C1: Champion Jez Noble (3 wins, 258 points.) A bartender from Leeds.
C2: Challenger Hussain Mulla. A customer services adviser from Blackburn. 10 years ago, he made a bucket list of 50 things that he wanted to do including flying a helicopter and visit Stonehenge.
DC: Susie Dent and Nicki Chapman.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: Y L C R E A I T E
R02: D O S L I J A C E
R03: 2, 4, 5, 6, 10, 9. Target: 498.
TTT: CREAKTREE - "He committed fraud by selling non-existent tennis equipment."
R04: S O W A K S L O I
R05: P R N T E I O R I
R06: 50, 25, 6, 9, 6, 10. Target: 386.
R07: D N H M A O E N A
R08: P I T R E D A G C
R09: 50, 4, 10, 7, 6, 9. Target: 427.
TTT: CHINACARS - "Those of you on a diet might get this, how sweet."
R10: Y E D I S E T C B
R11: N S P N A E U R O
R12: D I R E D U R T S
R13: X G M R A O E I F
R14: 25, 100, 2, 9, 9, 4. Target: 277.
R15: F O A M F R O S T (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: Y L C R E A I T E
Jez: CLARITY (7)
Hussain: CLARITY (7)
DC: RECITAL (7) TREACLE (7) ARTICLE (7)
OT: CELERITY (8) LITERACY (8)
Score: 7–7 (max 8)
Plenty of CLARITY here, but there are some 8's hidden away here...
CELERITY is an archaic literary term for swiftness of movement.
Round 2: D O S L I J A C E
Jez: JAILED (6)
Hussain: DOCILE (6)
DC: SOLACE (6) COALISED (8)
Score: 13–13 (max 16)
A few 6's around, but Susie gets a brilliant darrenic 8 here.
Round 3: 2, 4, 5, 6, 10, 9. Target: 498.
Jez: 498. (((9 x 6) - 4) x 10) - 2 (10)
Hussain: 498. (((9 x 6) - 4) x 10) - 2 (10)
Score: 23–23 (max 26)
A 6 small with seemingly infinite numbers of ways to solve it.
Teatime teaser: CREAKTREE -> RACKETEER
Round 4: S O W A K S L O I
Jez: lassoo
Hussain: swails
DC: LASSO (5) SOLOS (5) SLOWS (5)
OT: SLOKAS (6)
Score: 23–23 (max 32)
Oh dear, oh dear, a pair of misspelled 6's keeps everything as it is....
A SLOKA is a couplet of Sanskrit verse, especially one in which each line contains sixteen syllables.
Round 5: P R N T E I O R I
Jez: POINTIER (8)
Hussain: INTERIOR (8)
DC: POINTER (7) PROTEIN (7)
OT: PRIORITE (8)
Score: 31–31 (max 40)
That's much better.
PRIORITE is a rare mineral of the orthorhombic crystal system consisting of an oxide and hydroxide of niobium, titanium, and yttrium (with traces of several other elements), and occurring as black or dark brown, prismatic crystals.
Round 6: 50, 25, 6, 9, 6, 10. Target: 386.
Jez: 385. ((10 + 6) x 25) - 9 - 6 (7)
Hussain: 385. ((10 + 6) x 25) - 9 - 6 (7)
RR: 386. ((50 + 25 - 9) x 6) - 10 (10)
Score: 38–38 (max 50)
Jez and Hussain are still sticking like glue so far, but Rachel is the one for perfection here
Nicki talks about covering for Zoe Ball on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
Round 7: D N H M A O E N A
Jez: DAEMON (6)
Hussain: MOANED (6)
DC: HEADMAN (7)
OT: ADENOMA (7) HANDMAN (7) HANDMEN (7) MADONNA (7)
Score: 44–44 (max 57)
There's no separating these two, is there...
A HANDMAN is a rare historical term for a male (personal) servant; a manservant.
Round 8: P I T R E D A G C
Jez: PARTED (6)
Hussain: PARTED (6)
DC: PIRATED (7) PICRATED (8)
Score: 50–50 (max 65)
Another great 8 from DC, but the stickability of these two is fantastic to see.
Round 9: 50, 4, 10, 7, 6, 9. Target: 427.
Jez: -
Hussain: 427. ((50 - 9) x 10) + 7 + 6 + 4 (10)
Score: 50–60 (max 75)
Well, who saw that coming!!?? Jez blanks out, letting Hussain take the first lead of the match!!
Teatime teaser: CHINACARS -> SACCHARIN
Round 10: Y E D I S E T C B
Jez: BESIDE (6)
Hussain: BESTIE (6)
DC: BISECTED (8)
Score: 56–66 (max 83)
They've certainly acted like BESTIEs throughout that match, but has that last numbers game, but it in Hussain's favour...??
Round 11: N S P N A E U R O
Jez: SPANNER (7)
Hussain: SPANNER (7)
DC: PANNERS (7) PUNNERS (7) NEURONS (7)
OT: PRENOUNS (8) UNPERSON (8) UNREASON (8)
Score: 63–73 (max 91)
Definitely no massive SPANNERs in the works, but this game is still anyone's to win or lose...
A PRENOUN is a word which usually precedes and is in close syntactical relation to a noun.
An UNPERSON is a person whose name or existence is denied or ignored, especially because of a political misdemeanour.
UNREASON is the inability to act or think reasonably.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "Cloud 9".
Round 12: D I R E D U R T S
Jez: STURDIER (8)
Hussain: DUSTIER (7)
DC: RUDDIEST (8)
OT: STURDIED (8)
Score: 71–73 (max 99)
Jez finally wins a round today, and the gap shrinks to just 2 points...
Round 13: X G M R A O E I F
Jez: fromage
Hussain: fromage
DC: MIRAGE (6) FOAMIER (7)
Score: 71–73 (max 106)
Non, non, non monsieur...., no French cheese here.
Round 14: 25, 100, 2, 9, 9, 4. Target: 277.
Jez: 275.
Hussain: 277. (2 x 100) + (9 x 9) - 4 (10)
Score: 71–83 (max 116)
Well, the numbers have proved to be the killer rounds today, and with that solve, Hussain has all of a sudden wrapped up this match
Round 15: F O A M F R O S T
No one buzzes. The answer was STAFFROOM.
Final Score: 71–83 (max 126)
Never realised that STAFFROOM was all one word (although I did spot it), but it matters not, as Hussain was a brilliant winner in a match that seemed destined to go all the way, but his numbers skills got him over the line to take a great win over Jez.
Statistics Corner
Jez:
Total score - 71
Raw score - 78
Total % of max - 56
Raw % of max - 62
Total average score per round - 4.7
Raw average score per round - 5.2
Number of maxes - 3
Hussain:
Total score - 83
Raw score - 90
Total % of max - 66
Raw % of max - 71
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 6.0
Number of maxes - 4
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=82