c4countdown

Darren Carter wrote:
The worrying thing is that I don't know whether you're joking or not.....

That's called autism mate.

Alec Rivers wrote:Will anyone else be on the 0855 St Pancras?

0915 unfortunately!

Jon O'Neill wrote:

Alec Rivers wrote:Will anyone else be on the 0855 St Pancras?

0915 unfortunately!

Do you mean 0925? If so, I take it it's not the end of the world to get to the venue at about 1045. It's my first event, you see.

Alec Rivers wrote:

Jon O'Neill wrote:

Alec Rivers wrote:Will anyone else be on the 0855 St Pancras?

0915 unfortunately!

Do you mean 0925? If so, I take it it's not the end of the world to get to the venue at about 1045. It's my first event, you see.

Thing is, I'm coming from Brighton that morning anyway, so the 0915 (definitely is the 0915 - departs LONDON ST PANCRAS INTL at 09:15 travel by Train service provider EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS to station LEICESTER arrives 10:29) is the earliest feasible one really. I think you'd only really miss a few exhibitions at worst.

Jeff Clayton wrote:we submit our full order (which was ready last year for 1pm).

It's gonna be pretty cold by Saturday, then.

Jon O'Neill wrote:definitely is the 0915 - departs LONDON ST PANCRAS INTL at 09:15 travel by Train service provider EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS to station LEICESTER arrives 10:29

Curse those computerised travel info services. The first part of your journey is 10 minutes walking time from St Pancras International to St Pancras Domestic. They're virtually next door to each other, either side of Pancras Road. And you'll be arriving there by tube anyway, so it's irrelevant which of the two it is.

NB. There are engineering works on the Victoria Line on Saturday (bus replacement service) so you're better off using the Northern line to Euston, then walking along Euston Road to St Pancras (about 5 mins). That's what I'm doing from Charing Cross. I guess you'll be coming into Victoria so you'll need the District or Circle line eastbound to Embankment, where you can change for the Northern Line.

Alec Rivers wrote:

Jon O'Neill wrote:definitely is the 0915 - departs LONDON ST PANCRAS INTL at 09:15 travel by Train service provider EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS to station LEICESTER arrives 10:29

Curse those computerised travel info services. The first part of your journey is 10 minutes walking time from St Pancras International to St Pancras Domestic. They're virtually next door to each other, either side of Pancras Road. And you'll be arriving there by tube anyway, so it's irrelevant which of the two it is.

NB. There are engineering works on the Victoria Line on Saturday (bus replacement service) so you're better off using the Northern line to Euston, then walking along Euston Road to St Pancras (about 5 mins). That's what I'm doing from Charing Cross. I guess you'll be coming into Victoria so you'll need the District or Circle line eastbound to Embankment, where you can change for the Northern Line.

Can I keep you in my wallet please?

Cheers for all that.

All

Two further entries have been confirmed this evening and now just one place remains.

Gerry Atkinson
Paul Atkinson
Matt Bayfield
Kirk Bevins
Mike Brown
Innis Carson
Darren Carter
Lee Fisher
Tony Graham
Jack Hurst
Josh Hurst
Kai Laddiman
Jon O'Neill
Karen Pearson
Richard Priest
Charlie Reams
Alec Rivers
Dinos Sfyris
Julie Taylor
Mark Tournoff
Ben Wilson
Steve Wood
Anna Woodward


If you're able to get to the venue in time for us to start at 10:30 then this would be great. The plan is to go straight in with the qualifier but in the event that we don't have a full house at that time, I'll probably bring one of the spot-prize / exhibition games forward.

And Charlie's bringing his own lunch

One last place then - who wants??


Jeff

Oooh who will get it?

Will it be
Junaid Mubeen?
Kieran Child?
Sarah White?
Andrew Hulme?
Paul Howe?
Stewart Gordon?
Matt Bayfield?
Tom Rowell?
Dan Vanniasingham?
Or will Innis sort out his train fare?

The race is on. Exciting stuff!

Jeff Clayton wrote:One last place then - who wants??

I would so like that place, but I can't make it. If only it was the following weekend. Damn!

Jon O'Neill wrote:Can I keep you in my wallet please?

(If it meant I'd be saving on the fare then I'd say yes, but I travel free anyway.)

Jon O'Neill wrote:Cheers for all that.

You're welcome. Wouldn't want to see a fellow Apterite left stranded.

p.s. I take it you're planning on getting the 0719 BTN-VIC (arr 0812). The 0749 (arr 0840) will be just a bit too tight, I'd say. You'd have to do a lot of running and get lucky with the tubes.

I'll be getting in at around 10:21 if anyone's feeling tight-fisted with the taxis.

Alec Rivers wrote:p.s. I take it you're planning on getting the 0719 BTN-VIC (arr 0812). The 0749 (arr 0840) will be just a bit too tight, I'd say. You'd have to do a lot of running and get lucky with the tubes.

Jono'll be fine, traditionally it's getting home after tourneys where he gets screwed over.

I'm getting in at 1023 (coming from Derby on the 1001). I have a 10 minute connection at Derby coming from York so I have to hope the first train is on time!

If it's not too late, can I have the last spot please? Will send a cheque today.

Kirk Bevins wrote:I'm getting in at 1023 (coming from Derby on the 1001). I have a 10 minute connection at Derby coming from York so I have to hope the first train is on time!

Is this the same one as me? Mine departs Shef 0927 arriving at Leicester 1023. East Midlands Trains.

If Innis (or anyone else) has to pull out I'll be happy to take that place; can have Kirk PayPal the fee pronto.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:

Kirk Bevins wrote:I'm getting in at 1023 (coming from Derby on the 1001). I have a 10 minute connection at Derby coming from York so I have to hope the first train is on time!

Is this the same one as me? Mine departs Shef 0927 arriving at Leicester 1023. East Midlands Trains.

Interesting, it will be but mine gets into Sheffield at 0920, so it suggests I change at Derby for a 10 minute changeover to catch your train rather than change at Sheffield which has a 7 minute changeover. If I get into Sheffield on time I might get out and catch your train as Sod's Law says my train will end up being held there and let yours go first!

Whatever goes up must invariably also come down?

Innis Carson and Lee Fisher have given up their places, so anyone who's still interested and not yet committed now has some breathing space.

Junaid - will contact you as soon as the cheque arrives.

Simon - do get in touch if you want in.


Cheers y'all
Jeff

Simon Myers is confirmed in - we now have 22 people taking part.

I have just sent an email and/or a PM out to all entrants - do contact me if you have any queries (if you haven't received anything).

Cheers
Jeff

Woop woop!

Good stuff, just hoping this throat infection goes before then.

Darren Carter wrote:Good stuff, just hoping this throat infection goes before then.

Love it if the whole thing has to be conducted in swine flu masks thanks to you

Apologies for the hassle, but I'm not gonna make it after all. My half marathon is on Sunday and my knee is in real trouble, so I need some serious rest and ice action before then to stand a chance of running it. Hope everyone has a great time and Kirk, please don't bottle it mate.

What's the apres-piste scene like? Cos I'm in Warkwickshire that morning with not much to do in the afternoon. Am I allowed to come along to poke you with sticks?

Matt Morrison wrote:

Darren Carter wrote:Good stuff, just hoping this throat infection goes before then.

Love it if the whole thing has to be conducted in swine flu masks thanks to you

If I've still got it I just won't go to save everyone else from getting it, but yeah it would be quite funny to see.

How come you're not going Matt?

Darren Carter wrote:

Matt Morrison wrote:

Darren Carter wrote:Good stuff, just hoping this throat infection goes before then.

Love it if the whole thing has to be conducted in swine flu masks thanks to you

If I've still got it I just won't go to save everyone else from getting it, but yeah it would be quite funny to see.

How come you're not going Matt?

Not making any public appearances at the moment. Maybe next year.

Junaid Mubeen wrote: Hope everyone has a great time and Kirk, please don't bottle it mate.

Awww Junaid, you'll be missed. I'll try not to. I hope it's a 15 rounder to give us more chance and I hope Tournoff plays shit.

Darren, I turned up to COLIN with a massive...cold and could hardly see. These CO-events are so awesome I wasn't missing it for the world. In fact, I'm missing a chance to walk round a massive storage site for railways and I need hundreds of wagons stored in there. I hope it's worth it

Kirk Bevins wrote: In fact, I'm missing a chance to walk round a massive storage site for railways and I need hundreds of wagons stored in there. I hope it's worth it

Blimey, how did you manage to the make the decision over which to go to?!?! Talk about a dilemma!

Sue Sanders wrote:What's the apres-piste scene like? Cos I'm in Warkwickshire that morning with not much to do in the afternoon. Am I allowed to come along to poke you with sticks?

We normally hit a pub, share a few obscure, sometimes drink-related, anagrams like COINTREAU, play a bit of pool, darts, Itbox if it's available and generally be mirthful.

Due to the sparsity of females however there's not usually much "poking of sticks", but feel free to come and get the ball rolling

Dinos Sfyris wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:What's the apres-piste scene like? Cos I'm in Warkwickshire that morning with not much to do in the afternoon. Am I allowed to come along to poke you with sticks?

We normally hit a pub, share a few obscure, sometimes drink-related, anagrams like COINTREAU, play a bit of pool, darts, Itbox if it's available and generally be mirthful.

Due to the sparsity of females however there's not usually much "poking of sticks", but feel free to come and get the ball rolling

That's cool. I can play pool and if someone's good at getting darts out of eyes, I'll chuck some arras too.

I have just had swine flu and am recovering (I just have a slight sore throat left). I would expect to be over it by Saturday but, if anyone has major objections to me attending (because of the swine flu rather than just because they find me objectionable!), then I'll stay away. Of course, someone else will then have to provide the OHP!!! And the wine.

Oh, and if I am allowed to attend, I promise not to kiss anyone!!

Hope you all have a great time tomorrow. Sorry I can't get. Looking forward to the next one, though.

Howard Somerset wrote:Hope you all have a great time tomorrow. Sorry I can't get. Looking forward to the next one, though.

That's a shame, Howard.
Will I be the oldest person at CoLei, then??

Hopefully we'll both be at the next Co event, and I can buy you a drink to make up for the £2 you gave me for the DVDs of CoLin 2009 I wasn't able to produce!
I even bought a Roxio Creator thingy, but totally failed to combine and create anything intelligible from the video camcorder discs.

See you next time!

All you polite hand shakers take note.

I will have to shake lefty today, because my right hand is a little tender.

JackHurst wrote:All you polite hand shakers take note.

I will have to shake lefty today, because my right hand is a little tender.

Blimey I guess some people are just really excited about CoLei......

JackHurst wrote:my right hand is a little tender

Make sure Kirk takes down its number before you leave.

I had an awesome time at CoLei. I'll definitely want to go again in the future to any event of this kind. It was good to put faces to all those names too. Nice to meet you all, see some of you at the recordings of the final shows of S61.

Indeed- congratulations to Jeff on a well-run and hugely enjoyable event, and to Jono for a richly-deserved first tournament win.

It was awesome, thanks very much for running it.

Well done Kirk for bottling it for Jono. Also well done Jack Hurst for some awesome skillz (beating Charlie and coming 5th in your first CO-event is sweet).

YAY Yet another epic co-event with Kirk yet again just missing out! Thanks ever so much Jeff for all your efforts. Had a lovely time seeing everyone again and some new people some of which haven't been on the show and I'm sure will do awesomely when the time comes. Nice to see a few Countdowners signing up to Neb's Scrabbley newcomers thing on November 1st so I know I won't be the only one!

Yeah, I agree. Great stuff, Jeff. Thanks again. Really cool meeting all of you for the first time, too.

Damn, it sounded so brilliant. I so wish I could have been there. When is the next CO-anything?

James Robinson wrote:Damn, it sounded so brilliant. I so wish I could have been there. When is the next CO-anything?

Ben will make an announcement soon but I think it will be in Lincoln in January.

Yeah it was a great day, good to meet some extremely nice people.

As someone who hasn't been to one of these before, I wasn't too convinced with the scoring as I seemed a bit of a fraud to finish 12th (I think) out of 22, considering the fact that I had won just one game which was against a nice fella who was a friend of Jeff's who doesn't watch the show at all. But saying that, I have no bright ideas of a better method. Thanks for the hard work organising it Jeff.

Congrats to Jono, but performance of the day for me was from Jack Hurst. To beat Reams and Tournoff at a first event is no mean feat, especially with some awesome number solutions. If he had declared GATEMEN which he had written down in a round against Charlie, Jack would have been in the final (according to Jack, I didn't check). I think Jack is going to wait a few more years before going on the show, and with that extra practice on Apterous I would put my house (which incidentally he has already lived in) on him winning the series.

Thanks Jeff for a brilliantly run event. I know today is the culmination of months and months of effort, and we only see a few hours of it, so I don't mind repeating myself. Here's to COLEI 2010.

Oh and, yays!



Looking forward to some pictures!

Just got back, had a very smooth trip for the first time in a while. Nice work Jeff, slick presentation indeed. And well done to Jono, who was the best man on the day.

Darren Carter wrote: Congrats to Jono, but performance of the day for me was from Jack Hurst. To beat Reams and Tournoff at a first event is no mean feat, especially with some awesome number solutions.

He didn't beat me, he absolutely wasted me. Was 5-27 at one point I think. Really quite humiliating, exacerbated by that infuriating way he's just so damn pleasant at the same time. Definite champion of the future.

Charlie Reams wrote:Just got back, had a very smooth trip for the first time in a while. Nice work Jeff, slick presentation indeed. And well done to Jono, who was the best man on the day.

Darren Carter wrote: Congrats to Jono, but performance of the day for me was from Jack Hurst. To beat Reams and Tournoff at a first event is no mean feat, especially with some awesome number solutions.

He didn't beat me, he absolutely wasted me. Was 5-27 at one point I think. Really quite humiliating, exacerbated by that infuriating way he's just so damn pleasant at the same time. Definite champion of the future.

And good-looking. The PRICK.

Echoing the comments of everyone above, very enjoyable day, many thanks to Jeff, well done Jono, unlucky again Kirk.Looking forward to the next one already!

Ditto to everything already said, and Jeff, Sabeeya is lovely. It was nice to have her company.

Who was it that sniggered when DILDO came up in the first round of the fourth game?

Oh yeah, I think it was me.....

Thanks Jeff on an awesome event again. I was so pleased to get into the final then losing it 100-97 hurt. That's about 6 finals I've been in and 6 I've lost. Good job I won the one that matters.

For those that were wondering how my darts final went that I had to shoot off for (annoyingly as I'd loved to have stayed around and chatted) - it went OK. I won the bull off and threw first opening up 1-0 in 19 darts. Second leg he was left on 36 after 15 darts so I duly took out 142 for a 15 darter to make it 2-0 to Bevins. Third leg I nail a 17 darter to go 3-0 up. Really motoring now. I end up going 4-1 up in the race to 7 against a player who is better than me. 6th leg is really where it all hit. I hit 85, 138, 135, 123 to leave 20 after just 12 darts. I did get a pressured shot at double 10 and I hit the corner of double 15. I never came back to the board, ouch. He then turned on the gas and opened up 140, 180 and I couldn't keep up. I ended up losing 7-4 with a 71.63 average (he had a 72.73 average). It hurt to be 4-1 up and lose 7-4 but there you are - I got £40 and a trophy for my efforts- he got 5 trophies, 2 bottles of wine and £100, grrr.

Well played Jono again for a fantastic performance in the final - bloody DUMBO. This makes me more hungry for the win next year where I'll be back.....and bottling it once again.

I had a really good time yesterday, and I'm looking forward to the next event in January (providing it doesn't clash with exams).

Congratz to Jono for a great win, and for making us laugh a couple of times. I think you were the only former contestant attending who I have no recollection of seeing on the telly, so it was nice to see you for the first time.

Commiserations to Kirk for coming agonisingly close to victory, and likewise for your darts result. It was nice to meet you, you seemed like a good egg.

Thank you to Jeff for organising a great event, I'll be sure to come to the next one if I can!

It was really nice to meet people, literally everyone was was really nice, and I'll look forward to seeing some of you again as s61 finals. The only person I didn't really get the chance to talk to properly was Kai, so I'm sorry about, but hopefully we can mingle at a future event!

Thanks to all the people I played (especially Charlie, who had to put up with me twice), for being fair and sporting and just generally really nice.

Cheers for the words of praise above, and I'm sorry that my hair was so long that nobody could see my face.

Darren Carter wrote:Who was it that sniggered when DILDO came up in the first round of the fourth game?

Oh yeah, I think it was me.....

Better question - who didn't snigger...

JackHurst wrote:I'm sorry that my hair was so long that nobody could see my face

Is it the same as your avatar's?

Just want to add my thanks to Jeff for a superbly-organised day. It was thoroughly enjoyable and great to meet lots of new people. Roll on next year's Co-Lei event!!!

Karen Pearson wrote:Just want to add my thanks to Jeff for a superbly-organised day. It was thoroughly enjoyable and great to meet lots of new people. Roll on next year's Co-Lei event!!!

And it was great to see more women there!

Kirk Bevins wrote:

Karen Pearson wrote:Just want to add my thanks to Jeff for a superbly-organised day. It was thoroughly enjoyable and great to meet lots of new people. Roll on next year's Co-Lei event!!!

And it was great to see more women there!

*pics of Kirk trying to make off with Anna*

Kai Laddiman wrote:
*pics of Kirk trying to make off with Anna*

She has a boyfriend, Kai - calm down.

Unlucky with the darts Kirk. You guys should be careful about praising Jack, his head already constitutes roughly half of his mass, even without the hair.

Fantastic event, Jeff!
Thanks hugely - I thoroughly enjoyed myself. And I was very impressed with your very professional OHP computerised games generator.

As it was my second Co event (at CoLin - my first, I admit was a bit awestruck at meeting octochamps off the telly ), I was much more relaxed, and enjoyed seeing you all again, plus some I hadn't met before.

I'm not sure I deserved my 11th out of 22, either, winning 2 out of 4 games. Although of the 2 games I lost, one was to Kirk ('nuff said), and the other I lost by only 1 point. I was lucky, I reckon.

I know everyone's always praising Charlie, because of apterous and this site. But, really, for all his faults, although I did dabble with the old yahoo Countdown forum, if it weren't for him, I'd still be thinking I had a rather weird obsession, rather than one I share with some very interesting people.

I'm very much looking forward to CoLin 2010.

Julie T wrote: Thanks hugely - I thoroughly enjoyed myself. And I was very impressed with your very professional OHP computerised games generator.

Yes quite, take it was the one from 'Des Chiffres et des Lettres'? Just out of curiosity, how come you didn't use Apterous? Obviously wouldn't have been able to if the room didn't have an internet connection.