C1: Champion Jack Hurst (1 win, 114 points.) An Apteforumite from Desford, Leicestershire, but is currently studying mathematics at Pembroke College, Cambridge. His hobbies include sport, puzzles and music, particularly Radiohead, Kasabian and Muse. He says he wanted to win a Countdown teapot to impress his grandparents. Job done.
C2: Challenger Ailsa Jensen. From Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, near Glasgow. Her previous jobs have included being a nurse, midwife and lecturer. She has also lived in Abu Dhabi, Athens and Cairo, mainly due to family work commitments.
DC: Susie Dent and David Lloyd.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: T W A S E I R G L
R02: R G T S A E U D N
R03: T C N E A O R I K
R04: J M T A I N L E V
R05: 25, 4, 7, 9, 7, 2. Target: 876.
TTT: SACKPINT - "It won't prevent an argument, but it will help you make up"
R06: N S P O I M T E W
R07: I E U T P N Y O R
R08: M D E R O N D E F
R09: H S D A U A S O P
R10: 25, 3, 4, 9, 7, 10. Target: 680.
TTT: MINGPOTS - "The ground where you used to tread heavily, perhaps?"
R11: C B M E I O S I A
R12: Z S N E I B E L O
R13: G R S I E A V L N
R14: 50, 9, 3, 2, 10, 1. Target: 104.
R15: L A C T I C I V Y (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: T W A S E I R G L
C1: REGALIST (8)
C2: glariest
DC: WASTREL (7)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)
A good darrenic start for Jack, as Ailsa gets the seemingly good, but incorrect 8.
Round 2: R G T S A E U D N
C1: NATURES (7)
C2: STRANGE (7)
DC: GRANDEST (8) DRAGNETS (8)
OT: TRANSUDE (8)
Score: 15–7 (max 16)
Round 3: T C N E A O R I K
C1: ACTIONER (8)
C2: CREATION (8)
OT: REACTION (8)
Score: 23–15 (max 24)
Somehow I get the feeling that Jack didn't want that K to come out there.
Round 4: J M T A I N L E V
C1: AILMENT (7)
C2: NATIVE (6)
DC: JAVELIN (7)
OT: ALIMENT (7)
Score: 30–15 (max 31)
But that's a good AILMENT there for Jack.
Round 5: 25, 4, 7, 9, 7, 2. Target: 876.
C1: 874. (((25 x 9) - 7) x 4) + 2 (7)
C2: 872.
RR: 875, then before the break, 876. (((25 + 7 - 2) x 7) + 9) x 4 (10)
Score: 37–15 (max 41)
Hmmm, Jack seems to miss the not too unobvious 1 away, but Ailsa is even further away, while Rachel needs a bit of extra time to solve this one.
David talks about him playing cricket at Accrington during previous summers, when it was hard to hear through wearing a helmet. He then talks about how his wife claimed that Germaine Greer scored a hat-trick for England in the recent win against Bulgaria.
Teatime teaser: SACKPINT -> PANSTICK
Round 6: N S P O I M T E W
C1: PIMENTOS (8)
C2: POSTMEN (7)
DC: NEPOTISM (8)
Score: 45–15 (max 49)
Jack gets another good 8 here, while at the same time pointing out that if another I was there, there would've been PIMIENTOS for 9. I wonder what the next vowel is.....
Round 7: I
E U T P N Y O R C1: ERUPTION (8)
C2: ERUPTION (8)
OT: PUNITORY (8)
Score: 53–23 (max 57)
I think Jack might've been secretly erputing inside his head after the last round.
PUNITORY relates to PUNITIVE, which is an adjective meaning relating to, involving, or with the intention of inflicting punishment.
Round 8: M D E R O N D E F
C1: MODERNE (7)
C2: FOREMEN (7)
DC: DEFORMED (8)
OT: ENDODERM (8)
Score: 60–30 (max 65)
An ENDODERM (or ENDOBLAST) is the innermost cell layer of the embryo in its gastrula stage.
Round 9: H S D A U A S O P
C1: POUSADA (7)
C2: SHOPS (5)
DC: POUSADAS (8) POSADAS (7)
Score: 67–30 (max 73)
Jack decided to stay safe with 7 as he wasn't sure it could be pluralised, but his Portugese hotel, trumps DC's similar sounding Spanish hotel.
Susie's Viewers' Question talk about words that have different unrelated meanings, such as "check".
Round 10: 25, 3, 4, 9, 7, 10. Target: 680.
C1: 680. ((25 x 3) - 7) x 10 (10)
C2: 679.
Score: 77–30 (max 83)
Jack might have this game won already as you just can't see dropping many more points in this game.
Teatime teaser: MINGPOTS -> STOMPING
Round 11: C B M E I O S I A
C1: AMOEBIC (7)
C2: IAMBICS (7)
Score: 84–37 (max 90)
2 impressive 7's here, but the result is surely inevitable now.
Round 12: Z S N E I B E L O
C1: EBONIZES (8)
C2: LESION (6)
OT: OBELIZES (8)
Score: 92–37 (max 98)
And lo and behold, the game is over thanks to another brilliant spot by Jack. Just a 9 now would make it a brilliant day.
To OBELIZE is to mark a word or passage with an obelus, a mark (− or ÷) used in ancient manuscripts to point out spurious, corrupt, doubtful, or superfluous words or passages.
Round 13: G R S I E A V L N
C1: SLAVERING (18)
C2: RAVELINS (8)
Score: 110–37 (max 116)
Cool.
I love these psychic powers. But, in fairness, Jack's performance merited a 9 to come up. Still a very good 8 by Ailsa too.Round 14: 50, 9, 3, 2, 10, 1. Target: 104.
C1: 104. (2 x 50) + 3 + 1 (10)
C2: 104. (2 x 50) + 3 + 1 (10)
Score: 120–47 (max 126)
And that very simple numbers game puts Jack in position to break the highest score of the series, the 127 set by Daniel Pati around a month ago.
Round 15: L A C T I C I V Y
C2 buzzes on 6.75 seconds to say ACCLIVITY which is correct.
Final Score: 120–57 (max 136)
ARGH!!! Unfortunately, Ailsa buzzes in to solve that tricky looking conundrum just shy of 7 seconds to keep Jack on 120.
Never mind, I'm sure Jack won't mind too much. After all he's already scored 234 from his first 2 shows. He's definitely one to look out for over the next few days, assuming he stays of course, but you can hardly see anyone touching him at the moment.
Join Mike tomorrow to see if we could potentially be whetting our tongues in preparation for record-breaking magic next week.
I'll be back next week, although my contributions will be severely shrunk as I'm off to Jersey on Sunday after taking part in CoLeiii on Saturday.
But, I'll be back for next Wednesday in time for the first part of next week's Robinson Recap double bill.
So, till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Jack:
Total score - 120
Raw score - 120
Total % of max - 88
Raw % of max - 88
Total average score per round - 8.0
Raw average score per round - 8.0
Number of maxes - 10
Ailsa:
Total score - 57
Raw score - 103
Total % of max - 42
Raw % of max - 76
Total average score per round - 3.8
Raw average score per round - 6.9
Number of maxes - 5
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63
