University Challenge 2025 - First Round - SOAS v. St. Edmund Hall, Oxford

The Teams

School of Oriental and African Studies

Janet Delves

Ella Dorn

Tom Hasler (Capt)

Cameron Lambert

St. Edmund Hall, Oxford

Jeffrey Liu

Robert Elkington

Sophia Bursey (Capt)

Daisy Prendergast

Well, dearly beloved, here we are at the last heat of the first round. To the victors the spoils of a place in round two and to the vanquished, well, it all depended on how highly they could score. 130 or more – happy days. Less than 125, on yer bikes. 125? Well, gawd knows what would happen.

The first starter wanted an object. As soon as Amol said Coppergate I went for helmet – it’s a fantastic object that I saw in York Castle Museum about forty years ago.  Once Sutton Hoo was added to the clues Jefrey Liu buzzed in with the same answer. This brought St. Edmund Hall bonuses on the Bantu language family. These were answered impressively well for a full house. For the second starter I again had it on the first clue – the deity in Connie Francis’ hit being Cupid. Ella Dorn opened SOAS’ account with this one. Bonuses followed on Pam ‘Who?’ Tanowitz. Funny enough the only bonus they knew, on Martha Graham was the only one I didn’t. There you go. This was followed by a question so long and so far removed from my areas of knowledge that I cannot even begin to understand what it might be asking – see my baby elephant walk moment.  Jeffrey Liu had the correct answer with Cantor. Eddie, possibly? Who knows. Some welcome refreshment came in the shape of bouses on wine in Northern Italy. St. EH managed 1 of these. For the picture starter skipper Tom Hasler recognised the national flag of Latvia for SOAS. Flags from countries who had their first female heads of government in 2023 brought two bonuses. SOAS came close to a full house, but I’ll say more about this later. Jeffrey Liu came to the same conclusion that I did that the clues in the next starter were pointing towards fear. This brought up bonuses on a lovely UC special set whereby each question called for pairs of German words which were the same apart from ie in the middle of one becoming ei in the middle of the other. They too were close to a full house but just missed out on one. Nonetheless ESH led by 55 – 35 at the ten-minute mark.

The next starter looked to be heading in the direction of Brasilia and Sophia Bursey thought so too. This earned bonuses on the solar system. – Hallo – thought I – get your lap of honour shoes on , boy.- I earned it too for a full house while St. EH took two. A long starter that followed had a simple answer with silage, as supplied by Tom Hasler. Sociologist Robert K. Merton (‘Mrs.” to his mates) brought SOAS a timely full house. Ella Dorn knew that Tokyo Story is the last film of the so-called Noriko trilogy. Bad years in history brought two bonuses. The music starter that followed was, announced Amol, a piece of classical music and he wanted the name of the composer. Beethoven! I shouted before it started. Bloody was too. Neither team had it. Ella Dorn recognised the work of Patricia Highsmith for the next starter which earned SOAS the dubious reward of the music bonuses. Three pieces of work inspired by Beethoven’s 9^th brought us both nowt. Jeffrey Liu recognised a description of mangrove plants to take the next starter. They took two bonuses on film versions of Tolstoy’s Anna Kareinininina (that’s the 12 inch version – oh, ask your grandparents!) The word satay was meat and drink to Robert Elkington, and this was washed down with bonuses on scientific terms named for creature of Greek mythology, of which they managed one. Localities marking the path to William the Conqueror’s throne gave Cameron Lambert his first starter and allowed SOAS to join St. EH on triple figures. Marianne Elliot, the theatre director gave SOAS two bonuses. Two Chopins brought Robert Elkington the next starter. Three bonuses on the hardy perennial that is the shipping forecast areas meant that Teddy Hall led by 130 to 110 as we approached the 20 minute mark.

Various clues gave Tom Hasler the word composite for the next starter. Bouses on terms from Buddhism delivered nowt. So to the second picture starter. Look, if it’s a picture of the back of a bloke’s bonce, you’ll be right more often than you’re wrong if you say Magritte. Jeffrey Liu took that one. Other works from the same collection yielded nothing. Arthur Griffith – soon as you hear that name it’s gonna be Sinn Fein. Tom Hasler took both that starter and his team into at least a repechage slot. Questions on names in various ‘Who is . . . ?” phrases brought just the one bonus. The royal residence redesigned in Scottish baronial style had to be Balmoral and it gave Robert Elkington another starter. Japanese sporting venues starting with S brought one bonus. Ella Dorn took the next starter with Democracy. A tricky set on winds known as the Doctor (my favourite was Tom Baker) took SOAS to within five points of Teddy Hall. Robert Elkington knew that Naples derives from words meaning new city. My old university mate, K.D. Johnson, always gets annoyed when teams on UC miss fairly simple questions about birds and he was annoyed again last night. To be fair suggesting a grouse as a wading bird really wasn’t a great answer. Teddy Hall didn’t trouble the scorer with that set. Carried by bees in the sacs on their legs, let’s be honest, Tom Hasler’s answer of nectar wasn’t daft, but it had to be pollen, surely? Yes, and it gave Daisy Prendergast a starter meaning that everyone on the Teddy Hall side had taken at least 1. A full house on events of 1720 allowed Teddy Hall to pull away and finish with a flourish. Teddy Hall won by 195 to 155.

St. Edmund Hall had a BCR of 51, to SOAS 48, so both teams pretty well matched, though both of those scores are a little on the moderate side compared with some of the other sides still left in the competition.

Amol Watch

You know, I have to pay tribute to Amol’s consistency over rulings. In some series I’ve felt that there was a little too much of the – well, that’s not quite right but it was clear you were trying to give the right answer so we’ll give you the points.-  Amol was dead right to disallow St. Kittis and Nevis for St. Kitts and Nevis. Yes, it looks harsh, but it is the only way to ensure fairness. Just my opinion, feel free to disagree.

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

According to one historian the worst year to be alive was 536. You heard it here first.

Baby Elephant Walk Moment

Though he was not the first to discuss it which Russian born German mathematician gives his name to a set of numbers that may be generated by taking the interval (0,1), removing the open middle third of the interval and the iteratively removing the open middle third of the two remaining pieces with a set consisting of all the numbers that are not removed by this process.

Need - I – say - More?  Dum de dumdum dum dum dum dum dumdum.