We've been spoilt with quality lately and it's by no means over, as Jen's run is only two games old, with hopefully another six to follow.
C1: Champion Jen Steadman (2 wins, 216 points.) She's just graduated from the University of Exeter and is hoping to take a three week holiday before looking for a job. With scores of 104 and 112 so far, she's doing rather well but needs to improve on those scores to threaten the top two this series, as well as another six wins, obviously.
C2: Challenger David Robinson (no relation to James). He is a nuclear power system engineer from Valley in Hollyhead. His workplace is one of the last magnox-generated stations left in the UK. It was opened in 1971, commissioned for 25 years originally but is still going strong. He used to work on the beach which is why he is nicknamed "Baywatch".
DC: Susie Dent and Jonathan Edwards.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
This was the last recording of the day and the apterites were still there. Despite Steadmanmania being in full flow, a couple of apterites were good enough to hold up pieces of paper with David's name on it, a nice touch. I think he may have seen it but I'm not sure. Now onto the game.
R01: J L P G A E I T S
R02: P E O D T S A E W
R03: 100, 4, 4, 3, 2, 8. Target: 460.
TTT: NUDELIVE - "Not necessarily nude, but always certainly revealed"
R04: L T P N U I O R E
R05: M N T I A I S E R
R06: 50, 25, 6, 4, 9, 4. Target: 816.
R07: V M B O U E C H N
R08: D O I E G S Y I R
R09: 75, 10, 4, 1, 5, 3. Target: 643.
TTT: CLEARICE - "It's not difficult, it's on a plate for you"
R10: K O E T R N I X F
R11: S G S L A E A E D
R12: T R D O E S Z I F
R13: N T M U O I N E A
R14: 50, 8, 1, 5, 2, 7. Target: 462
R15: C A R R Y P A D S (conundrum)
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Round 1: J L P G A E I T S
C1: LIGATES (7)
C2: STAPLE (6)
DC: TALIPES (7)
OT: PIGLETS (7) PLATIES (7)
Score: 7-0 (max 7)
The champion takes the lead immediately with a classic Countdown word.
Round 2: P E O D T S A E W
C1: ADOPTEES (8)
C2: PASTED (6)
DC: SWEATED (7)
Score: 15-0 (max 15)
David will want to avoid getting PASTED by his formidable opponent but this isn't a promising sign as Jen goes two better with ADOPTEES, which happens to be the darren for the round.
Round 3: 100, 4, 4, 3, 2, 8. Target: 460.
C1: 460. (100 - 8) x (3 + 2) (10)
C2: 460. (4 + 8 + 3 + 100) x 4 (10)
Score: 25-10 (max 25)
David gets off the mark this time thanks to this fairly simple first numbers game.
Teatime teaser: NUDELIVE -> UNVEILED
Round 4: L T P N U I O R E
C1: ERUPTION (8)
C2: PUNTER (6)
DC: OUTLINER (8)
OT: NEUROPIL (8)
Score: 33–10 (max 33)
Jen's ERUPTION extends the gap even further as David still can't get past six.
Round 5: M N T I A I S E R
C1: RAINIEST (8)
C2: REMAINS (7)
DC: MINTIER (7) RAIMENTS (8) MINARETS (8)
OT: INTERIMS (8) MARINISE (8) MINISTER (8) SERIATIM (8)
Score: 41-10 (max 41)
David goes above six for the first time but it's still not enough as Jen rains on his parade by spotting... RAINIEST.
Round 6: 50, 25, 6, 4, 9, 4. Target: 816.
C1: 821. (50 + 25) x (6 - 4 + 9) - 4 (7)
C2: -
RR: 816. (4/4 + 50) x (25 - 9)
Score: 48-10 (max 51)
A tricky two large if you start off the wrong way but easy if you try another way. David blanks completely while Jen gets to within five, just enough to score seven points. Rachel shows us the way and it means that the max game is off for Jen. She probably won't mind too much though as she already has a commanding lead.
Jonathan explains how he eventually managed to represent his country. He started at school level and amazingly, he holds the world record for the triple jump but not his own school record!
Round 7: V M B O U E C H N
C1: BOUNCE (6)
C2: BOUNCE (6)
DC: BOUCHE X
OT: COHUNE (6)
Score: 54–16 (max 57)
Everyone scores this time as David registers his first letters points.
A COHUNE is a Central American palm with its nuts used as a valuable source of oil.
Round 8: D O I E G S Y I R
C1: IODISE (6)
C2: RESIDE X
DC: DOGIES (6)
OT: DIRGES (6) DORIES (6) IRISED (6) ORGIES (6) RIDGES (6) RIGIDS (6) SODGER (6)
Score: 60-16 (max 63)
Ouch, David falls foul of the curse of the phantom letter as he's an E short for his word. Jen sticks with six, presumably wondering about IODISER^ but whatever it was, good decision as six is as good as it gets here.
A DORY (pl. DORIES) has a couple of meanings. One is a fish and the other is a rowing boat.
A DIRGE is a lament for the dead or a song which is mournful or miserable and boring.
Round 9: 75, 10, 4, 1, 5, 3. Target: 643.
C1: 643. (75 - 3) x (10 - 1) - 5 (10)
C2: 640.
Score: 70–16 (max 73)
Another ten points for Jen who is on fire at the moment.
Teatime teaser: CLEARICE -> CELERIAC
Round 10: K O E T R N I X F
C1: ORIENT (6)
C2: TORN (4)
DC: FOXIER (6) TINKER (6)
OT: FORINT (6) FORNIX (6) KNIFER (6) NITROX (6) NORITE (6) TONIER (6)
Score: 76–16 (max 79)
The FORINT is the basic monetary unit of Hungary.
NORITE is a geological term for a coarse-grained plutonic rock.
Round 11: S G S L A E A E D
C1: GLASSED (7)
C2: GLASSED (7)
DC: AGELESS (7) SLEDGES (7)
OT: DEGASES (7) GELADAS (7) SALADES (7)
Score: 83–23 (max 86)
GLASSED is perfectly fine. Glass is in as a verb and can mean to enclose something in glass. It can also refer to someone being glassed at the pub, not something you'd want to happen to you.
OoW: Susie talks about the word "pretext" and how its origin dates back to a toga from Roman times.
Round 12: T R D O E S Z I F
C1: STEROID (7)
C2: TRIOS (5)
DC: DOZIEST (7) FROSTED (7)
OT: DEFROST (7) EDITORS (7) FOISTED (7) FORTIES (7) SORTIED (7) STORIED (7) TRIODES (7)
Score: 90-23 (max 93)
There's no stopping Jen today. She comes up with yet another winner and has still only dropped the three points from that nasty numbers game.
Round 13: N T M U O I N E A
C1: MOUNTAIN (8)
C2: MOUNTAIN (8)
DC: NOMINATE (8)
Score: 98-31 (max 101)
David's had a MOUNTAIN to climb all day but he gets a good eight this time, as does Jen, who has achieved perfection in every letters round today. I think that deserves a few smileys.
Round 14: 50, 8, 1, 5, 2, 7. Target: 462
C1: 462. (8 + 1) x 50 + 7 + 5 (10)
C2: 462. (7 + 2) x 50 + 8 + 5 - 1 (10)
Score: 108–41 (max 111)
Ten more points for both as Jen earns her third century in three games.
Round 15: C A R R Y P A D S
C1 buzzes on 1.75 seconds to say SCRAPYARD which is correct.
Final Score: 118-41 (max 121)
With that conundrum solve, Jen achieves her highest score yet and more impressively, completes a 14-max game! Just the second numbers denied her the chance to make history with the first female 15-round max game on the show, as well as the first under the new format. That takes her average up to just over 111 points per game which is very impressive but still a fair bit short of Dylan's (121.75) and Glen's (118.125) averages. Having said that, Jen hasn't yet had a nine available and if a few turn up quickly, that could shoot her average up. Join me next Tuesday for her shot at becoming an octochamp, assuming she wins her next four of course. Based on what we've seen so far, I can't see that being much of a problem. If she gets enough points in the next four games, it could be very exciting. Don't miss it, see you then!
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=69
