Friday 11th June 2021 (Series 83, Preliminary 115)

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Rhys Benjamin
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Friday 11th June 2021 (Series 83, Preliminary 115)

Post by Rhys Benjamin »

Good evening. I wasn't watching live as I was instead scoring a cricket game - a cup final, no less - and 128-6 played 41 all out. Dominant.

I'm convinced All4's ads are getting longer.

Countdown recap for Friday 11 June 2021.

Nick tells Rachel about famous films and films that make you cry.

C1: Champion Declan McSweeney (2 wins, 154 points.)
C2: Challenger Neil Thomas. A retired teacher from Liverpool. Now does a lot of travelling.
DC: Susie Dent and Gloria Hunniford. Susie is wearing the same extremely loud top that she wore a few weeks ago. The one with the flowers and henna patterns.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: U E O R H D O T N
R02: P R M C A I E B I
R03: 25, 50, 7, 6, 2, 3. Target: 436.
TTT: LADSPOKE - "The lad spoke in a way which most of us understood."
R04: D P C L A O E F I
R05: A O A S L K D O T
R06: 100, 8, 4, 7, 6, 8. Target: 674.
R07: I U E R W R A C N
R08: D S L R I E E G U
R09: 100, 75, 50, 4, 6, 7. Target: 913.
TTT: SCORNEVE - "Use your energy wisely when making jam."
R10: R B N T I E A M O
R11: E A E S N L N V I
R12: W S G S O E E R G
R13: A I O T S P S L E
R14: 100, 5, 9, 10, 4, 4. Target: 627.
R15: A V O N T R U L Y (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: U E O R H D O T N

Declan: THRONED (7)
Neil: TURNED (6)
DC: ROOTED (6) UNROOTED (8)
OT: HONOURED (8)
Score: 7–0 (max 8, jos 8)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)

Declan takes an early lead, whilst Dictionary Corner get hung up on ROOT stems and Susie can prefix and suffix it for UNROOTED as an 8.

Round 2: P R M C A I E B I

Declan: CAMPIER (7) (try)
Neil: PACIER (6)
DC: EMPIRIC (7)
Score: 14–0 (max 15, jos 15)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)

A good try from Declan to give him a 14-point lead after two rounds.

Round 3: 25, 50, 7, 6, 2, 3. Target: 436.

Declan: 436. (6 + 3) × 50 − 7 × 2 (10)
Neil: 436. (25 + 50) × 6 − 2 × 7​ (10)
Score: 24–10 (max 25, jos 25)

Nothing too tricky here and now both contestants are off the mark.

Teatime teaser: LADSPOKE -> OLDSPEAK

Round 4: D P C L A O E F I

Declan: PLACID (6)
Neil: PLACED (6)
DC: POLICED (7) PLACOID (7)
OT: PEDOCAL (7) PELADIC (7) PLACODE (7) PODALIC (7)
Score: 30–16 (max 32, jos 32)
Darren-o-meter: 0/3 (0%)

Two sixes for the contestants, but a couple of sevens for the golden girls in the corner.

Round 5: A O A S L K D O T

Declan: TOADS (5)
Neil: KOALAS (6)
OT: LADOOS (6) LOADSA (6) OKADAS (6)
Score: 30–22 (max 38, jos 38)
Darren-o-meter: 0/4 (0%)

An excellent spot from Neil reduces the lead to 8 points.

Round 6: 100, 8, 4, 7, 6, 8. Target: 674.

Declan: -
Neil: 674. (100 − 4) × 7 + 8 − 6 (10)
Score: 30–32 (max 48, jos 48)

Not sure how Declan blanked this completely. Neil takes the lead after spotting it on the nose.

Gloria talks about her memories of the late Prince Philip, and we actually get some inserts on the screen of pictures with Gloria and Prince Philip. She once stole toilet paper from Buckingham Palace, you know.

Round 7: I U E R W R A C N

Declan: CURARE (6)
Neil: WARIER (6)
OT: AIRCREW (7) CARNIER (7) REINCUR (7) RINCEAU (7)
Score: 36–38 (max 55, jos 54)
Darren-o-meter: 0/5 (0%)

Just sixes for our contestants and Susie has to check Declan's spelling. There were sevens there, but they go unnoticed.

Round 8: D S L R I E E G U

Declan: GUILDERS (8)
Neil: SLUDGIER (8)
OT: LEISURED (8) REGUIDES (8)
Score: 44–46 (max 63, jos 62)
Darren-o-meter: 0/6 (0%)

Declan and Neil pick out the two eights that Dictionary Corner also had.

Round 9: 100, 75, 50, 4, 6, 7. Target: 913.

Declan: 919. (7 + 4) × 75 − 6​ + 100 (5)
Neil: -
RR: 913. 7 + 6 + ​(100 + 75 + 50) × 4 (10)
Score: 49–46 (max 73, jos 72)

It's Neil's turn to make an inexplicable numbers mess, and Declan can only make 6 away, but it's enough for him to take back the lead. Rachel shows us how it's done.

Teatime teaser: SCORNEVE -> CONSERVE

Round 10: R B N T I E A M O

Declan: MARINE (6)
Neil: BROMINE (7)
DC: BROMINATE (18)
Score: 49–53 (max 91, jos 90)
Darren-o-meter: 1/7 (14%)

It's our first darren of the day. Both contestants will kick themselves a little here: Declan for missing a similar -INE word, Neil for not adding AT before the final E.

Round 11: E A E S N L N V I

Declan: SALINE (6)
Neil: LEAVENS (7) (I think)
DC: vaseline ENLIVENS (8)
OT: VAELENSI (8)
Score: 49–60 (max 99, jos 98)
Darren-o-meter: 1/8 (13%)

Neil LEAVENS his lead out to 11 points. Susie says that VASELINE^ is not valid. Seems to be in and out like it's doing the hokey cokey.

Susie gets an email from Jack Hughes, who asks about the origin of clove and if all of its different types are related.

Round 12: W S G S O E E R G

Declan: GORGES (6)
Neil: GROWS (5)
DC: EGRESS (6)
OT: EGGERS (6) ESROGS (6) OGRESS (6) REGGOS (6) RESEWS (6) RESOWS (6) SEROWS (6) SEWERS (6) SOWERS (6)
Score: 55–60 (max 105, jos 104)
Darren-o-meter: 1/9 (11%)

Neil misses approximately a million 6s and Declan reduces the deficit to 5 points.

Round 13: A I O T S P S L E

Declan: PISTOLS (7)
Neil: POTLESS (7) (try)
DC: APOSTLES (8) POSTALISE (18) SPOLIATES (18)
Score: 62–67 (max 123, jos 122)
Darren-o-meter: 1/10 (10%)

A good try from Neil keeps him in the lead. Susie surprised that POTLESS is there, but gives us two nines for further thought.

Round 14: 100, 5, 9, 10, 4, 4. Target: 627.

Declan: -
Neil: 630. Mistake in working.
OT: 626. (10 + 4) × 9 × 5 − 4 (7)
Score: 62–67 (max 130, jos 122)

Neil uses the five twice so it's nul points all round here. Rachel says it's impossible, and unlike yesterday does not tell us how to get to one away, or even how close she is, thus, bizarrely, no valid solutions are offered in studio!

So, it's a crucial conundrum. If Neil gets it, then we will have our eight finalists, as there won't be enough time for him to catch Dave Lomax.

Round 15: A V O N T R U L Y

Neil buzzes on 1.75 second to say VOLUNTARY which is correct.
Final Score: 62–77 (max 140, jos 132)

And Neil takes it! Commiserations to Declan, who has played well but maybe made too many silly errors and it was only a matter of time before he was punished.

Neil's win gives us our eight finalists for this series.


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=83
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