Oh well, enjoy my latest offering.
Countdown recap for Thursday 15 July 2010.
C1: Champion Richard Harris (2 wins, 187 points.) A student at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he's studying for a PhD in Mathematics.
His ambition is to play a trombone solo for the Scottish folk song, Bluebells of Scotland.C2: Challenger Ian Murphy. From Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. He works as a fire and security control room operator. He's originally from Tobermory on the Island of Mull in Scotland, and he describes it as his favourite place in the world. His passions are golf and rugby, but being Scottish, definitely not football.
DC: Susie Dent and Andrew Castle.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: W D R A O E J W N
R02: L R O U S R E T O
R03: N L H A E O D G D
R04: S C I R E A M E P
R05: 3, 4, 6, 4, 5, 9. Target: 264.
TTT: OLDHEADS - "A large amount of garden buildings, perhaps?"
R06: V C U A D I P E T
R07: B F R I O E S N L
R08: S G I A S M E L R
R09: D P M I O E G P R
R10: 25, 7, 7, 4, 2, 10. Target: 629.
TTT: HANGMISS - "Destroying things to smithereens, it's terrific!"
R11: N S M I A I R T E
R12: L Z D A U R E I T
R13: K N T O E A H X N
R14: 100, 3, 10, 1, 2, 8. Target: 569.
R15: D A M E E D N E R (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: W D R A O E J W N
C1: WANDER (6)
C2: WARDEN (6)
DC: ROAD (4) DOWNER (6)
OT: WONDER (6) ONWARD (6) ORENDA (6) WARNED (6)
Score: 6–6 (max 6)
ORENDA is a supernatural force believed by the Iroquois Indians to be present, in varying degrees, in all objects or persons, and to be the spiritual force by which human accomplishment is attained or accounted for. (Not the first time that Iroquois Indians have been mentioned today: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us+canada-10634044)
Round 2: L R O U S R E T O
C1: TROUSER (7)
C2: TROUSER (7)
DC: RUSTLER (7) ROOTLES (7)
OT: LOOTERS (7) RETOOLS (7) TOOLERS (7) OUTSOLE (7) ROOSTER (7) ROOTERS (7) TOREROS (7) ROUTERS (7) TOURERS (7)
Score: 13–13 (max 13)
A nice double flat start to today's game.
Round 3: N L H A E O D G D
C1: HANDLED (7)
C2: gladed
DC: HALOGEN (7) HEADLONG (8)
Score: 20–13 (max 21)
Richard HANDLED that 7 pretty well, as Ian's 6 is not in, but DC manage to top him with the darrenic 8.
Round 4: S C I R E A M E P
C1: creampies
C2: icecream
DC: SCREAM (6) CREAMS (6) SCAMPER (7) AMPERES (7)
OT: RACEMISE (8)
Score: 20–13 (max 29)
This is probably one of the most funniest, yet controversial (of sorts) rounds in the history of the show
Firstly, Ian uses a phantom C to get ice cream, which, as you can tell, is 2 words anyway. Then, Richard declares the 9 that sort of sticks out, which while funny in one sense, is also an interesting sexual term in another. Either way it's not in.
Although, it's nice to hear Susie mention "cream horn" during that bit of searching for cream pies.
Round 5: 3, 4, 6, 4, 5, 9. Target: 264.
C1: 264. (((6 x 4) + 5) x 9) + 3 (10)
C2: 264. Mistake in working.
Score: 30–13 (max 39)
Oh dear, Ian's maths is a bit off, as he thinks that 24 x 12 = 268, whereas if he tried multiplying the 24 by 11, he'd have got the answer.
Andrew talks about some of his interviews that he's undertaken on GMTV, including his talks to Heather Mills-McCartney and Tony Blair & Gordon Brown, and David Cameron.
Teatime teaser: OLDHEADS -> SHEDLOAD
Round 6: V C U A D I P E T
C1: ADEPT (5)
C2: VIADUCT (7)
DC: CAPTIVE (7)
Score: 30–20 (max 46)
Ian gets back in the game with that good 7.
Round 7: B F R I O E S N L
C1: BONFIRES (8)
C2: BOILERS (7)
DC: LIBEROS (7)
OT: LOBEFINS (8)
Score: 38–20 (max 54)
But Richard retaliates with a good 8 immediately.
A LOBEFIN is any fish that has rounded scales and lobed fins, such as the coelacanth.
Round 8: S G I A S M E L R
C1: GLASSIER (8)
C2: MAILERS (7)
DC: ARMLESS (7) REGALISM (8)
Score: 46–20 (max 62)
Another 8 for Richard pulls him further clear of Ian.
Round 9: D P M I O E G P R
C1: GRIPPED (7)
C2: primed (declared as 7)
DC: PODGIER (7)
OT: POMPIER (7) PRIMPED (7)
Score: 53–20 (max 69)
Ian's day is just getting worse now, as he declares his 6 as a 7.
Susie's Origin Of Words continues with the rock band theme with the alleged origin of Dexy's Midnight Runners and the genuine origin of Led Zeppelin.
Round 10: 25, 7, 7, 4, 2, 10. Target: 629.
C1: 630. ((25 x 4) - 10) x 7 (7)
C2: 630. (4 x 25 x 7) - (7 x 10) (7)
RR: 629. ((25 + 4) x 2 x 10) + (7 x 7) (10)
Score: 60–27 (max 79)
Both players get 1 away, leaving Rachel to solve the numbers.
Teatime teaser: HANGMISS -> SMASHING
Round 11: N S M I A I R T E
C1: RAINIEST (8)
C2: SMARTEN (7)
DC: MINISTER (8) MINARETS (8)
OT: INTERIMS (8) MARINISE (8) RAIMENTS (8) SERIATIM (8)
Score: 68–27 (max 87)
That 8 should just about wrap the game up for Richard.
SERIATIM means in a series, or one after another.
Round 12: L Z D A U R E I T
C1: TRAILED (7)
C2: lauriet
OT: LAZURITE (8)
Score: 75–27 (max 95)
The game is over after Ian's odd spelling of LAUREATE is disallowed.
LAZURITE is a mineral, sodium aluminum silicate and sulphide, Na 5 Al 3 Si 3 O 12 S 3 , occurring in deep-blue crystals, used for ornamental purposes.
Round 13: K N T O E A H X N
C1: annote
C2: hotel
DC: TONNE (5) THANK (5) TONK (4)
OT: NEKTON (6)
Score: 75–27 (max 101)
Oh dear, Ian goes on a spirit trip again, by finding a phantom L, but Richard's 6 is non-existent as well, leaving the only genuine 6 unfound in the studio.
NEKTON is the aggregate of actively swimming aquatic organisms in a body of water, able to move independently of water currents.
Round 14: 100, 3, 10, 1, 2, 8. Target: 569.
C1: 568. Mistake in working.
C2: 570. ((8 - 2) x 100) - (3 x 10) (7)
RR: 569. ((8 - 2) x 100) - (3 x 10) - 1 (10)
Score: 75–34 (max 111)
Dear oh dear, this round just about sums up Ian's day. He gets one away, leaving the 1.
Richard messes up his method, but only he knows how.Round 15: D A M E E D N E R
C2 buzzes on 4 seconds to say MEANDERED which is correct.
Score: 75–44 (max 121)
Well, Ian gets some conslation with the conundrum, but Richard wins the game with relative ease, despite scoring no points in the last 3 rounds, and hoping for some cream pies.
Mike will be around with the recap for tomorrow's show, when he eventually puts in last week's recap.
I'll be around with some historical recaps in the meantime, up until next Wednesday, when I'll be busy recapping Prelim 23.
See you round, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Richard:
Total score - 75
Raw score - 80
Total % of max - 62
Raw % of max - 66
Total average score per round - 5.0
Raw average score per round - 5.3
Number of maxes - 7
Ian:
Total score - 44
Raw score - 65
Total % of max - 36
Raw % of max - 54
Total average score per round - 2.9
Raw average score per round - 4.3
Number of maxes - 4
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63