Let's find out. 
Countdown recap for Thursday 28 January 2010.
C1: Champion James Rawson (3 wins, 310 points.) Raised in Liverpool, but now lives in North London. When he was 11 years old, he gave some flowers to Bob Holness of Blockbusters at the Royal Albert Hall. He was there because his school band had reached a competition final.
C2: Challenger Toni Balestra. From Baddeley Green, Stoke-On-Trent. He is currently retired. He originally came from Fiume, Italy, now known as Rijeka, Croatia, although his parents live in Naples. When he was 20, he was involved in a serious car accident, where he suffered a serious head injury and had to learn how to walk, talk, read and write again. You can actually still see the injury on his voicebox.
DC: Susie Dent and Paul Zenon.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: T F P I E L M A T
R02: N S E O P D U V A
R03: X T I E R C U D N
R04: B E L M A R Q I S
R05: 100, 50, 9, 4, 2, 8. Target: 188.
TTT: BRAVEASI - "Brave as I am, this is too rough for me"
R06: O N M E I D R T O
R07: K G T A O S I N T
R08: U G T F I A B S Z
R09: O A H P Y U L N R
R10: 100, 75, 9, 9, 1, 1. Target: 520.
TTT: ROADCELL - "Seized by the neck of the shirt, perhaps?"
R11: S V L O E W I S R
R12: P N E E T D N A L
R13: R C S E I G A S Y
R14: 25, 8, 4, 2, 10, 3. Target: 274.
R15: S I L L E Y B U M (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Enjoy the show.
Round 1: T F P I E L M A T
C1: FLATTIE (7)
C2: FLATTIE (7)
DC: LIMPET (6)
OT: FLEAPIT (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)
Round 2: N S E O P D U V A
C1: DAPSONE (7)
C2: UNPOSED (7)
DC: UNPAVED (7)
OT: UNSAVED (7)
Score: 14–14 (max 14)
Round 3: X T I E R C U D N
C1: INTRUDE (7)
C2: crudite
DC: INDUCER (7)
OT: DEXTRIN (7) UNTRIED (7)
Score: 21–14 (max 21)
Oh dear, Tony picks a plural noun, so unfortunately, James takes the first lead of the day.
A DEXTRIN is any of various soluble polysaccharides obtained from starch by the application of heat or acids and used mainly as adhesives and thickening agents.
Round 4: B E L M A R Q I S
C1: MARBLES (7)
C2: RAMBLES (7)
DC: REALISM (7) BALMIER (7)
OT: ABLEISM (7) AMBLERS (7) LAMBERS (7) AMBRIES (7) BAILERS (7) LIMBERS (7) MAILERS (7)
Score: 28–21 (max 28)
Round 5: 100, 50, 9, 4, 2, 8. Target: 188.
C1: 188. (2 x 100) - (8 + 4) (10)
C2: 188. (2 x 100) - (8 + 4) (10)
Score: 38–31 (max 38)
James goes into the break still on a max score.
Paul makes Jeff play the game "All For One" and manages to be one of the few people to start the clock and win £50 within 30 seconds.
Teatime teaser: BRAVEASI -> ABRASIVE
Round 6: O N M E I D R T O
C1: MONITORED (18)
C2: MONITORED (18)
Score: 56–49 (max 56)
Round 7: K G T A O S I N T
C1: TOASTING (8)
C2: SOAKING (7)
DC: GOATSKIN (8)
OT: STOTINKA (8)
Score: 64–49 (max 64)
The STOTINKA is the minor currency of Bulgaria. 100 of these make a LEV, the major currency of the country.
Round 8: U G T F I A B S Z
C1: AGIST (5)
C2: BAITS (5)
DC: ZAFTIG (6)
Score: 69–54 (max 70)
Oh no
The max round is ended thanks to Susie's Yiddish darren.Round 9: O A H P Y U L N R
C1: NOPAL (5)
C2: HOURLY (6)
DC: ALPHORN (7)
OT: UNROYAL (7)
Score: 69–60 (max 77)
That's the first time that James has failed to score since Tuesday's conundrum.
Susie's Origin Of Words tells of the origins of "legerdemain", "prestidigitation", "Hey, Presto!" and "shazam".
Round 10: 100, 75, 9, 9, 1, 1. Target: 520.
C1: 516. ((9 - 1 - 1) x 75) - 9 (7)
C2: 525.
RR: 520. (75 - 9 - 1) x (9 - 1) (10)
Score: 76–60 (max 87)
James makes back some ground following the dodgy numbers, brilliantly solved by Rachel.
Teatime teaser: ROADCELL -> COLLARED
Round 11: S V L O E W I S R
C1: LOVES (5)
C2: VOWELS (6)
DC: RISSOLE (7)
OT: LORISES (7) SILVERS (7) SLIVERS (7) SOLVERS (7) SWIVELS (7)
Score: 76–66 (max 94)
Dear me! James manages to miss one a selection of 7's, but since Toni only got 6, the gap now stands at 10.
A LORIS is any of several small, slow-moving, nocturnal prosimian primates of the genera Loris and Nycticebus of tropical Asia, having dense woolly fur, large eyes, and a vestigial tail.
Round 12: P N E E T D N A L
C1: PLANTED (7)
C2: PLANTED (7)
DC: PENDANT (7) DEPLANE (7)
OT: ENPLANED (8)
Score: 83–73 (max 102)
The gap is still 10.
Round 13: R C S E I G A S Y
C1: GASSIER (7)
C2: GASSIER (7)
Score: 90–80 (max 109)
Both players get the darren, so the gap is still 10.
Round 14: 25, 8, 4, 2, 10, 3. Target: 274.
C1: 274. ((8 + 3) x 25) - ((10 / 2) - 4) (10)
C2: 274. ((25 + 2) x 10) + 4 (10)
Score: 100–90 (max 119)
The gap is still 10. So, we have the possibility of more than 1 conundrum here.
Round 15: S I L L E Y B U M
No one buzzes. The answer was SUBLIMELY.
Score: 100–90 (max 129)
Or maybe not..., the conundrum goes unsolved, but referring both players as SILLEYBUMS for missing that would be an injustice, as it was a very good game played today.
It means that James has reached the halfway point, still with an average above 100.
Toni was a very good challenger and was super unlucky to be against a certain octochamp-in-the-making. Hopefully, James will live up to his promise and become an octochamp when I do my next recap on Wednesday.
Before I go, since it's COLIN this weekend, I'd like to wish everyone going the best of luck, and have a very good time.
I so wish I was going, but as you probably know, I unfortunately have other plans.Still, there's always the next one, wherever and whenever that is.
Till next week then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
James:
Total score - 100
Raw score - 110
Total % of max - 78
Raw % of max - 85
Total average score per round - 6.7
Raw average score per round - 7.3
Number of maxes - 9
Toni:
Total score - 90
Raw score - 104
Total % of max - 70
Raw % of max - 81
Total average score per round - 6.0
Raw average score per round - 6.9
Number of maxes - 7
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=62