The Teams
Exeter, Oxford
Edie Allden
Benjamin Gray
Schuyler Colfax (Capt.)
Daniyal Vemuri
Christ’s, Cambridge
Anniko Firman
Brendan Bethlehem
Oscar Despard(Capt.)
Linus Luu
Second Oxbridge match of the season, dearly beloved. Just
before we start, I don’t normally comment on contestants’ names, but I’m moved
to ask whether Exeter captain Schuyler Colfax is a descendant of Ulysses S.
Grant’s first vice president who shared his name?
Let us begin, then. I’ll be honest, the only female 19th
century pianist I know of is Clara Schuman, which is just as well since she was
the answer to the first starter. Brendan Bethlehem knew it, and this earned
bonuses on pairs of years with reordered digits eg 1066 and 1660.A nice set
which brought a full house and a name check for the most famous man to be named
after 3 sheepdogs, Bonnie Prince Charlie. My internal orchestra struck up after
the words - Motile versions of which cellular structure – and when it stopped
Oscar Despard had given the correct answer of cilia. Imrie or Johnson? Didn’t
say. German language films that take place at least in part before the
reunification provided us both with nowt. A quote from the rejection letter of
a famous work of fiction had to refer to Proust. Oscar Despard certainly felt
so and he took the starter. Provitamins – as opposed to amateurvitamins – brought
two correct answers. The opening paragraph of a work originally written in French
was recognised by Benjamin Gray as the opening of Le Petit Prince. Three short
extracts in their original languages put Exeter’s collective translation skills
to the test and brought them two correct answers, and they were only a tense
error away from a full house. We were just shy of the 20 minute mark and Christ’s
led by fifty five to twenty.
Brendan Bethlehem came in too early for the next starter on
a city before the words Mons Meg gave Edinburgh to some of us, but not Exeter.
Nothing daunted Brendan Bethlehem buzzed early again and this time was right on
the money that Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Siena were given the title of
Doctor of the Church. For the bonuses Christ’s managed to identify two names
from the titles of poems. Daniyal Vemuri dredged up the term interpreter from
computing to pull his team back into the game. A full house about quotations on
the subject of violence proved a most timely boost to their fortunes. It was
worth hanging on during the next question about a prestigious American prize, for
when it mentioned that one recipient designed buildings it became obvious this
was the Pritzker, and Oscar Despard showed the quickest finger to win the ensuing
buzzer race. Venetian artists brought just the one bonus. The Christ’s captain
was on a little bit of a roll, as he took the next bonus on a German chappie
who studied serfdom in Russia. Beats working for a living, I suppose. Highest
mountains completely within one country brought two correct answers. At this
point Amol unleashed a little encouragement upon Exeter. Maybe it worked too as
Benjamin Gray recognised the work of Saint-Saens for the music starter. The
team managed one bonus. Bejamin Gray took a second consecutive starter with Felix
Klein.Pascal’s Triangles yielded two correct answers and the gap was starting
to look distinctly bridgeable. So Brenda Bethlehem widened it again by
answering that the Peljesac Bridge is in Croatia. One bonus on operettas meant
that Christ’s led by 120 – 80 on the cusp of 20 minutes.
Schuyler Colfax won the race to answer that the fruit at
the heart of the Atalanta myth is the apple. Porfirio Diaz brought them two bonuses
to narrow the gap to 20. Bejamin Gray came in too early and lost five allowing
Brendan Bethlehem to join up the dots of the clues and give the correct answer
of the tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth. Rocket fuel bonuses
helped Christ’s rocket away again. So to the second picture starter. Now look,
if it’s an early photograph of a ballerina, it’ll be Anna Pavlova. It just
will, alright? Brendan Bethlehem took that one. Other people who inspired the name
of a food item surprisingly failed to include Ignacio Chilliconcarne but Christ’s
still managed one of a difficult set. Nobody knew Nietzsche’s Twilight of the
Idols (Billy, Eric and Bone.)It was nice to see Exeter starting to really sling
some early buzzer. It didn’t work on the next starter as they lost five, but it
was the right tactic I think. It allowed Anniko Firmin in for her first starter
with velvet. The next starter, about Eisenstein’s use of montage, allowed Lius
Luu I and that meant everyone in Exeter had correctly answered at least 1
starter. The term bottleneck as associated with population development proved
strong contenders for the baby elephant walk moment. When I woke up, Christ’s
had scored a full house and crossed the event horizon. A great UC special
question on flags was taken by Brendan Bethlehem who was having a very good evening.
Two bonuses on Natural History put Christ’s on the brink of a double century. Schuyler
Colfax was first in to answer that Shakespeare’s Richard III keeps asking for a
horse before he snuffs it. Early 20th century art took Exeter to
110. Another set and they’d have at least a chance of a repechage slot. Almost
inevitably it was Brendan Bethlehem who took the next starter with octahedron.
No, I don’t have the slightest idea what the question was actually about. That
was it, no time for bonuses. Christ’s won by 205 to 110.
For the record Exeter had a BCR of 67. Pretty good, but it
don’t mean a thing if you can’t win the race to answer the starters. Christ’s
had a BCR of 58, but were clear winners on the buzzer.
Amol Watch
First encouragement to Exeter was timed at fifteen and a
half minutes, which is fair.
Interesting Fact That I Didn’t Already Know Of
The Week
Mount Kosciusko is in New South Wales. I knew it was in
Australia, but not where.
Baby Elephant Walk Moment
Motile versions of which cellular structure are formed by a
pair of microtubules surrounded by a ring of nine more pairs of microtubules.
These structures are found in many cell types, but are abundant in the lining
of the respiratory – and at this point Oscar Despard thankfully brought an end
to the tedium by giving the correct answer. Dum de dumdum dum dum dum dum
dumdum.
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