The Soft Spot Derby

I tried to write this on Wednesday, but I fell asleep while I was watching the episode and decided that it probably wouldn't be that good of an idea to try and create something from the within depths of evident exhaustion. I was also going to write it yesterday (Friday), but again I fell asleep on the sofa - though this time I was watching Princess Mononoke (far more beheadings in this than you might remember) so it might have been more difficult to do a review on that basis.

The reason I didn't even try on Tuesday, when the episode actually aired, was that I was out watching Sorcha Richardson, who's debut album is one of my favourites of the past few years. And no offence to Nottingham or Bangor, but there's no way I would rather have been in to watch their episode instead.

Anyway, I've finally made it through to the end of the ep now, so I can get on with the first starter for ten...

If you want to watch the episode before reading the review you can do so here.

Bangor have made two semi finals from five total appearances, which is pretty good going. I'll always have a soft spot for Bangor, even though this is the Welsh one, because one of my friends at Uni - the first trombone to my second trombone in the jazz orchestra - was from the Northern Irish Bangor. Hopefully there isn't some rivalry between the two Bangors that I don't know about and which means I've just put my foot in it with that comment, but generally Wales and Northern Ireland like each other, don't they?

Nottingham, meanwhile, made the semis on their first ever appearance, but haven't been back since in ten tries. For someone who's never been to Nottingham, I know a surprising amount of people who went to Nottingham Uni, so perhaps I have a bit of a soft spot for them too. Soft spots all round.

The opening question is about Cleopatra, and is a verbal recreation of that meme about Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, except its just that all of the men in her life had the same name rather than a tangled bloodline. This goes to Pounder, and Bangor took two bonuses on scientfic awards.

Silcocks continues Bangor's good start with fallacy, but they draw a blank on bonuses about The Great Gatsby. Never mind, we beat on, boats against the current, borne ceaselessly onto the next question, which goes to Allen, for Nottingham's first points.

No one gets the first picture starter, a photo of a lenticular galaxy, but Allen grabs the bonuses with solar eclipse on the next ten pointer. They take two of the bonuses, and with it the lead, before Bastiani hits back for Bangor.

The two sides traded starters for a while, with neither able to assert a stranglehold on the game. The points gap criss-crossed, but didn't seem to be able to grow much beyond fifteen points. Going into the music round they were separated by only ten points.

Movie themes featuring harmonicas proved a difficult set for Bangor, who won the music bonuses after all eight contestants had missed Ennio Morricone's score to Once Upon a Time in the West on the starter. The lead finally extended beyond a full set when Pounder came in emphatically with Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury on the following starter. It gets out to forty points by the time Nottingham get another buzz, but good answers from Allen and Moran quickly closed this back to five.

Lloyd-Williams (which must surely be the most Welsh name possible, the equivalent of a Scot called MacDonald-MacClean) doesn't want to let Nottingham back in front though, and takes two clutch Captain's starters in a row to reaffirm her side's advantage. The lead now stood at forty five.

Quickfire starters from Noble and Allen brought Notts right back into it, but unfortunately for them, and fortunately for Bangor, their bonuswork was poor, and the gong sounded before they could complete their comeback. It wouldn't have won it for them, but they were very unlucky to not get the points for Wenlock on a question about the London 2012 mascot, as it had apparently been named after a town called Much Wenlock. More like 'much unluck', am I right?

Bangor 135 - 125 Nottingham

So, a win for Bangor in the soft spots derby. Nottingham are currently in with a chance of the final high scoring loser place, but they're relying on neither of the losing teams in the final two matches scoring more than their 125. There's still a chance, but I wouldn't be holding my breath.