University Challenge: Round One: Glasgow v. Queen's University, Belfast

The Teams

Glasgow

Nabil Yousif

Alison Nunziante

Harry Brennan (capt)

Imogen Miller

Queen’s Belfast

Michael Sharry

Jack McInerney

Courtney Campbell (capt)

Luke Duffy

Well, here we are, dearly beloved, pretty much half way through the first round. Doesn’t time just fly? A famous quotation from William Morris – with the magic word being ‘beautiful’ – brought the first starter to Imogen Millar for Glasgow. Women who were their country’s first female head of government brought a couple of bonuses, while they missed out on Corazon Aquino. Imogen Miller took her second consecutive starter , seeing knitting as the connection between Gromit, Tom Daley and les Tricoteuses (who incidentally had a minor 1963 hit with the song ‘Ce n’est pas Mon Cheval, c’est Ma Femme!’). English castles only provided a single bonus. Michael Sharry, for the first but certainly not the last time in the contest buzzed in to identify the Juneteenth holiday in the USA. A full house of bonuses on pomegranates – and why not? – followed. For the picture starter we saw the bird of paradise from the flag of Papua New Guinea. Harry Brennan won the buzzer race to identify it. Far play to Glasgow, they managed two of the other birds on other flags, but missed out on Kiribati. Neither of the teams managed to dredge up the name of the Bridgewater Canal for the next starter, and Courtney Campbell lost five of her team’s points by being just a wee bit too quick on the buzzer. Now, be honest, if you’re an oldie like me, did you too shout out MASH!  The moment the name Larry Gelbart was mentioned in the next starter? It could, to be fair, also have been about the film Tootsie. But Mash it was, as Michael Sharry suggested in his second buzz of the night. Films by Dee Rees did not enable me to trouble the scorer further on this set, more importantly Queen’s didn’t add to their score either. So as we approached the 10 minute mark Glasgow looked pretty decent value for their lead of 55 – 30.

None of us knew enough about the Copley Medal for the next starter. Now, for the next starter Agaricus was the big clue that we were dealing with a mushroom, as Harry Brennan knew. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is not, if I’m honest, something I know a great deal about. At least Glasgow managed one of the bonuses with dialectic. Michael Sharry looked disbelieving as he offered Snowdonia as the National Park home to the highest British mountains outside of Scotland, but he was right. Novels that have won the Booker since 2002 somehow managed to completely elude Queens, even though I’d say that Wolf Hall was a bit of a sitter, and The Testaments not that difficult either. A lovely UC starter special followed , when we were asked for the three letters beginning various words – caesura being the first. Harry Brennan again struck for his team. Space exploration only yielded one bonus, but it was enough to mean that Glasgow had over double Queen’s score at this point. For the music starter I was so shocked to hear something that I actually knew that I didn’t shout out ‘Calamity Jane’ for at least half a second. Michael Sharry let Glasgow have a pop before coming in with the correct answer. More songs from Western musicals saw Queen’s fall a little wide of the mark. They really were having a shocking time with their bonuses. The next starter saw Harry Brennan identify the year of Charles Dickens’ birth as 1812. Two bonuses on Belize and its wildlife took Glasgow through the 100 point barrier. With ages left on the clock, you’d have put money on Glasgow at the very least getting a repechage score. Well, good job that you didn’t. Michael Sharry put together a long eared American hair and a very large fruit and came up with jack. At last Queen’s managed to do something with their bonuses, scoring a full house on Catherine the Great. Courtney Campbell played a captain’s innings by recognising various people linked by the name Clara for the next starter. Technical terms with similar sound or spelling to an item of clothing brought more points. Suddenly, as we approached the 20 minute mark, Queen’s found themselves just 15 behind, as Glasgow led by 105- 90.

I often tell anyone who’ll listen that if the question is asking about types of a specific flower, then the answer will be orchid more often than it’s not. It was now for the next starter. Neither team had it though. A lovely lovely starter followed, asking you to combine a female monster of Greek myth and the author of Germinal to get Gorgonzola. Jack McInerney took his first starter with this one. Opera and cinema saw Queen’s return to their former bonus profligacy, and hey didn’t get any of them. Nobody knew T for tunnelling in some internet abbreviation thingy – stop me if I get too technical. Nobody recognised a still from the film “Do the Right Thing” for the second picture starter. That man Michael Sharry suggested a carpet on the V and A reckoned to be the oldest in the world is Persian. We both managed a couple of the picture bonuses, and Queen’s were ahead for the first time in the contest. Michael Sharry, who frankly was winning the buzzer contest almost singlehandedly for Queen’s, correctly guessed that Wendy Cope’s bloody poem is about bloody buses. Bonuses on the digestive process followed. Now, you might have notice that this week has thus far been a lap free zone. I awarded myself one for guessing that the pancreas is responsible for the release of protease, amylase and lipase (who were each defeated by the Fantastic Four in the 1960s). Well, you have to get your lap of honour where you can. Again, a bonus set went begging for Queen’s. I loved the next starter for making the connection between The Thousand Eyes of Doctor Mabuse, and Strictly Come Dancing Goddess Oti Mabuse. Sadly neither team had it. Jack McInerney took his second starter, knowing that the recycling symbol is actually a type of Mobius strip. Only one bonus on Chinese dynasties and inventions followed. But Queen’s didn’t care, they were battering Glasgow out of the competition on the buzzer. Reliable Michael Sharry ensured that this continued, buzzing early to identify the work of Allen Ginsburg. I was going to read some of his stuff once, but then he never read any of mine so I thought sod it. Subatomic particles also made me say sod it. They took Queen’s though to a fifty point lead. Now, if you’re asked about named features on a moon, just say craters. It won’t always be right – just most of the time. Jack McInerney did just that. Were Glasgow’s buzzers disconnected for the second half of the contest? American critics and social commentators didn’t allow Queen’s to add to their score. Which didn’t matter because we were gonged, and Queen’s had won by 165 to 105.

Well, a real game of two halves, there. Glasgow needed to sling more buzzer during the last 10 minutes, whether they knew the answer or not. Better to go down all guns blazing, I’d say. Hard lines to them. As for Queen’s – what a good fight back. Very well done. I dare say they’ll want to do much better with the bonuses in their next match. If they can, well, who knows what might happen.

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

The Copley Medal is believed to be the oldest scientific prize in the world.