Look, I’m sorry. I’m at a bit of a low ebb at the moment, and motivating myself to do anything is proving hard. Bu I really must post about last night’s Mastermind, which was a good ‘un.
Had I made a prediction about my specialist aggregate, then
it would have been a case of dividend forecast – very low. I only thought there
was one subject I might get answers on. The Films of Martin McDonagh was not
it. This was the subject being offered by first contender Oli Hanson. I did think
that he was on he way to a double figure round for most of it, but a couple of
stumbles on the home straight saw him breast the tape on 9. Based on the
evidence of the last few weeks this looked likely to be competitive.
Angela Hawke was next and she was answering on one-woman
witticism industry, Dorothy Parker. The Algonquin was an absolute gimme, and
gave me my first point of the show. As regards this particular round it turned
out to be an only child. Heaven alone knows how I’d never hard about her
involvement in A Star Is Born, but there we are – I’m just an ignorant old sod
when you get right down to it. Angela hit respectability with 7, but I dare say
that she knew more than she could find answers to. It’s not just what you know,
but what you can snap out when you need it.
Scott Dalgleish was answering on the only subject I could
see yielding me up a couple of points. This was US Presidential elections from
1948 – 2000. I actually got three. With no points coming from the final SS
round, this left me with my lowest aggregate for a long time – a measly four.
Scott, like Oli before him, looked fair set for double figures, but just failed
a little on the run in. It didn’t seem likely to matter that much, as he was
still join leader with 9.
So I had been stymied by the first specialist, and this was
repeated with the last – the Music of Tom Waits. Tom Waits for no man,
apparently. Nothing against the man, just somehow I don’t recall listening to
his work. Tom De Salis knew his subject, but just fell one answer short of the
lead. So this meant that just 2 points separated all four contenders. It looked
like we were going to be in for a close result. Just how close would soon be
seen.
Angela was first back into the chair. If she could get a
double figure score this might open the door to the corridor of doubt for the
other three contenders. Sadly for her she didn’t manage this, having to be
content with another respectable 7 for a total of fourteen. She was followed by
Tom de Salis. Now, this round was something different - it looked like double figures all the way,
and indeed he put on another couple of points once he got into double figures.
All you can do when you take part in a GK round is do your best, answer as many
as you can, and hope that this will open the corridor of doubt for those
contenders yet to come.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t, for a long time, think that Oli
Hanson was going to make it. It was dashed close all the way to the line, but
by the end of the round Oli too had scored 12. However, he was already a point
to the good from the specialist round, so took the outright lead on 21 and no
passes.
Throughout Scott’s round I was convinced we were heading
for a tie break. He had no passes from the first round, and he had no passes in
his specialist round. By the end of it, he had scored . . . another 12! I was
right, and the tie break was on.
Sometimes tie breaks are rather anticlimactic. Not this
one. Both contenders rather did themselves proud. They were by no means a set
of gimmes, and both got over half. In the end, Oli just got his nose ahead with
4 to Scott’s 3. Well played both. Very bad luck Scott, but well done Oli, and
best of luck in the semi finals.
The Details
|
Oli Hanson |
The Films of Martin
McDonagh |
9 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
21 |
0 |
4 |
|
Angela Hawke |
Dorothy Parker |
7 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
|
|
Scott Dalgleish |
US Presidential
Elections 1948 - 2000 |
9 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
21 |
0 |
3 |
|
Tom De Salis |
The Music of Tom
Waits |
8 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
20 |
0 |
|
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