Maria Boyes

Maria Boyes was the runner-up of Series 36. She beat Ian Brunton in her first game, and won a further seven to become an octochamp and #2 seed for the series. In the heats, she faced only one crucial conundrum, in her fifth game against Andrew Auger, which she won after neither player was able to unscramble the conundrum HAILSTONE.

Returning in the quarter finals as #2 seed, she saw off #7 seed Malcolm Fairy by 61 – 43 after spotting the Crucial Conundrum fractionally ahead of her opponent, and then faced #3 seed Simon Pryde in the semi finals. Simon led for most of the game, but Maria took a three point lead in the closing stages, and held on to win by 43 – 40 after neither player was able to unscramble the conundrum, RUSTPROOF, thus advancing to the final against #4 seed Tony Baylis. The final was nip and tuck up until the penultimate round, when a botched numbers game solution from Maria sealed her defeat. Maria returned for Championship of Champions IX a few months later, and convincingly beat Amy Godel 54 – 37 in the first round to set up a rematch of her Series 36 semi-final before against Simon Pryde in the quarter-finals; unfortunately for Maria, this time, Simon would emerge as the winner by 41 – 33.

Maria is famous for making one of the most famous letters games spots in Countdown history – picking the niner JAPONICAS out of a seemingly terrible selection in the very first round of her first game.

Preceded by Dag Griffiths

Series runner-up Series 36

Followed by Christine White

Episodes

#	Date	Type	Contestant 1	Score	Contestant 2	Presenters				Guest	Lex	Max
2050	16/07/1997	P	Ian Brunton	29 – 56	Maria Boyes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Richard Digance	Susie Dent
2051	17/07/1997	P	Arthur Singleton	46 – 52	Maria Boyes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Richard Digance	Susie Dent
2052	18/07/1997	P	Ray Millar	40 – 68	Maria Boyes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Richard Digance	Susie Dent
2053	21/07/1997	P	Gwenda Sacks	11 – 49	Maria Boyes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Richard Digance	Susie Dent
2054	22/07/1997	P	Andrew Auger	45 – 53	Maria Boyes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Richard Digance	Susie Dent
2055	23/07/1997	P	Keith Berrett	34 – 65	Maria Boyes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Richard Digance	Susie Dent
2056	24/07/1997	P	Diane Sells	35 – 49	Maria Boyes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Geoffrey Durham	Susie Dent
2057	25/07/1997	P	Brad Driver	28 – 47	Maria Boyes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Geoffrey Durham	Susie Dent
2097	19/09/1997	QF	Maria Boyes	61 – 43	Malcolm Fairy	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Richard Stilgoe	Hannah Robertson
2101	25/09/1997	SF	Maria Boyes	43 – 40	Simon Pryde	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Nicholas Parsons	Hannah Robertson
2102	26/09/1997	GF	Maria Boyes	52 – 66	Tony Baylis	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Nicholas Parsons	Hannah Robertson
2166	1/01/1998	CP	Maria Boyes	54 – 37	Amy Godel	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Denis Norden	Mark Nyman
2171	8/01/1998	CQF	Simon Pryde	41 – 33	Maria Boyes	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Gloria Hunniford	Mark Nyman