So, let's get going.
Countdown recap for Thursday 7 November 2013.
C1: Champion Michael McLaughlin (2 wins, 165 points.) From Foxrock, Dublin.
C2: Challenger Sarah Taylor. A solicitor from Lancaster, but originally from Salisbury. She's also a big Arsenal fan.
DC: Susie Dent and Alistair McGowan.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: H A P E S O Y M I
R02: F P R S A U O T A
R03: 25, 75, 3, 7, 8, 1. Target: 598.
TTT: DEEPTROT - "Harry messed about doing nothing of importance"
R04: T L P G U E U N E
R05: B O T L A N I L O
R06: 25, 2, 1, 5, 1, 8. Target: 844.
R07: J E R A D O S E C
R08: V G M T I A E N H
R09: 75, 3, 6, 2, 2, 9. Target: 194.
TTT: RICERUST - "Brings in a lot of new starters"
R10: F R N D O I A P E
R11: R O H E X U R I T
R12: D M R T E I E D S
R13: B I R O C D I V A
R14: 50, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6. Target: 968.
R15: A B I G R I D E R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: H A P E S O Y M I
C1: SHAPE (5)
C2: IMPOSE (6)
DC: MISHAP (6) MYOPIA (6)
OT: HOMEYS (6) HOMIES (6) MAHOES (6) MASHIE (6) MOPISH (6) MYOPES (6) PHYSIO (6) POISHA (6)
Score: 0–6 (max 6)
Sarah IMPOSEs herself early on with that starter for 6, with Michael a bit out of SHAPE there.
A POISHA is an aluminium coin and monetary unit of Bangladesh, the 100th part of a taka.
Round 2: F P R S A U O T A
C1: SPROUT (6)
C2: PASTOR (6)
DC: AORTAS (6)
OT: FRUSTA (6) SATRAP (6) SOUTAR (6) STUPOR (6)
Score: 6–12 (max 12)
A few more 6's in this round, as it seems to be hard to get further forward so far today...............
A FRUSTUM (plural FRUSTA) is the part of a conical solid left after cutting off a top portion with a plane parallel to the base.
A SATRAP is a governor of a province under the ancient Persian monarchy.
In Scotland or Northern England, a SOUTAR is a shoemaker or cobbler.
Round 3: 25, 75, 3, 7, 8, 1. Target: 598.
C1: 598. (8 x 75) - (3 - 1) (10)
C2: 598. (8 x 75) - (3 - 1) (10)
Score: 16–22 (max 22)
Well, at least the first numbers game is nice and straightforward.
Teatime teaser: DEEPTROT -> POTTERED
Round 4: T L P G U E U N E
C1: UNPLUG (6)
C2: PLUNGE (6)
DC: unplugete
OT: ELUENT (6) GENTLE (6) GLUTEN (6) PENULT (6)
Score: 22–28 (max 28)
Just more and more 6's here..................
Round 5: B O T L A N I L O
C1: BOOT (4)
C2: BALLOON (7)
DC: BALLOTIN (8)
OT: LOBATION (8) OBLATION (8)
Score: 22–35 (max 36)
NOW THAT'S BETTER!!!
Quite an amazing occasion when a BOOT gets kicked in by a BALLOON. A very impressive 8 from DC too. OBLATION is the offering to God of the elements of bread and wine in the Eucharist.
Round 6: 25, 2, 1, 5, 1, 8. Target: 844.
C1: 837. Mistake in working.
C2: 847. Mistake in working.
OT: 842. ((8 - 1) x 5 x (25 - 1)) + 2 (7)
Score: 22–35 (max 43)
Oh dear, oh dear, Sarah is agonisingly close, but uses the 2 twice, whereas Michael was nowhere close with his method of 837, and Rachel gives this as impossible, and 2 away is as good as it gets unfortunately............
Alistair does some impressions of the tennis stars, Andy Murray (with a French twist
) and Boris Becker.Round 7: J E R A D O S E C
C1: CREEDS (6)
C2: CREASED (7)
DC: ERODES (6) RECODES (7)
Score: 22–42 (max 50)
Sarah's still showing some good form in the letters game, with another max to her name with her CREASED offering.
Round 8: V G M T I A E N H
C1: HEATING (7)
C2: TEAMING (7)
DC: HEAVING (7) VINTAGE (7)
OT: MINTAGE (7) TEGMINA (7) THEMING (7)
Score: 29–49 (max 57)
Michael is clearly struggling, yet again getting his 7 in right at the death, but Sarah is not wilting at all.
In botany, a TEGMEN (plural TEGMINA) is the delicate inner integument or coat of a seed.
Round 9: 75, 3, 6, 2, 2, 9. Target: 194.
C1: -
C2: 192. Mistake in working.
RR: 194. ((75 - 3 - 2) x 2) + (9 x 6) (10)
Score: 29–49 (max 67)
Oh dear, more numbers misery from our contestants, as Michael is nowhere and Sarah does another miscalculation.....................
Numbers clearly not their forte today................ Teatime teaser: RICERUST -> RECRUITS
Round 10: F R N D O I A P E
C1: pandier
C2: PROFANE (7)
DC: PROFANED (8)
OT: PINAFORE (8)
Score: 29–56 (max 75)
Michael is now resorted to desperation now with his 7 there, although it might still be a bit early for that, as he's still only 27 behind. Sarah's a bit unlucky to not stick the D on the end of her word as well...............
Round 11: R O H E X U R I T
C1: TOUR (4)
C2: EXHORT (6)
DC: OTHER (5) HURTIER (7)
OT: HERITOR (7) ROUTIER (7)
Score: 29–62 (max 82)
Michael's brain is certainly now in the fried stage, as he struggles to even remember what his 4 was
A few interesting 7's there as well, including the unusual HURTIER, which definitely reminds me of one of Jeff Stelling's earliest games in the hotseat, when everyone laughed at him when he offered HURTIEST as an answer in this game (amazing to think that that was nearly a thousand episodes ago now 
).Susie's Origins of Words looks at the origins of the surnames, "Kennedy", "Lush", "McMillan", "Napier", "Proud", "Bucket", "Smellie", "Pratt", "Bottom", "Piggott", "Wally", "Steptoe", "Small" and "Silly".
Round 12: D M R T E I E D S
C1: strided
C2: MERITED (7)
DC: MITRED (6) demitred DEMISTER (8)
OT: DERMESTID (18)
Score: 29–69 (max 100)
Well, that slightly mistaken word from Michael has inadvertently handed the game to Sarah, while there's a super impressive 9 missed by all here.
A DERMESTID is any beetle of the family Dermestidae, whose members are destructive at both larval and adult stages to a wide range of stored organic materials such as wool, fur, feathers, and meat.
Round 13: B I R O C D I V A
C1: BRAID (5)
C2: BRAVO (5)
DC: CARDIO (6) CORVID (6)
OT: CIBORIA (7)
Score: 34–74 (max 107)
A well earned BRAVO for Sarah there, while DC get a couple of 6's and another odd darrenic 7.
A CIBORIUM is a permanent canopy placed over an altar.
Round 14: 50, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6. Target: 968.
C1: -
C2: 968. Mistake in working.
RR: 968. ((50 x 5) - (6 + 2)) x 4 (10)
Score: 34–74 (max 117)
And we now have another repeat of the last numbers game, as Michael blanks again, and Sarah's mathematical skills are found to be not quite up to scratch.
Round 15: A B I G R I D E R
C2 buzzes on 14.75 seconds to say BRIGADIER which is correct.
Final Score: 34–84 (max 127)
Well, while her maths skills might need work, Sarah's conundrum skills are just fine, and it wraps up a more than convincing win against Michael, who after scraping through his previous 2 games, was probably an accident waiting to happen, although I wasn't expecting something that dramatic
Join Anthony tomorrow to see if Sarah can continue with her good performance today and hopefully win a few more shows.
I'll be off next week, as I'm pretty busy doing something or other in Salford on Wednesday, and then I'm going to be in a bit of pain on Thursday, as I'll be having a dentist's appointment that I'd rather not have.................
So, both my recaps are up for grabs next week. Apply at the usual forum thread to seal it.
So, I'll be back on the 20th for my next recap, so until then, bye bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Michael:
Total score - 34
Raw score - 53
Total % of max - 27
Raw % of max - 42
Total average score per round - 2.3
Raw average score per round - 3.5
Number of maxes - 4
Sarah:
Total score - 84
Raw score - 84
Total % of max - 66
Raw % of max - 66
Total average score per round - 5.6
Raw average score per round - 5.6
Number of maxes - 7
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=69
