c4countdown

Countdown recap for Friday 3 July 2009.

C1: Champion Innis Carson (6 wins, 626 points.)
Our fellow apterist and trumpet playing A Level student who comes across as a remarkably mature and confident young man. His average of 106 is mightily impressive and his Conundrum solving has been stunning.
C2: Challenger Danny Marsh.
An interesting character who is from Denbighshire and works in a JobCentre. He lives with his partner Dave. Unsurprisingly, he is an ex air steward who is interested in the arts. He also won a prize for learning Welsh.
DC: Susie Dent and Matt Le Tissier.
Matt is a delight to have in DC. Even as a Portsmouth supporter, I have a high regard for his football achievements and his peronality.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: U E Y D M I D C T
R02: I A U Z N R T O G
R03: D L Q X U A I S G
R04: K A O L T A R E P
R05: 1, 2, 6, 6, 75, 25. Target: 710.
TTT: BLUETOYS - "Behave slowly like this when over ninety"
R06: E O E N T F G A R
R07: R B P E I D A F M
R08: P S N I O E C S R
R09: H M S O E A M D S
R10: 8, 5, 7, 9, 9, 50. Target: 754.
TTT: NIGHTIES - "Say hello to policemen while holding up"
R11: O E T N R A S N E
R12: I E I W E N L D J
R13: T L O O E T S T C
R14: 1, 8, 8, 4, 10, 100. Target: 831.
R15: P O E T S I N G S (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: U E Y D M I D C T

C1: DEDUCT (6)
C2: MUDDY (5)
DC: TEDIUM (6)
OT: DUCTED (6) DICTUM (6)
Score: 6–0 (max 6)

Round 2: I A U Z N R T O G

C1: RAINOUT (7)
C2: TOURING (7)
DC: ROUTING (7)
OT: ORATING (7)
Score: 13–7 (max 13)

Round 3: D L Q X U A I S G

C1: QUAILS (6)
C2: DIALS (5)
DC: SQUALID (7)
Score: 19–7 (max 20)

Round 4: K A O L T A R E P

C1: PALTER (6)
C2: PARTAKE (7)
OT: PROLATE (7)
Score: 19–14 (max 27)
A nice spot from Danny to put him back right back in the game
PALTER means to equivocate or prevaricate.
Round 5: 1, 2, 6, 6, 75, 25. Target: 710.

C1: 708. 75+25=100X(6+1)=700+6+2 (7)
C2: 706.
RR: 709. (7) No method given
OT: 710. (((75x(25-6))+1)-6)/2 (10)
This was a really tough one and almost impossible to find in the time.
Score: 26–14 (max 37)

Matt tells us about the major gaffe he made on his first Soccer Saturday, where he started watching Frank McClintock's match instead of his own and missed a Man U goal. Luckily, he managed to waffle long enough to be saved by the action replay.

Teatime teaser: BLUETOYS -> OBTUSELY

Round 6: E O E N T F G A R

C1: FRONTAGE (8)
C2: FRONTAGE (8)
Score: 34–22 (max 45)
A good spot by both players. Danny looks a worthy contender.
Round 7: R B P E I D A F M

C1: DAMPER (6)
C2: DAMPER (6)
DC: FIREDAMP (8)
Score: 40–28 (max 53)
FIREDAMP is another word for methane.

Round 8: P S N I O E C S R

C1: CONSPIRES (18)
C2: PRISONS (7)
Score: 58–28 (max 71)
An excellent 9 from Innis to virtually sew the game up. DC were nowhere near it and neither was I.

Round 9: H M S O E A M D S

C1: SMASHED (7)
C2: SMASHED (7)
OT: SHAMMED (7)
Score: 65–35 (max 78)

Susie talks about the origin of the darts words, bullseye and oche, which both have loose connections to ships. One for Kirk here

Round 10: 8, 5, 7, 9, 9, 50. Target: 754.

C1: 754. 7+8=15x50=750+9-5 (10)
C2: 754. 7+8=15x50=750+9-5 (10)
Score: 75–45 (max 88)

Teatime teaser: NIGHTIES -> HEISTING

Round 11: O E T N R A S N E

C1: RESONATE (8)
C2: RESONATE (8)
DC: RESONANT (8)
OT: NEONATES (8) TENONERS (8)
Score: 83–53 (max 96)

Round 12: I E I W E N L D J

C1: LINED (5)
C2: windle
OT: WIENIE (6)
Score: 88–53 (max 102)
Bad luck to Danny for trying windle, which sounded very plausible, both to myself and Susie.
Round 13: T L O O E T S T C

C1: COOLEST (7)
C2: COOLEST (7)
DC: TOOTLES (7) OCELOTS (7)
OT: TOOLSET (7)
Score: 95–60 (max 109)

Round 14: 1, 8, 8, 4, 10, 100. Target: 831.

C1: 831. 100+4=104x8=832-1 (10)
C2: 831. 100x8=800+(8x4)=832-1 (10)
Score: 105–70 (max 119)

Round 15: P O E T S I N G S

C1 buzzes on 4 seconds to say SPONGIEST which is correct.
Score: 115–70 (max 129)
Innis takes all of 4 seconds to get the Conundrum (his longest so far by some way) and leaves Danny open-mouthed in admiration.
Danny was a good player and seemed like a really nice guy. Given a less exacting opponent, I am sure that he could have notched up a reasonable sequence without too much trouble.
On this sort of form, Innis deservedly looks nailed on to be in the Finals as one of the top seeds.


Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=61

R12: ^WINDLE is apparently good in Scrabble - according to Chambers, it's a Scottish appliance for winding yarn.
I didn't actually know that, but might have risked it, too.

Peter Mabey wrote:R12: ^WINDLE is apparently good in Scrabble - according to Chambers, it's a Scottish appliance for winding yarn.
I didn't actually know that, but might have risked it, too.

Thank you Peter - I was sure I had heard it from somewhere.

Cheers!

In the studio Danny's intro story about air stewarding was redone at the end. However he alluded to the conundrum "...I sponged him down..." (while leering over at the conundrum board) Did anyone notice if this was kept? (I didn't see it when it was televised)

Dinos Sfyris wrote:In the studio Danny's intro story about air stewarding was redone at the end. However he alluded to the conundrum "...I sponged him down..." (while leering over at the conundrum board) Did anyone notice if this was kept? (I didn't see it when it was televised)

Ah yeah, remember this. They kept his second telling of the story in, but removed the particularly unsubtle "Spongy!! *point at board*" at the end, and presumably all the groaning that came with it.