Well for me, the virtual completion of the historical recaps has been a super plus point for me. 
But, the downside is that we're heading into the summer break, meaning no more Countdown for a while.
Oh well, hopefully writing this will cheer me up a bit.
Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 20 July 2011.
C1: Champion Mark Deeks (6 wins, 596 points.) An newly-created Apteforumite from Braughing, Hertfordshire. As well as supporting Arsenal, he enjoys football, cricket, pool and darts, but claims to be hopeless at all of them. He also likes pub quizzes, gambling and ten-pin bowling.
C2: Challenger Shelley Worrall. From Ashton Under Lyne, Greater Manchester. She works as an assistant to people with learning disabilities. Her nickname is Zippy, because like the character from Rainbow, she's "a gobby little thing with attitude".
DC: Susie Dent and Mark Durden-Smith.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: N L E E I G H D A
R02: N S P U I E Z R I
R03: X P U N R A O J R
R04: C S C U E I S R T
R05: 75, 25, 50, 100, 10, 3. Target: 767.
TTT: LUCYRAIN - "These skills helped Oliver a lot"
R06: S R M O E I A T T
R07: Q W H V P O O E M
R08: N L T Y O A E A F
R09: M E N T U S R E I
R10: 50, 1, 6, 9, 10, 6. Target: 588.
TTT: EASYBRIT - "George and Henry with the animals, perhaps?"
R11: V S O L I O K N A
R12: T B S E A E R M U
R13: E D D O T D G I O
R14: 50, 2, 10, 5, 5, 6. Target: 529.
R15: T R I P E T O Y S (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: N L E E I G H D A
C1: DEALING (7)
C2: HEALING (7)
DC: HEADLINE (8)
Score: 7–7 (max 8)
DC make the HEADLINEs in round 1 with their darrenic start.
Round 2: N S P U I E Z R I
C1: SPINIER (7)
C2: INSPIRE (7)
DC: PUNIER (6) INSURE (6)
OT: PURINES (7) UPRISEN (7)
Score: 14–14 (max 15)
Mark and Shelley decide to make anagrams of each others words to get some nice 7's.
PURINE is a white, crystalline compound, C5H4N4, from which is derived a group of compounds including uric acid, xanthine, and caffeine.
Round 3: X P U N R A O J R
C1: APRON (5)
C2: rapour
DC: UPROAR (6)
Score: 19–14 (max 21)
Oh dear, Shelley's 6 is a 7, of which a couple of letters are missing (RAPPORT, in case you don't know), leaving DC to go darrenic again.
Round 4: C S C U E I S R T
C1: CRUISES (7)
C2: CUTIES (6)
DC: CURTSIES (8)
OT: CIRCUSES (8) CITRUSES (8) CRUSTIES (8) RICTUSES (8)
Score: 26–14 (max 29)
Plenty of 8's around, but Mark's 7 is enough to get him the points here.
A RICTUS is the gape of the mouth of a bird.
Round 5: 75, 25, 50, 100, 10, 3. Target: 767.
C1: 767. (((50 / 25) + 75) x 10) - 3 (10)
C2: 769.
Score: 36–14 (max 39)
Mark's 4 large skills strike again, putting him over 20 clear.
Mark talks about his latest passion............, reading women's magazines.
Teatime teaser: LUCYRAIN -> CULINARY
Round 6: S R M O E I A T T
C1: TOASTIER (8)
C2: MATTERS (7)
DC: ATOMISER (8) MISTREAT (8) AMORTISE (8)
OT: ESTIMATOR (18)
Score: 44–14 (max 57)
Mark must definitely feeling more TOASTIER in his chair now thanks to that 8.
But, there was a 9 buried deep there.Round 7: Q W H V P O O E M
C1: WHOOP (5)
C2: WHOOP (5)
OT: WHOOMP (6) WOOMPH (6)
Score: 49–19 (max 63)
This truly was a stinky set of letters, even with the POO inside, but there were 2 6's available, amazing as it sounds.
Round 8: N L T Y O A E A F
C1: FELONY (6)
C2: FLOATY (6)
DC: FOETAL (6) ATONAL (6)
OT: ANALYTE (7)
Score: 55–25 (max 70)
6's all round, but a darrenic 7 is lurking around.
An ANALYTE is a chemical substance that is the subject of a chemical analysis
Round 9: M E N T U S R E I
C1: RUNTIMES (8)
C2: MUSTIER (7)
DC: REUNITES (8) TERMINUS (8)
OT: MUTINEERS (18)
Score: 63–25 (max 88)
Again a few 8's although Shelley could only find 7. But, everyone misses the 9 that Susie actually got in Episode 1 of Series 62.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "jet".
Round 10: 50, 1, 6, 9, 10, 6. Target: 588.
C1: 588. (6 + 6) x (50 - 1) (10)
C2: 587.
Score: 73–25 (max 98)
Oh dear, still no luck for Shelley as Mark's lead goes further and further forward.
Teatime teaser: EASYBRIT -> BESTIARY
Round 11: V S O L I O K N A
C1: VIOLAS (6)
C2: VIOLAS (6)
DC: KAOLIN (6)
OT: ANVILS (6) SALOON (6) SILVAN (6) VAKILS (6)
Score: 79–31 (max 104)
Pancake time.
A SILVAN (or SYLVAN) is an inhabitant of the woods, especially a spirit.
A VAKIL (or VAKEEL) is an Anglo-Indian term for a native lawyer.
Round 12: T B S E A E R M U
C1: REBATES (7)
C2: STEAMER (7)
DC: SERUM (5)
OT: AUSTERE (7) BEAMERS (7) BEATERS (7) BEAUTER (7) BERATES (7) BESMEAR (7) MATURES (7) MEASURE (7) MERBAUS (7) STRUMAE (7) TEAMERS (7)
Score: 86–38 (max 111)
Another pancake round, which also gives Mark his 7th win.
A STRUMA (plural STRUMAE) is a goitre or a cushionlike swelling on an organ, as that at one side of the base of the capsule in many mosses.
Round 13: E D D O T D G I O
C1: DODGED (6)
C2: GOODIE (6)
OT: DOITED (6)
Score: 92–44 (max 117)
Just 6's this time, but that's as good as it gets in this one.
DOITED is a Scottish adjective meaning childish or feeble-minded, especially because of advanced age; senile.
Round 14: 50, 2, 10, 5, 5, 6. Target: 529.
C1: 529. (((6 / 2) + 50) x 10) - (5 / 5) (10)
C2: 529. (50 x 10) + (5 x 5) + 6 - 2 (10)
Score: 102–54 (max 127)
Shelley definitely seemed overjoyed to get her first numbers solve, and Mark was probably smiling inside at getting his 4th century of his run.
Round 15: T R I P E T O Y S
No one buzzes. The answer was POSTERITY.
Final Score: 102–54 (max 137)
A tricky conundrum for the contestants, but Mark probably won't care since he has his 7th win and can now look forward to tomorrow's game and try and get not only octochampdom, but a chance at joining the 800 club (he needs 102 points) and even the chance to overthrow Graeme at the top of the leaderboard (he needs 116 to be clear of him).
Join me tomorrow to see if he can do it.
Ah, that has definitely made me feel a whole lot better.
I'm sure tomorrow will make me feel even more awesome.So, till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Mark:
Total score - 102
Raw score - 102
Total % of max - 74
Raw % of max - 74
Total average score per round - 6.8
Raw average score per round - 6.8
Number of maxes - 7
Shelley:
Total score - 54
Raw score - 88
Total % of max - 39
Raw % of max - 64
Total average score per round - 3.6
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 5
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=65