Friday 28th June 2019 (Series 80, Grand Final)

Round-by-round summaries of every game in recent series; for every series in the last 5 years, try cdb, the Countdown database. Obviously this forum contains spoilers!

Moderator: James Robinson

Post Reply
User avatar
James Robinson
Post-apocalypse
Posts: 10573
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:38 pm
Location: Mirfield, West Yorkshire

Friday 28th June 2019 (Series 80, Grand Final)

Post by James Robinson »

THE WAITING IS OVER...., IT'S NOW TIME FOR THE SERIES 80 GRAND FINAL!!! :) :D 8-) :mrgreen: :geek: :ugeek: :) :D 8-) :mrgreen: :geek: :ugeek:

Countdown recap for Friday 28 June 2019.

C1: #1 Seed Elliott "The Oldham Onager" Mellor (10 wins, 1,290 points.) An Apteforumite and maths student currently studying at Manchester Metropolitan University from Oldham. He won his semi-final against #4 seed Maggie Barlow 120-80 on Wednesday.
C2: #2 Seed Dinos "The Rotherham Rocket" Sfyris (10 wins, 1,139 points.) An Apteforumite and maths tutor from Rotherham, South Yorkshire. He won his quarter-final against #3 seed Brendan Whitehurst 103-78 yesterday.
DC: Susie Dent and Richard Arnold.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: E I U L S F T R A
R02: T E V I R A N U B
R03: 1, 1, 9, 10, 8, 5. Target: 959.
TTT: VEGANBRIE - "The younger members of the Scout Association were working very hard."
R04: C O D E S A L I Q
R05: R T S R A E U E A
R06: 10, 6, 3, 2, 5, 3. Target: 761.
R07: I O A X S B T O E
R08: S I T A G O H S P
R09: 100, 75, 25, 50, 7, 3. Target: 904.
TTT: SCREENOIL - "A famous one would be East Fife 4, Forfar 5."
R10: Y U R E D O S T F
R11: A I O E N W R D L
R12: G I T E M A P L R
R13: O E U I N V N R O
R14: 5, 6, 10, 3, 2, 3. Target: 137.
R15: H O T E L B U B A (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: E I U L S F T R A

Elliott: FAULTIER (8)
Dinos: FISTULAE (8)
DC: FISTULAR (8) FILATURES (18)
Score: 8–8 (max 18)

Oooooooooh, a surprising first declaration from Elliott as he decides to stay safe with an 8, but will he regret not going for the 9..., as it would've given him an 18-0 lead... :roll: :roll: :roll:

Round 2: T E V I R A N U B

Elliott: URBANITE (8)
Dinos: URBANITE (8)
Score: 16–16 (max 26)

Easy double darren for our finalists. :D :D

Round 3: 1, 1, 9, 10, 8, 5. Target: 959.

Elliott: 960.
Dinos: 959. ((9 - 1) x 8 x (10 + 5)) - 1 (10)
Score: 16–26 (max 36)

A battle between maths student and maths tutor was always going to be interesting in the numbers games...., and it's first blood to Dinos, with his brilliant solve to take him 10 points ahead :!: :!: 8-) 8-) :ugeek: :ugeek:

Teatime teaser: VEGANBRIE -> BEAVERING

Round 4: C O D E S A L I Q

Elliott: COALISED (8)
Dinos: CLOSED (6)
DC: SOLACED (7)
Score: 24–26 (max 44)

A great and immediate recovery from Elliott, as he gets the score back to within 2 thanks to yet another darren. :)

Round 5: R T S R A E U E A

Elliott: AERATES (7)
Dinos: TREASURE (8)
DC: AUSTERER (8)
Score: 24–34 (max 52)

But, Dinos comes back straight away with a very TREASUREd 8 of his own :!: :!:

Round 6: 10, 6, 3, 2, 5, 3. Target: 761.

Elliott: 762. ((((5 x 2) + 3) x 10) - 3) x 6 (7)
Dinos: 760. ((((6 x 3) - 3) x 10) + 2) x 5 (7)
Score: 31–41 (max 59)

Back down to the 6 small corral again, but this time, an impossible one appears, but both players straddle the target for their 7 points. 8-) 8-)

Richard talks about recreating the famous scene from Bodyguard, where he was blown up.

Round 7: I O A X S B T O E

Elliott: BOATIES (7)
Dinos: BOATIES (7)
DC: BOXIEST (7)
OT: BOOTIES (7) SEXBOAT (7)
Score: 38–48 (max 66)

Plenty of BOATIES, but no-one is (openly admitting at least) to being a SEXBOAT... :P :P :P

A SEXBOAT is US slang for a sexpot... :P :P :lol: :lol:

Round 8: S I T A G O H S P

Elliott: GHOSTS (6)
Dinos: GOATISH (7)
DC: SPIGOTS (7) POTASH (6)
OT: SOPHIST (7)
Score: 38–55 (max 73)

Well, Elliott might be the GOAT in the octototal records, but Dinos is certainly the GOATISH one in this round, as his lead extends to 17 points.... :shock: :o

A SOPHIST is a paid teacher of philosophy and rhetoric in Greece in the Classical and Hellenistic periods, associated in popular thought with moral scepticism and specious reasoning.

Round 9: 100, 75, 25, 50, 7, 3. Target: 904.

Elliott: 903. (75 + 50 + (100 / 25)) x 7 (7)
Dinos: 903. ((75 + 50) x 7) + 25 + 3 (7)
RR: 904. (((75 / 3) - 7) x 50) + (100 / 25) (10)
Score: 45–62 (max 83)

Unsurprisingly, Elliott changes tack and goes with 4 large, which stumps both players, but at least gives Rachel a rare chance to shine in a grand final. :D :D :D

Teatime teaser: SCREENOIL -> SCORELINE

Round 10: Y U R E D O S T F

Elliott: DEFROST (7)
Dinos: forestudy
DC: FROSTED (7)
OT: DESTROY (7) DETOURS (7) DOUREST (7) DUFTERS (7) REDOUTS (7) RESTUDY (7) ROUSTED (7) RUDYTES (7)
Score: 52–62 (max 90)

Is that a calculated risk from Dinos there, I wonder.... :?: :?: The lead shrinks back down to 10, as his nine isn't there... :roll: :roll: :roll:

A DUFTER is a South Asian historical term for a collection of official documents, especially when tied or bound together.
A REDOUT is a reddening of the vision (sometimes accompanied by loss of consciousness) that may be experienced when the body is accelerated downward, attributed to congestion of blood in the head.
A RUDYTE (or RUDITE) is any clastic sedimentary rock composed of grains coarser than sand, i.e. greater than 2 mm (approx. 1/10 inch) in diameter.

Round 11: A I O E N W R D L

Elliott: AILERON (7)
Dinos: DARIOLE (7)
DC: DOWNIER (7)
OT: ADINOLE (7) ALERION (7) ALIENOR (7) ANEROID (7) LADRONE (7) NAILROD (7) ORDINAL (7) RADIOLE (7) RODINAL (7)
Score: 59–69 (max 97)

Classic 7's from both players, as the final rounds move ever closer...

ADINOLE is a hard, fine-grained rock, rich in albite, resulting from contact metamorphism of shales, slates, etc.
An ALERION is a heraldic representation of a bird, especially an eagle, with neither feet nor beak.
A LADRONE is a highwayman or pirate in Spain or Spanish America.
In Australia and New Zealand, a NAILROD is coarse dark tobacco sold in thin rolls.
In a sea urchin, a RADIOLE is each of the large spines which articulate with the primary tubercles.
A RODINAL is a trademark for a liquid for developing black and white photographs, based on 4-aminophenol hydrochloride and sold in a concentrated form that is diluted with water for use.

Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of some more names of countries.

Round 12: G I T E M A P L R

Elliott: TRAMPLE (7)
Dinos: EPIGRAM (7)
DC: MIGRATE (7) PALMIER (7)
OT: GLAMPER (7) IMPALER (7) LEMPIRA (7) MALTIER (7) MARLITE (7) PALMIET (7) PARTILE (7) PLAITER (7) PREMIAL (7) PRIAMEL (7) PRIMAGE (7) PRIMATE (7) RAGTIME (7) REPLAIT (7)
Score: 66–76 (max 104)

So many 7's yet again, darrens definitely at a premium now...

A MARLITE is a hard, consolidated marl which resists the decomposing action of air.
A PALMIET is a South African rush, Prionium serratum (family Juncaceae), with a woody stem and a large panicle arising from a terminal tuft of long, fibrous, serrated leaves, common in swamps and on riverbanks and sometimes blocking watercourses with its dense growth.
PARTILE is an adjective meaning of or relating to a part, rather than the whole.
PREMIAL is an adjective meaning of, relating to, or of the nature a reward, that is a reward.
A PRIAMEL is a type of short poem cultivated in Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries, culminating in a witty or ingenious turn of thought.
A PRIMAGE is a customary payment to the master and crew of a ship for loading and taking care of the cargo.

Round 13: O E U I N V N R O

Elliott: REUNION (7)
Dinos: ENVIRON (7)
DC: UNRIVEN (7)
OT: UNIONER (7)
Score: 73–83 (max 111)

And yet more 7's conclude the letters games for this series, with the scores still on a gap of 10....

Round 14: 5, 6, 10, 3, 2, 3. Target: 137.

Elliott: 137. ((6 + 5 + 3) x 10) - 3 (10)
Dinos: 137. ((6 + 5 + 3) x 10) - 3 (10)
Score: 83–93 (max 121)

6 small comes up yet again, but it's nice and simple for our geniuses, and now we have a VERY CRUCIAL COUNTDOWN CONUNDRUM..... 8-) 8-) 8-)

Just for those of you who might still be a bit frazzled reading this...., if Elliott gets this conundrum, we'll have that very rare of things...., a GRAND FINAL TIE-BREAK!!! :o :o :o

HERE WE GO........... :arrow: :arrow: :arrow:

Round 15: H O T E L B U B A

1


2


3


4


5


6


7

BUZZ

Dinos buzzes on 7.25 seconds to say TABBOULEH.......


......which is CORRECT!!!! :!: :!: :!: 8-) 8-) 8-)


Final Score: 83–103 (max 131)

WOWSERS!!! Cue screaming in the audience (mainly by me, and Dinos' wife, Jessica :P :lol: ), and congratulations all over the studio!!! ;) :) :D 8-) :mrgreen: :geek: :ugeek: ;) :) :D 8-) :mrgreen: :geek: :ugeek: ;) :) :D 8-) :mrgreen: :geek: :ugeek:

Dinos was certainly seen as the underdog by many (including himself), but he managed to pull off a fantastic performance in the final, topped off by a sensational conundrum spot. It did seem that the pressure told on young Elliott right from the get-go, especially after chickening FILATURES in the first round, but he should certainly be happy with his performances throughout the series, and that 1,061 point octototal will take some beating!!! 8-) 8-) 8-) :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :geek: :geek: :geek: :ugeek: :ugeek: :ugeek:

So, a massive congratulations to Dinos, who becomes the 27th different person to have their name on the Richard Whiteley Memorial Trophy, and it was certainly a nice touch by him to allow Elliott to hold it aloft with him hand in hand during the end credits. :D :D :D

So, that's Series 80 done and dusted, and Series 81 starts on Monday, with Imogen Gordon hoping to boost on her 3 wins from the end of this series. :) :) :)

So, a big well done to Dinos once again, and see you soon :!: :!: :!: ;) :) :D 8-) :mrgreen: :geek: :ugeek:

Statistics Corner

Elliott:
Total score - 83
Raw score - 103
Total % of max - 63
Raw % of max - 79
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 6.9
Number of maxes - 9

Dinos:
Total score - 103
Raw score - 109
Total % of max - 79
Raw % of max - 83
Total average score per round - 6.9
Raw average score per round - 7.3
Number of maxes - 11 8-)

Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=80
Tom S
Kiloposter
Posts: 1273
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 1:38 pm

Re: Friday 28th June 2019 (Series 80, Grand Final)

Post by Tom S »

Great recap James for a great game!
User avatar
James Robinson
Post-apocalypse
Posts: 10573
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:38 pm
Location: Mirfield, West Yorkshire

Re: Friday 28th June 2019 (Series 80, Grand Final)

Post by James Robinson »

Tom S wrote: Wed Aug 28, 2019 10:49 am Great recap James for a great game!
Cheers, Tom.😉😊😄😎👍
Owen Carroll
Devotee
Posts: 662
Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 1:10 am

Re: Friday 28th June 2019 (Series 80, Grand Final)

Post by Owen Carroll »

Always love your recaps for the finals James!!
User avatar
James Robinson
Post-apocalypse
Posts: 10573
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:38 pm
Location: Mirfield, West Yorkshire

Re: Friday 28th June 2019 (Series 80, Grand Final)

Post by James Robinson »

Owen Carroll wrote: Wed Aug 28, 2019 6:38 pm Always love your recaps for the finals James!!
Cheers, needs to be done, especially for a great game like this. :D :D :D
Owen Carroll
Devotee
Posts: 662
Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 1:10 am

Re: Friday 28th June 2019 (Series 80, Grand Final)

Post by Owen Carroll »

James Robinson wrote: Wed Aug 28, 2019 7:21 pm
Owen Carroll wrote: Wed Aug 28, 2019 6:38 pm Always love your recaps for the finals James!!
Cheers, needs to be done, especially for a great game like this. :D :D :D
Very true! But I've always enjoyed the final!
Post Reply