I Have Changed And Manipulated Space

Here we are for the last two quarter-final matches. This series has been going for nearly nine months and comes to a close in three short weeks. Before that, I've got some reviewing to do.

I write this from a new room which I invented in my house. By moving our kitchen table and computer into the vestibule, which was hitherto mostly unused due to the fact that we normally come in by the kitchen door, I manufactured an office out of thin air. If this sounds a bit 'I have changed and manipulated time', I understand where you're coming from, but from where I'm sitting, it really does feel like I have changed and manipulated space.

Anyway, the penultimate quarter-final saw Manchester take on Sheffield.

Here's your first starter for ten.

Madgwick, the dominant buzzer of the series so far, takes the opening starter for Manchester, and they are helped on the bonuses by what I like to call football-adjacent knowledge. This also applies to plenty of other subjects, of course, but I enjoy it most when slightly obscure geographical or historical knowledge is rendered far easier by reference to a football team. Faulkner knows that there is a football team in Chile called O'Higgins, aiding with a question ostensibly about Chilean history.

Dobbie hits back for Sheffield with Keith Haring, and a pair of bonuses tied the game. A neg from Dobbie handed the initiative to Manchester, and Madgwick duly obliged with their second ten-pointer. The picture round also went to Manchester, courtesy of Dickson, and they opened up a healthy lead.

The picture starter was on translations of Wuthering Heights. None of the titles (below) translate directly, because Wuthering is an old Yorkshire dialect word, and because nowhere else in the word has heights that truly wuther. And yes, I have only just got round to checking the meaning of wuthering myself.

Kaons gives the Sheffield skipper Price his first points, and this was followed by a buzz from teammate Elsisi, which closes the gap to ten.

However, you can't keep Madgwick down for too long, and a third starter is quickly snaffled by the Manchester captain and their trademark tea cosy hat. Power adds another starter - Madgwick remains the standout, but the rest of the Manchester team have grown in confidence on the buzzer as the series has gone on.

Price Cures Sheffield's malaise on the music starter, and they raced through a hat-trick on the bonuses, but this is not enough to overcome Madgwick's relentless buzzerwork, with Sun Wukong adding yet another ten points to a growing back catalogue.

Another for Elsisi closes the gap before Lewis cracks out one of my favourite musical terms with acciaccatura, and suddenly Sheffield are only five points adrift.

However, this doesn't last long as, you guessed it, who else but Madgwick is there to stamp soft cotton once again on these steeled dreams with cloud on the next starter. A hat-trick of bonuses is followed by another starter, and they were 50 clear again in the blink of an eye. A starter for Faulkner, then a seventh for Madgwick, and it's game over.

A few consolations for Sheffield, and then the gong.

Manchester 185 - 135 Sheffield

Now onto the last quarter-final, which saw the two remaining Oxbridge teams battling for the fourth semi-final spot.

Merton, I had ranked 1st ahead of the 2nd round. Darwin, I had ranked 16th.

Here's your (second) first starter for ten.

Ong kicks things off for Merton with murals, and two bonuses puts them 20 points clear.

Darwin's captain Cameron shot back with Milton, but they dropped all three bonuses. A neg from Ong allowed Ni Mhuircheartaigh to give them another chance with justice.

Cosnett won the picture bonuses for Merton with dream, and they were perhaps pedantically denied some points on the bonuses when Cosnett said totalitarianism rather than totalitarian. I get why it's not allowed - the picture already had the 'ism', but quizzing isn't a game of tricks, and they displayed the knowledge that the question was asking about, so if I were in charge, that kind of mistake would be overlooked.

Making up for her neg, another starter from Ong put Merton back in front, but they can't stretch their lead as Cameron hits back for Darwin - the match is percolating nicely.

White grabs the lead for Darwin with L-I-N-O, and they managed to build a forty-point buffer, but Cosnett isn't giving up so easily, and when Duncan gets in on the act, they close the gap to ten. This becomes zero, and then minus five, which is to say that they edged themselves in front, when Fleetwood-Law joined in with the buzzing.

Not for long, though, as Ni Mhuircheartaigh smoothly flips the script once more. Cosnett dragged Merton level with his fourth starter, but Cameron eased Darwin ahead with a couple of rapid buzzes, and this time they would not relinquish the lead.

Merton 130 - 175 Darwin

Great match that, as Darwin continue to make a mockery of my judgement. Merton also made a mockery of it, I suppose, but its better for everyone if I highlight the positive mockery rather than the negative mockery.

And there we have it, the semi-final line-ups confirmed.

Tomorrow, Edinburgh vs Darwin

Next week, Manchester vs Imperial