Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 8 January 2015.
C1: Champion Andy Noden (4 wins, 425 points.) An Apterite and retail adviser from St. Helens, Merseyside.
C2: Challenger Michael Smith. A sales manager from Maidenhead, Berkshire. He's a keen linguist speaking French and good Spanish and German, probably from living in the countries for a few years doing promotional material.
DC: Susie Dent and Jon Culshaw.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: A R S L E O D U C
R02: V B R I E A S T G
R03: 25, 2, 5, 6, 10, 6. Target: 673.
TTT: COOLBIKE - "No need to eat your words, these will do it for you"
R04: H N Q I E A S L O
R05: R S A U Z R T I E
R06: 50, 1, 9, 1, 3, 10. Target: 818.
R07: I O E I G N T S J
R08: P G R A O U F A T
R09: 25, 3, 6, 4, 2, 6. Target: 403.
TTT: TENMILIN - "I rubbed 10ml of this into the painful area"
R10: D R S E I U B P A
R11: E O A G L T I P E
R12: S M N Y O A E D U
R13: T N I A W S E O D
R14: 100, 25, 10, 7, 8, 6. Target: 253.
R15: S T E E D F O R D (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: A R S L E O D U C
Andy: CAROUSEL (8)
Michael: LOUDER (6)
DC: ROULADES (8) CAROUSED (8)
OT: CLOSURED (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)
Spinning around the CAROUSEL is Andy to take the first lead of the day.
Round 2: V B R I E A S T G
Andy: VIBRATES (8)
Michael: gariest
DC: BRAVEST (7) GRAVEST (7)
OT: VIRGATES (8)
Score: 16–0 (max 16)
Another good 8 from Andy, with Michael still stuck at the starting gate.
Round 3: 25, 2, 5, 6, 10, 6. Target: 673.
Andy: -
Michael: 690.
RR: 673. ((10 + 6 + 6 + 5) x 25) - 2 (10)
Score: 16–0 (max 26)
Oh dear, more numbers misery for Andy, but Michael can't capitalise either, as he's not within range........
Even more annoyingly, it's easy if you don't think outside the box (which I did, hence my silly method for 672: (((25 x 5) - 10 - (6 / 2)) x 6) 
)Teatime teaser: COOLBIKE -> BOOKLICE
Round 4: H N Q I E A S L O
Andy: INHALES (7)
Michael: SALINE (6)
Score: 23–0 (max 33)
Andy breathes in nicely, as he's back to the safety of the letters rounds, with his darrenic 7.
Round 5: R S A U Z R T I E
Andy: TARRIES (7)
Michael: sature
DC: RUSTIER (7)
OT: ARTSIER (7) AZURITE (7) TARSIER (7)
Score: 30–0 (max 40)
Another good max from Andy, but Michael can't seem to score for toffee at the moment...........
AZURITE is a blue mineral consisting of basic copper carbonate. It occurs as blue prisms or crystal masses, typically with malachite.
A TARSIER is a small insectivorous, tree-dwelling, nocturnal primate with very large eyes, a long tufted tail, and very long hindlimbs, native to the islands of SE Asia. (Family Tarsiidae and genus Tarsius, suborder Prosimii)
Round 6: 50, 1, 9, 1, 3, 10. Target: 818.
Andy: 817. Mistake in working.
Michael: 817. ((9 - 3 + 10) x (50 + 1)) + 1 (7)
RR: 817. (7)
OT: 818. (((50 - 9) x 10) - 1) x (3 - 1) (10)
Score: 30–7 (max 50)
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, yet again, Andy has messed up, but Michael can at least get into the game, as he gets his first points on the board, but this even stumps Rachel
Jon talks about how he keeps himself entertained while travelling across the country, with weird magazines such as Your Chickens, yet again read as Alan Bennett.
Round 7: I O E I G N T S J
Andy: JINGOIST (8)
Michael: joisting
DC: IGNITES (7)
Score: 38–7 (max 58)
NOW THAT IS AN EIGHT
I'm well impressed by Andy's phenomenal 8, forcing Michael's hand to an 8 of his own, and he is a bit unlucky, as JOIST is in, but the only lead on from that is the adjective, JOISTED. Round 8: P G R A O U F A T
Andy: RAGTOP (6)
Michael: GROUP (5)
OT: FUGATO (6) GOPURA (6) RAGOUT (6)
Score: 44–7 (max 64)
Oh dear, Michael feels the pain of missing out in the letters once again, but it's definitely safe ground for Andy, who is surely in pole position here.
FUGATO is an adjective and adverb meaning in the style of a fugue, but not in strict or complete fugal form.
In southern India, a GOPURA is a large pyramidal tower over the entrance gate to a temple precinct.
Round 9: 25, 3, 6, 4, 2, 6. Target: 403.
Andy: 402.
Michael: 403. ((6 + 6 + 4) x 25) + 3 (10)
Score: 44–17 (max 74)
WHAT? WHAT?? WHAT??? Andy hopes for third time lucky in the numbers today, and a simple numbers game comes up, but he only gets one away
He really doesn't like the numbers, does he 
But, someone who clearly does is Michael, who scores 10 points, and despite not scoring in the letters rounds, is still not too far behind Andy......... Teatime teaser: TENMILIN -> LINIMENT
Round 10: D R S E I U B P A
Andy: UPBRAIDS (8)
Michael: BRUISED (7)
DC: BRAISED (7) UPRAISED (8)
Score: 52–17 (max 82)
Well, he's not going to catch him if he keeps on bringing up words like this
Round 11: E O A G L T I P E
Andy: PILOTAGE (8)
Michael: LEGATE (6)
DC: EAGLET (6)
Score: 60–17 (max 90)
And yet another darrenic 8 should surely put him out of reach now.
Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origins of the phrases "leave no stone unturned" and "red tape".
Round 12: S M N Y O A E D U
Andy: OSMUNDA (7)
Michael: mondays
DC: DAEMONS (7) DAMSON (6)
OT: DYNAMOS (7) MASONED (7) MENUDOS (7) NOYADES (7) SOMEDAY (7)
Score: 67–17 (max 97)
7's aplenty here, but Michael's 7 mean he is serving capital punishment, as the game is now officially wrapped up by Andy. HIGH FIVE
A MENUDO is a spicy Mexican soup made from tripe.
A NOYADE is a historical term for execution carried out by drowning.
Round 13: T N I A W S E O D
Andy: SEDATION (8)
Michael: DONATES (7)
DC: DOWNIEST (8)
Score: 75–17 (max 105)
WOAH! WOAH!! WOAH!!! WHAT AN AMAZING SITUATION WE HAVE JUST HAD HERE
Andy's spot of an 8 means that he has MAXED the letters games in today's show. 75/75 in the letters games.
And in a truly remarkable reverse, Michael's record on the letters today is 0%!!!
Which unfortunately gives him the dubious honour of being the first person in 15-round Countdown history to fail to score a single point in a letters game.So, a MAX vs a min, in other words. How bizarre, but even more amazing is this............
Round 14: 100, 25, 10, 7, 8, 6. Target: 253.
Andy: 252. (25 x 10) + 8 - 6 (7)
Michael: 252. (25 x 10) + 8 - 6 (7)
RR: 253. ((100 + 25) x (8 - 6)) + 10 - 7 (10)
Score: 82–24 (max 115)
For all his brilliance in the letters games, Andy's numbers game record is shocking. For someone whose record in the letters games alone should make him a serious contender for the series, never mind just being an octochamp. The fact that he has MAXED the letters games, yet only scored 7 out of a possible 40 points in today's numbers games is completely baffling.
Obviously, these aren't the easiest numbers games you'll ever see (although the 3rd one clearly was), these simple errors could cost him in the long run, which is a shame of someone who does have impressive talents, like he does.
Round 15: S T E E D F O R D
Andy buzzes on 2.25 seconds to say DEFORESTED which is incorrect.
Michael buzzes on 3.75 seconds to say DEFROSTED which is correct.
Final Score: 82–34 (max 125)
And just to make it a bit sour for him even further, his 100% record in the conundrums goes as well.
(Although in fairness, I also did the same mistake, so I can't really call from the high horse in this one. )So, this game ends with more questions than answers, as Andy's letters game supremacy has certainly be confirmed thanks to a MAX LETTERS performance, but his shaky numbers games do doubt his credibility of being a series champion-in-waiting, especially if people like Thomas Cappleman are lying in wait further down the series............, and the fact he only scored 82 points, despite maxing the letters too makes it even more bizarre.
But, not trying to knock him down too much, Andy is a great player, and should definitely be watched carefully, should he return to the series finals in June.
Anthony will be here tomorrow for his 6th game, and I'll be back on Wednesday, when he will have departed come what may.
So, have a great weekend everybody, and bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Andy:
Total score - 82
Raw score - 89
Total % of max - 66
Raw % of max - 71
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 10
Michael:
Total score - 34
Raw score - 71
Total % of max - 27
Raw % of max - 57
Total average score per round - 2.3
Raw average score per round - 4.7
Number of maxes - 2
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=72