)Countdown recap for Wednesday 13 April 2011.
C1: Champion Graham Hill (4 wins, 333 points.) A retired police officer from Market Drayton, Shropshire. The thing that makes him laugh the most is the late, great comedian, Tommy Cooper.
C2: Challenger Jack Walker. From the Isle Of Lewes, Outer Hebrides. So isolated is his hometown, it has taken him 500 miles and 2 days to get to the studios in Manchester
He works as a trawlerman, and in December, while fishing off Ireland, his boat sank after the spare nets got caught in a current and jammed the boat's propeller, meaning he had to abandon ship and swim to a nearby ship as the lifeboat and helicopter arrived. At the end of the show, he reveals that his girlfriend lives in Devon. So, quite a trip to see her then 
DC: Susie Dent and Ken Bruce, who has been to the last 24 Eurovision Song Contests.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: R B N I O L A M E
R02: G I O T S M E U N
R03: R S P N A O E W R
R04: A I C T F E S C E
R05: 50, 100, 25, 75, 4, 7. Target: 122.
TTT: FLANPIES - "It's from your first day until your last"
R06: I A R G X R A T N
R07: D H F T I O E J D
R08: I Y R T N U O S A
R09: P N D I E Q M O S
R10: 100, 25, 5, 6, 4, 5. Target: 344.
TTT: LETSREST - "Let's rest our legs here, said the objects"
R11: L R T D E A A S M
R12: I U E S V B W A H
R13: R G L T E A E L P
R14: 50, 4, 9, 7, 3, 6. Target: 644.
R15: M A R M O L A D E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: R B N I O L A M E
C1: MORAINE (7)
C2: BLAME (5)
DC: EMBROIL (7) BROMINE (7)
OT: AILERON (7) ALMONER (7) BALMIER (7) LOAMIER (7) MANLIER (7) MARLINE (7) MINABLE (7) MINERAL (7) NIMBLER (7) NOMBRIL (7) RAILMEN (7) ROMAINE (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)
Our champ makes a good start in this one as Jack can only find a 5 here.
In heraldry, a NOMBRIL is the point in an escutcheon between the middle of the base and the fess point.
Round 2: G I O T S M E U N
C1: MOISTEN (7)
C2: MINUTES (7)
DC: EGOTISM (7) TONGUES (7)
OT: MITOGENS (8)
Score: 14–7 (max 15)
7's each here, as the darrenic 8 is missed by all.
A MITOGEN is any substance or agent that stimulates mitotic cell division.
Round 3: R S P N A O E W R
C1: WEAPONS (7)
C2: respawn
DC: SPARROW (7) PERSONA (7)
OT: PRAWNERS (8)
Score: 21–7 (max 23)
Jack misses out with respawn here. Maybe he should have taken some advice from his fellow Scotsman in round 1 of this game: http://www.c4countdown.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2070
Round 4: A I C T F E S C E
C1: FACETS (6)
C2: FACTS (5)
DC: acetic
OT: ASCETIC (7)
Score: 27–7 (max 30)
It's all going good for Graham so far, as Jack forgets to stick the E in his FACTS for some FACETS, as DC forget to add the S to their ACETIC for a darrenic 7, and DC even mistakenly think that ACETIC is fine on its own.
An ASCETIC is a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.
Round 5: 50, 100, 25, 75, 4, 7. Target: 122.
C1: 122. 75 + 50 - (7 - 4) (10)
C2: 118.
Score: 37–7 (max 40)
Ken talks about funny things happening in employment including an accidental misdirection of flowers between a person starting a new job and a person who had just died.
Teatime teaser: FLANPIES -> LIFESPAN
Round 6: I A R G X R A T N
C1: TARRING (7)
C2: GRANT (5)
DC: ARRAIGN (7)
OT: GRANITA (7)
Score: 44–7 (max 47)
Another good 7 by Graham. Jack is sinking rapidly, like his boat at the moment.
A GRANITA is an Italian frozen flavoured ice.
Round 7: D H F T I O E J D
C1: THIEF (5)
C2: TIDE (4)
DC: FOETID (6)
OT: DOITED (6)
Score: 49–7 (max 53)
A tricky bunch of letters, but DC spot a 6, Graham spots a 5 and Jack is stuck on 7 after 7.
Round 8: I Y R T N U O S A
C1: RATIONS (7)
C2: TRAINS (6)
DC: RAINOUTS (8)
Score: 56–7 (max 61)
He might be on the TRAINS, but Graham's RATIONS keep him ahead of the game.
Round 9: P N D I E Q M O S
C1: OPINED (6)
C2: SPEND (5)
DC: IMPOSED (7) IMPENDS (7)
Score: 62–7 (max 68)
DC get the best words again, and Graham gets one better than Jack AGAIN......
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of the phrase, "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched."
Round 10: 100, 25, 5, 6, 4, 5. Target: 344.
C1: 344. (4 x 100) - ((5 x 5) + 25) - 6 (10)
C2: 344. (4 x 100) - ((5 x 5) + 25) - 6 (10)
Score: 72–17 (max 78)
A tricky numbers at first glance, but both find the same solution and Jack has finally made it into double figures.
Teatime teaser: LETSREST -> TRESTLES
Round 11: L R T D E A A S M
C1: SMARTED (7)
C2: TREADS (6)
DC: ARMLETS (7)
OT: ALARMED (7) MALATES (7) MALTASE (7) MEDLARS (7) TAMALES (7)
Score: 79–17 (max 85)
A few more 7's around, not that Jack noticed...... and that also means that the game is over at this early stage.
Round 12: I U E S V B W A H
C1: ABUSIVE (7)
C2: WAVES (5)
DC: WAIVES (6)
Score: 86–17 (max 92)
Graham goes darrenicly ABUSIVE as Jack WAVES away WAIVES.
Round 13: R G L T E A E L P
C1: EAGLET (6)
C2: PLATE (5)
DC: PELLET (6) PALLET (6)
OT: PRELATE (7)
Score: 92–17 (max 99)
A very nice 6 by Graham, as the darrenic 7 goes untouched.
A PRELATE is an ecclesiastic of a high order, as an archbishop, bishop, etc.; a church dignitary.
Round 14: 50, 4, 9, 7, 3, 6. Target: 644.
C1: 644. ((9 + 4) x 50) - 6 (10)
C2: 644. ((9 + 4) x 50) - 6 (10)
Score: 102–27 (max 109)
More points for Jack, but when your points tally is comprised of more points in the numbers games, than the letters games, then you know you've had a rubbish day.
Round 15: M A R M O L A D E
No one buzzes. The answer was MELODRAMA.
Final Score: 102–27 (max 119)
And no-one in the entire studio gets the conundrum, but it's a very comprehensive win for Graham and it's also the first century on the show since Andy McGurn's 110 in his 3rd game around a month ago.
So, his 5 wins take him up to #6 seed for now, can he get even higher up tomorrow
Join me for that, but till then, bye bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Graham:
Total score - 102
Raw score - 102
Total % of max - 86
Raw % of max - 86
Total average score per round - 6.8
Raw average score per round - 6.8
Number of maxes - 7
Jack:
Total score - 27
Raw score - 80
Total % of max - 23
Raw % of max - 67
Total average score per round - 1.8
Raw average score per round - 5.5
Number of maxes - 2
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=64
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