Series 91 Finals Predictions (With Poll)

[Ryan Lam]

It's Mid-Year, and with an incredible finish by Amy Berry today, there's not enough Preliminaries to have another person squeeze into the Finalist list because even if someone wins all the way for the remaining six episodes until the Finals begin, they will simply carry on to Series 92 as per what we have seen previously with Steven Etherington in Series 85 three years ago. So, that being said, here are the final eight below!

Quarter-Finals #1 (19 June): Rhys Jones (#1 Seed) vs Michael Kane (#8 Seed)
Quarter-Finals #2 (20 June): Tim Bridgstock (#2 Seed) vs Tom Page (#7 Seed)
Quarter-Finals #3 (23 June): Tim James (#3 Seed) vs Matt Fife (#6 Seed)
Quarter-Finals #4 (24 June): Amy Berry (#4 Seed) vs Christine Smith (#5 Seed)

If you thought these Finalists are a bit "lacklustre" in a sense that their overall scores are lower compared to what we have seen for the first half of this decade, you're right especially with Rhys' score exactly at 800, but whether is this due to the ODP Cull last year, I can't comment just yet and we'll probably observe for a few more Finals to confirm this point. Also, we're back to the "average" number of Octochamps we usually get per Series which is five, so, yay I guess we get to see more close fights? Hmm...

With the scores being so close and no one being a clear winner, it's definitely up in the air for real this time as to who will win. Heck, I would say it's way more difficult to predict compared to Chris and Fiona last December, BUT, I have been wrong before, and the choice is yours to make, so happy predicting the final outcome, that's all I'm going to say!

I'm not going to be sharing any predictions and will be writing a review of the episode each day as per the last 13 Series, so if you have any feel free to post them here! Unfortunately, I'll be out on a camp for the first two Quarter-Finals, so I hope to catch the action from the final week onwards live (or if I can't, I'll probably watch from the side on Apterous on my phone)!

The poll will close on the day the First Quarter Final airs and you will be allowed to change your vote until then. Finally, if you happen to be reading this in the near future, apologies but you will not be able to vote.

[Gavin Chipper]

It's not because of the cull. That really only affects the high-end Apterites. For the comptetent-but-not-great players it makes little to no difference.

[Philip A]

I think this series could have had 8 octochamps had Diane Pratesi, Stephen Ashley, Darrell Coker and Anthony Endsor – all good players without a win this series – appeared at different times.

Also, to further comment on the culled words, I don’t think the online player has a much immunity to the unaffected home player as it did before. The game is different, it has made it more important to see the everyday words and good numbers are also more key. A long-term online player and co-eventer can still be beaten fair and square by a very good home player with everyday words, who may also have transferrable skills, such as solving puzzles like crosswords and sudoku, or reading a lot of books (e.g. Amy Berry). There have been good players, online or not, who have left without a win. I think it’s going to be a while until we have a 900+ octochamp again.

To comment on statistics, it’s the lowest No. 1 seed score in 12 and a half years. Any of the top 4 last series could have taken this one in my view. However, there have been more newcomers. This series hasn’t been dominated by returnees compared to the series before, when half of the finalists had appeared in an earlier series. Correct me if wrong, but I think No. 5 seed Christine Smith is the only returnee to win a game this series.

It’s going to come down to who digs deepest. Back in Series 69, the champion, Callum Todd, averaged 93 in the heats and 116 in the finals. That is an enormous improvement.

Tim James to win. He has only gone bust in one offered numbers solution so far, and no declarations of nothing.

[Gavin Chipper]

Also, to further comment on the culled words, I don’t think the online player has a much immunity to the unaffected home player as it did before. The game is different, it has made it more important to see the everyday words and good numbers are also more key. A long-term online player and co-eventer can still be beaten fair and square by a very good home player with everyday words, who may also have transferrable skills, such as solving puzzles like crosswords and sudoku, or reading a lot of books (e.g. Amy Berry). There have been good players, online or not, who have left without a win. I think it’s going to be a while until we have a 900+ octochamp again.

I think this is in danger of getting exaggerated. We didn't get a 900+ octochamp this series because we didn't have players of that standard. If a top Apterite comes along next series, then there's every chance they'll go 900+. It's just a case of who is around at the moment. I don't think the likelihood has really changed. With the top players it's about consistency as much as finding the obscure words, and we haven't had players of that level of consistency.

[Jon Stammers]

I vote Rhys, who seemed slightly the most solid of the 8 to me when I played along. Tim J a close second. That 3rd QF between Tim James and Matt should be a corker. Both apterites, and I’d love Matt Fife to hit form and go all the way but we’ll see.

Good chances of a Welsh champ this year either way!

[Ryan Lam]

Wow, the votes thus far (as expected) is very split as to who might be the winner. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if people are abstaining from voting because it's so difficult to predict this time round. Dang...

[Tom S]

It does actually look to be a very open series. Looking at the max count percentage in brief, the stats are as so:
Rhys Jones (54.1%)
Tim Bridgstock (53.3%)
Matt Fife (52.5%)
Tim James and Christine Smith (50%)
Tom Page (43.8%)
Amy Berry (42.5%)
Michael Kane (33.3%)

It's a very tricky one to call, as they are all so close %-wise.

Predicting a Rhys win over Michael
Tim B win over Tom (but not putting it past Tom to beat Tim, as I did find Tom's play to be very consistent)
Giving Tim J the slight edge over Matt (but it could go the other way)
Christine to win over Amy (but could also go the other way)

SFs
Rhys to beat Christine
Tim J to beat Tim B

Final
Giving Rhys the slight advantage over Tim, as my sleuthing has found several max games around filming period on Jack's app from a "rhys", who just so happens to default pick 3 vowels at the beginning of his letters selections, and 6 small, like his namesake on the show. But, as I've said, there are at least 4 players in contention for the win, imo.

[Tracey Anne Mills]

Hard to predict I have seen so many shocks !

[Ryan Lam]

Congratulations to all who predicted Rhys would prevail despite all the close matches we saw! That was a nailbiting Grand Final all the way until nearly the end wasn't it? It was so difficult to choose out of these eight people, but to those who picked him, you saw he would win all the way, and you were correct! First Welsh Champion since 1997, more records broken!

[Jon Stammers]

Thanks Ryan!!

I vote Rhys, who seemed slightly the most solid of the 8 to me when I played along. Tim J a close second. That 3rd QF between Tim James and Matt should be a corker. Both apterites, and I’d love Matt Fife to hit form and go all the way but we’ll see.

Good chances of a Welsh champ this year either way!

Feeling quite smug about my prediction now!
C’mon Cymru!!! Go Wales!!!

[Jamie Weisenberg]

Just reckless from Tim James. He guessed a silly word - WARFIELD ??!

Also final numbers round was soooo easy. How do you miss that ?

[Philip A]

Just reckless from Tim James. He guessed a silly word - WARFIELD ??!

Also final numbers round was soooo easy. How do you miss that ?

Off with you, Mr Troll. You can crawl back from under the rock you came from. Goodbye!

[Jamie Weisenberg]

Off with you, Mr Troll. You can crawl back from under the rock you came from. Goodbye!

Excuse me ?

[Steve Hyde]

Just reckless from Tim James. He guessed a silly word - WARFIELD ??!

Also final numbers round was soooo easy. How do you miss that ?

I can only assume Tim didn't have a 7 in that round so had to gamble with Rhys declaring first