Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 20 May 2015.
C1: Champion Steve Redfern (1 win, 84 points.) An Apterite and IT manager from Droitwich, Worcestershire.
C2: Challenger Patricia Hill. A retired civil servant and care worker from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. She enjoys walking and travelling to New Zealand. She met her husband while working in a psychology lab doing an experiment involving snails and blowing through straws.....
DC: Susie Dent and Louise Minchin.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: D L N R E I A V R
R02: M R R I A E D T U
R03: 25, 100, 50, 75, 7, 6. Target: 563.
TTT: LENSHIFI - "Annette won't have anything to do with these creatures"
R04: P S H I A E Z N A
R05: T L G S E I A D Y
R06: 100, 9, 4, 10, 3, 1. Target: 626.
R07: N D C T E A E S P
R08: T K T O E A S M E
R09: 75, 100, 50, 25, 2, 9. Target: 462.
TTT: UNLITSET - "Does he always play this in a Bedfordshire town?"
R10: B V M I E A T F E
R11: L G N S O U E P N
R12: T S G O E U D Q I
R13: R N R T O A O A X
R14: 100, 25, 5, 1, 3, 2. Target: 858.
R15: B O N M O T T E S (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: D L N R E I A V R
Steve: RANDIER (7)
Patricia: VAINER (6)
DC: LARDIER (7) INVADER (7) ARRIVED (7)
OT: DRAINER (7) RAVELIN (7) RAVINED (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)
Steve's feeling RANDIER early doors.........
Moving swiftly on........ 
Round 2: M R R I A E D T U
Steve: TARRIED (7)
Patricia: MARRIED (7)
DC: READMIT (7) TARDIER (7) MATURED (7)
OT: ADMIRER (7) EARDRUM (7) ERRATUM (7) MARDIER (7) MATURER (7) MURIATE (7)
Score: 14–7 (max 14)
7's aplenty in this round.........
Round 3: 25, 100, 50, 75, 7, 6. Target: 563.
Steve: 565. ((75 + 50) / 25) x (100 + 6 + 7) (7)
Patricia: 560.
RR: 563. ((75 + 6) x 7) - (100 / 25) (10)
Score: 21–7 (max 24)
Steve sticks with 4 large, like yesterday, and gets the 7 points, but Rachel makes it look well easy.
Teatime teaser: LENSHIFI -> LINEFISH
Round 4: P S H I A E Z N A
Steve: SHAPE (5)
Patricia: SHIP (4)
DC: PAINS (5) PEINS (5) PASH (4) PASHA (5)
OT: ASHINE (6) AZINES (6) PAEANS (6) PAISAN (6) ZANIES (6)
Score: 26–7 (max 30)
Patricia clearly wasn't paying too much attention to yesterday's game, as she misses SHAPE, but Nick manages to find PASHA, to Rachel's obvious embarrassment.........
An AZINE is a cyclic organic compound having a ring including one or (usually) more nitrogen atoms.
A PAEAN is a song of praise or triumph.
Round 5: T L G S E I A D Y
Steve: STAGED (6)
Patricia: DIGEST (6)
DC: DETAILS (7) GELATI (6) STEADILY (8)
Score: 32–13 (max 38)
STEADILY as they go in DC, as they get the darren, while the contestant stay with 6's.
Round 6: 100, 9, 4, 10, 3, 1. Target: 626.
Steve: 626. ((100 + 3) x (10 - 4)) + 9 - 1 (10)
Patricia: 618.
Score: 42–13 (max 48)
Numbers are clearly not Patricia's friend, as she can only manage 8 away, with Steve being spot on.
Louise talks about her competitive streak she gained doing the BBC Breakfast Christmas Challenge in 2012, when she was involved in a cycle race in the Manchester Velodrome, where she partnered Charlie Stayt, and competed against Bill Turnbull and Susanna Reid.
Round 7: N D C T E A E S P
Steve: ESCAPED (7)
Patricia: ENACTED (7)
DC: TEASED (6) DESCANT (7) SCANTED (7) PANDECTS (8)
OT: ASPECTED (8) CANEDEST (8)
Score: 49–20 (max 56)
A pair of 7's from the contestants and DC, although they manage to spot an 8 as well.
Round 8: T K T O E A S M E
Steve: ESTATE (6)
Patricia: EMOTES (6)
DC: TOTEMS (6) MOTETS (6)
OT: METATES (7) STOMATE (7)
Score: 55–26 (max 63)
6's all over the studio, but neither of the 7's are picked up.....
In Central America, a METATE is a flat or slightly hollowed oblong stone on which materials such as grain and cocoa are ground using a smaller stone.
Round 9: 75, 100, 50, 25, 2, 9. Target: 462.
Steve: 464. (9 x (50 + 2)) - (100 / 25) (7)
Patricia: 462. Mistake in working.
RR: 462. (75 + 2) x ((100 + 50) / 25) (10)
Score: 62–26 (max 73)
Patricia thinks she has it all worked out with this 4 large, but she actually had what Steve got.......
Yet again, Rachel manages to crack this one and get full marks. Teatime teaser: UNLITSET -> LUTENIST
Round 10: B V M I E A T F E
Steve: teamie
Patricia: BEEF (4)
DC: TEAM (4) FEET (4) AMBIT (5)
OT: BEFIT (5)
Score: 62–30 (max 78)
Nothing much to brag about here, although our brief hope of a 6 from Steve is quickly extinguished by Susie......
Round 11: L G N S O U E P N
Steve: LOUNGES (7)
Patricia: PLUNGES (7)
DC: GUNNELS (7)
OT: GUENONS (7) NONPLUS (7)
Score: 69–37 (max 85)
A few 7's here to pick from.
A GUENON is an African monkey found mainly in forests, with a long tail and typically a brightly coloured coat. The male is much larger than the female. (Genus Cercopithecus, family Cercopithecidae)
NONPLUS is a state of being very surprised and confused.
Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origins of "disappoint", "dismantle", "ovation" and "infantry".
Round 12: T S G O E U D Q I
Steve: QUOTED (6)
Patricia: EGOIST (6)
DC: OUTSIDE (7) TEDIOUS (7) SQUIDGE (7)
OT: DUGITES (7) QUOITED (7)
Score: 75–43 (max 92)
Another load of 7's here, but not spotted by the contestants, which will do for Steve, as he's almost there now.....
Round 13: R N R T O A O A X
Steve: AORTA (5)
Patricia: ARRANT (6)
DC: RATOON (6)
OT: ORATOR (6)
Score: 75–49 (max 98)
Patricia gets a lovely 6 to finish off with in the letters, but Steve has the game wrapped up.
Round 14: 100, 25, 5, 1, 3, 2. Target: 858.
Steve: 858. ((100 + 1) x (5 + 3)) + (2 x 25) (10)
Patricia: 858. ((100 + 1) x (5 + 3)) + (2 x 25) (10)
Score: 85–59 (max 108)
Well, I was well surprised at both players getting this one, especially as I only managed 2 away within 30 seconds, although just like that, I then spotted it, but that's the way it works sometimes......
Round 15: B O N M O T T E S
Patricia buzzes on 2.5 seconds to say TOMBSTONE which is correct.
Final Score: 85–69 (max 118)
And quick as a flash, Patricia spots the conundrum to bring respectability to the score.
So, Steve has 2 wins. Another 4 and he'll qualify for the finals, which are just 2 weeks away now......, so it's up to Steve to try and make it a "Magnificent 7" for the finals.
I'll be back next week, when it might be just about all over in terms of places for the finals............
So, I'll see you in King's Lynn at the weekend if you're coming, and if you're not, I'll be back here giving you all the info you need as always.
Bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Steve:
Total score - 85
Raw score - 90
Total % of max - 72
Raw % of max - 76
Total average score per round - 5.7
Raw average score per round - 6.0
Number of maxes - 5
Patricia:
Total score - 69
Raw score - 91
Total % of max - 58
Raw % of max - 77
Total average score per round - 4.6
Raw average score per round - 6.1
Number of maxes - 5
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=72