Monday 30th March 2015

Andy McGurn · Post by **Andy McGurn** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 8:40 pm

Countdown recap for Monday 30 March 2015.

C1: Champion Tom Cappleman (7 wins, 818 points) – A software developer from Enfield, now on seven wins with an average of 117.

C2: Challenger Hamish Galloway. An actuary from Bedfordshire, a fan of fantasy novels who one went wakeboarding in the Med and was left in the water for twenty minutes while the police interrogated the driver of the boat.

DC: Susie Dent and Chris Packham.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S P R T U I E N A
R02: Y C R O I N Z U E
R03: 5, 3, 75, 25, 50, 100. Target: 285.
TTT: CUTSTEEL - "they can't cut steel but they can provide iron"
R04: R S V G I O A D E
R05: L M D R U A I K E
R06: 5, 10, 2, 8, 25, 100. Target: 285.
R07: T S G P O A O I S
R08: T N U E I B D S A
R09: 10, 2, 75, 25, 50, 100. Target: 954.
TTT: MANLYROD - "manly rod liked to do things off the cuff"
R10: S G E O A P T R E
R11: X C S D I O A I E
R12: P T S O A E R N O
R13: B M G N I E O T D
R14: 1, 6, 7, 1, 5, 8. Target: 792.
R15: R A P D A N C E S (conundrum)

And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: S P R T U I E N A

Tom: SUPINATE (8)
Hamish: purients
DC: PERTAINS (8) PANTRIES (8) PAINTERS (8)
OT: PETUNIAS (8) PINASTER (8) PURITANS (8) REPAINTS (8) URINATES (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)

Lots of 8’s available here and Tom gets one. It’s a bad start for Hamish as some of the eights available were pretty simple to spot.

Round 2: Y C R O I N Z U E

Tom: COINER (6)
Hamish: CRONY (5)
DC: ZIRCON (6)
OT: CONURE (6) ORCEIN (6) ZONURE (6)
Score: 14–0 (max 14)

Harder to get a max here than in round one and Tom spots probably the only one that could be described as a regular word. Just five for Hamish who now trails by 14.
A CONURE is a type of parrot with long tail feathers thatrange in size to just under 10 inches to just over 20 inches
ORCEIN is a dye extracted from several species of lichen.
A ZONURE is a type of South African lizard.

Round 3: 5, 3, 75, 25, 50, 100. Target: 285.

Tom: 285. ((100-5)*3) (10)
Hamish: 285. ((100-5)*3) (10)
Score: 24–10 (max 24)

An easy one sees Tom stay on a max game and Hamish get his first points of the day.

Teatime teaser: CUTSTEEL -> LETTUCES

Round 4: R S V G I O A D E

Tom: OVARIES (7)
Hamish: DEVISOR (7)
DC: VIRAGOES (8)
OT: AVOIDERS (8)
Score: 31–17 (max 32)

Tom’s max game is off as both contestants just get sevens

Round 5: L M D R U A I K E

Tom: MARKED (6)
Hamish: RELAID (6)
DC: MUDLARK (7)
OT: MIAULED (7)
Score: 37–23 (max 39)

Just sixes from the contestants but DC get one of the two Allans in the selection.

Round 6: 5, 10, 2, 8, 25, 100. Target: 285.

Tom: 285. (2*100)+(8*10)+5 (10)
Hamish: 285. (2*100)+(8*10)+5 (10)
Score: 47–33 (max 49)

285 is the target for the second time and like the first one its easy and gives the contestants ten points each.

DC Guest: Chris talks about the Orca (aka Killer Whale) and some of the tricks it uses to trap its prey.

Round 7: T S G P O A O I S

Tom: STOOPS (6)
Hamish: GOSSIP (6)
DC: PATIOS (6) SPIGOTS (7)
Score: 53–39 (max 56)

Nice max from DC as the contestants just get sixes.

Round 8: T N U E I B D S A

Tom: BANDIEST (8)
Hamish: BANDIEST (8)
OT: UNBIASED (8)
Score: 61–47 (max 64)

Following the disappointment of rounds one and two Hamish has matched Tom in every round since, will the slow start be his undoing?

Round 9: 10, 2, 75, 25, 50, 100. Target: 954.

Tom: 953. ((100*10)-50)+(75/25) (7)
Hamish: 955. ((100*10)-50)+(75/25)+2 (7)
RR: 954. (((10+2)*75)+50)+(100/25) (10)
Score: 68–54 (max 74)

Interesting that Hamish chose to add the two rather than just have 953…

Teatime teaser: MANLYROD -> RANDOMLY

Round 10: S G E O A P T R E

Tom: OPERATES (8)
Hamish: POSTAGE (7)
DC: PROTEGES (8) POTAGERS (8)
OT: PORTAGES (8) PROTEASE (8)
Score: 76–54 (max 82)

Up until this point you might have thought that a single slip from Tom or a great spot from Hamish might get Hamish back in it, but with this round that now seems unlikely.

Round 11: X C S D I O A I E

Tom: OXIDISE (7)
Hamish: DOXIES (6)
DC: COAXES (6)
OT: OXIDASE (7)
Score: 83–54 (max 89)

…and now even more unlikely.

Round 12: P T S O A E R N O

Tom: PRONATES (8)
Hamish: operants – Declared as a nine.
DC: TEASPOON (8)
OT: OPERANTS (8) PATROONS (8)
Score: 91–54 (max 97)

Hamish thinks OPERANTS is a nine when its only eight. Only a legit nine in the last letters round can keep him in it now.

Round 13: B M G N I E O T D

Tom: DEMOTING (8)
Hamish: DEMOTING (8)
DC: BIGOTED (7)
Score: 99–62 (max 105)

No nine so Hamish has lost.

Round 14: 1, 6, 7, 1, 5, 8. Target: 792.

Tom: 792. (7+1+1)*(5+6)*8 (10)
Hamish: -
Score: 109–62 (max 115)

Having already lost Hamish has a go at six small, but to no avail.

Round 15: R A P D A N C E S

No one buzzes. The answer was PARASCEND.
Final Score: 109–62 (max 125)

PARASCEND is a nice word but the contestants don’t get it and its left to an audience member to claim the countdown mug.

Tom is an octochamp and will be back for the finals. Hamish matched him from rounds three through nine, but that’s not enough and he’ll have to go home wishing his debut was one game later.

Two new contestants will debut tomorrow, join James Laverty to learn the identity of the new champion.

Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=72