Let's find out. Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 20 March 2014.
C1: Champion Cliff Lee (2 wins, 209 points.) A casino manager from Balham, South-West London. He also loves London's Royal parks, which he goes to inbetween work.
C2: Challenger Tom Dixon. An accounts assistant from New Mill, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. He's a proud Yorkshireman through and through, and has proved it by being a fan of the MIGHTY HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
(You can guess who I want to win today then. )DC: Susie Dent and Tim Vine.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: L N B I E U T G A
R02: R N F D O A O M E
R03: 5, 6, 7, 7, 2, 6. Target: 281.
TTT: LATETRAM - "The tram might be late, but you shouldn't abuse the driver"
R04: C R H U I E D G O
R05: M S N R E A U V R
R06: 75, 9, 5, 6, 3, 8. Target: 660.
R07: N B S P I E A O R
R08: Q C L D E I O R A
R09: 100, 4, 6, 1, 6, 2. Target: 113.
TTT: FREEVOLT - "It's what you might get from Phil Tufnell after everything else has gone"
R10: S T L S E O I Y A
R11: T D P E O I F T N
R12: P T S E A G E U R
R13: A E I T J D N R O
R14: 100, 6, 2, 4, 1, 4. Target: 527.
R15: S H I N I N G U P (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: L N B I E U T G A
Cliff: BLEATING (8)
Tom: BLEATING (8)
DC: NEBULA (6) TANGIBLE (8)
Score: 8–8 (max 8)
A nice and simple start for today's game.
Round 2: R N F D O A O M E
Cliff: MOONED (6)
Tom: FONDER (6)
DC: DOOR (4) DOORMAN (7) MAROONED (8)
Score: 14–14 (max 16)
Nothing much to separate the players at the moment, while DC are MAROONED on their darrenic 8.
Round 3: 5, 6, 7, 7, 2, 6. Target: 281.
Cliff: 294.
Tom: 277. (6 x 5 x (7 + 2)) + 7 (7)
RR: 281. (((6 x 7) - 2) x 7) + 6 - 5 (10)
Score: 14–21 (max 26)
Quite a shocker from Cliff there, being too far out, and Tom capitalises to take the first lead of the day.
Teatime teaser: LATETRAM -> MALTREAT
Round 4: C R H U I E D G O
Cliff: GROUCHED (8)
Tom: CRIED (5)
DC: ROGUE (5) ROGUED (6) COUGHED (7)
OT: DOUGHIER (8)
Score: 22–21 (max 34)
But Cliff storms back immediately and takes the lead thanks to his impressive 8.
Round 5: M S N R E A U V R
Cliff: SURNAME (7)
Tom: RAVENS (6)
DC: MANURES (7)
Score: 29–21 (max 41)
And he's now even further ahead thanks to his SURNAME.
Round 6: 75, 9, 5, 6, 3, 8. Target: 660.
Cliff: 660. (9 x 75) - (5 x 3) (10)
Tom: 660. (9 x 75) - (3 x 6) + 8 - 5 (10)
Score: 39–31 (max 51)
Hmmm, Tom just about scrapes home with the answer, which makes the game still very tight.............
Tim gives us more brilliant anecdotes from his Bumper Book Of Silliness.
Round 7: N B S P I E A O R
Cliff: BARONIES (8)
Tom: PONIES (6)
Score: 47–31 (max 59)
A super impressive darrenic 8 from Cliff, and surely he's going to start pulling away now
Round 8: Q C L D E I O R A
Cliff: caloried
Tom: COLDER (6)
DC: CALORIE (7) RADICLE (7)
OT: CARIOLE (7) CORDIAL (7) DARIOLE (7) LORICAE (7)
Score: 47–37 (max 66)
Well, the brakes have been hit hard here, as Cliff, nor anyone else for that matter, can be caloried, and his lead suddenly shrinks to 10 points.........
Round 9: 100, 4, 6, 1, 6, 2. Target: 113.
Cliff: 113. 100 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 1 (10)
Tom: 113. 100 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 1 (10)
Score: 57–47 (max 76)
First time that Cliff chooses 1 large, and maybe the last, if he wanted something harder to come up.
Teatime teaser: FREEVOLT -> LEFTOVER
Round 10: S T L S E O I Y A
Cliff: STYLES (6)
Tom: lassoes
DC: ISOLATES (8) TASSEL (6)
OT: ASYSTOLE (8)
Score: 63–47 (max 84)
Ouch, super unfortunate for Tom, as he's 1 S too short for lassoes.
ASYSTOLE is the absence of heartbeat; cardiac arrest.
Round 11: T D P E O I F T N
Cliff: POINTED (7)
Tom: POINTED (7)
DC: TIPTOED (7) POTTED (6)
Score: 70–54 (max 91)
Both contestants POINTED to the 7. Still nip/tuck here.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "minion".
Round 12: P T S E A G E U R
Cliff: upstager
Tom: upstager
DC: UPSTAGE (7) REPEATS (7) REPEATS (7)
PASTURE (7) REPUTES (7) REPEATS (7) OT: AUSTERE (7) EPATERS (7) GESTURE (7) PARGETS (7) PRESAGE (7) RESTAGE (7) SEPTAGE (7) UPRATES (7)
Score: 70–54 (max 98)
Hmmm, I wonder if Tom was deliberately trying to drag Cliff into a trap here, well whatever the case, it worked, as both contestants go for the illegal upstager.........
Round 13: A E I T J D N R O
Cliff: JANITOR (7)
Tom: randiest
DC: ORDINATE (8) RATIONED (8) DERATION (8)
Score: 77–54 (max 106)
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. It seems like Tom has got himself back in, but he sees a phantom S again, and instead of a hope of salvation, the game is suddenly over for our Terrier.
Round 14: 100, 6, 2, 4, 1, 4. Target: 527.
Cliff: 526. ((100 + 6) x (4 + 1)) - 4 (7)
Tom: 529.
RR: 527. ((100 - ((2 x 4) + 4)) x 6) - 1 (10)
Score: 84–54 (max 116)
Even more agony for Tom as he declares 2 away, and then seems to realise that something's gone wrong. Either way, Cliff gets one closer and Rachel gets one closer than that.
Round 15: S H I N I N G U P
Tom buzzes on 2.5 seconds to say PUNISHING which is correct.
Final Score: 84–64 (max 126)
Well, Tom does get some consolation with the conundrum solve, but it's a case of what might have been for him unfortunately. (Definitely sounds like the Terriers' season too
)But, Cliff survives and has his 3rd win under his belt, although his scores have been steadily declining, and his impregnability is non-existent now. Maybe a good night's rest will get him back to peak performance tomorrow.
Join Anthony for that, while Maureen Lipman comes into DC too.
I'll be back next week for another double bill, which could be Cliff's 7th and 8th games. Join me for that
Until then, have a good weekend, and see you soon. Bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Cliff:
Total score - 84
Raw score - 84
Total % of max - 67
Raw % of max - 67
Total average score per round - 5.6
Raw average score per round - 5.6
Number of maxes - 7
Tom:
Total score - 64
Raw score - 88
Total % of max - 51
Raw % of max - 70
Total average score per round - 4.3
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 5
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=70