore, Helen Oyeyemi, Robert McCrum, Philippe Sands

St Anne's: Sarah Gristwood, Roma Agrawal, John Robins, Adam Parsons

A great match to end the week on, with the two teams very closely matched throughout and the lead changing hands quite frequently. In the end, St Anne's just snuck in front at the end to win 145-130, securing a definite return this week.

So, Edinburgh and St Anne's are definitely coming back, while Bradford and Hertford are both on 130, and if I had to guess, I would say at least one of them will come back too, though how they'll decide which I, again, can't say for sure. Whatever the case, this was an excellent first week of the series, and hopefully the second will be just as good too!

I'll be back next week to review the second week; until then, have a safe and Happy New Year, and I'll see you in 2022!