Co:Wat?! 2023 - Countdown in Waterford (17/06/2023)

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

TL;DR summary:
~Held in the city centre this year.
~It costs €15 for those who have sorted out their own accommodation.
~It costs €40 for anyone who is availing of our campsite facilities.
~As the theme this year is "7", there will be a few small adjustments to gameplay and format.
~All 9 games will be live streamed to YouTube, for anyone who cannot attend but would like to play along.
~The Saturday night will likely consist of a pub sing-song.
[Event facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/709137374326312]
[Games will be live streamed to this YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@EoinJackson]

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WHAT IS IT?

Based on Channel 4's flagship daytime TV quiz show, this will be a chance to partake in a real-life Countdown tournament, in the beating heart of Waterford city. We'll have consonants, we'll have vowels, we'll have numbers. We may not have Rachel Riley to dispense them, but we won’t have Anne Robinson or Colin Murray either! Every cloud…

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THE IRISH BONANZA.

This year there are more Irish co-events than ever before! The season kicked off with Jessamine O’Connor’s CO:MON! in Monasteraden, Co. Sligo on April 15th; then we had Eddy Byrne, who hosted Co:Dub yesterday; next is Co:Wat on Saturday.

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WHO CAN COME?

Anyone at all! Having an interest in anagramming, word games, or puzzles would certainly make it more fun for you, but that is not a requirement. The event caters for all abilities. Some players will be very skilled, but many will be beginners. There will be prizes on offer at each ability level... so whether you are expert, intermediate or novice, there is a chance of coming away with a prize.

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WHERE IS IT?

The event will be held in the Edmund Rice Youth & Community Multiplex on Manor Street, Waterford, Ireland. (At the heart of the sunny South East. ) This new venue has never been used for Co:Wat before, but it may prove more convenient for some as it is right in the heart of Waterford city, with parking available on site, and dead handy for food, nightlife and accommodation options.

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HOW WILL IT WORK?

It kicks off at 11am, and will be conducted using the Bristol-style classroom format. Everyone gets to see the same sets of letters and numbers, and to play them at the same time. Each person will have a direct opponent assigned. These match-ups will be drawn at random just before the start of each game. Everyone is guaranteed 7 games during the day. The results of the early matches (four 9Rers) will determine the composition of the different quarter final groupings. After lunch we play the QFs SFs and finals for each grouping of 8 players. These matches will be 15Rers. The top 8 (sorted by number of wins, then number of points) will contest the quarter final group from which the event winner will come. The final game to determine the event winner will be the only game that won’t be done in the classroom-style setting. It will be a stand-alone match, and everyone will be welcome to stick around and spectate if they so wish.
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After the event, we'll be heading out to Dunmore East for a meal in "The Spinnaker" followed by "The Haven Hotel" to relax and enjoy some banter, pub games and undoubtedly some singing!
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COSTS INVOLVED.
Once again the aim is to make this as cheap as possible while still covering costs. This year there are two price plans:-
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~PLAN #1 [FULL PACKAGE]:- €40 …includes the event and access to a camp site. (Also, lifts to and from the venue will be provided.)
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~PLAN #2 [EVENT ONLY]:- €12 …includes the event only. (Lunch won’t be provided this year, as we have no access to a kitchen, and there are zillions of nearby food options.)
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I would expect that many of those travelling to Waterford for this would need accommodation. Some years we can provide decent dormitory accommodation very cheaply, but this year we can offer a camp-site. We will provide a few tents. We can guarantee 12 spaces in our tents. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag, air bed, pillow etc. (There is plenty of space in the campsite. For your €40 you are getting 2 nights access to a camp site specially kitted out for Co:Wat guests (with toilet / basic kitchen facilities), the event, & breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.
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€12 is the price available for Waterford natives, or anyone else who has their own accommodation sorted.
Other items that are provided throughout, free of charge, include:- 1. Pens and paper to use; 2. Coffees, teas, and some soft drinks; 3. Snacks.
(We are hoping all of this will be doable without operating at a loss financially. Depending on the numbers, it is possible.)

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BOOKING DETAILS.

We can only guarantee a place in our tents to the first 12 people who apply, and need a place to sleep, thereafter, you'd need to bring and pitch your own tent, or sort out your own accommodation in a local hotel or B&B.

To book your place at Co:Wat?! send the payment to Eoin Jackson via paypal at the address ayum@live.ie. (please remember to select 'payment to friends & family') Alternatively you can pay on the day. (Payments on the day cannot be done by card.)

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FLIGHTS, TRAVEL, etc.

If you are coming from overseas, the best options are to fly into Cork or Dublin. Both of these are approx a 90min drive from Waterford. Bus and train would be available to the city, and we can arrange a lift to the venue from there (for free, obviously). For anyone who would rather take the Ferry. There are regular sailings into Rosslare harbour from Pembroke and Fishguard in Wales. (Rosslare is a 60min drive from Dunmore East.)
For anyone travelling within Ireland, if you can make it to Waterford, we can provide a lift to the venue for you. If you are using Sat Nav, the Eircode is X91TY8N.

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I think that’s everything for now! If you have any queries, leave a comment below, or contact me (Eoin Jackson) via a facebook private message.

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LIST OF CONFIRMED ATTENDEES (as at 14-06-23)
[C= Appeared on CD. | A = Apterite. | N = Co-event Newbie.]

1. Eoin Jackson [C / A]
2. Alan O'Sullivan [A]
3. Hazel Drury [C / A]
4. Finola Jackson
5. Kevin Jackson
6. George Drury
7. Paul Drury
8. Jessamine O'Connor [C / A]
9. Roger Stevens
10. Bradley Horrocks [C / A]
11. Brian Sullivan
12. Donal O'Flynn [N]
13. Liam Thomas Davis
14. Tom Drohan [A]
15. Mark McDonnell
16. Brendan Duke [C / A]
17. Sean Lonergan
18. Marie McDonald [N]
19. Elaine McCormick Dunne
20. Stewart Gordon [C / A]
21. Leeny Jackson [N]
22. Annette Martin
23. Liam Holton
24. Gerry Tynan [C / A]

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

If you would like to watch the event, with an option to play along in the live chat, all games will be streamed to YouTube.
Here is the schedule and the direct links to the live broadcasts:-
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11:00am - GAME #1 (1st Prelim, random pairings) [https://youtube.com/live/C8hJIb0JAgk?feature=share]
11:37am - GAME #2 (2nd Prelim, random pairings) [https://youtube.com/live/DSHBziQEEn4?feature=share]
12:14pm - GAME #3 (3rd Prelim, random pairings) [https://youtube.com/live/P87hfogmdKw?feature=share]
12:51pm - GAME #4 (4th Prelim, random pairings) [https://youtube.com/live/AeA9WISLSyk?feature=share]
1:28pm - GAME #5 (5th Prelim, random pairings) [https://youtube.com/live/XrZUTtSbnuQ?feature=share]
3:00pm - GAME #6 (Grouped quarter-finals) [https://youtube.com/live/SKUzr13fedM?feature=share]
4:00pm - GAME #7 (Grouped semi-finals) [https://youtube.com/live/GTn_CJo-79I?feature=share]
5:00pm - GAME #8 (Grouped finals!!!) [https://youtube.com/live/DGPsGRCl_SY?feature=share]
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6:00pm - GAME #9 (The GRAND FINAL!) [https://youtube.com/live/gA5TQyNd6J0?feature=share]

[Dan Byrom]

I like the idea of streaming

Will enjoy playing along

[Andres Sanchez]

What's the time zone so I can adjust to when I should wake up or catch some Countdown in the morning for me?

[Adam Dexter]

What's the time zone so I can adjust to when I should wake up or catch some Countdown in the morning for me?

All the same in UK and Ireland

It's 5 hours behind you so will be 6am start

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

Co:Wat?! 2023 [The AFTERWORD]


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~INTRO~


Having somehow made it through the first three years of this decade, we had the 7th consecutive edition of Co:Wat this year, and it was mostly back to normal, though we had some unexpected venue trouble. Woodstown has become incredibly popular and was all booked up. The Carbally Community Centre had building work due (though it actually didn’t start until several weeks after the proposed start date, so we could have gone ahead there). Pretty late in the day everything was swapped to a brand new venue: The Manor, boi! Right at the heart of the city, with the campsite 12 miles away in Dunmore East, this would be an interesting edition!


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~ATTENDEES~


[Host] Michelle Jackson*~

1. Alan O’Sullivan*~ [AP]
2. Annette Martin*
3. Bradley Horrocks~ [AS]
4. Brendan Duke*~ [ASP]
5. Brian Sullivan*
6. Elaine McCormick-Dunne*
7. Eoin Jackson~ [AS]
8. Finola Jackson*~
9. George Drury*~
10. Gerry Tynan*~ [AS]
11. Hazel Drury*~ [ASP]
12. Jessamine O’Connor*~ [ASP]
13. Kevin Jackson*~ [P]
14. Kevin O’Sullivan*
15. Leeny Jackson
16. Liam Thomas Davis*~ [P]
17. Liam Holton* [P]
18. Marie McDonald
19. Mark McDonnell*
20. Paul Drury*~
21. Roger Stevens*~ [P]
22. Sean Lonergan*~
23. Stewart Gordon~ [AS]
24. Tom Drohan* [AP]
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Key:
* = Attended Co:Wat before.
~ = Attended other co-event before.
A = Apterite
S = Has already appeared on the TV show, Countdown.
P = Has definite plans to apply for Countdown in the future.

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~BREAKDOWN~


1. Of the 24 participants, there were 7 female and 17 male.
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2. There were TWO co-event novices in attendance, namely Leeny and Marie.
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3. The newbies finished in a numerically satisfying 16th and 24th place. (Leeny was aiming for the last place prize and crown!)
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3. Just before the event, we had 26 signed up… but with two last gasp dropouts, we ended up with 24 players. Incidentally, a far better number to work with when quarterfinal groupings are required!
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4. For the first year since 2019, we had some UK people playing in the event. It was a great pleasure to welcome Bradley Horrocks, my S77 drinking buddy, and Stewart Gordon, one of the first CDers I met in real life, who both made the trip over this time around.
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5. Nine of the participants would describe themselves as "Apterites".
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6. Nineteen of the players had played at a previous edition of Co:Wat?! Aside from the two novices, it was a first Co:Wat for Stewart, Bradley and weirdly, Eoin! Fifteen of the players had been to co:events other than Co:Wat before (mostly the Irish ones, Co:Dub, Co:Mon, Co:Gal).
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7. Of the 24, seven stayed over in the campsite.


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~TIMELINE~

Fri 5:30pm – First of the campers arrives in Waterford.
Fri afternoon – Tables and chairs set up at The Manor.
Fri 9:30pm (ish) –Campers head to the pub!
Fri 9:30pm – Partial tech run-through, and venue decorated with CDey posters.
Sat 12:00am (ish) – Back to the house for late night cereal and old episodes of Countdown.
Sat 4:00am (ish) – Finish editing down everyone’s “walk on” themes.
Sat 5:30am (ish) – The final camper arrives at our house after a travel nightmare of cancelled flights and late-night buses & taxis.
………….
Sat 10:00am onwards – Players arrive at the venue.
Sat 11:10am – Start of play for the morning session.
Sat 2:00pm – Lunchtime!
Sat 3:10pm – Start of play for the afternoon session.
Sat 6:05pm – End of play for all but one game.
Sat 6:10pm – Grand final begins
Sat 7:05pm – Presentation of Trophies and Prizes.
………….
Sat 7:30pm – Rearranging the room in to an exam centre for the Leaving Cert on Monday.
Sat 8:00pm – Meal out in the Spinnaker in Dunmore East.
Sat 10:00pm – Up the hill for a few drinks at another venue.
Sun 12:30am (ish) – Back to the house for late night cereal and old episodes of Countdown.
………….
Sun 10:00am – Due in church to accompany a gospel choir.
Sun 12:30pm (ish) – Final campers leave for home.
Sun 12:30pm (ish) – Drive Stewart and Bradley in to their bus, with a whistle stop tour of Co:Wats past along the way.

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~NOTEWORTHY~

1. The set up was nowhere near as complex as last year, where everything had to be broadcast remotely. Laptop, sound system, projector, & screen. Refreshingly simple. The plan was a familiar one. Five preliminary rounds with mostly random pairings with no repeats allowed. I say mostly. Suggested pairings would only be rejected if a) the #1 and #2 seeds were drawn in a match, or b) if the youngest newbie was paired with one of the top 10 best players. Those first 5 games to be 9 Rounders. Then a break for lunch, after which it is 15Rers all the way. The field is split into three QF groupings of 8. Each group plays a quarterfinal, semi, and final, before the stand alone grand final.
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2. Our 2023 theme was “7 consecutive years of Co:Wat”. To celebrate it, the first two games of the day were played in “junior” format. Designed for younger players, this format uses 7 letters rather than 9, and has easier numbers rounds. The theme of “7” was also incorporated in to some of the conundrum scrambles. During the day, there were 2 “Easter Eggs” relating to the theme, hidden somewhere in the gameplay (one hidden in the morning session, and the 2nd hidden in the quarterfinals.) Each Easter egg was worth a mini bottle of prosecco for whoever solved it. Sully solved the first one, and Roger the 2nd (after just a few hints…)
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3. Fiona T, who came over last year had suggested, “Why don’t you find a venue in the city? It would be far more convenient!” And the very next edition was held in the city. Such are Fiona’s powers of persuasion! What made things slightly less convenient for the switch is that the campers (7 in total) were all based out in Dunmore near the usual Co:Wat?! venues. The afters were out in Dunmore. The building itself was the premises of the XLc Project, which was block booked for June as a Leaving Cert exam centre. This meant making a floor plan, and making sure all the desks were back in their correct locations once the anagramming was done. A huge part of Co:Wat, traditionally, is the gourmet lunch Finola prepares. But given the plethora of food options near Manor Street, it seemed more practical to just make use of those, so Finola had a year off kitchen duty, and could fully enjoy her games this time. Geoff’s worked out perfectly as a spot for delicious food that were happy to take the pre-order.
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4. 2023’s edition was notable for a number of reasons: a) With 24 players it was the biggest Co:Wat?! yet, beating the previous record of 23 set in 2018. b) Also, for the first time we had a dream number as it allowed the group break off perfectly into 3 QF groupings of 8. There is only a 12.5% chance of that happening from year to year. c) I learned a trick from the Scrabble tournaments and managed to be the deputy TD and play at my own tournament. Thank you Scrabble! d) To my surprise my Countdown averse niece, Rosaleen, signed up. At 10 years of age she is officially the youngest person ever to play at a FOCAL event.
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5. I got to play at my own event. This is because Michelle (who usually plays) stepped up to try her hand at hosting it this time. She had a taste of it last year, when I couldn’t host in person due to COVID, and she co-hosted at the venue. But this was intense, far more intense than the comparatively braindead task of hosting Scrabble. Every single round, you input the selections, type them into notepad, check the maxes, address any queried shorter words, note the running game max, play the Co:Wat theme if there is a 9. I came up between games to set up the new pairings, and reset the live stream. But yeah, it worked out surprisingly well, and she’s happy to do it again next year
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6. Junior proved slightly controversial, as our seeding did not go to plan. Bradley was expected to finish 1st or 2nd in the preliminaries, poised to potentially meet Hazel in the final… But Bradley’s loss to Alan in one of the junior games put him further down the rankings and he ended up meeting Hazel in a semi-final instead. Controversial! But, the simple fact of it is, you cannot win a co-event without playing and beating the best, and as the final 3 games (the important ones that determine the event winner) are all 15 rounders using 9-letter selections, the correct modern form of the game, the event generally delivers a winner based on skill and an ability to stay calm under pressure.
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7. For afterwards we had a table booked in “The Spinnaker” under the name “nerds”. I am not sure what the staff were expecting, but I trust they were not left disappointed. Food is always great there, the pear and goats’ cheese deluxe pizza being a standout. A band with a man making drum loops helped keep us entertained before we moved up to the Haven Hotel for further chats and drinks. Back at the house we fit in a few old episodes of Countdown (Anne Robinsons episodes unfortunately) before heading bedwards. The next morning, I had an early start playing piano in Christchurch cathedral for the Trinity Gospel Choir. I got home just in time to bid adieu to the Drury’s, and to spin Stewart and Bradley into town to catch their bus. En route, we visited the Carbally Community Centre, and the Youth & Residential Centre in Woodstown, aka all the venues used for prior editions of Co:Wat?! Bradley got a great shot of the 3 of us at Woodstown, the original (and probably still the best) venue of ‘em all! There was some talk of possibly adding a winter edition of Co:Wat to the calendar… certainly worth considering. Maybe one year…
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~SCORING~

And now to the key part of the report… How did the games go, and what were the final standings? Those stats will be included in the next few comments here… Standby for that…

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

***THE HALF-TIME STANDINGS (after five preliminary customised 9Rers)***

1. Hazel Drury ... (5 wins / 0 losses) ... 352pts
2. Alan O’Sullivan ... (5 wins / 0 losses) ... 300pts
3. Stewart Gordon ... (5 wins / 0 losses) ... 279pts
4. Bradley Horrocks (4 wins / 1 loss) ... 340pts
5. Gerry Tynan ... (4 wins / 1 loss) ... 320pts
6. Brendan Duke ... (4 wins / 1 loss) ... 310pts
7. Jessamine O'Connor ... (4 wins / 1 loss) ... 251pts
8. Eoin Jackson ... (3 wins / 2 losses) ... 287pts
9. Kevin Jackson ... (3 wins / 2 losses) ... 226pts
10. Brian Sullivan ... (3 wins / 2 losses) ... 220pts
11. Kevin O'Sullivan ... (3 wins / 2 losses) ... 200pts
12. Sean Lonergan ... (3 wins / 2 losses) ... 200pts
13. Tom Drohan ... (3 wins / 2 losses) ... 197pts
14. Roger Stevens ... (3 wins / 2 losses) ... 189pts
15. Marie McDonald ... (2 wins / 3 losses) ... 171pts
16. Mark McDonnell ... (1 win / 4 losses) ... 176pts
17. Finola Jackson ... (1 win / 4 losses) ... 155pts
18. Liam Thomas Davis ... (1 win / 4 losses) ... 153pts
19. Elaine McCormick-Dunne ... (1 win / 4 losses) ... 125pts
20. Paul Drury ... (1 win / 4 losses) ... 108pts
21. Leeny Jackson ... (1 win / 4 losses) ... 102pts
22. Liam Holton ... (0 wins / 5 losses) ... 102pts
23. George Drury ... (0 wins / 5 losses) ... 75pts
24. Annette Martin ... (0 wins / 5 losses) ... 63pts

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***THE FINAL RESULTS (after three further seeded* 15Rers)***

1. Hazel Drury ... (3 wins / 0 losses) ... 364pts
2. Brendan Duke ... (2 wins / 1 loss) ... 255pts
3. Bradley Horrocks ... (2 wins / 1 loss) ... 354pts
4. Alan O’Sullivan ... (1 win / 2 losses) ... 241pts
5. Gerry Tynan ... (2 wins / 1 loss) ... 301pts
6. Stewart Gordon ... (1 win / 2 losses) ... 264pts
7. Eoin Jackson ... (1 win / 2 losses) ... 268pts
8. Jessamine O'Connor ... (0 wins / 3 losses) ... 181pts
9. Sean Lonergan ... (3 wins / 0 losses) ... 220pts
10. Brian Sullivan ... (2 wins / 1 loss) ... 263pts
11. Roger Stevens ... (2 wins / 1 loss) ... 232pts
12. Mark McDonnell ... (1 win / 2 losses) ... 213pts
13. Tom Drohan ... (2 wins / 1 loss) ... 260pts
14. Kevin O'Sullivan ... (1 win / 2 losses) ... 184pts
15. Kevin Jackson ... (1 win / 2 losses) ... 213pts
16. Marie McDonald ... (0 wins / 3 losses) ... 147pts
17. Paul Drury ... (3 wins / 0 losses) ... 205pts
18. Liam Holton ... (2 wins / 1 loss) ... 183pts
19. George Drury ... (2 wins / 1 loss) ... 210pts
20. Finola Jackson ... (1 win / 2 losses) ... 215pts
21. Elaine McCormick-Dunne ... (2 wins / 1 loss) ... 182pts
22. Annette Martin ... (1 win / 2 losses) ... 85pts
23. Liam Thomas Davis ... (1 win / 2 losses) ... 149pts
24. Leeny Jackson ... (0 wins / 3 losses) ... 49pts

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*Seedings for the evening session based on performances before lunch in the preliminaries.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

***All the CONUNDRA from the day***

Preliminaries
1. LOTENVY
2. LUSTSAC
3. ONEPRIDEE
4. EDISWRATH (a little nod to the bourgeois host of Co:Dub)
5. AGREEDMIT (a little nod to our 2023 Co:Wat hostess)

Quarter-Finals
6. STEWARTAL (for Co:Wat novice, Stewart Gordon)
7. ROSALEENG (for co-event newbie, Rosaleen "Leeny" Jackson)
8. OITSSEVEN (relating to the theme of 7)

Semi-Finals
9. DONALCODE (for co-event newbie, Donal O'Flynn)
10. LEENYDRAG (Another one for Leeny!)
11. TRYSEVENM (relating to the theme of 7)

Finals
12. DATZMARIE (for co-event newbie, Marie McDonald)
13. BRADLEYIS (for Co:Wat novice, Bradley Horrocks)
14. ACEDSEVEN (relating to the theme of 7)

Grand Final!!!
15. ONSIXTEEN (Yep this was the 16th Irish co-event, so we are currently on 16)

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***EASTER EGGS and YOUTUBE LINKS***

As stated in the report, there were 2 "Easter eggs" available throughout the day, and they were related to the theme "2017-2023: 7 years of Co:Wat?!".
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The first Easter Egg ran throughout games #1-#5, and it relates to the conundrums used. What links those first 5 cons?
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The 2nd Easter Egg was hidden within games #6 #7 and #8.

Can you work out both?
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Here are the games on YouTube to help you in your quest:-
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GAME #1 (Prelims) [No link]
GAME #2 (Prelims) [https://youtube.com/live/DSHBziQEEn4]
GAME #3 (Prelims) [https://youtube.com/live/P87hfogmdKw]
GAME #4 (Prelims) [https://youtube.com/live/AeA9WISLSyk]
GAME #5 (Prelims) [https://youtube.com/live/XrZUTtSbnuQ]
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GAME #6 (QFs) [https://youtube.com/live/SKUzr13fedM]
GAME #7 (SFs) [https://youtube.com/live/GTn_CJo-79I]
GAME #8 (Finals) [https://youtube.com/live/DGPsGRCl_SY]
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GAME #9 (Grand Final!) [https://youtube.com/live/gA5TQyNd6J0]
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WARNING:- These videos all contain a serious technical fault. i.e. The screenshare did not work for any of the streams. It is audio and in-picture footage only.

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The TUFF LUCK leader for the day was MARK, followed closely by Liam TD and Finola.
The ROCKIEST ROAD was experienced by GEORGE, with Liam TD and Paul following similarly tough paths.

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For blow by blow details of the individual game scores from each round, and to see some of the photos from the day, they are viewable at this link (assuming you have a facebook account):-

https://www.facebook.com/lamphmusic/pos ... %2CO%2CP-R