Please don't adjust your calendars, it is still Thursday, ad although you are used to seeing me on a Friday, tonight I am deputising for the holidaying James Robinson 
This is also in lieu of the fact that yet again my regular Friday slot has been hijacked by horseracing. 
Yesterday saw Michael McDowell sensationally defeat our apterite Paul Worsley, who had won 6 games and will surely be kicking himself that he couldn't emulate his son Jack's achievements in becoming an octochamp. However, with 6 wins, it is fairly likely he will return for the Quarter Finals in some capacity.
So today Michael McDowell has the job of defending his title as champion. Elisabeth Jardine stands in his way as he aims for a second win. Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 25 September 2014.
C1: Champion Michael McDowell (1 win, 76 points.) Originally from County Down in Northern Ireland.
C2: Challenger Elisabeth Jardine. Retired teacher and seaside landlady from Bournemouth, a big mind sports and scrabble enthusiast. Once appeared on Family Fortunes when Bob Monkhouse was presenting it.
DC: Susie Dent and Deborah Meaden.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: N R T E U D I O J
R02: N C Q T P E A E G
R03: 3, 7, 5, 4, 8, 100. Target: 711.
TTT: IANSGLUM - "Ian's glum because his favourite team have suffered a few of these lately."
R04: B T D C L A E U N
R05: E O S L G S I C Y
R06: 1, 4, 2, 4, 10, 25, . Target: 727.
R07: B M A P T E I N D
R08: R H S T D U I O R
R09: 9, 8, 6, 8, 7, 25. Target: 465.
TTT: CHIPPEAS - "Are these men of the cheeky variety?"
R10: V W T K M U O E W
R11: T P A A R F O L A
R12: R D R Z R U I A N
R13: R P S O E N S O N
R14: 6, 3, 2, 4, 6, 75. Target: 646.
R15: E C O C R I N G E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: N R T E U D I O J
Michael: JOINTED (7)
Elisabeth: JOINTED (7)
DC: ROUTINED (8) JOINTURE (8)
Score: 7–7 (max 8)
A well JOINTED start as both players get 7.
Round 2: N C Q T P E A E G
Michael: centage
Elisabeth: pentace
DC: NEGATE (6)
OT: CETANE (6) ENCAGE (6) NEPETA (6) PANTEC (6) PECTEN (6) TENACE (6)
Score: 7–7 (max 14)
Oh dear oh dear! Both players gets 7's disallowed. Sorry but 'centage' and 'pentace' are not in the dictionary, so a scoreless round. DC manage to NEGATE the damage with 6.
Round 3: 3, 7, 5, 4, 8, 100. Target: 711.
Michael: 711. (100x7) + 3 + 8 (10)
Elisabeth: 711. (100x7) + 3 + 8 (10)
Score: 17–17 (max 24)
An easy numbers game sees both players get a perfect 10.
Teatime teaser: IANSGLUM -> MAULINGS
Round 4: B T D C L A E U N
Michael: BLEAT (5)
Elisabeth: unbated
DC: UNLACED (7)
OT: BLUNTED (7) TUNABLE (7)
Score: 22–17 (max 31)
A sheepish 5 for Michael with BLEAT. Elisabeth tried 'unbated' for 7, but it was disallowed.
Round 5: E O S L G S I C Y
Michael: GLOSSY (6)
Elisabeth: GLOSSY (6)
DC: SLICES (6)
OT: LOESSIC (7) OSSICLE (7)
Score: 28–23 (max 38)
A GLOSSY round for both players with 6 points each.
Round 6: 1, 4, 2, 4, 10, 25. Target: 727.
Michael: -
Elisabeth: 725. Mistake in working.
RR: 728. ((25+1)x 2) x (10+4) (7)
Score: 28–23 (max 45)
An impossible numbers game sees both players draw a blank. Rachel got to 728, but that was it.
Deborah Meaden talks about her charity work for TUSK (an elephant charity)
Round 7: B M A P T E I N D
Michael: PAINTED (7)
Elisabeth: PAINTED (7)
DC: AMBIENT (7)
OT: MEDIANT (7)
Score: 35–30 (max 52)
Both players PAINTED a picture in this round, for 7 points.
Round 8: R H S T D U I O R
Michael: TORRID (6)
Elisabeth: STUDIO (6)
DC: HORRID (6) THIRDS (6)
OT: DROUTHS (7) STRIDOR (7)
Score: 41–36 (max 59)
A TORRID time in the STUDIO as both players get 6 again.
Round 9: 9, 8, 6, 8, 7, 25. Target: 465.
Michael: 466. (8+9) x 25 + (6x8) - 7 (7)
Elisabeth: 467.
RR: 465. (7+8) x (25+6) (10)
Score: 48–36 (max 69)
Michael goes further ahead by getting only 1 away as Elisabeth falls 2 short.
Teatime teaser: CHIPPEAS -> CHAPPIES
Round 10: V W T K M U O E W
Michael: MOVE (4)
Elisabeth: WOVE (4)
DC: TOME MUTE MEOW VETO
OT: MEOW MOKE MOTE MOUE MUTE OVUM TOKE TOME VETO VOTE WOKE
Score: 52–40 (max 73)
MOVE and WOVE along with a million other 4's, but no better. Not a great round.
Round 11: T P A A R F O L A
Michael: AFLOAT (6)
Elisabeth: PORTAL (6)
DC: PATROL (6) PRAT
OT: APOLAR (6)
Score: 58–46 (max 79)
Michael stays AFLOAT while Elisabeth gets to the PORTAL. So 6 a piece.
Susie talks about older words not in the current dictionary.
Round 12: R D R Z R U I A N
Michael: DRAIN (5)
Elisabeth: DURIAN (6)
DC: DURRA (5)
Score: 58–52 (max 85)
Six points down the DRAIN for Michael, as Elisabeth gets DURIAN. What a stinker of a round that was.
Round 13: R P S O E N S O N
Michael: SNOOPERS (8)
Elisabeth: PERSONS (7)
DC: SPOONERS (8) POORNESS (8)
Score: 66–52 (max 93)
Michael gets the SNOOPERS and Elisabeth catches the PERSONS from this round.
Round 14: 6, 3, 2, 4, 6, 75. Target: 646.
Michael: 645. (75+6) x (6+2) - 3 (7)
Elisabeth: 649.
RR: 646. (75+6) x (4x2) - (6/3) (10)
Score: 73–52 (max 103)
Michael goes further ahead again on the numbers as he comes within 1. Elisabeth was 3 away.
Round 15: E C O C R I N G E
Elisabeth buzzes on 8 seconds to say COERCING which is incorrect.
Michael does not buzz.
The answer was CONCIERGE.
Final Score: 73–52 (max 113)
Elisabeth buzzed in incorrectly after 8 seconds to attempt 'coercing'. Michael couldn't give an answer, neither could the audience on the day, I wasn't in the audience for this so I was left shouting the answer to the TV instead
CONCIERGE was the correct answer.So Michael marches on to his second win in a difficult game where the max was quite a low one at 113. He will now return on Monday to defend his title. Join Andy McGurn to see if he makes it. I'll be back next Friday, so I hope you'll join me then. In the meantime, thank you very much for reading, and goodbye.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=71
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