Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 23 February 2011.
C1: Champion Ned Pendleton (4 wins, 301 points.) An Apteforumite from London. He likes travelling and even went hitchiking from Coventry to Morocco, including being stuck in Paris for 2 days in the rain.
C2: Challenger John Cornforth. A retired army officer specialising in outward bound training. After being in the army for 25 years, he turned his hobby into a business, the hobby in question is making hand sewn shoes for men. He even made a shoe for Jeff, in his size. (Or to be exact, a 2 inch shoe!
) While in the army, he was stationed in Berlin, when the Berlin Wall was being put up.DC: Susie Dent and Mark Foster.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: R U C E A P K N D
R02: S G E R A O B N I
R03: H O T E A Q S R L
R04: H E T C I X M E R
R05: 100, 25, 50, 75, 10, 5. Target: 139.
TTT: SHECOULD - "She could sit up properly, but she's not"
R06: L C U A S U T R E
R07: D I R O A M G P I
R08: W P O U D S A Z R
R09: S E D I E P N T O
R10: 50, 25, 6, 3, 5, 1. Target: 221.
TTT: ROBINPAD - "It's where you might find mixed messages"
R11: S O V I E L S T V
R12: M N O A T S E A N
R13: D U F O I T M O A
R14: 50, 8, 9, 2, 4, 3. Target: 580.
R15: R A C E R S P E D (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: R U C E A P K N D
C1: UNPACKED (8)
C2: PRANCED (7)
OT: UNPACKER (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)
A very good start by the champ, who is clearly preparing to stay for a while with his declaration.
Round 2: S G E R A O B N I
C1: SOBERING (8)
C2: BEARINGS (8)
DC: BEGONIAS (8)
OT: BARONIES (8) REBASING (8) ORGANISE (8)
Score: 16–8 (max 16)
6 x 8 pancakes.
Round 3: H O T E A Q S R L
C1: LOATHERS (8)
C2: LOATHERS (8)
OT: RATHOLES (8)
Score: 24–16 (max 24)
More 8's. Seems to be our number of the day today. Now can someone tell me how to get to Sesame Street
Round 4: H E T C I X M E R
C1: HERETIC (7)
C2: EXCITER (7)
OT: HERMETIC (8)
Score: 31–23 (max 32)
An 8 again, but not seen in the studio, ending Ned's chances of a max game in the process.
HERMETIC is an adjective meaning made airtight by fusion or sealing.
Round 5: 100, 25, 50, 75, 10, 5. Target: 139.
C1: 138. 100 + 50 - (10 + 5 - (75 / 25)) (7)
C2: 140. 100 + 50 - 10 (7)
RR: 139. 50 + 75 + 10 + (100 / 25) (10)
Score: 38–30 (max 42)
Not as easy as it first seems, as demonstrated by both contestants being one away on opposite sides, while Rachel makes it look easy.
Mark talks about the time he was on Dancing On Wheels, the Strictly Come Dancing-based show involving wheelchair-bound contestants, and how he helped one of the contestants who had a passion for swimming get in training for a chance to qualify for next year's Paralympics.
Teatime teaser: SHECOULD -> SLOUCHED
Round 6: L C U A S U T R E
C1: CURATES (7)
C2: CLUSTER (7)
DC: CULTURES (8)
Score: 45–37 (max 50)
Another darrenic 8, but it's spotted by DC this time.
Round 7: D I R O A M G P I
C1: RADIO (5)
C2: DAMP (4)
DC: ORIGAMI (7)
Score: 50–37 (max 57)
Now Ned has a double figure lead and doesn't seem like folding, unlike DC's darrenic 7.
Round 8: W P O U D S A Z R
C1: WORDS (5)
C2: UPWARDS (7)
Score: 50–44 (max 64)
Or maybe I spoke too soon, as John gets back in with a brilliant darrenic 7 of his own.
Round 9: S E D I E P N T O
C1: POINTED (7)
C2: DESPITE (7)
DC: PENTODES (8)
OT: POETISED (8)
Score: 57–51 (max 72)
Two 7's from the contestants, and two 8's available elsewhere.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks of the origin of "the black sheep".
Round 10: 50, 25, 6, 3, 5, 1. Target: 221.
C1: 221. (50 x 5) - (25 + 3 + 1) (10)
C2: 221. ((50 + 25) x 3) - (5 - 1) (10)
Score: 67–61 (max 82)
A nice and easy numbers here and the gap remains at 6 as we head to part 3.
Teatime teaser: ROBINPAD -> PINBOARD
Round 11: S O V I E L S T V
C1: VIOLETS (7)
C2: STOVIES (7)
DC: VOTIVES (7)
OT: SOVIETS (7)
Score: 74–68 (max 89)
7's wherever you look in this one.
A SOVIET is any similar council or assembly connected with a socialistic governmental system elsewhere.
Round 12: M N O A T S E A N
C1: ANNATES (7)
C2: STAMEN (6)
DC: MONTANE (7)
OT: MANNOSE (7) NAMASTE (7) SMETANA (7)
Score: 81–68 (max 96)
A very good 7 by Ned as his lead creeps back into double figures.
MANNOSE is a hexose, C6H12O6 , obtained from the hydrolysis of the ivory nut and yielding mannitol upon reduction.
A NAMASTE is a conventional Hindu expression on meeting or parting, used by the speaker usually while holding the palms together vertically in front of the bosom.
Round 13: D U F O I T M O A
C1: MOAT (4)
C2: MUFTI (5)
DC: DIATOM (6)
Score: 81–73 (max 102)
But, his wider lead is cut down to 8, following John's 5.
Round 14: 50, 8, 9, 2, 4, 3. Target: 580.
C1: 580. (50 + 8) x (9 + 3 - 2) (10)
C2: 580. (50 + 8) x (9 + 4 - 3) (10)
Score: 91–83 (max 112)
And a straightforward numbers game means that we have a crucial conundrum in our midst.
Round 15: R A C E R S P E D
C1 buzzes on 1.75 seconds to say "I haven't got it, it's erm....., no", which is incorrect.
C2 buzzes on 26.5 seconds to say REESCAPED which is incorrect.
The answer was SCARPERED.
Final Score: 91–83 (max 122)
Well, it looked like it was an in and out conundrum, like yesterday, but Ned doesn't declare any 9 letter word, and then with 3 and a half seconds to go, John tries a stab, but there are too many E's in his word and it's not in anyway, meaning that a lady from the audience gets all the glory.
But back in the studio, Ned will have been mighty relieved to have survived after it almost looked like he blew it on the conundrum there. But, nevertheless, he has 5 wins and can now try for his 6th tomorrow.
I'll be back with all the comings and goings from that match.
So, till tomorrow, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Ned:
Total score - 91
Raw score - 100
Total % of max - 75
Raw % of max - 82
Total average score per round - 6.1
Raw average score per round - 6.7
Number of maxes - 7
John:
Total score - 83
Raw score - 100
Total % of max - 68
Raw % of max - 82
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 6.7
Number of maxes - 6
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=64