University Challenge 2022 Grand Final: Imperial v. Reading

The Teams

Imperial

Max Zeng

Fatima Sheriff

Michael Mays (capt.)

Gilbert Jackson

Reading

Sylvian Jesudoss

Margaret Ounsley

Michael Hutchinson (capt.)

Kira Bishop

One match, two teams, and it all comes down to this, dearly beloved. I’m tempted to say let’s forget about the form book, but we can’t really. In my preview posted on Sunday I explained that I was tipping Imperial but could foresee circumstances in which Reading could win. It’s difficult to ignore Imperial’s commanding win over Reading in the quarters, but ignore it we must. JP reminded us that there are champions from past series who won by avenging a loss in the final.

Not that it looked likely to happen when superbuzzer Max Zeng won the race to identify Thucydides from JP’s question. A brace of bonuses on trees in English poetry followed. I didn’t think these were at all easy either. I had the Tennyson, but that was it. Reading struck back through superduperbuzzer Michael Hutchinson who knew the British winners of the Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics. Modes in music promised me little – I managed a couple though. Reading took a full house, proving that they were not just here to make up the numbers. The point of the next question was the mathematical point, which Michael Mays knew. I awarded myself a lap of honour on the mathsy/science bonuses that followed for knowing ‘octave’. Last lap of honour of the series, so that’s my exercise for this year done till the next series starts in the summer. Bonuses took Imperial to 40, and we were arriving early at the picture starter. As soon as JP said it was going to be a map, I waited for the inevitable Max Zeng buzz. I wasn’t disappointed, as he identified the source of the river Niger. Three more Wetlands of International Importance followed – and for the first two captain Michael Mays didn’t bother asking, and just uttered the magic words – nominate Zeng. Yes, it was a full house. I visited Amsterdam a few years ago now, so I knew about the Badass Flag, and so did Gilbert Jackson. Bonuses on philosophy saw Imperial only able to add another 5 points to their score. Nonetheless, this meant that they lead by 80 to 25 at the ten-minute mark, and things were going according to the script.

The lead stretched further when Fatima Sheriff won the buzzer race to identify Atropine. New York Drag slang – not a subject I recall any previous UC questions about – passed Imperial by without troubling the scorer. I was a bit surprised that they missed voguing – too young possibly? Right. With Imperial 10 points away from triple figures, this was time for Reading to go off script and ad lib a bit. Michael Hutchinson mentally drew lines across the Periodic Table and came up with the shape of Pi. Mmm, pie. Sorry. Beatrice – or Tilly – Shilling was another illustrious member of the Who? family to be the subject of a set of bonuses, brought a timely full house. This brought us to the music starter. I can’t say that I’m really surprised that nobody recognised the opera “Nixon in China”. For the next starter, asking for a Scottish king, a son of Malcolm II ‘Canmore’, Margaret Ounsley chanced her arm too soon, allowing Michael Mays to eventually toss in a speculative David I, which much to his surprise turned out to be the right answer. This earned the very dubious reward of the bonuses on Nixon in China. Only the last one yielded points. Michael Hutchinson then made an extremely good buzz to identify Frantz Fanon. Bonuses on Carl ‘Who’ Woese brought them 1 correct answer, but at least kept the score moving and the gap narrowing. When I heard the next starter, referring to a Shakespeare play which mentioned carnival misrule I knew the answer, and thought that this looked very much like a Margaret Ounsley question. I was right. This brought Reading a set on nude portraits. I say, steady the buffs. (The in-the-buffs?) I didn’t have a Scooby about any of these and neither did Reading. Still, at the 20-minute mark Imperial’s lead had been reduced as they led by 10 – 70. And the go-forward was with Reading.

Michael Hutchinson knocked off 10 points knowing that the wife of the 2^nd president of the USA was Abigail Adams. The Kingdom of Prussia knocked another 10 points off, reducing the gap to 15. The next starter was another Margaret Ounsley one, as she was the first to recognise that the word sward is often paired with the adjective green. One bonus on Islamic scholars mentioned in The Canterbury Tales was needed to tie the scores, and another to take the lead. They took one, and the scores were tied. How long was left? Difficult to know considering that time had to be left for the presentation of the trophy. Nobody recognised the work of Yinka Shonibare for the second picture starter. That man Hutchinson took the next starter on a chap called Stokes. One of the picture bonuses took them to 120, and a 15 point lead. Another Geography question followed, and inevitably Max Zeng won the race to name the Brecon Beacons National Park. 2 bonuses on planned NASA space missions gave Imperial the narrowest possible lead of 5 points. How much time was left? Couldn’t be a lot. Nobody knew the carnivorous sundew plant for the next starter. Right, let me tell you that there was time for just one more question, although neither team could have known that. In order to win, Reading had to win the buzzer race, and had to get it right. Anything else would leave Imperial as winners. The thoroughly admirable Michael Hutchinson won the buzzer race. But. . . he got it wrong. We were gonged before the question was completed, with Imperial winning by 125 to 115.

Imperial were presented the trophy by Nobel prize winning scientist Sir Andre Geim. Judging by his achievements he’s probably been the subject of a UC question in the past – or will be in future. It was a fair result – they have been the strongest team through the series. But congratulations too to Reading, who must have given them the fright of their lives. I notice that Michael Hutchinson is now a teacher. I can’t help wondering if he will go in for Mastermind one day, and become the next teacher to win it?

Congratulations to both teams and thank you for the great entertainment you have given us. Thanks also to Jeremy Paxman. I can’t imagine that his condition makes it any easier to present the show, and we can be grateful that he chooses to continue doing so.

Interesting Fact That I Didn’t Already Know Of The Week

Maybe I was just concentrating on the show too much, but I’m sorry – nothing especially grabbed me last night.