Monday 7th June 2010 (Series 62, Prelim 101)

[Ryan Taylor]

Today marks the 101st preliminary of series 62 which is cool because that's my house number.

Countdown recap for Monday 7 June 2010.

C1: Champion Scott Gillies (2 wins, 199 points.)
C2: Challenger Derek Wilson.
DC: Susie Dent and John Inverdale.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S N E O A B F U D
R02: N R L E A I B R L
R03: K S D A E A I T W
R04: T S L E I A G N P
R05: 50, 75, 100, 25, 2, 6. Target: 190.
TTT: CLEARTOP - "No matter how hard you try you just can't get it off your chest"
R06: L G T E O I R S C
R07: N T O A E H N I T
R08: R Q M E A E T S T
R09: C D U A O P R U F
R10: 50, 100, 8, 10, 2, 5. Target: 677.
TTT: FLATLIPS - "William trips up; beware of the danger."
R11: L V E O I A T R X
R12: S Z R E O A C N D
R13: P M U E T A N J O
R14: 50, 75, 2, 10, 5, 6. Target: 794.
R15: R U M P E A T E R (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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It's National Flexible Week apparently and as such Jeff goes on to say how the working day in England is one of the longest. Jeff ends his intro by saying "we'll see you tomorrow". The Countdown closing theme plays and lights dim, camera zooms out...that's Countdown over for today. Oh, wait, they were just kidding. It was a joke!!!! You guuuuuyyyyss!!!! I actually thought that was it for Monday's Countdown.

Back to normality.

Scott(ish) Gillies is our current champion with an impressive debut and second game to match. He is a HR assistant from West Dunbartonshire. He likes his golf you know and he won an annual fourball golf competition. Well done.

Derek Wilson is the lamb to the slaughter today. (Or is he? Discuss.) He is retired after serving 37 years in the Royal Navy and then 20 years as a financial advisor leading to an excruciating joke from Jeff revolving around helping people who are "all at sea with their finances". Ahem. He once met Mrs. T too, no not the wife of Mr T, nor Julie...but Maggie. He said she was a scary bitch (Thatcher that is).

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: S N E O A B F U D

C1: FONDUES (7)
C2: FOUNDS (6)
DC: ABOUNDS (7)
OT: SNAFUED (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)

Good spot from champion Scott declaring FONDUES sounding like he is fond of Jews. Something to do with being Scottish I think? I stole a fondue fork from Bebbi's. Anyway, 7-0, Derek fails to score and this looks like it's gonna be comfortable for Scott today...

Round 2: N R L E A I B R L

C1: BAILER (6)
C2: ballerina
DC: LIBERAL (7) braille
OT: RALLIER (7)
Score: 13–0 (max 14)

...Derek: "Nine" DUDE, WTF?! He has a 9 and all Scott has is a measly 6. Come on then Dez what's the nine? "BALLERINA" *smiles*. Susie after years of experience lets him down gently..."awww there's two R's". Silly him. Still on the bagel.

Round 3: K S D A E A I T W

C1: SKATED (6)
C2: AWAITED (7)
OT: WAISTED (7)
Score: 13–7 (max 21)

Hmmm but this is promising Scott only has a 6 again and Derek pounces with his 7. Scott is visibly annoyed by this wasted chance to keep the gap at 13. He knows he should have had WAISTED.

Round 4: T S L E I A G N P

C1: STAPLING (8)
C2: PLEASING (8)
DC: GENITALS (8)
OT: ELAPSING (8) STEALING (8) PANTILES (8) PLAINEST (8) PESTLING (8) PLEATING (8)
Score: 21–15 (max 29)

Easy 8's available here and they don't muck about finding 'em. DC don't balls up either.

Round 5: 50, 75, 100, 25, 2, 6. Target: 190.

C1: 190. 2*75+50-6-100/25 (10)
C2: 187.
Score: 31–15 (max 39)

Scott's 4 large (which I hate him playing against me on apterous) works to perfection. His lead boosts to a 16 point gap.

John Inverdale: John gives us a history of the video. The decline of Betamax and all that.

Teatime teaser: CLEARTOP -> PECTORAL

Round 6: L G T E O I R S C

C1: GOITRES (7)
C2: cloister
DC: CORTILES (8) COSTLIER (8)
OT: CLOISTER (8)
Score: 38–15 (max 47)

Again Scott is noticably annoyed at missing a trio of eights (I personally like to see this in a player, it shows his passion something which isn't always appreciated by a casual viewer). Even more angry though is Derek, he declares 7 when in fact he has an 8 letter word. Good job it's another 3 rounds until the numbers game again.

Round 7: N T O A E H N I T

C1: ENATION (7)
C2: NATION (6)
DC: INTONATE (8)
Score: 45–15 (max 55)

ENATION does it again for Scott as it becomes a bit of a Gillies trademark. But DC spot the darren and a great word it is too. Dez hasn't budged off 15 for 3 rounds now.

Round 8: R Q M E A E T S T

C1: METATES (7)
C2: MATTERS (7)
DC: TEAMSTER (8)
Score: 52–22 (max 63)

Lovely 7 from apto-Scott. Dez matches him to move off 15 to the dizzy heights of 22 whilst once again DC find the darren. Never heard of it myself. TEAMSTER simply means a truck driver.

Round 9: C D U A O P R U F

C1: coupar
C2: uproad
DC: PROUD (5) FRAUD (5)
OT: COPRA (5) CROUP (5) CUPRO (5) FURCA (5)
Score: 52–22 (max 68)

Both contestants try for sixes that have no chance of being there since the max is 5. "I should have stuck with my 5" says Dez. Well, that is part of the game Dez. Tough luck.

Origin of Words: Susie sheds light on why court can be used in the legal world and in sport as in a tennis court. It comes ultimately from "courtesy" and so a tennis court and law court is a place for courtesy. Try telling McEnroe that.

Round 10: 50, 100, 8, 10, 2, 5. Target: 677.

C1: 680. (2*5+50+8)*10 (7)
C2: 678. Mistake in working.
RR: "I got 2 away"
OT: 677. (100-10)*8-50+5+2
Score: 59–22 (max 78)

Teatime teaser: FLATLIPS -> PITFALLS

Round 11: L V E O I A T R X

C1: TRAVEL (6)
C2: violater
DC: ravioli VIOLATE (7)
OT: LEVATOR (7) OVERTAX (7)
Score: 65–22 (max 85)

I feared for Dezza when he said he would try an 8 knowing it would be the invalid violater. Genuinely bad luck here. Scott probably kicks himself for not picking out VIOLATE from the first 7 letters but he increases his lead by a further 6 points.

Round 12: S Z R E O A C N D

C1: CORNEAS (7)
C2: SCORNED (7)
DC: DEACONS (7)
OT: DRACONES (8)
Score: 72–29 (max 93)

Solid 7's from both here as Dez edges towards the 30 mark.

Round 13: P M U E T A N J O

C1: PUTAMEN (7)
C2: OUTMAN (6)
OT: PANTOUM (7)
Score: 79–29 (max 100)

Well, if Gillies disappointed by not getting VIOLATE from the first 7 in round 11, he more than made up for it here. PUTAMEN is a great spot and shows his hard work on apterous is paying off. The best bit about this round was when John Inverdale asked something along the lines of how Scott knew these words. Classic response from Scott: "day to day conversation". I a-lol'd.

Round 14: 50, 75, 2, 10, 5, 6. Target: 794.

C1: 794. (75+5)*10-6 (10)
C2: 794. 10*75+50-6 (10)
Score: 89–39 (max 110)

10 points a piece here in a bland numbers game.

Alternative numbers solution: 2*5*75+50-6 ©Mark Kudlowski

Round 15: R U M P E A T E R

C1 buzzes on 7 seconds to say PREMATURE which is correct.
Score: 99–39 (max 120)

PERMUTATE!!!! Shit, only one T. Oh Scott got it. Damn. So Scott nails the conundrum and with it scores 99 just shy of the ton mark. Dez unfortunately came up against Scott on his countdown journey. Scott will go on to Tuesday with 3 wins in the bag and 298 points scored. Very good stuff from Scott and commiserations to Derek who Jeff described that in his 18 months of Countdown he hadn't seen a contestant so unfortunate. I would say that was going a bit far to console him, he was old but not stupid, you're kidding no one Jeff! Next Jeff will be saying how unlucky Jagie was. Or me.

Enough chit chat from me...well done Scott!

Dinos is recapping Tuesday which could be Scott's 4th win. Will he drag his average past the 100 mark? Will he not interrupt Rachel's "hi Scott" for a second time? Does he wear a kilt? All these questions answered tomorrow.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=62

[James Robinson]

Round 6: L G T E O I R S C

C1: GOITRES (7)
C2: cloister
DC: CORTILES (8) COSTLIER (8)
OT: CLOISTER (8)
Score: 38–15 (max 47)

Again Scott is noticably annoyed at missing a trio of sevens (I personally like to see this in a player, it shows his passion something which isn't always appreciated by a casual viewer). Even more angry though is Derek, he declares 7 when in fact he has an 8 letter word. Good job it's another 3 rounds until the numbers game again.

SEVENS They look like EIGHTS to me, Ryan. And strictly speaking CLOISTER was mentioned by DC, even though Derek declared it as that false 7.

[Ryan Taylor]

Round 6: L G T E O I R S C

C1: GOITRES (7)
C2: cloister
DC: CORTILES (8) COSTLIER (8)
OT: CLOISTER (8)
Score: 38–15 (max 47)

Again Scott is noticably annoyed at missing a trio of sevens (I personally like to see this in a player, it shows his passion something which isn't always appreciated by a casual viewer). Even more angry though is Derek, he declares 7 when in fact he has an 8 letter word. Good job it's another 3 rounds until the numbers game again.

SEVENS They look like EIGHTS to me, Ryan. And strictly speaking CLOISTER was mentioned by DC, even though Derek declared it as that false 7.

Even though you quoted this I had already fixed it as I spotted it myself when reading through it!

[Ryan Taylor]

And the max is wrong, which I'm fixing at the moment.

Edit: sorted the max out. Tell me if it's still wrong.

[James Robinson]

And the max is wrong, which I'm fixing at the moment.

Edit: sorted the max out. Tell me if it's still wrong.

It seems fine to me, Ryan.

[Ryan Taylor]

And the max is wrong, which I'm fixing at the moment.

Edit: sorted the max out. Tell me if it's still wrong.

It seems fine to me, Ryan.

Goodo! I like you attention to detail. It keeps me on my toes!