Serves Up

Two weeks ago I said that I thought Southampton would end up as series champions. One week ago I realised that I'd made a mistake and that what I really meant to predict was that Durham would be. Well, in a marvelous coincidence, the two sides are up against each other tonight in the first quarter-final. What is also wonderful is that regardless of who wins, both of my predictions will still live at the end of play, due to the brilliantly whacky format of the last eight.

Teams need to win twice to progress, and lose twice to be eliminated. It's great. Double-elimination, double-qualification. Does that make it a quadruple jeopardy situation? (I don't know, but I have just realised something about myself. When I was about fifteen, I was convinced that the word weapon was spelled weopan, and lost a bet due to my insistence that this was the case. It occurred to me not thirty seconds ago that this was probably because of the word jeopardy. Where else would I have got this from?)

Anyway, please see below the graphic I made a couple of years ago to illustrate the format. It could probably be spruced up a bit, but I think there's a certain charm to the MS-Paintyness of it all.

Paxman says that Durham scraped by in their opening match, but this does them a disservice, as their match versus Bristol was the highest scoring of the opening round. So yes, they only won by ten points, but Bristol themselves scored more than most of the other winning teams, so their "scraping" was actually very impressive.

The first starter goes to Scully, who seizes upon a mention of Aberdeen to guess granite. This would have been a fair guess for almost any question about the Granite City, and pays off here, too. A full set on literary titles containing the names of fruit gives them a twenty five point lead, which Belcher then adds to by buzzing in incorrectly on the next starter.

He makes up for it with 1770s moments later, and a couple of bonuses on National Parks (including a second mention for the Grampian area in as many questions. C'mon the Dons!) bring them back within ten. A second of the night for Scully follows, and neither side manages the first picture starter, before Lyon buzzes in quicksharp with Howard's End on a question about a quote containing the phrase Only Connect. One bonus brings the scores from 15-40 to 30-40. Another for Lyon brings up deuce, but a full bonus set on video games puts them on 55 rather than A, ruining my tennis analogy (not that I'm going to let this stop me).

Completing his hat-trick, Scully puts an end to Southamptons set of winners, but the southern quartet are still fifteen ahead going into the music round.

This goes to Lyon, with an incredible delivery of Carlos, Wendy Carlos, about two seconds into her adaptation of Suicide Scherzo. He smashes Delia Derbyshire out on the first bonus, saying almost apologetically that she is the only person he know from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

An unforced error from Miles lets Radcliffe drive home another starter for Durham. Scully then snatches at one of his own, but he doesn't let this get to him and comes back to the net on the very next question. A hat-trick of bonuses gives them the lead, before Radcliffe's second starter seized control of the match.

Lyon's brilliance on the multimedia questions continues as he volleys in the second picture starter. They don't manage any bonuses, but Lyon knows the name of the French National Theatre to keep them on serve with the next starter. Two bonuses tied the game at 115 each.

No one gets a silly starter on planetary surface areas, but Belcher is on hand to put away the follow-up on George VII (as Prince George would be known were he to take the throne). A full set gave them some breathing room, but a brilliant clutch buzz from Radcliffe narrowed this considerably. Two bonuses brought them within five points, and this disappeared immediately with Belcher's second neg of the night. Scully stole the points with a break of serve, and suddenly it is they who are twenty points clear.

There is only time for Scully to take his sixth before the gong sounds, cruelly for Southampton.

Southampton 1(3)5 - 1(6)5 Durham

My prediction, as was always going to be the case, is still on, but Southampton pushed Durham very hard there. I wouldn't be at all surprised if both sides make the semis (I'll put my neck on the line and say that Bristol and UCL will join them). Another great ep, that. I'll be back next week for another QF, 2/10.