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Rob Barkess

From Countdown
Rob Barkess
octochamp statistics
Final position Quarter-Finalist
Seeding 3
Points total 811
Conundrums solved 6
Rob Barkess in Series 90.

Rob Barkess was an octochamp and quarter-finalist in Series 90. He was a mortgage advisor/broker from Seahouses, Northumberland.

Heat Games

Barkess made his debut against 5-time winner Paul Johnson, dispatching the former with an opening of 105, which would ultimately be the first of four century games out of his eventual eight victories; all of them coming with some quite notable differences in scoring. Conundrums though proved to be a sweet spot for Rob, with the first four he faced each being solved in under two seconds.

His highest score of 126 (which at the time was also the highest score of the series) came during his sixth game, which also included the sole 9-letter-word spot of his heats in DUALISING. That was then followed with a very cagey affair (and strangely, at the time, lowest winning score of the series) in his seventh game, thanks to blanks on two numbers rounds, and the unfortunate mis-declarations of ☓ flouter and ☓ hounder; the former being compounded as he also had the valid FROGLET scribbled down but chose not to declare.

Nonetheless, Barkess recovered in his eighth game by seeing off challenger Anna Heath, to secure Octochampdom and become a member of the 800 club before the conundrum. With neither player turning SUMOGROIN into GINORMOUS, 'The Underdog' as christened by Colin, finished on 811, just 8 points behind Fiona Wood, and as the provisional No. 2 seed with just under four months of heat shows left.

Finals

Barkess eventually returned as the 3rd seed and went into battle with Terence Newnham, and immediately fell behind by 15 points within the first two rounds; after that Barkess was never able to regain the necessary ground despite spotting another 9-letter-word in YEARLINGS and solving the final numbers round as a consolation. With neither him nor Terence spotting the conundrum HEADCOUNT it meant Barkess's run came to an end, and he finished with 898 points from 9 games and his unbeaten record broken.

Episodes

# Date Type Contestant 1 Score Contestant 2 Presenters Guest Lex Max
8337 13/08/2024 P Paul Johnson 54 – 105 Rob Barkess Colin Murray Rachel Riley John Thomson Susie Dent 123
8338 14/08/2024 P Rob Barkess 120 – 66 Steve Howells Colin Murray Rachel Riley John Thomson Susie Dent 145
8339 15/08/2024 P Rob Barkess 96 – 70 Julia Little Colin Murray Rachel Riley John Thomson Susie Dent 137
8340 16/08/2024 P Rob Barkess 97 – 53 Ali Dootson Colin Murray Rachel Riley John Thomson Susie Dent 134
8341 19/08/2024 P Rob Barkess 101 – 39 Kileon Bounden Colin Murray Rachel Riley Ria Lina Susie Dent 125
8342 20/08/2024 P Rob Barkess 126 – 53 Simon Cornwell Colin Murray Rachel Riley Ria Lina Susie Dent 146
8343 21/08/2024 P Rob Barkess 72 – 50 Gavin Hudson Colin Murray Rachel Riley Ria Lina Susie Dent 123
8344 22/08/2024 P Rob Barkess 94 – 46 Anna Heath Colin Murray Rachel Riley Ria Lina Susie Dent 124
8419 16/12/2024 QF Rob Barkess 87 – 100 Terence Newnham Colin Murray Rachel Riley Christopher Biggins Susie Dent 164