Countdown recap for Thursday 21 January 2010.
C1: Champion Oliver Garner (7 wins, 721 points.) Our 15-year-old Apteforumite from Tiffin's School in New Malden, Surrey. Can he become the first octochamp of Series 62, and acquire the 79 points needed to reach the magic 800 mark
We'll know pretty soon.C2: Challenger Mark Goodliffe. From London. He works as a finance director. He is married with a son and daughter. He likes playing cricket and bridge and is the current Times Crossword Champion. He has 2 other interesting claims to fame. One of these is that he had a 2 second walking part in Bridget Jones' Diary and the other is that he was on the last Concorde flight from New York to London, where he sat next to Jeremy Clarkson, who then used Mark's water to throw at Piers Morgan who sat directly behind Clarkson.
DC: Susie Dent and John Stapleton.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: E U P V R T A E P
R02: N A G Y E L T I C
R03: S S N U A O W I S
R04: R E C N O N S A T
R05: 1, 9, 5, 8, 4, 7. Target: 616.
TTT: CORNYHAM - "There is one over here as a rule"
R06: S E N N A T N E B
R07: K T M Z U E A E M
R08: I G A S E P I R O
R09: M C D A E O L L E
R10: 50, 75, 7, 1, 9, 5. Target: 996.
TTT: SPOTCLUE - "To spot the clue, just count the letters"
R11: T P S F I A E S Y
R12: N O R B E X T E D
R13: D Q M I O A T D F
R14: 50, 75, 25, 5, 5, 6. Target: 599.
R15: F O R T Y D I M E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: E U P V R T A E P
C1: REPUTE (6)
C2: REPEAT (6)
DC: PUPATE (6) UPRATE (6)
OT: EPATER (6) PAREVE (6) PAUPER (6) RAPPEE (6) TAPPER (6)
Score: 6–6 (max 6)
PAREVE is a Jewish term meaning anything prepared without meat, milk, or their derivatives and therefore permissible to be eaten with both meat and dairy dishes according to dietary laws.
Round 2: N A G Y E L T I C
C1: ANGELIC (7)
C2: GENITAL (7)
DC: GELATIN (7)
OT: ANGLICE (7) GALENIC (7) ELATING (7) GLYCINE (7) LATENCY (7) TALCING (7)
Score: 13–13 (max 13)
A nice double flat max start to the game.
GLYCINE is a colorless, crystalline, sweet, water-soluble solid, H2NCH2COOH, the simplest amino acid: used chiefly in organic synthesis and biochemical research.
Round 3: S S N U A O W I S
C1: suasions
C2: SWAINS (6)
DC: SUASION (7) OASIS (5) SWANS (5)
Score: 13–19 (max 20)
Oh, unlucky Oliver pluralises a mass noun to give Mark an early lead.
Round 4: R E C N O N S A T
C1: CORNETS (7)
C2: RESONANT (8)
DC: ANCESTOR (8)
OT: ENACTORS (8)
Score: 13–27 (max 28)
What's this
Oliver misses one of 3 8's and goes even further behind.Round 5: 1, 9, 5, 8, 4, 7. Target: 616.
C1: 616. Mistake in working.
C2: 614. (((8 x 7) + 5) x (9 + 1)) x 4 (7)
RR: 616. ((5 x 4) - 9) x 7 x 8 (10)
Score: 13–34 (max 38)
OH MY GOD! Oliver goes 6 small and amazingly gives an answer that is 200 out
Is this turning into one of the biggest shocks in recent history John tells of the time when as a Daliy Sketch reporter, he attempted to find round-the-world sailor Alec Rose.
Teatime teaser: CORNYHAM -> MONARCHY
Round 6: S E N N A T N E B
C1: BEATEN (6)
C2: BEATEN (6)
DC: SENATE (6) NEATENS (7)
Score: 19–40 (max 45)
Round 7: K T M Z U E A E M
C1: teake
C2: KEEMA (5)
DC: KAMEEZ (6)
Score: 19–45 (max 51)
Oliver's risky 5 puts him further behind. The shock is still very much on.
Round 8: I G A S E P I R O
C1: PIEROGI (7)
C2: PORGIES (7)
OT: SOAPIER (7)
Score: 26–52 (max 58)
A marvellous 7 from Oliver keeps him in touch, but unfortunately Mark is still scoring in every round.
Round 9: M C D A E O L L E
C1: CALLED (6)
C2: LOCALE (6)
DC: CADELLE (7)
OT: CALOMEL (7)
Score: 32–58 (max 65)
CALOMEL is a white, tasteless powder, Hg2Cl2, used chiefly as a purgative and fungicide.
Susie's Call My Bluff continues with Jeff back in the firing line.
Today's word is AXILLARY. Is it:
a) An additional test in science to verify the results of an initial experiment.
b) Relating to the armpit, or in botany, the upper reaches of a leaf or a plant.
c) A small plane used as a backup to an aircraft on a military mission.
The answer is b), which both Jeff & John get wrong, guessing c). a) & c) are both definitions of AUXILLARY.
Round 10: 50, 75, 7, 1, 9, 5. Target: 996.
C1: 996. ((75 + 50) x (7 + 1)) - 9 + 5 (10)
C2: -
Score: 42–58 (max 75)
Mark's 2 big gives Oliver a massive lifeline. Is the recovery now on track...
Teatime teaser: SPOTCLUE -> OCTUPLES
Round 11: T P S F I A E S Y
C1: PASTIES (7)
C2: SATISFY (7)
DC: TIPSY (5) FIESTAS (7)
OT: PATSIES (7)
Score: 49–65 (max 82)
Round 12: N O R B E X T E D
C1: DEBONE (6)
C2: denoter
JS: ENROBED (7)
OT: REDBONE (7)
Score: 55–65 (max 89)
Is that dodgy 7 by Mark the turning point of the game
The gap is now reduced to just 10 solitary points.Round 13: D Q M I O A T D F
C1: DIATOM (6)
C2: MOTIF (5)
Score: 61–65 (max 95)
A brilliant darrenic spot by Oliver drops the gap to 4.
Round 14: 50, 75, 25, 5, 5, 6. Target: 599.
C1: 599. ((25 + 75) x 6) - (5 / 5) (10)
C2: 599. ((25 + 75) x 6) - (5 / 5) (10)
Score: 71–75 (max 105)
A fairly simple 3 large means that Oliver is in a crucial for the first time since his first game against Jan, and in that game, he got in 0.1 seconds!
Round 15: F O R T Y D I M E
C1 buzzes on 1 second to say DEFORMITY which is correct.
Score: 81–75 (max 115)
10 times slower than that last crucial, but Oliver has made one of the most impressive recoveries in recent Countdown history, not only to become an octochamp, but to take his place in the 800 Club as well, with his total of 802 points.
He will of course be No.1 Seed for the time being, but will there be many more contenders who will reach octochamp status this series?
Legend Mike Brown, now back on the recap rollcall, will take care of tomorrow's show with 2 new contenders.
Till next week, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Oliver:
Total score - 81
Raw score - 88
Total % of max - 70
Raw % of max - 77
Total average score per round - 5.4
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 8
Mark:
Total score - 75
Raw score - 80
Total % of max - 65
Raw % of max - 70
Total average score per round - 5.0
Raw average score per round - 5.3
Number of maxes - 6
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=62
