Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 19 May 2016.
C1: Champion Robin McKay (1 win, 129 points.) An Apteforumite from Basingstoke, Hampshire. A big Wigan Athletic F.C. fan, and I'm sure he'll be delighted at looking forward to see his team back in the Championship next season, heading to the big lights of Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Huddersfield Town, of course.
C2: Challenger Kevin Dixon. A land surveyor from York. He has been to over 100 countries in the world doing his job, and he's also a member of the Bradford & Craven Pothole Club..... (more on that later
) He is also doing a charity event in which people will be dropped down 30 storeys into Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales. 
DC: Susie Dent and Janet Street-Porter.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: T A G E D A G E T
R02: R S T J O I E S I
R03: 25, 9, 3, 8, 5, 4. Target: 438.
TTT: IANFRAUD - "Ian was a fraudster, but had no fears about being caught."
R04: L Q B D A E O T E
R05: N O G A W O N I C
R06: 50, 5, 2, 6, 1, 8. Target: 715.
R07: M E S O Z U F I N
R08: D T P B A E O R A
R09: 100, 3, 6, 1, 4, 3. Target: 787.
TTT: ENTERCAD - "The cad entered the room and pinched the sherry container."
R10: S L P T O E O H R
R11: S I L U D E Y A P
R12: R M R N I U A E D
R13: M U L I T E P A G
R14: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 2. Target: 340.
R15: R I O T P A I N T (conundrum)
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Round 1: T A G E D A G E T
Robin: TAGGED (6)
Kevin: TAGGED (6)
DC: GADGET (6) target
OT: AGATED (6) DEGAGE (6)
Score: 6–6 (max 6)
Both players are TAGGED early doors. Clearly the police will be around for them both later.....
Janet was also clearly off-target, as there was no R for target in this selection.... 
DÉGAGÉ is an adjective meaning unconcerned or unconstrained.
Round 2: R S T J O I E S I
Robin: STORIES (7)
Kevin: STORIES (7)
DC: rejoist
OT: RESTIOS (7) ROSIEST (7) ROSSITE (7) ROTISSE (7) SORTIES (7) TRIOSES (7)
Score: 13–13 (max 13)
Plenty of STORIES to tell, but no more...
A RESTIO is a wiry rush- or reed-like plant of southern Africa, used for thatching and brooms. (Genus Restio, family Restionaceae)
ROSSITE is a rare yellow mineral containing vanadium, typically occurring in glassy masses on sandstones containing carnotite. Rossite is hydrated calcium vanadate, CaV2O6.4H2O.
To ROTISS (or ROTISSE) is to cook meat on a rotisserie.
Round 3: 25, 9, 3, 8, 5, 4. Target: 438.
Robin: 438. ((5 - 3) x 9 x 25) - 8 - 4 (10)
Kevin: 437.
Score: 23–13 (max 23)
A good spot by Robin, who's still on for a perfect game early doors.
Teatime teaser: IANFRAUD -> UNAFRAID
Round 4: L Q B D A E O T E
Robin: BLOATED (7)
Kevin: BOATED (6)
DC: BLEATED (7) BELATED (7)
Score: 30–13 (max 30)
Ouch, I wonder if Kevin will feel a bit BLOATED after missing that 7....
Round 5: N O G A W O N I C
Robin: CANING (6)
Kevin: COWING (6)
DC: AWNING (6) CONING (6)
OT: CAWING (6) COOING (6) NONOIC (6) OWNING (6) WANING (6) WOOING (6)
Score: 36–19 (max 36)
6's aplenty here. CORRECTION: 6's ending with -ING aplenty.
NONOIC is another word for NONANOIC, an acid of which is a liquid fatty acid, CH3 (CH2)7 COOH, used in chemical synthesis.
Round 6: 50, 5, 2, 6, 1, 8. Target: 715.
Robin: 714.
Kevin: 715. ((6 + 8) x 50) + ((2 + 1) x 5) (10)
Score: 36–29 (max 46)
Oh dear, Robin's max game ends after missing a much easier numbers than the first one, it has to be said.....
Janet talks about the widening financial gap between the "baby boomers" and the "20-somethings".
Round 7: M E S O Z U F I N
Robin: INFUSE (6)
Kevin: MOUSE (5)
DC: FUSION (6) MONIES (6)
OT: MIZENS (6) MUNSIF (6) MUSION (6) ONEISM (6)
Score: 42–29 (max 52)
Well, he's in back in straight away thanks to his INFUSE.
A MIZEN (or MIZZEN or MIZZENMAST) is the mast aft of a ship’s mainmast.
A MUNSIF is an Indian judge.
A MUSION is a heraldic term for the wild or domestic cat, as a heraldic charge.
ONEISM is an egocentric theory or system or egoism.
Round 8: D T P B A E O R A
Robin: PROBATED (8)
Kevin: PROBATED (8)
Score: 50–37 (max 60)
Nice double darren there.
Round 9: 100, 3, 6, 1, 4, 3. Target: 787.
Robin: 788. ((6 + 3 - 1) x 100) - (3 x 4) (7)
Kevin: 788. ((6 + 3 - 1) x 100) - (3 x 4) (7)
RR: 787. ((100 + (3 x 4)) x (6 + 1)) + 3 (10)
Score: 57–44 (max 70)
One away for both players here, and this game is still nicely poised.
Teatime teaser: ENTERCAD -> DECANTER
Round 10: S L P T O E O H R
Robin: POOTLES (7)
Kevin: pootlers
DC: POTHOLERS (18)
OT: PORTHOLES (18)
Score: 64–44 (max 88)
OH NO!!! Double cruelty for Kevin, as not only does he go for the invalid pootlers, but he also misses POTHOLERS for 9!!! (Bearing in mind his introduction of course.....
)Round 11: S I L U D E Y A P
Robin: eulasypid
Kevin: updeals
DC: DISPLAY (7) PALSIED (7)
OT: ALIPEDS (7) DIALYSE (7) DUALISE (7) PAIDLES (7) PAISLEY (7) PLEIADS (7) SPLAYED (7)
Score: 64–44 (max 95)
Hmmm, Robin goes for a 9 which isn't in, but Kevin can't capitalise, as his 7 isn't in either.....
An ALIPED is an animal with the fingers or digits connected by a membrane to form a wing, such as a bat.
In Scotland, a PAIDLE is a pocket or trap in a fishing net; especially one in a small stake net, used for catching flounder, trout, etc.
A PLEIAD is a literary term for an outstanding group of seven people or things.
Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origins of some rhyming couplets such as "hocus pocus".
Round 12: R M R N I U A E D
Robin: UNMARRIED (18)
Kevin: primed
OT: MURRAINED (18)
Score: 82–44 (max 113)
Well, he might've missed out with the 9 in the last round, but not this time, and Robin is as good as through now.
Round 13: M U L I T E P A G
Robin: multipage
Kevin: mutilage
DC: PLUMAGE (7) IMPUTE (6)
OT: ALUMITE (7) PALMIET (7) PIGMEAT (7) PLAGIUM (7) PLUMATE (7)
Score: 82–44 (max 120)
Kevin has just gone through the nightmare scenario in this 3rd half with 4 disallowed words, but Robin must be one of a select group of people to have had 2 9's disallowed in a match and still get one. Certainly this comes to mind from Series 62....
ALUMITE (or ALUNITE) is mineral which was historically an important source of alum and is now mined for potassium and aluminium, and which occurs in granular or compact masses and also as tabular or rhombohedral crystals, colourless when pure but often yellowish or reddish-brown owing to impurities.
A PALMIET is a South African rush, Prionium serratum (family Juncaceae), with a woody stem and a large panicle arising from a terminal tuft of long, fibrous, serrated leaves, common in swamps and on riverbanks and sometimes blocking watercourses with its dense growth.
PLAGIUM is the crime of kidnapping, specifically of kidnapping children.
PLUMATE is an adjective meaning resembling a feather.
Round 14: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 2. Target: 340.
Robin: 340. (((6 + 2) x 8) + 4) x 5 (10)
Kevin: 340. ((4 x 8) + 2) x (6 + 5 - 1) (10)
Score: 92–54 (max 130)
Well, Kevin does at least get some consolation from his 6 small selection, and now Robin will be hoping to get a second century on the spin.....
Round 15: R I O T P A I N T
Robin buzzes on 9.5 seconds to say PARTITION which is correct.
Final Score: 102–54 (max 140)
Nicely done by Robin with back-to-back centuries. His current points total is 231. If he wins the next 6 games with the same scores, then he'd have a total of 924, just a single point behind the #1 seed, Paul Erdunast.
I'll be back with more recap action soon. Bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Robin:
Total score - 102
Raw score - 109
Total % of max - 73
Raw % of max - 78
Total average score per round - 6.8
Raw average score per round - 7.3
Number of maxes - 10
Kevin:
Total score - 54
Raw score - 72
Total % of max - 38
Raw % of max - 51
Total average score per round - 3.6
Raw average score per round - 4.8
Number of maxes - 6
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=74