c4countdown

COLIN is turning sixteen!

The world's oldest co-event is back yet again. Once again, we'll be in North Hykeham at the Ark on the Saturday and the Memorial Hall on the Sunday (and the Fox and Hounds at all other times) to play some Countdown and kick off the fifth season of FOCAL. As with the venues, the format is unchanged from last year (and every year since 2014, for that matter)- 3 rounds of Edinburgh-style play followed by a final on the Saturday, 2 rounds and a final on the Sunday (so unchanged in fact that that was copied and pasted from last year's announcement). The winner on the Saturday takes away the COLIN spoon for another year. Plenty of prizes will be on offer for everyone, though, with new badges ordered for Saturday that literally everyone entering has the chance of winning and a special quiz I've devised that everyone can play throughout the day. And, of course, plenty of freebies for everyone as well, including the tenth edition of the COLIN puzzle magazine and a couple of other things I'm working on.

The event kicks off at 11:30am on the Saturday with games starting at 11:50am, and we'll be all done by 6pm. On the Sunday, we start at 11am with the aim of being done by 2:30pm so everyone can get their trains/flights home.

The cost? £12 for the Saturday, £8 for the Sunday or £16 for both days combined. Payable by paypal to hulla.mahulla@btopenworld.com or by cheque to my home address (available upon request). And here are the links for Facebooky goodness- https://www.facebook.com/events/1307045482836337/ for the Saturday and https://www.facebook.com/events/1600107640124355/ for the Sunday.

Click here for the obligatory Travelodge details.

Directions from the station(s) to the venue(s):

Hykeham Station to the Ark
Hykeham Station to the Memorial Hall

See you all in January!

Confirmed entrants (as of 24/1/2020):

COLIN XVI (46)

Bradley Horrocks
Fiona Titcombe
Tracey Mills
Mark Mills
Jack Worsley
Matt Hamer
Callum Todd
Sam Prouse
Stewart Gordon
Tim Down
Jerry Humphreys
Thomas Carey
James Haughton
Phil Stanton
Graeme Cole
Thomas Cappleman
George Armstrong
Eddy Byrne
Dinos Sfyris
Ben Mills
James Robinson
Dave Ryan
Suzy Turner
Chris Marshall
Jennifer Steadman
Jon O'Neill
Gevin Chapwell
Anthony Endsor
Conor Travers
Mike Brown
Rob Foster
Jonathan De Souza
Mike Springett
Andy Platt
Paul Anderson
Rachel Perkins
Heather Badcock
Matt Morrison
Zubair Patel
Paul Worsley
Jeff Clayton
James Laverty
Ned Pendleton
Tim Hebbes
Jonathan Wynn
Steve Hawdon

The Hangover (33)

Bradley Horrocks
Fiona Titcombe
Tracey Mills
Mark Mills
Jack Worsley
Matt Hamer
Callum Todd
Stewart Gordon
Tim Down
Jerry Humphreys
Thomas Carey
James Haughton
Phil Stanton
Graeme Cole
Thomas Cappleman
George Armstrong
Eddy Byrne
Ben Mills
James Robinson
Dave Ryan
Suzy Turner
Chris Marshall
Jennifer Steadman
Gevin Chapwell
Mike Springett
Paul Anderson
Rachel Perkins
Zubair Patel
Paul Worsley
Jeff Clayton
Ned Pendleton
Tim Hebbes
Jonathan Wynn

24 hours in and we're already up to three entries including the first COLIN debutant of the event- series 80 octochamp Fiona Titcombe!

Haven't really been paying attention to the Travelodge prices, has anyone else? £52 at the moment which seems highly reasonable.

That was for 2 nights. Wouldn't let me use my £5 off voucher with it though!

Deleted post.

I might be there so I can bond with you all and you can get to know me and we can be all friends, let’s just forget what happened before, and in can start again. I hope you are ok with this.

Have got a Travelodge family room with 3 beds for both nights at £62.

If you wish to stay in it please contact me. £10.34 per person per night.

Absolute hotel wheeler and dealer

Entrant number 9 is another COLIN debutant- welcome to the madness Sam Prouse!

Our latest entrant will be making his first appearance at COLIN in 12 years! Welcome back, Jerry Humphreys!

Hi all, I'm experiencing some IT problems at the moment so if you've paid your entry fee dont be alarmed if it takes a few days for it to show up on this page. Also dont let it deter you from sending in your entry fee. Or puzzles for the puzzle mag.

I'm back online, and we're up to 17 entries now, including COLIN debutants Phil Stanton and Series 81 Octochamp James Haughton! Fun fact: James is the only player in the FOCAL top 25 this year who wasn't at COLIN XV.

No Huddersfield Town match that weekend, so I’m in too!!

Up to 26 entrants now with COLIN debutant Ben Mills joining his parents on both days!

28 entrants now. The always controversial seeding list shall be posted when we hit 36 entries. As shall pictures of this year's prizes (assuming they ever get delivered)!

Two players will be making their COLIN debuts this year, namely Paul Anderson and Rachel Perkins, and as they've brought our numbers up to 38, it's time for the annual outrage that is the seeding. Before you get too angry, new players are always placed slap bang in the middle of the field, people who haven't played in over 5 years are placed at the top of the 'new player' group, and everyone else is seeded by their average main event finish over the last 5 years.

1 Jack Worsley
2 Conor Travers
3 Thomas Cappleman
4 Jon O'Neill
5 Callum Todd
6 Jennifer Steadman
7 Matt Hamer
8 James Robinson
9 Bradley Horrocks
10 Rob Foster
11 Andy Platt
12 Thomas Carey
13 Eddy Byrne
14 Graeme Cole
15 Dinos Sfyris
16 Anthony Endsor
17 Jonathan De Souza
18 Jerry Humphreys
19 Fiona Titcombe
20 Sam Prouse
21 James Haughton
22 Phil Stanton
23 Ben Mills
24 Paul Anderson
25 Rachel Perkins
26 Ned Pendleton
27 Tim Hebbes
28 Jeff Clayton
29 Zubair Patel
30 Paul Worsley
31 Tracey Mills
32 Tim Down
33 Mike Brown
34 Dave Ryan
35 Suzy Turner
36 Gevin Chapwell
37 Stewart Gordon
38 Chris Marshall
39 Heather Badcock
40 James Laverty
41 Matt Morrison
42 George Armstrong
43 Mike Springett
44 Mark Mills
45 [prune]

News just in - Doddington Hall parkrun is due to have its inaugural event on 25th January, and it's actually closer to the Lincoln Thorpe-on-the-hill Travelodge than the Lincoln parkrun. I'm very much up for doing this one.

5 days to do and COLIN debutant Ned Pendleton brings numbers to 44 for the Saturday and 33 for the Sunday, and as neat as those numbers look, there's always room for some more! Seeds have been updated as well. A quick reminder that seeds for the Sunday will as always be based on finishing positions on Saturday.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:04 pm News just in - Doddington Hall parkrun is due to have its inaugural event on 25th January, and it's actually closer to the Lincoln Thorpe-on-the-hill Travelodge than the Lincoln parkrun. I'm very much up for doing this one.

Good spot. Let's do it.

3 days to go and we have another COLIN newbie in Tim Hebbes! That brings us up to 9 players making their COLIN debut this weekend, the same as last year. The last time the number of debutants reached double figures was in 2014. Just saying.

Uta