The Teams
Christ’s, Cambridge
Anniko Firman
Brendan Bethlehem
Oscar Despard (Capt.)
Linus Luu
Warwick
Ananya Govindarajan
Thomas Hart
Oscar Siddle (Capt.)
Benjamin Watson
Are we already at the first quarter final qualification
match, peeps? Yes we are, and the return of Christ’s, who really put themselves
on the map with their victory over Imperial. And Warwick too. Thomas Hart’s
dramatically raised elbow poised before each starter has been one of the more
memorable sights this series. Don’t knock it, he’s been a star performer on the
buzzer, but so has Brendan Bethlehem, and it was the stellar buzzing of Oscar
Despard that beat Imperial in the last few minutes of their match.
It was Oscar Siddle who drew first blood for Warwick, winning
the buzzer race to identify Benjamin Franklin as the oldest signatory of the
Declaration of Independence. Questions on the state of Wyoming on film showed something
interesting. If you said ‘Devil’s Tower’ to people of my generation, a fair
proportion would probably still say ‘Close Encounters. . . “ Warwick’s young
team? Not a Scooby. Yesterday’s news is today’s chip paper. Warwick knew Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid mind you, which is an even older film. They took
two of the bonuses. Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudron – an early entrant for the silliest
name in the show competition – brought Thomas Hart Gallium for the next
starter. Fair enough. For the bonuses on figures of speech beginning with met- like
Warwick I only had metaphor. Brendan Bethlehem finally muscled his way into the
competition with the next starter, with an impressive feat of memory to dredge
up that Lake Prespa is on the meeting point of North Macedonia, Macedonia and
Greece. Chromosomal disorders provided a set of bonuses where I understood some
of the words in each question, but not many. Christ’s took a full set. Oscar Despard
knew about The Literary Attic to take his first starter. I always thought that would
be a good name for a bookshop in Hay on Wye. A study on Asian Economics
provided nowt for any of us. So to the picture starter and a map of Italy with
a red dot showing the location of a National Park named after a geographical
feature. Mount Vesuvius! said I. Mount Vesuvius! said Brendan Bethlehem. Three
more National Parks in Italy brought two correct answers. Gawd knows what the
next question meant – it was about computing, but Linus Luu knew the answer was
heap. Kings of Scotland from the House of Dunkeld brought us both a full house.
So just after the ten minute mark Christ’s led by 80 – 35.
Oscar Siddell was in very quickly to identify a reference to
a painting of the ever popular roman emperor Elagabalus. I think someone must
have been drunk at his naming ceremony. The decorated style of Gothic
architecture – surely due a comeback anytime soon – provided gettable bonuses,
but Warwick didn’t get any despite being very close to ogee. I was pleased with
myself for knowing 1868 as a year of three prime ministers, as did Thomas Hart.
The US chemist Seaborg unkindly yielded nothing for the bonus set. Language and
linguistics questions are meat and drink to Brendan Bethlehem and he knew Lithuanian
for the next starter. Oscar Despard knew Aime Cesaire and Christ’s took a full
set abou him and this took us to the music starter. Shaking his head Oscar
Despard gave the answer Elgar as the composer and seemed a little surprised to
be right. More unfinished works finished by other composers brought little to the
party but Christ’s were in triple figures and steadily pulling away. Brendan Bethlehem
knew Colin Maclaurin and two bonuses on tennis kept the score ticking nicely
along. Oscar Despard knew that the play within a play in Midsummer Night’s
Dream is Pyramus and Thisbe, or Pyramid and Thimble as I was once dared to say
during the Elthorne High School 1981 production of it. Without blowing my own
trumpet everyone was impressed with my Bottom. Two bonuses were taken on barley.
Linus Luu knew the game Geoguessr to take the next starter. I guessed that
Huygens was the pendulum man for the bonuses and took my lap of honour while
the going was good to fair. Christ’s took a full house. They had run riot over
the last ten minutes so that on 20 they led by 180 – 50.
This showed no signs of letting up when Brendan Bethlehem identified
the uvula for the next starter. Terms from Indian classical music brought two
more bonuses. So to the second picture starter. Oscar Siddle won the buzzer
race to identify the work of one of my all time faves, Caravaggio. Artists influenced
by his characteristic use of chiaroscuro brought just the one bonus – they needed
more. They got the chance to get more when Benjamin Watson took the next
starter with Time. Epithets in Homer’s Iliad were similarly unforgiving, though
they might have known Phoebus as Apollo. Thomas Hart was disbelieving as his
answer to the next starter – Martini – proved to be right. Well, it’s the
bright one, it’s the right one, it’s Martini. Ask your grandparents. Archaic
place names brought them two bonuses but they were still short of triple
figures. Thomas Hart was close but no cigar on the following Maths starter. Were
Christ’s just a little rattled by Warwick’s suddenly ferocious buzzing? They
dropped five on two consecutive starters. Warwick couldn’t dredge up the Venus
of Willendorf to capitalise. Benjamin Watson took Warwick into triple figures
with Baja California. Two bonuses on trees of the myrtle family followed.
Warwick were catching up, but not quickly enough. As far as I’m concerned blackcurrant
jelly is cold dark matter, so I didn’t get the next starter. Thomas Hart did.
African writers brought one answer, but they were close but no cigar with two.
Bejamin Watson knew the next starter wanted the answer Babel. They took a full
house on chief mousers, but were still more than a full house behind Christ’s.
The Warwick onslaught was halted with the next starter that saw Brendan Bethlehem
identify bitonality. There was just time for one bonus on verbs. Christ’s won
by 205 to 155.
The stats are interesting. For Christ’s were only slightly
better on the buzzer. Where they had a clear advantage was on the bonuses.
Their BCR was 62, to Warwick’s 40. So Christ’s reach the semi at first time of
asking. As for Warwick, they have to go again.
Amol Watch
Previously I’ve commended Amol on his rulings that close enough
is not close enough for an answer, but I also think he’s right to accept
Macedonia, the former name of North Macedonia. In a way it’s a bit like the
whole Burma/Myanmar thing. I see both accepted in different quizzes from time to
time.
Amol issued the encouragement Warwick on 20 minutes. Sorry,
but 8 minutes is not plenty of time, even if it is the frenetic last 8 minutes
of a show. As was clearly shown, despite a brilliant fightback, Warwick did not
have enough time left.
Interesting Fact That I Didn’t Already Know Of
The Week
The uvula derives its name from the latin for little grape.
Baby Elephant Walk Moment
What term is used to describe disorders where three copies of
a chromosome, rather than two, are found in the nuclei of an organism? Examples
of this phenomenon include that for chromosome 21, which causes Down’s
syndrome.
Examples of this type of question cause my brain to go dum de dumdum dum dum dum dum dumdum.
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