Tuesday 18th December 2012 (Series 67, 4th QF)

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Jack Worsley
Series 66 Champion
Posts: 979
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:32 pm
Location: Blackpool

Tuesday 18th December 2012 (Series 67, 4th QF)

Post by Jack Worsley »

Countdown recap for Tuesday 18 December 2012.

Hello again. Today is the last of the quarter finals and it looks like one not to be missed. Both of today's contestants are octochamps with just seven points separating them in eight games! Will the game live up to expectations and be as close as the stats suggest?

C1: Champion Rose Boyle (8 wins, 701 points.) An accountant from Dublin, she is also a part-time apterite and forumite. In October, she became an octochamp, starting her run immediately after Tia Corkish finished hers. She impressed many people on her debut with a score of 100 but unfortunately this was her only century. Despite falling behind in five of her eight heats, she never had to face a crucial conundrum so she certainly has the battling qualities needed to succeed. Impressive spots during her run included DIASTOLE, FLACCID, MINGIEST, OVULATES and the niner DIGESTION in her third game, helping her to come from 20 points down. She was also unlucky to miss out on a second nine in her last game, as her offering of EUCHARIST was found to be capitalised.
C2: Champion Liam Shaw (8 wins, 708 points.) He works in a supermarket in North Yorkshire. He started his run in mid-September, immediately after the summer break and beat Andy Rossall (ask Grant Waters about him :P), thanks to a late conundrum solve. He followed this up with seven more wins, including a top score of 104. Like Rose, he trailed in five of his games. He had to survive three crucial conundrums, two from behind. He secured his octochamp status in dramatic fashion against a certain Jessica Pratesi, unscrambling the conundrum MAGNITUDE to steal the game by just a single point. Liam had some great spots of his own during his octo run, such as GAROTTE, SQUIRREL, MIAOWED, BAYONET and MINARETS. He does however have the unwanted statistic of being the only finalist not to have found a nine so far, can he change that today?
DC: Susie Dent and Alistair McGowan.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S R C I A U J E R
R02: I T N A D E I V C
R03: M T N A E A K O S
R04: E R S U L I A N R
R05: 100, 25, 50, 8, 1, 9. Target: 273.
TTT: OAKSCREW - "It sounds like a task of a luggage maker, but it isn't"
R06: D E A N O U H L N
R07: Z C D E U E N S M
R08: E D R O F I E X T
R09: S L P I O E P G I
R10: 25, 100, 3, 6, 10, 4. Target: 899.
TTT: TERRACES - "They provide the food for those on the terraces"
R11: D W H A I U S T E
R12: O R S E T I E D Q
R13: M P C A O E P A B
R14: 100, 25, 4, 6, 9, 3. Target: 846.
R15: A M R A P I C O N (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: S R C I A U J E R

C1: CARRIES (7)
C2: JUICERS (7)
DC: CRUISER (7) CURRIES (7)
OT: SAUCIER (7) SCARIER (7) SUCRIER (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)

A flat start as both claim an easy seven points.
A SUCRIER is a sugar bowl, typically made of porcelain and with a cover.

Round 2: I T N A D E I V C

C1: INDICATE (8)
C2: VINDICATE (18)
DC: EVICT (5)
Score: 7–25 (max 25)

Wow! Remember me mentioning that Liam hadn't got a nine yet? Not anymore! :) 8-) It's an impressive spot too but Rose will be kicking herself for not getting it since she just needed to stick the leftover V onto her word. :( :roll: Again she has a mountain to climb but at least there's still plenty of time.

Round 3: M T N A E A K O S

C1: STONE (5)
C2: STAMEN (6)
DC: SONATA (6) SEAMAN (6)
OT: NAMASTE (7) SMETANA (7)
Score: 7–31 (max 32)

The mountain becomes even higher as Liam's lead goes up to 24 already! Rose is going to have to rediscover her fighting spirit which she used to great effect in her heats if she wants to get back in the game. Doing it against a player of Liam's quality is a tough ask but stranger things have happened. A couple of nice sevens missed by DC too.
SMETANA is sour cream.

Round 4: E R S U L I A N R

C1: INSURER (7)
C2: URINALS (7)
DC: INSULAR (7) SNARLIER (8)
Score: 14–38 (max 40)

DC get the darren as Liam and Rose match each other.

Round 5: 100, 25, 50, 8, 1, 9. Target: 273.

C1: 273. (25 + 9) x 8 + 1 (10)
C2: 283.
Score: 24–38 (max 50)

Rose is forced to gamble even at this early stage but her chance on three large works brilliantly. Liam puzzlingly only manages to get ten away but Rose is spot on and closes the gap to just 14. Game on!

Alistair reveals how he often gets mistaken for other celebrities.

Teatime teaser: OAKSCREW -> CASEWORK

Round 6: D E A N O U H L N

C1: HANDLE (6)
C2: LOANED (6)
DC: unhandle
OT: UNLADEN (7)
Score: 30–44 (max 57)

Only one seven available and no one gets it.

Round 7: Z C D E U E N S M

C1: ENSUED (6)
C2: DUNCES (6)
DC: DEUCES (6)
OT: CENSED (6) CUMENE (6) EDUCES (6) EMENDS (6) ENDUES (6) NEUMES (6) SECUND (6) SEDUCE (6)
Score: 36–50 (max 63)

Flatness returns.

Round 8: E D R O F I E X T

C1: RIOTED (6)
C2: RIFTED (6)
DC: FRIED (5) FIXER (5) FIXED (5) FIRED (5) REFIXED (7)
Score: 42–56 (max 70)

Again there are a few sixes available but just the one seven, which is found by the corner. These letters aren't being very productive, let's hope for a swift change.

Round 9: S L P I O E P G I

C1: LIPPIES (7)
C2: SPOIL (5)
Score: 49–56 (max 77)

Interesting! Rose's risk would have been disallowed on apterous but after much apparent debate behind the scenes, Susie allows it and Liam's lead is reduced to single figures. LIPPIE is another term for lipstick but listed as a mass noun. Susie allows the plural on the basis that you can have different types of lipstick. Does anyone actually understanf the mass noun rule properly? No, didn't think so.

Oow: Susie answer a query from a viewer about why people exaggerate so much. She also mentions the origins of "obsession".

Round 10: 25, 100, 3, 6, 10, 4. Target: 899.

C1: 900. (3 + 6) x 100 (7)
C2: 900. (3 + 6) x 100 (7)
RR: 899. (10 - 3) x (100 + 25) + (6 x 4) (10)
Score: 56–63 (max 87)

Rose and Liam spot the obvious one away method while Rachel finds one of several ways to reach the target. This game is still anyone's for the taking.

Teatime teaser: TERRACES -> CATERERS

Round 11: D W H A I U S T E

C1: WAISTED (7)
C2: WAISTED (7)
OT: SWATHED (7)
Score: 63–70 (max 94)

Round 12: O R S E T I E D Q

C1: STORIED (7)
C2: EDITORS (7)
DC: SORTIED (7) STEROID (7)
OT: DIETERS (7) OERSTED (7) RESITED (7) TEREDOS (7) TRIODES (7)
Score: 70–77 (max 101)

"And a final... Q". Not what I wanted to hear, especially with no U and the selection looking promising. There are just a load of sevens to choose from, which is not what you want to see in a quarter final.

Round 13: M P C A O E P A B

C1: CAMEO (5)
C2: AMOEBA (6)
DC: PACE POMACE (6)
Score: 70–83 (max 107)

Liam pulls a great spot out of the bag, one of just two sixes available and increases his lead, crucially to above ten, with just two rounds remaining. It could turn out to be a match-winning word as all he has to do now is solve the last numbers game to book his place in the semi final tomorrow. What could possibly go wrong?

Round 14: 100, 25, 4, 6, 9, 3. Target: 846.

C1: 846. (100 - 6) x 9 (10)
C2: 847.
Score: 80–83 (max 117)

Well, that I suppose. :P Liam can only get to 847 but Rose shows him how it's done, by producing a masterclass on her 94 times tables. :D It was easier than it looked at first but pressure can really get to you under these circumstances. Rose's persistence means she has forced the first crucial conundrum of the series finals and has a chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. :o ;) :!:

Round 15: A M R A P I C O N

C1 buzzes on 10.5 seconds to say PANORAMIC which is correct.
Final Score: 90–83 (max 127)

Wowwweeee, she's only gone and done it! After an agonising ten seconds, Rose buzzes in with the right answer and completes a miraculous fightback, seemingly coming back from the dead! Spare a thought for Liam though who led for almost the entire game, thanks mainly to the brilliant nine in round 2 but he was pipped at the post. Looking back, Susie's controversial decision to allow LIPPIES was a turning point but let's not take anything away from either contestant. Both played really well and gave us an unforgettable game. Rose will probably have to emulate and possibly better the fight spirit she showed today as tomorrow she has a really tough semi final against the number one seed Paul James. After that, Heather Styles and David Barnard will contest the other semi final and the Series 67 champion will be crowned on Friday. Join James and Thomas to take you through to the end.

That wraps up my recapping duties for the series and for 2012. My next recap will be in three weeks for the second match of the 30th Anniversary Championship, between Series 28 runner-up Wayne Kelly and Series 56 champion Nick Wainwright. I wish you all a great Christmas and a happy new year, I'll be back in January, you will be too. Be sure of it. :D :)


Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67
Phyl Styles
Acolyte
Posts: 110
Joined: Sat Nov 19, 2011 12:41 pm

Re: Tuesday 18th December 2012 (Series 67, 4th QF)

Post by Phyl Styles »

A brilliant match, and what an excellent recap, Jack. I appreciate all the time taken by the recappers to give us our daily write-up. The end of this series is certainly giving us some cliff-hangers ...
Jack Worsley
Series 66 Champion
Posts: 979
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:32 pm
Location: Blackpool

Re: Tuesday 18th December 2012 (Series 67, 4th QF)

Post by Jack Worsley »

Thanks, Phyl!
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