And now we're in Series 68 (as Nick says), otherwise known as the 30th Birthday Championship (as said by everyone else to make it sound cool.
).And as luck would have it, my first game happens to be the most eagerly awaited game of Countdown since we saw the fixture list for these championships.
It is such a crying shame that this game has to be a preliminary match as neither of these great players deserves to be knocked out this early, but it's like the FA Cup, I suppose, some big teams just meet other big teams early and has to fall.
But, let's forget that little bit for now and enjoy what should be a BLOCKBUSTER GAME!!!!!!! Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 9 January 2013.
C1: Series 65 Semi-Finalist Mark Deeks (10 games, 9 wins, 1,021 points.) An Apteforumite and International Justice student at the University of Warwick, originally from Braughing, Hertfordshire. He is a "cocky" basketball journalist, according to "her with the heels and the big fashion budget".
C2: Series 63 Champion Jack Hurst (11 games, 11 wins, 1,276 points.) An Apteforumite and "definitely not cocky
" maths student at Cambridge University, originally from Desford, Leicestershire.DC: Susie Dent and Dave Myers.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: R U T O P L E A T
R02: F I H O S A N O E
R03: B O R D A S I L E
R04: N O G I P U N O A
R05: 50, 6, 3, 8, 1, 5. Target: 431.
TTT: IVYTREES - "The answer explains just how bad things really are"
R06: R D G P I U E L D
R07: S O G E C R A T C
R08: V M L Q I E A O A
R09: J C U R O N E S M
R10: 50, 6, 4, 2, 9, 1. Target: 795.
TTT: HASTINGS - "Secretly putting money away for life's future battles"
R11: S A R Z I N S E D
R12: M A S E P I S E A
R13: R I T N E R O B N
R14: 75, 5, 3, 4, 7, 9. Target: 581.
R15: D E M O B R A G E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: R U T O P L E A T
C1: outleapt
C2: PROLATE (7)
DC: PLATTER (7) PLOTTER (7) PORTLET (7)
OT: PRATTLE (7) TORULAE (7) TUTELAR (7)
Score: 0–7 (max 7)
Oooooooooooooh, an unlucky start for Deeksy as you can't outleap (unless you're a Scrabble player), so he couldn't have outleapt, and instead it's first round honours to Jack.
A TUTELAR is a person who has tutelary powers, as a saint, deity, or guardian.
Round 2: F I H O S A N O E
C1: FASHION (7)
C2: FASHION (7)
DC: HOONS (5)
Score: 7–14 (max 14)
Both players are certainly never to be seen near a catwalk, but they definitely have an eye for FASHION, which happens to be the darren here.
Round 3: B O R D A S I L E
C1: DARIOLES (8)
C2: DARIOLES (8)
DC: SOLDIER (7) BRAISED (7)
Score: 15–22 (max 22)
And now it's all gone to pot with the darrenic DARIOLES.............., even though Jack tries to psych Mark out by pretty much acting relaxed through most of the 30 seconds, letting Mark think he had a 9.
Round 4: N O G I P U N O A
C1: POOING (6)
C2: PANINO (6)
DC: POONING (7)
Score: 21–28 (max 29)
Deeksy seems to be happy to announce to the world that he is POOING.
Maybe he should have been POONING instead........... 
Round 5: 50, 6, 3, 8, 1, 5. Target: 431.
C1: 431. (8 x 50) + (6 x 5) + 1 (10)
C2: 431. ((50 + 5) x 8) - 6 - 3 (10)
Score: 31–38 (max 39)
Nice bog standard numbers game, carrying on with the previous round's theme.
Dave talks about filming an episode of The Hairy Bikers and how an Aberdeen Angus cow and a bull were being crossbred by a Geordie farmer, and how Dave got hit in the ribs while massaging the bull.
Teatime teaser: IVYTREES -> SEVERITY
Round 6: R D G P I U E L D
C1: PUDGIER (7)
C2: PUDGIER (7)
DC: GRIDDLE (7) PIDDLER (7)
OT: GIRDLED (7) GUILDER (7) PUDDLER (7)
Score: 38–45 (max 46)
Seven sevens. Seven heaven all around. And still a gap of seven.
Round 7: S O G E C R A T C
C1: ESCARGOT (8)
C2: ESCARGOT (8)
Score: 46–53 (max 54)
Mark & Jack are snailing away here.
Round 8: V M L Q I E A O A
C1: VIOLA (5)
C2: ALIVE (5)
DC: OLIVE (5)
OT: LAMIAE (6)
Score: 51–58 (max 60)
Slim pickings in this one, and even DC miss the darren this time.
A LAMIA (plural LAMIAE) is one of a class of fabulous monsters, commonly represented with the head and breast of a woman and the body of a serpent, said to allure youths and children in order to suck their blood.
Round 9: J C U R O N E S M
C1: JOUNCES (7)
C2: CONSUMER (8)
DC: CONJURES (8)
OT: MUCRONES (8)
Score: 51–66 (max 68)
Mark seems to have chickened on an 8 here (which we have since found out was MUCRONES........
), letting Jack take full advantage and increase his lead to 15.Susie's Origins of Words carries on with the food theme with foods named after animals, including "coriander", "smorgasbord", "burrito", "porcini".
Just as Nick asks Jack to pick the numbers, he seems to say "Three" to Rachel, which is apparently "mathematicians speak" or something like that. Either way, it ends up like an edited lead balloon.
Round 10: 50, 6, 4, 2, 9, 1. Target: 795.
C1: 795. (((50 x 4) + 1) x (6 - 2)) - 9 (10)
C2: 795. (((50 x 4) + 1) x (6 - 2)) - 9 (10)
Score: 61–76 (max 78)
Both contestants go a slightly unusual way, but 10 points is 10 points and I'm not gonna argue with that.
Note also that when Deeksy showed his piece of paper to Jack, a little giggle was clearly visible. (Apparently it said "YOU'RE REALLY GOOD". )Teatime teaser: HASTINGS -> STASHING
Round 11: S A R Z I N S E D
C1: SARDINES (8)
C2: SARDINES (8)
DC: ZANDER (6)
Me: ARIDNESS (8)
Score: 69–84 (max 86)
There seems to something fishy here..........., oh yes, it's the SARDINES.
I was quite happy with the pretty dry alternative. Round 12: M A S E P I S E A
C1: IMPASSE (7)
C2: IMPASSE (7)
DC: PIES (4) PEAS (4)
Score: 76–91 (max 93)
Going darrenic yet again, and this game is just getting higher and higher in terms of scores................
Round 13: R I T N E R O B N
C1: ORBITER (7)
C2: BORNITE (7)
Me: BONNIER (7)
Score: 83–98 (max 100)
While the cool guys go with their 7's, I decide to clean up with the other available 7.
As expected, this game has lived up to its high-scoring, but are we going to be denied the crucial conundrum that this game should be getting.............. 
Round 14: 75, 5, 3, 4, 7, 9. Target: 581.
C1: 581. ((75 + 9) x 7) - 4 - 3 (10)
C2: 581. (9 - 4 + 3 + 75) x 7 (10)
Score: 93–108 (max 110)
And the safety first approach from Jack gives him his 12th century in a row on the show, while at the same time guaranteeing his win. That is just phenomenal by anyone's standards
Round 15: D E M O B R A G E
C1 buzzes on 1.25 seconds to say EMBARGOED which is correct.
Final Score: 103–108 (max 120)
But, there is a final amazing twist from the conundrum, as Mark's quick-fire solve means that for the first time since the epic match between Ryan Taylor and Lesley Hines in Series 61, we have a DOUBLE, yes, that's right, DOUBLE CENTURY GAME
So, as we said at the start, it's such an almighty shame that one of these super awesome players has had the cruel misfortune of being up against the other one in a preliminary match. This game would have been a worthy quarter or even a semi-final, but that's the way fortune favours sometimes.
Mark should be greatly remembered for the amusing joy and fun he has brought to his 11 games, and to see him go this early is just wrong, but it can't be helped.
But, Jack remains unbeaten in a dozen games, and will play Wayne Kelly in the next round in 4 weeks time, and after his performance yesterday, don't expect it to be a walkover.
I'll be back tomorrow with a match of champions, as the winners of Series 46 & 54 go head to head. That's Ben Wilson and Conor Travers for those who can't remember who won what.
So, till then, it's good to be back and see you all tomorrow.
Statistics Corner
Mark:
Total score - 103
Raw score - 110
Total % of max - 86
Raw % of max - 92
Total average score per round - 6.9
Raw average score per round - 7.3
Number of maxes - 11
Jack:
Total score - 108
Raw score - 108
Total % of max - 90
Raw % of max - 90
Total average score per round - 7.2
Raw average score per round - 7.2
Number of maxes - 12
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=-16
