C1: Champion Brett Davids (2 wins, 242 points.)
C2: Challenger Paul Hegarty.
DC: Susie Dent and Jon Culshaw.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: F R N C E I A O M
R02: T J S E I A P T M
R03: 75, 25, 100, 50, 5, 4, . Target: 932.
TTT: SOURDOWN - " When it comes to music, this describes Stevie to a T"
R04: G V L O U I N S P
R05: R T K L A E A S E
R06: 3, 3, 10, 2, 8, 9. Target: 723.
R07: N W G T O I A N R
R08: H N S U E A Q D M
R09: 50, 5, 7, 1, 2, 5. Target: 689.
TTT: TEMPURAS - "To get this, you have to go against the flow."
R10: R P T O I E N B S
R11: L R W R O U A D E
R12: L P H U E I N G B
R13: S F T D O A E I E
R14: 25, 5, 3, 8, 4, 1. Target: 147.
R15: T U P E L O K F C (conundrum)
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Round 1: F R N C E I A O M
Brett: ROMANCE (7)
Paul: FANCIER (7)
DC: MORAINE (7) ROMAINE (7)
OT: CARMINE (7) CERIMAN (7) COMFIER (7) CONFIRM (7) CONIFER (7) ENCOMIA (7) FERMION (7) FIREMAN (7) FOAMIER (7) FORAMEN (7) FOREMAN (7) INCOMER (7) MOANIER (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)
Round 2: T J S E I A P T M
Brett: PASTIME (7)
Paul: PATTIES (7)
DC: MATIEST (7)
Score: 14–14 (max 14)
Round 3: 75, 25, 100, 50, 5, 4. Target: 932.
C1: 931. ((((75 × 25) − 5) × 50) ÷ 100) − 4 (7)
C2: 925.
RR: 931/933 (7)
Score: 21–14 (max 21)
Teatime teaser: SOURDOWN -> WONDROUS
Round 4: G V L O U I N S P
Brett: SOLVING (7)
Paul: SOLVING (7)
DC: UPSILON (7)
OT: GULPINS (7) LOUPING (7) LOUSING (7) PULSING (7) SLOPING (7) SOUPING (7)
Score: 28–21 (max 28)
Round 5: R T K L A E A S E
Brett: STALKER (7)
Paul: STREAK (6)
DC: RELATES (7) RETAKES (7) TALKERS (7)
OT: AERATES (7) KARELAS (7) KESTREL (7) LEAKERS (7) REALEST (7) SEAKALE (7) STEALER (7)
Score: 35–21 (max 35)
Sevens all round nothing worth having a catfight over...........now play nicely children !
Round 6: 3, 3, 10, 2, 8, 9. Target: 723.
C1: 723. (9 × 8 × 10) + 3 (10)
C2: 723. (9 × 8 × 10) + 3 (10)
Score: 45–31 (max 45)
A piece of piss this solve..........that bags our champion and challenger 10 points each
Round 7: N W G T O I A N R
Brett: IGNORANT (8)
Paul: RANTING (7)
DC: ORATING (7)
Score: 53–31 (max 53)
A promising round from our champion Brett.........his max game is most definitely on
Round 8: H N S U E A Q D M
Brett: QUASHED (7)
Paul: MASHED (6)
DC: QUASHED (7) MASQUE (6)
OT: NUMDAHS (7)
Score: 60–31 (max 60)
Another fine round from our Champion Brett...........our challenger can manage 6 that puts him further behind ..........it's game on for our champion Brett and his max game !
Round 9: 50, 5, 7, 1, 2, 5. Target: 689.
C1: 689. (7 × 2 × 50) − 5 − 5 − 1 (10)
C2: 689. (7 × 2 × 50) − 5 − 5 − 1 (10)
Score: 70–41 (max 70)
Nice and straightforward...........not too taxing our champion and challenger have no trouble solving this bad boy !
Teatime teaser: TEMPURAS -> UPSTREAM
Round 10: R P T O I E N B S
Brett: POINTERS (8)
Paul: PROTEINS (8)
DC: REPOINTS (8)
OT: PORNIEST (8)
Score: 78–49 (max 78)
Nice pickings in this round
I don't want to jinx this game just yet.................Brett is 5 rounds away from a max game..............now the question is can he do it ?
Round 11: L R W R O U A D E
Brett: ROULADE (7)
Paul: ROULADE (7)
DC: ARROWED (7)
OT: DRAWLER (7) RUDERAL (7) WARLORD (7)
Score: 85–56 (max 85)
Quite a few sevens to be had.................nothing worth arguing over.........so let's move on !
Four rounds to go
Round 12: L P H U E I N G B
Brett: HELPING (7)
Paul: HELPING (7)
DC: BLUEING (7)
Score: 92–63 (max 92)
More of the same yet again...........lets jump ahead to the next round
Three rounds to go
Round 13: S F T D O A E I E
Brett: STIFADO (7)
Paul: DEFEATS (7)
DC: FOISTED (7)
OT: DEAFEST (7) FEASTED (7)
Score: 99–70 (max 99)
Three rounds in a row and quite a few sevens in this round no extra points for spotting most of them.......... Two rounds to go
When you spot three seven letter words in a row............you can have a fruit machine or a Boeing 777 jetliner
Round 14: 25, 5, 3, 8, 4, 1. Target: 147.
C1: 147. 25 × (5 + 1)) × 6) − 3 (10)
C2: 147. 25 × (5 + 1)) × 6) − 3 (10)
Score: 109–80 (max 109)
A fairly easy numbers game that hasn't snookered our opponents as they score maximum points in this round.... One more round left..................can Brett do it ? All that is left is the conundrum..........can he crack it ?
On the subject of 147s let's have a small selection of snooker players who achieved this feat
Former Canadian snooker player Kirk Stevens achieved a 147 against Jimmy White in his semi-final at The Benson and Hedges now known as the masters, Jimmy White got to the final and won the tournament
Arguably one of the best players from the 1970s and a former world champion the late John Spencer recorded the first ever 147 in 1979, the historic moment wasn't televised the camera crews were taking a break at the time. Even it is documented as the first max break it remains unofficial and it could not be verified. Three years later at the 1982 Lada Classic snooker tournament it was Steve Davis who made the first televised 147 in his quarter final match against John Spencer.
Arguably one of the greatest players of all time 7 time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan. During the 1997 World Championships Ronnie O'Sullivan set the record for the fastest 147 lasting 5 minutes and 20 seconds. Ronnie is still active in snooker with immediate plans to retire as of yet.
Round 15: T U P E L O K F C
C1 buzzes on 7.75 seconds to say POCKETFUL which is correct.
Final Score: 119–80 (max 119)
OH MY GOD BRETT HAS DONE IT !!!!! A televised a max game !
This game had two notable highlights:
Brett's performance was a max game — the fifteenth in the history of Countdown, and only the third in a heat game in the new 15-round format.
This was the fourth time a max has ever been achieved in a preliminary game in the 15-round format; the first being Kirk Bevins' one back on 4 March 2009, the second being Tom Stevenson's on 29 September 2022, and the third being Ronan Higginson's on 23 May 2023.
Rounds
Firstly congratulations to Brett on his amazing achievement, secondly take nothing away from Paul he played really well and by no means 80 points is a respectable score worthy of a teapot if he came on a different day but sadly that is luck of the draw, you can join me again for the next installment of Brett in the meantime it is bye for now
