(Nice to see Jeff looking after the trophy before it rests in the Huddersfield Town trophy cabinet in 2 and a half years time. 
)Countdown recap for Thursday 16 September 2010.
C1: Champion Eoin Monaghan (1 win, 108 points.) An Apteforumite from Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland. He's a student at the Abbey Grammar School in Newry. He, like Rachel, supports Manchester United, and his most memorable experience was when he saw the Red Devils beat Manchester City in the Carling Cup semi-final 2nd leg back in January.
C2: Challenger John Shaw. From Swadlincote, Derbyshire. He's a teacher, which he claims was the hardest thing he's ever done. He teaches business studies and computer studies at Badminton College, Beaumont Lees, Leicester. He likes to play squash, badminton and jujitsu as well.
DC: Susie Dent and Alastair Stewart.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: U O I N L R C A S
R02: T N T I E O R A H
R03: O I A G N D K V S
R04: W N D O I S T A E
R05: 50, 9, 7, 8, 3, 5. Target: 180.
TTT: TALLFURY - "It's how the Dodger plyed his trade"
R06: L D M D O I U P O
R07: A E A T G N T E W
R08: M X T A E I B F Q
R09: E U E N P N C O Z
R10: 100, 50, 75, 25, 10, 4. Target: 380.
TTT: FAKECRIB - "It's when your exhaust doesn't quite go to plan"
R11: I E O L R P R E S
R12: D T H J A I O E L
R13: A U I V N R S A M
R14: 75, 100, 25, 50, 1, 3. Target: 858.
R15: T R A G I C R E D (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: U O I N L R C A S
C1: LORICAS (7)
C2: ACORNS (6)
DC: CONSULAR (8) CLARIONS (8)
OT: CISLUNAR (8) UNSOCIAL (8)
Score: 7–0 (max 8)
After his name nearly appears at the start of the selection, Eoin takes the early lead with his safe 7, leaving us all to wonder what his presumably dodgy 8 was.
CISLUNAR is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the space between the Earth and the orbit of the Moon.
Round 2: T N T I E O R A H
C1: ANORTHITE (18)
C2: NATTIER (7)
Score: 25–0 (max 26)
Now that's what I call a 9 
I'm still debating with myself whether this or Daniel Pati's CERASTIUM in his 2nd show was a better 9. (I'm saying ANORTHITE, as I got CERASTIUM and haven't even heard of ANORTHITE )Round 3: O I A G N D K V S
C1: SOAKING (7)
C2: SOAKING (7)
OT: DAIKONS (7) DOGSKIN (7) GANOIDS (7)
Score: 32–7 (max 33)
GANOID means of or pertaining to the Ganoidei, a group of mostly extinct fishes characterized by hard, bony scales, the living species of which include the paddlefishes, sturgeons, and gars.
Round 4: W N D O I S T A E
C1: SEDATION (8)
C2: SEDATION (8)
DC: DOWNIEST (8)
Score: 40–15 (max 41)
Round 5: 50, 9, 7, 8, 3, 5. Target: 180.
C1: 180. (50 - 5) x (7 - 3) (10)
C2: 180. (8 - 7 + 9 + 50) x 3 (10)
Score: 50–25 (max 51)
Alastair talks about when he hosted the Prime Ministerial Debate before the election, which was done in the same studio as this show, and claims that Nick Clegg won the debate, because his dressing room is the same one used by Susie for Countdown. Interestingly, Jeff then reveals that his dressing room was used by Gordon Brown.
Teatime teaser: TALLFURY -> ARTFULLY
Round 6: L D M D O I U P O
C1: PODIUM (6)
C2: MOULD (5)
DC: LUPOID (6)
OT: MODULI (6) MODULO (6)
Score: 56–25 (max 57)
Eoin picks out the normalest of the 6's available to take his lead above 30, and still leave him 1 point off the max score.
Round 7: A E A T G N T E W
C1: NEGATE (6)
C2: WATTAGE (7)
OT: TENTAGE (7)
Score: 56–32 (max 64)
Eoin doesn't seem to like round 7 at the moment. Yesterday STAYERS did for him, now WATTAGE stumps him here.
Round 8: M X T A E I B F Q
C1: FIXATE (6)
C2: FIXATE (6)
Score: 62–38 (max 70)
Round 9: E U E N P N C O Z
C1: POUNCE (6)
C2: POUNCE (6)
Score: 68–44 (max 76)
Double darren rounds.
Double darren rounds.
Susie's Origin Of Words talks about the origin of the idiom "hue and cry".
Round 10: 100, 50, 75, 25, 10, 4. Target: 380.
C1: 380. (100 - (50 / 10)) x 4 (10)
C2: 380. (50 - ((75 / 25) x 4)) x 10 (10)
Score: 78–54 (max 86)
John tries to throw Eoin off course with a 4 large selection, but a relatively easy 4 large appears instead.
Teatime teaser: FAKECRIB -> BACKFIRE
Round 11: I E O L R P R E S
C1: REPLIERS (8)
C2: LORRIES (7)
DC: SPOILER (7)
Score: 86–54 (max 94)
Another brilliant darren by Eoin puts him in sight of the finishing line.
Round 12: D T H J A I O E L
C1: LOATHED (7)
C2: LOATHED (7)
DC: JILTED (6)
OT: LITHOED (7)
Score: 93–61 (max 101)
Another simple 7 here and that 2nd win is more or less sewn up now.
Round 13: A U I V N R S A M
C1: MARINAS (7)
C2: AVIANS (6)
DC: SAMURAI (7)
OT: SAURIAN (7) SAVARIN (7) SURAMIN (7)
Score: 100–61 (max 108)
Again, Eoin picks out the simplest of the available 7's and gets a ton in the process too.
SAURIAN is an adjective meaning belonging or pertaining to the Sauria, a group of reptiles originally including the lizards, crocodiles, and several extinct forms, but now technically restricted to the lizards.
A SAVARIN is a a spongelike cake leavened with yeast, baked in a ring mould, and often soaked with a rum syrup.
Round 14: 75, 100, 25, 50, 1, 3. Target: 858.
C1: 850. ((((75 / 25) x 3) - 1) x 100) + 50 (5)
C2: 850. ((100 + 25 + 75) x (3 + 1)) + 50 (5)
RR: 859. (7)
OT: 858. ((100 x 25) + 75 - 1) / 3 (10)
Score: 105–66 (max 118)
A very tricky 4 large appears, which both players manage 8 away, Rachel manages 1 away while only a sky-high method results in 10 points here.
Round 15: T R A G I C R E D
C1 buzzes on 0.25 seconds to say "I've got it wrong" which is incorrect.
C2 does not buzz.
The answer was CARTRIDGE.
Final Score: 105–66 (max 128)
Woah, Eoin's buzzed in even faster than yesterday. Unfortunately, he realises he's cocked it up. (Apparently, he thought it was GRACIATED.)
Never mind, another 11-max game by the Northern Irish youngster means he is well set up for a possible shot at octochampdom next week. Or am I jumping the gun here a bit
Mike will be around tomorrow (well, probably not) and I'll be back next Wednesday, hopefully recapping Eoin's 6th show.
So till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Eoin:
Total score - 105
Raw score - 111
Total % of max - 82
Raw % of max - 87
Total average score per round - 7.0
Raw average score per round - 7.4
Number of maxes - 11
John:
Total score - 66
Raw score - 97
Total % of max - 52
Raw % of max - 76
Total average score per round - 4.4
Raw average score per round - 6.5
Number of maxes - 8
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63
