Wednesday 29th September 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 67)

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Rhys Benjamin
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Wednesday 29th September 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 67)

Post by Rhys Benjamin »

Annedown LXVI and it's the day of Keir Starmer's conference speech, and we're going to race through this because I've got to get down to Craven Cottage tonight. Still no subtitles which is going to be horrible for me again.

Countdown recap for Wednesday 29 September 2021.

Today is Food Waste Awareness Day. (Just let me have the extra gravy on a Sunday, dad. Stop throwing it away!)

C1: Champion Daaniyal Ali (4 wins, 374 points.)
C2: Challenger Ahmed Mohamed. 26 years old, but still thinks he's young. From North London. Used to be a sporting steward at White Hart Lane and the Emirates, but thanks to Covid needs a career change and is now going into journalism, so Anne gives him some tips. Didn't she once get fired by Robert Maxwell?
DC: Susie Dent and Stanley Johnson, who Keir Starmer described today as a "tool-maker" (ba-doom tish).
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: A U L D T O O N R
R02: D P I E G E T M A
R03: 25, 50, 4, 1, 5, 2. Target: 781.
TTT: LAUGHSNOT - "He's not laughing now, he's getting absolutely chanced."
R04: S R I O N E L I T
R05: O R H U E E D S B
R06: 25, 4, 9, 1, 8, 8. Target: 346.
R07: A A L O C T G E F
R08: S R E S U O W A P
R09: 50, 25, 7, 2, 6, 1. Target: 538.
TTT: EMUCHASER - "Might this have been Judith's favourite material?"
R10: C L E A M E S Y P
R11: A U S N W T E E D
R12: R B I A N R I I O
R13: O M S A I D X G A
R14: 75, 9, 3, 3, 10, 5. Target: 913.
R15: A N A I L G U R U (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: A U L D T O O N R

Daaniyal: LARDOON (7)
Ahmed: ORTOLAN (7) (thanks Jack Worsley!)
DC: TORNADO (7)
OT: ROTUNDAL (8)
Score: 7–7 (max 8, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 1/1 (100%)

Good start for everyone except me, who can't work out what Ahmed's word was.

Round 2: D P I E G E T M A

Daaniyal: MIDGET (6)
Ahmed: MEDIGAP (7)
DC: MAGPIE (6) MEDIATE (7)
OT: EMPTIED (7)
Score: 7–14 (max 15, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)

Excellent from Ahmed.

Round 3: 25, 50, 4, 1, 5, 2. Target: 781.

Daaniyal: 780. (not written down) (50 + 25 + 4 − 1) × 5 × 2​ (7)
Ahmed: 780. (50 + 25 + 4 − 1) × 5 × 2​ (7)
RR: 781. (50 + 25 − 4) × (5 × 2 + 1) (10)
Score: 14–21 (max 25, jos 24)

Rachel's favourite here - product of two primes.

Teatime teaser: LAUGHSNOT -> ONSLAUGHT

4 minutes of adverts, All4!? Seriously!? I'M IN A RUSH HERE!

Round 4: S R I O N E L I T

Daaniyal: TOILERS (7)
Ahmed: LIONISER (8)
DC: RETINOL (7)
OT: NITRILES (8) REINSTIL (8)
Score: 14–29 (max 33, jos 32)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)

Dad is crowing at me about how LIONISER shouldn't be a word.

Round 5: O R H U E E D S B

Daaniyal: BRUSHED (7)
Ahmed: REHOUSED (8)
DC: BEDSORE (7)
OT: REBUSHED (8)
Score: 14–37 (max 41, jos 40)
Darren-o-meter: 1/4 (25%)

Another eight for Ahmed and he now leads by 23 points.

Round 6: 25, 4, 9, 1, 8, 8. Target: 346.

Daaniyal: 349. (not written down)
Ahmed: 346. (9 + 4) × (25 + 1) + 8 (10)
Score: 14–47 (max 51, jos 50)

This is already looking bad for Daaniyal...

Stanley is asked about his environmentalism in the context of farming (remember, he is involved with the Conservative Environment Network), and talks about the benefits of sustainable farming and plastic recycling and upcycling, as well as the devastating effects of plastic pollution in the ocean.

Round 7: A A L O C T G E F

Daaniyal: LOCATE (6)
Ahmed: GELCOAT (7)
OT: FALCATE (7) FALGATE (7)
Score: 14–54 (max 58, jos 57)
Darren-o-meter: 1/5 (20%)

Ahmed has only dropped four points so far, and not many would be able to keep up with that.

Round 8: S R E S U O W A P

Daaniyal: AROUSES (7) (thanks Jack!)
Ahmed: POSEURS (7)
DC: SWEARS (6) PROWESS (7)
OT: PAUSERS (7) PORUSES (7)
Score: 21–61 (max 65, jos 64)
Darren-o-meter: 1/6 (17%)

Daaniyal scores for the first time since round three...!

Round 9: 50, 25, 7, 2, 6, 1. Target: 538.

Daaniyal: 538. (50 + 25) × 7 + 6 × 2 + 1​ (10)
Ahmed: 538. (50 + 25 + 2) × 7 − 1​ (10)
Score: 31–71 (max 75, jos 74)

Both contestants come at this from various angles and variations of 75 x 7.

Teatime teaser: EMUCHASER -> CHARMEUSE

Round 10: C L E A M E S Y P

Daaniyal: PLEASE (6)
Ahmed: EMPLACES (8) (try)
DC: SAMPLE (6)
OT: CYPSELAE (8)
Score: 31–79 (max 83, jos 82)
Darren-o-meter: 1/7 (14%)

EMPLACES is a wonderful, wonderful spot.

Round 11: A U S N W T E E D

Daaniyal: WANTED (6) (again, defeated by subtitles...)
Ahmed: UNSEATED (8)
DC: SAUTEED (7)
Score: 31–87 (max 91, jos 90)
Darren-o-meter: 2/8 (25%)

Daaniyal is just about hanging in there, but now needs a metamax from here to the end just to get to a TB.

OOW Susie talks about crime and punishment.

Round 12: R B I A N R I I O

Daaniyal: BRAIN (5)
Ahmed: ROBINIA (7)
OT: BIRIANI (7)
Score: 31–94 (max 98, jos 97)
Darren-o-meter: 2/9 (22%)

Ahmed wraps up the game with yet another bonkers word.

Round 13: O M S A I D X G A

Daaniyal: AXIOMS (6)
Ahmed: AGAMIDS (7)
DC: ADAGIOS (7)
OT: AGAMOIDS (8)
Score: 31–101 (max 106, jos 104)
Darren-o-meter: 3/10 (30%)

Ahmed may just kick himself a little bit here.

Round 14: 75, 9, 3, 3, 10, 5. Target: 913.

Daaniyal: 913. (9 + 3) × 75 + 10 + 3 (10)
Ahmed: 913. (10 + 3) × (75 − 5) + 3​ (10)
Score: 41–111 (max 116, jos 114)

Some lovely score inflation for two contestants of this standard.

Round 15: A N A I L G U R U

Daaniyal buzzes on 2.5 seconds to say INAUGURAL which is correct.
Final Score: 51–111 (max 126, jos 124)

Daaniyal gets himself a half-century and he has played incredibly well this week. Sadly, he's close to tears. A real shame we've had a run of great contestants in proximity to each other. It's unlikely we'll see him for the finals, but stranger things have happened.

He also puts a call out for old episodes - one that I echo (we don't have recaps for some of the earlier matches...)

Join us again for Countdown. Goodbye. ;)


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84
The forum's resident JAILBAKER, who has SPONDERED several times...
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