CoC Quarter-Final 2 Spoilers For Friday January 15th 2016

[James Robinson]

So, we're about to end the second of our three week search to find the 14th Champion of Champions. Giles Hutchings is our first semi-finalist, but who will he play on Wednesday for a place in the grand final

Yesterday's match was a battle of the series champs, today is a battle of the series runners-up, as the 2nd placers from 2013 go head-to-head with Andy Platt taking on Dylan Taylor.

Statistics Corner:

Firstly, Series 68 Runner-Up Andy "The Salford Superstorm" Platt - 12 Games, 11 Wins, 1,308 Points. (Average: 109) (4 Games In 15.3 Format, 8 Games In 15.4 Format)
Highest Score: 120 vs. Josh Young (7th Game) and vs. Eileen Taylor (Semi-Final)
Lowest Score: 86 vs. Giles Hutchings (Grand Final)
9's Achieved: 7/9
Total Points/Max/%: 1308/1529 (86%)
Letters Points/Max/%: 873/990 (88%)
Numbers Points/Max/%: 365/419 (87%)
Conundrum Points/Max/%: 70/120 (58%)

Secondly, Series 69 Runner-Up Dylan "The Malpas Mutilator" Taylor - 12 Games, 11 Wins, 1,439 Points. (Average: 119.92)
Highest Score: 129 vs. Leone Mitchell (6th Game)
Lowest Score: 108 vs. Gemma Church (Quarter-Final)
9's Achieved: 6/8
Total Points/Max/%: 1439/1559 (92%)
Letters Points/Max/%: 914/965 (95%)
Numbers Points/Max/%: 465/474 (98%)
Conundrum Points/Max/%: 60/120 (50%)

I predicted that this would be a cracker of a game. I wonder if I was proved right....

Join Anthony for the recap later.

[James Laverty]

What a crap game! Couldn't they get decent players for a Champions of Champions????


















Just kidding guys, I had heard a lot about this one and it didn't disappoint. Fantastic performances from both Dylan and Andy and one to talk about for years to come

[Jojo Apollo]

WOW!!! Super game, must be a combined record score? Very well done lads, this is now best game of the series so far.

[Jack Worsley]

WOW!!! Super game, must be a combined record score? Very well done lads, this is now best game of the series so far.

The 30BC final is still the highest aggregate score but Andy's 125 beats the previous highest losing score by 8. Still, awesome game! I had also heard a bit about this one and I was expecting a cracker, and you two truly delivered. Amazing speed by Dylan on the conundrum. Unlucky Andy, URNFIELDS was a fantastic spot and welcome to the lost-with-13-maxes club*. One of the best games I've ever seen, well done to you both for your brilliant performances.

*Unless someone ruins it by finding a stupid beater from the new dictionary.

[Jojo Apollo]

WOW!!! Super game, must be a combined record score? Very well done lads, this is now best game of the series so far.

The 30BC final is still the highest aggregate score and Andy's 125 beats the previous highest losing score by 8. Still, awesome game! I had also heard a bit about this one and I was expecting a cracker, and you two truly delivered. Amazing speed by Dylan on the conundrum. Unlucky Andy, URNFIELDS was a fantastic spot and welcome to the lost-with-13-maxes club. One of the best games I've ever seen, well done to you both for your brilliant performances.

Ah yeah, cheers Jack.

[Dave Ricesky]

3rd numbers alt: (25 * 50 + 6) * 75 / 100 = 942

[Steven M. McCann]

Congratulations to both players on serving up a classic, the result was always in doubt till the very end.
URNFIELDS has to be the spot of the competition so far.

[Gavin Chipper]

What a crap game! Couldn't they get decent players for a Champions of Champions????














Not even kidding. Fuck, that was awful.

[James Robinson]

Congratulations to both players on serving up a classic, the result was always in doubt till the very end.
URNFIELDS has to be the spot of the competition so far.

Having been in the audience for the series finals 3 weeks earlier, I remembered seeing URNFIELD for the first time, but completely missed the plural (and the singular) this time.

WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE GAME THAT WAS

It had just about everything, brilliant 9's, high-scoring atmosphere, 2 players right at the top of their game, 27 maxes between them as well. Such a shame one of them had to lose, but well done Dylan, and commiserations, Andy.

Giles v Dylan in the semis on Wednesday already looks like another cracker in the making

[Ryan Taylor]

I caught thisfrom the first interval and I have to say it was fantastic. Very hard luck to Andy. "One mistake" as Andy put it at the end sums up the standard we are now at as this tournament progresses as that was his only error all game and it ended up costing him. And well done to Dylan to overcome 2 9's. The 9's count btw is off the scale so far. It seems like there are more than 1 in most games so far! Wonder what the average is so far?

Enjoying all of these games muchly. Real life apterous before our very eyes!

[Gavin Chipper]

I suppose the question is - was Andy showboating, or was that the only solution he had?

[Heather Styles]

Who knows. URNFIELDS was quality. Vwp both.

[Thomas Carey]

If you're a decent fourlargeist (now valid, probably), like Andy obviously is, then (25*50+6)*75/100 is a reasonably easy spot. Incredibly unlucky, Andy, you were so close to taking out a giant and giving us a s68 final rematch. Terrific performance from both there, wp lads.

[Dave Preece]

I'd say show-boating!

[Zarte Siempre]

He wasn't showboating. He thought he'd seen it the way he was going straight away and then didn't bother looking for another way, only realising he'd sodded up much later.

When it was filmed, he went through the whole solution, including the repeated 6 and it wasn't immediately noticed. He had to refilm it the way it appeared once it had been discovered.

[Tom]

What a brilliant game yesterday - it had everything. Congrats to Dylan and commiserations to Andy.

I've been watching this C of C avidly and its been brilliant and no doubt the final week will be the same. I just hope after this C of C the next one isn't as far away.

I have no idea on any remaining results but I just hope it isn't Dylan who wins the whole thing. Though I reckon he doesn't mean it at times, he seems to have no humility and only seems to care about stats and maxes. I know he has his quirks but reminding Nick you're still the record holder is just stupid - everyone who cares will already know!!

[Jon Corby]

That's unnecessarily harsh on Dylan IMO. In fact I would say the "camaraderie" was noticeably more one-way in this episode than others where it has been more reciprocal.

[Gavin Chipper]

At the risk of agreeing with Corby, I think Dylan generally comes across quite well on the television.

[Conor]

Epic match.

[George Pryn]

Dylan's obsession should be seen as adorable not annoying, isn't it a tad silly to write from your Countdown account on a Countdown forum that someone seems a bit too into Countdown?

I love Dylan and think everyone should pipe down a bit.

[Conor]

I love Dylan and think everyone should pipe down a bit.

everyone?

[Tom]

Dylan's obsession should be seen as adorable not annoying, isn't it a tad silly to write from your Countdown account on a Countdown forum that someone seems a bit too into Countdown?

I love Dylan and think everyone should pipe down a bit.

Hi George, no I don't think it is. Yes it probably is adorable in it's own sense but doing things like calling yourself a Countdown legend on your own Twitter page and holding the points and maxes record to me is just a bit ridiculous in my view and looks a bit prattish. If Dylan or indeed anyone else is too fixated with things like stats and maxes I just think it would detract from the enjoyment of playing the game.

As I said in my last message, I've thoroughly enjoyed this C of C and I hope all viewers like it too (my guess is they will). Given how many Apterous players there are, I think there was a potential danger of the tournament being like an Apterous exhibition show but its been anything but and the games have been played in good nature and the camaraderie has been obvious.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned in that when I did a C of C many years ago Apterous wasn't around, stats were really nothing more than what your aggregate Octochamp total & wins/losses were and the concept of max games and how many maxes you can get wasn't something that was ever brought up. It was competitive and people wanted to win, but we weren't obsessive.

[Jennifer Steadman]

Maybe I'm just old fashioned in that when I did a C of C many years ago Apterous wasn't around, stats were really nothing more than what your aggregate Octochamp total & wins/losses were and the concept of max games and how many maxes you can get wasn't something that was ever brought up. It was competitive and people wanted to win, but we weren't obsessive.

We're long past that point. He's the most vocal about it but certainly not the only person who cares too much about stats, and while his bragging/endless quoting of his stats can be quite annoying, others have been far more obnoxious either in private or public with regards to caring too much.

FWIW I thought Dylan came across much better in his intros than he had previously for his octorun and finals, if rather dour still while picking vowels/consonants.

[Heather Styles]

Surely one of the positive things about Countdown is that it selects contestants on the strength of their playing ability and not on how well they are likely to come across on screen? The contestants are then free to do what they do best, i.e. play the game, while leaving the chit-chat and flimflam to the professionals (of course, that's not to say that a bit of banter with contestants can't add to the entertainment value of the show). Given Countdown's own selection criteria, it seems a bit much to publicly criticise players for not, in our opinion, coming across well on screen.

Also, isn't being obsessive an essential characteristic of being a high-quality competitor? I can't think of any top sportspeople who are criticised for being single-minded in their pursuit of victory. They might say some slightly dickish things along the way (why, oh why, was the record holder thing not edited out?) and we might like them less as a result, but it cannot undermine their achievements. During the recordings of CoC, Dylan seemed to stay remarkably focused on the game and to detach himself from the amateur dramatics going on in the green room.

[Andy Platt]

I thought Dylan came across much better in his intros than he had previously for his octorun and finals, if rather dour still while picking vowels/consonants.

This.

He wasn't showboating. He thought he'd seen it the way he was going straight away and then didn't bother looking for another way, only realising he'd sodded up much later.

This... I totally missed that 942 was divisible by 6 and that a "937.5"-style method wasn't necessary at all. Without the studio pressure I guess I'd have seen either 1256*75/100 or 157*6. Oh well.


But yeah, cheers guys, class game to be part of.

After not playing particularly well against David in the first round, I wasn't expecting much against Dylan, probably an attritional 120-80 loss or something, so this game surpassed all of my expectations, even if I still lost. A few comments on Facebook and Twitter said it was the best game in the show's history - I think that's going a bit far maybe, but it was certainly entertaining and enjoyable, not to mention the standard.

[Jon O'Neill]

the amateur dramatics going on in the green room

Go on....

[Gavin Chipper]

the amateur dramatics going on in the green room

Go on....

+1

[Heather Styles]

Sorry, I won't elaborate. For starters, I was probably a bit of a dick sometimes in the green room. My point was, really, that someone can come across not especially well on screen but it need not cloud our judgement of them as a player and/or person.

[Heather Styles]

Sorry, I won't elaborate. For starters, I was probably a bit of a dick sometimes in the green room. My point, really, was that someone can come across not especially well on screen but it need not cloud our judgement of them as a player and/or person.

[James Laverty]

During the recordings of CoC, Dylan seemed to stay remarkably focused on the game and to detach himself from the amateur dramatics going on in the green room.

This is a very accurate comment. On the morning of the final day of the recording, when Dylan came into the green room, he was incredibly focused and not his normal chatty self. He said "hello" to me and that was about it and didn't join in with the various other convos going on.

[Ryan Taylor]

Dylan sounds like a professional to me. He deserves to win it, unlike you other part-timers.