Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 25 August 2011.
C1: Champion Dave Taylor (2 wins, 193 points.) From Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. He is a transport manager, who retired (after thinking) 5 months ago. Dave believes that Countdown should be on the National Curriculum, and I'm sure all of us on here echo that statement.
C2: Challenger Leo Croker. From Bristol, but is studying Music Systems Engineering at the University Of The West Of England. He supports Pompey (that's Portsmouth F.C., for those of you not in the know), and is a lover of music festivals, gigs and playing the guitar. He loves music so much that he promotes local bands, such as Ruckus Collective, who are emblazoned on his shirt that he's wearing today.
DC: Susie Dent and William Roache.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: G E M S A W U N O
R02: L D E I M D S A O
R03: Z E S T I A C M O
R04: R T H E O E Q K I
R05: 75, 4, 5, 10, 10, 1. Target: 838.
TTT: CORNYMAD - "It sounds like the bouncer is in a sleepy state"
R06: N P T E A V L O E
R07: S I N D A L E P O
R08: R I S A R L U D I
R09: W E T N A S I P R
R10: 25, 100, 6, 4, 5, 8. Target: 336.
TTT: BLUERSEA - "It applies to the candle, but not the match"
R11: S E M R O B E N I
R12: D S T E A N B E U
R13: R U D C A G O O V
R14: 50, 100, 3, 8, 2, 10. Target: 309.
R15: S W E L L C R A B (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: G E M S A W U N O
C1: MANGOES (7)
C2: WOMEN (5)
DC: SWAGMEN (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)
Dave's risky 7 proves not to be risky at all as MANGO can pluralised with or without the E.
Round 2: L D E I M D S A O
C1: MIDDLES (7)
C2: LADDIES (7)
OT: DOLMADES (8)
Score: 14–7 (max 15)
An impressive 8 is left alone, but Leo's on the board now, so I'm sure he'll feel happy now.
In Middle Eastern and Greek cuisine, DOLMADES are any of various stuffed vegetable dishes, notably, the young leaves of the grapevine stuffed with a lemon-flavoured mixture of rice, onion, and frequently ground lamb. Although dolmas are usually eaten cold as an appetizer, Greek dolmades with lamb are served hot as a main course with an avgolemono sauce of egg yolks and lemon juice. Other vegetables such as zucchini, green peppers, cabbage, and onions are similarly prepared.
Round 3: Z E S T I A C M O
C1: ATOMIZES (8)
C2: coziest
Score: 22–7 (max 23)
3 days in a row that ATOMIZES appears in a selection. Clearly the shuffling behind the scenes has gone well sub-standard.
Round 4: R T H E O E Q K I
C1: OTHER (5)
C2: EITHER (6)
DC: HERETO (6)
OT: HERIOT (6) HETERO (6) HOKIER (6)
Score: 22–13 (max 29)
Leo gets back in it with his 6, probably the most normal of the available 6's.
A HERIOT is a feudal service or tribute, originally of borrowed military equipment and later of a chattel, due to the lord on the death of a tenant.
HETERO means of or pertaining to an atom other than carbon, particularly in a cyclic compound.
HOKIER comes from HOKEY, meaning cloyingly sentimental or mawkish.
Round 5: 75, 4, 5, 10, 10, 1. Target: 838.
C1: 839. ((10 + 1) x 75) + 10 + 4 (7)
C2: 840.
RR: 839. (7)
Score: 29–13 (max 36)
Easy to get 1 away, impossible to get it bang on.
William talks about his 2 sons, James & Linus, both actors in their own rights.
Teatime teaser: CORNYMAD -> DORMANCY
Round 6: N P T E A V L O E
C1: POLENTA (7)
C2: PETAL (5)
DC: ANTELOPE (8)
Score: 36–13 (max 44)
Another good spot by DC, as Dave goes further ahead.
Round 7: S I N D A L E P O
C1: PLAINED (7)
C2: SPOILED (7)
DC: PALINODES (18)
Score: 43–20 (max 62)
More shuffling concerns, although I think the bigger concern is that PALINODES is missed by the contestants again...........
Round 8: R I S A R L U D I
C1: LAIRDS (6)
C2: RADIUS (6)
OT: DRAILS (6) LIARDS (6) RAULIS (6) SIRDAR (6)
Score: 49–26 (max 68)
A few 6's here, mostly of the obscure kind, but I'll gladly make things clearer for you.
A DRAIL is a hook with a lead-covered shank used in trolling.
A LIARD is a former silver coin of France, the fourth part of a sol, issued from the 15th century to 1793 and made from copper after 1650.
A SIRDAR is a military chief or leader in India, Pakistan & Afghanistan.
Round 9: W E T N A S I P R
C1: spawniest
C2: PAINTERS (8)
DC: RAINSWEPT (18)
Score: 49–34 (max 86)
Ah, this brings back memories of the last double-century game, even though that was nearly 2 years ago............
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about more "lovers" words, such as "palaeophile", lover of ancient things, "xenophile", lover of foreign things.
Round 10: 25, 100, 6, 4, 5, 8. Target: 336.
C1: -
C2: 337. Mistake in working.
RR: 336. (100 - 25 + 6 + 8 - 5) x 4 (10)
Score: 49–34 (max 96)
A tricky looking 2 large appears, and unfortunately Leo declares one the wrong way away.
Teatime teaser: BLUERSEA -> REUSABLE
Round 11: S E M R O B E N I
C1: ENROBES (7)
C2: bromines
DC: BROMINE (7)
OT: EMERSION (8)
Score: 56–34 (max 104)
Even I thought that BROMINES was good
Shows how much I know. 
An EMERSION or EGRESS is the emergence of a heavenly body from an eclipse, an occultation, or a transit.
Round 12: D S T E A N B E U
C1: BUNTED (6)
C2: DEBATES (7)
DC: ABSENTED (8)
OT: UNSEATED (8)
Score: 56–41 (max 112)
But Leo gets back in immediately with his 7, as DC get another good 8.
Round 13: R U D C A G O O V
C1: GUARD (5)
C2: DOOR (4)
DC: COUGAR (6)
Score: 61–41 (max 118)
A stinky set here where DC get the darren puts Dave agonisingly close to crossing the finish line, but while the gap's at 20, anything can happen.....
Round 14: 50, 100, 3, 8, 2, 10. Target: 309.
C1: 309. Mistake in working.
C2: 309. (100 + 3) x (8 - (50 / 10)) (10)
Score: 61–51 (max 128)
.......AND DOES
Dave can't remember how he solved the numbers, letting Leo in to capitalise, and all of a sudden, we have a crucial conundrum on our hands......... 
Round 15: S W E L L C R A B
C2 buzzes on 28.5 seconds to say SCRAWLABLE which is incorrect. (no INCORRECT board today......
)C1 does not buzz.
The answer was SCREWBALL.
Final Score: 61–51 (max 138)
Oooooooooooh, the agony for Leo, as it almost looked like he forced the game into sudden death, but it's left to a lovely lady in the audience to get the answer instead.
Indeed it is a low scoring game, the lowest winning score of the series so far, but Jeff's comment that the letters were poor today was a bit off the mark, considering that there were 2 9's and 5 other rounds had 8's as maxes.
Oh well, never mind, Dave won't mind, but his scores are tumbling at a rapid rate. Can he improve enough to get half-octochampdom tomorrow
Join Mike tomorrow to find out.I'm off for a nice break in Wales next week, so Thomas and Rhys will take over my recaps, so I'll rejoin you on September 7, for the next installment.
So, till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Dave:
Total score - 61
Raw score - 72
Total % of max - 44
Raw % of max - 52
Total average score per round - 4.1
Raw average score per round - 4.8
Number of maxes - 4
Leo:
Total score - 51
Raw score - 72
Total % of max - 37
Raw % of max - 52
Total average score per round - 3.4
Raw average score per round - 4.8
Number of maxes - 3
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=65
