University Challenge - First round review/ Second round preview

Right then, so regular series University Challenge is on a break for the moment to make room for I Can’t Believe It’s Not University Challenge – or University Challenge at Christmas as the BBC call it. So this might be a convenient moment to run through the runners and riders through to the second round.

Team	For	Against	Match Total	Bonus Conversion
Durham	195	185	380	56.7%
Newcastle	195	115	310	63.3%
University College Oxford	175	110	285	48.4%
Cardiff	230	50	280	51.2%
Royal Holloway	155	110	265	62.5%
Queen’s, Belfast	165	105	270	29.4%
St. Andrews	140	120	260	50%
UCL	180 (tb)	170	350	70.3%
Christ’s, Cambridge	150	130	280	48.1%
Jesus, Cambridge	225	105	330	52.6%
Southampton	210	115	325	52.7%
Bangor	135	125	260	33.3%
Courtauld	175	160	335	53.3%
Robert Gordon	210	90	300	41%
·       Newnham	175	110	285	30.5%
·       Bristol	185	150	335	66.6%

(tb denotes that this score includes 10 points for the winning tie break starter)

(* denotes that these are the statistics for the team’s victory in their repechage play off)

There’s a lot to digest in these figures. After all, you might say that Cardiff were the highest scorers in the first round, so you might want to make them favourites. Yet their opposition only score 50, suggesting that they maybe were not that great on the buzzer, allowing Cardiff to play fast and loose with the starter. Then again their 51.2% bonus conversion rate is fine, but considerably lower than UCL, Bristol, Newcastle and Royal Holloway.

Let’s look a little more closely at UCL. They had to defeat Sheffield in a tie break and suffered a few penalties. Sheffield themselves were buzzed out of their repechage match against Newnham, so maybe, just maybe there might be a question mark against UCL’s buzzing. But it’s hard to argue against that bonus conversion rate.

Going on just the first round performances I’d like to pick out just a few teams that you might want to keep an eye on.

Durham won the highest scoring match of the first round, beating Bristol, who have also qualified for the second round. %6.7% is one of the higher bonus conversion rates.

Speaking of which, Bristol, in both their matches had a bonus conversion rate of over 55%. Jacob McLaughlin was very much a star buzzer in the repechage as well. It’s been a long time since a repechage team won the series, and of the two this year Bristol seem comfortably the better bet.

Newcastle looked a class act when they comfortably defeated the Open University.They didn’t have an out and out star buzzer in their match, but they did have good buzzing throughout the team and that’s something I like to see.

Cast a glance in the direction of Royal Holloway, if you will. A bonus conversion rate of over 60% is always worthy of praise. Like Newcastle they lacked a standout star buzzer, but again this meant that they have buzzing throught the team and that will always give you a chance f performing close to your best.

So, apologies to the 4 teams I’ve just highlighted, for as we know, the Clark tip is usually the kiss of death to any team or individual. Whatever happens, I’m looking forward to the second round as much as I always do.