Due to persistent vandalism, account creation has been suspended. If you would like an account, please contact Charlie Reams on Apterous.
Series 65
From Countdown
Series 65 began on 6 June 2011 and ended on 16 December 2011. The series was the sixth and last presented by Jeff Stelling. The champion was Graeme Cole, who became the first champion since John Mayhew in Series 53 to win the Grand Final on a tiebreak conundrum.
It took a summer break from 22 July to 22 August, with 1 special episode shown during the break.
Contents |
Seed table
Rank | Name | Wins | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mark Deeks | 8 | 824 |
2 | Graeme Cole | 8 | 813 |
3 | Paul Keane | 8 | 744 |
4 | Carl Williams | 8 | 708 |
5 | Jayne Wisniewski | 8 | 705 |
6 | Dave Taylor | 8 | 691 |
7 | Nikki Roberts | 7 | 655 |
8 | David Butcher | 7 | 620 |
Finals progress
Mark Deeks (1) vs David Butcher (8) | Mark Deeks (1) vs Carl Williams (4) | Carl Williams (4) vs Graeme Cole (2) |
Jayne Wisniewski (5) vs Carl Williams (4) | ||
Paul Keane (3) vs Dave Taylor (6) | Paul Keane (3) vs Graeme Cole (2) | |
Nikki Roberts (7) vs Graeme Cole (2) |
Series finals
Quarter-finals
Number one seed Mark Deeks set the standard for the rest of the finalists to live up to in the first quarter-final, as he trounced David Butcher 116 – 21; the most one-sided finals match in the show's history and the lowest score by a finalist since the introduction of the 15-round format. Deeks demonstrated his word prowess with offerings such as PICADORS, MESTIZO, PESEWA and the nine GARDENIAS. Graeme Cole recovered from an early deficit against Nikki Roberts after having bongoes ☓ disallowed to win comfortably, thanks partly to the nine DRAGLINES. The match between Paul Keane and Dave Taylor was fairly competitive until Paul spotted MODERNISE in round 12 to effectively seal the game. Only three points separated Carl Williams and Jayne Wisniewski in eight heat games but Williams was the convincing winner in the fourth quarter-final, meaning that the top four seeds advanced to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals
Deeks could not replicate the dazzling form from his quarter-final and Williams showed from the start that he was no pushover. Deeks took the lead with VEHICLE but Williams quickly hit back with SMELTED. Two more winners for Williams in part two left the top seed in deep trouble, but he reduced the deficit to within ten thanks to the second numbers game. They could not be separated any further in the following four rounds, so Williams led going into the crucial conundrum. He eventually found the answer from BLACRHINO to complete one of the most unlikely finals victories of recent times. The second semi-final also threatened to produce an upset after Cole's first round offering of telogens ☓ was disallowed. Keane held on to his lead throughout part one but eventually, Cole's superiority shone through. Words such as EXHAUST and OCCULTED, as well as a fine second numbers solve helped him book his place in the final with a 96 – 71 victory.
Final
The grand final was Jeff Stelling's last episode as host and both finalists contributed to an all-time classic. Carl threatened to pull off another shock as he broke the deadlock in round 6 with ERECTION. Graeme halved the deficit after Williams' buda ☓ was rejected and he took the lead thanks to ELUSION in round 11. Cole's traditional choice of six small in the penultimate round produced an impossible target, but he managed to reach the best possible solution, giving himself a precarious ten-point lead before the conundrum. A total of 26 seconds elapsed before Williams dramatically unravelled AMPLITUDE, meaning that a tiebreak conundrum was needed for a final for the first time since Series 53. Ultimately, Cole was victorious as he turned VAANGELIS into GALVANISE and he became the last champion of Stelling's tenure.
Episodes
# | Date | Type | Contestant 1 | Score | Contestant 2 | Guest | Lex | Max |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5279 | 6/06/2011 | P | Liam Herringshaw | 92 – 45 | David Brown | Shobna Gulati | Susie Dent | 114 |
5280 | 7/06/2011 | P | Liam Herringshaw | 93 – 112 | Graeme Cole | Shobna Gulati | Susie Dent | 132 |
5281 | 8/06/2011 | P | Graeme Cole | 105 – 49 | Steven Hatton | Shobna Gulati | Susie Dent | 126 |
5282 | 9/06/2011 | P | Graeme Cole | 99 – 57 | Aidan Turnbull | Shobna Gulati | Susie Dent | 119 |
5283 | 10/06/2011 | P | Graeme Cole | 92 – 57 | James Hall | Shobna Gulati | Susie Dent | 116 |
5284 | 13/06/2011 | P | Graeme Cole | 94 – 75 | Graham Moonie-Dalton | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 124 |
5285 | 14/06/2011 | P | Graeme Cole | 125 – 19 | Mike Linnell | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 129 |
5286 | 15/06/2011 | P | Graeme Cole | 91 – 41 | Justin Maelzer | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 118 |
5287 | 16/06/2011 | P | Graeme Cole | 95 – 59 | Gary Hendricks | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 116 |
5288 | 17/06/2011 | P | Matt Croy | 86 – 50 | Barrie Crawford | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 117 |
5289 | 20/06/2011 | P | Matt Croy | 96 – 45 | Pete Snowdon | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 119 |
5290 | 21/06/2011 | P | Matt Croy | 100 – 53 | Mark Worsfold | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 119 |
5291 | 22/06/2011 | P | Matt Croy | 95 – 86 | Chris Hemingway | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 129 |
5292 | 23/06/2011 | P | Matt Croy | 71 – 45 | Kevan Nijjar | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 118 |
5293 | 24/06/2011 | P | Matt Croy | 90 – 91 | Andrew Halliburton | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 114 |
5294 | 27/06/2011 | P | Andrew Halliburton | 90 – 77 | James Wilson | Michael Vaughan | Susie Dent | 116 |
5295 | 28/06/2011 | P | Andrew Halliburton | 95 – 70 | Magnus Mackereth | Michael Vaughan | Susie Dent | 129 |
5296 | 29/06/2011 | P | Andrew Halliburton | 100 – 92 | Barry Evans | Michael Vaughan | Susie Dent | 132 |
5297 | 30/06/2011 | P | Andrew Halliburton | 70 – 73 | Gareth Lee | Michael Vaughan | Susie Dent | 135 |
5298 | 1/07/2011 | P | Gareth Lee | 84 – 56 | Christopher Moriarty | Michael Vaughan | Susie Dent | 149 |
5299 | 4/07/2011 | P | Gareth Lee | 85 – 47 | Declan Hayes | Robin Cousins | Susie Dent | 130 |
5300 | 5/07/2011 | P | Gareth Lee | 68 – 88 | John Symonds | Robin Cousins | Susie Dent | 118 |
5301 | 6/07/2011 | P | John Symonds | 66 – 43 | Simon Garratt | Robin Cousins | Susie Dent | 129 |
5302 | 7/07/2011 | P | John Symonds | 78 – 85 | Jon Elmer | Robin Cousins | Susie Dent | 118 |
5303 | 8/07/2011 | P | Jon Elmer | 89 – 57 | Greg Scott | Robin Cousins | Susie Dent | 113 |
5304 | 11/07/2011 | P | Jon Elmer | 86 – 46 | Jonathan Harrison | John Stapleton | Susie Dent | 121 |
5305 | 12/07/2011 | P | Jon Elmer | 89 – 94 | Mark Deeks | John Stapleton | Susie Dent | 124 |
5306 | 13/07/2011 | P | Mark Deeks | 114 – 73 | John Maguire | John Stapleton | Susie Dent | 120 |
5307 | 14/07/2011 | P | Mark Deeks | 104 – 58 | Joe Zender | John Stapleton | Susie Dent | 119 |
5308 | 15/07/2011 | P | Mark Deeks | 86 – 75 | Taymar Pitman | John Stapleton | Susie Dent | 128 |
5309 | 18/07/2011 | P | Mark Deeks | 102 – 51 | Sarah Axcell | Mark Durden-Smith | Susie Dent | 117 |
5310 | 19/07/2011 | P | Mark Deeks | 96 – 43 | Linda Muchmore | Mark Durden-Smith | Susie Dent | 121 |
5311 | 20/07/2011 | P | Mark Deeks | 102 – 54 | Shelley Worrall | Mark Durden-Smith | Susie Dent | 137 |
5312 | 21/07/2011 | P | Mark Deeks | 126 – 44 | Lesley Lewis | Mark Durden-Smith | Susie Dent | 132 |
5313 | 22/07/2011 | P | Peter Staniland | 76 – 64 | Shireen Ahmed | Mark Durden-Smith | Susie Dent | 118 |
5314 | 22/08/2011 | P | Peter Staniland | 85 – 71 | Andrea Wickham | William Roache | Susie Dent | 120 |
5315 | 23/08/2011 | P | Peter Staniland | 60 – 112 | Dave Taylor | William Roache | Susie Dent | 141 |
5316 | 24/08/2011 | P | Dave Taylor | 81 – 74 | Pat Bourne | William Roache | Susie Dent | 140 |
5317 | 25/08/2011 | P | Dave Taylor | 61 – 51 | Leo Croker | William Roache | Susie Dent | 138 |
5318 | 26/08/2011 | P | Dave Taylor | 81 – 65 | Tony Wilkins | William Roache | Susie Dent | 123 |
5319 | 29/08/2011 | P | Dave Taylor | 78 – 73 | Andy Wilson | John Inverdale | Susie Dent | 130 |
5320 | 30/08/2011 | P | Dave Taylor | 104 – 53 | Jill Kohn | John Inverdale | Susie Dent | 140 |
5321 | 31/08/2011 | P | Dave Taylor | 99 – 85 | Cillian McMulkin | John Inverdale | Susie Dent | 143 |
5322 | 1/09/2011 | P | Dave Taylor | 75 – 66 | Richard White | John Inverdale | Susie Dent | 129 |
5323 | 2/09/2011 | P | Martin Steel | 89 – 90 | Russell Tompkins | John Inverdale | Susie Dent | 130 |
5324 | 5/09/2011 | P | Russell Tompkins | 94 – 64 | Jaya Bhamidipati | Gloria Hunniford | Susie Dent | 129 |
5325 | 6/09/2011 | P | Russell Tompkins | 79 – 96 | Carl Williams | Gloria Hunniford | Susie Dent | 115 |
5326 | 7/09/2011 | P | Carl Williams | 72 – 63 | Jeff Probst | Gloria Hunniford | Susie Dent | 121 |
5327 | 8/09/2011 | P | Carl Williams | 116 – 43 | Beth Tafat | Gloria Hunniford | Susie Dent | 139 |
5328 | 9/09/2011 | P | Carl Williams | 84 – 57 | Stefan Clarke | Gloria Hunniford | Susie Dent | 132 |
5329 | 12/09/2011 | P | Carl Williams | 62 – 59 | Campbell Ure | Paul Zenon | Susie Dent | 115 |
5330 | 13/09/2011 | P | Carl Williams | 96 – 54 | Janet Beavis | Paul Zenon | Susie Dent | 140 |
5331 | 14/09/2011 | P | Carl Williams | 94 – 45 | Peter Austin | Paul Zenon | Susie Dent | 130 |
5332 | 15/09/2011 | P | Carl Williams | 88 – 85 | Jayshree Patel | Paul Zenon | Susie Dent | 116 |
5333 | 16/09/2011 | P | Peter Metcalfe | 94 – 33 | Nick Theobald | Paul Zenon | Susie Dent | 139 |
5334 | 19/09/2011 | P | Peter Metcalfe | 65 – 63 | Julie Harrington | Dave Spikey | Susie Dent | 140 |
5335 | 20/09/2011 | P | Peter Metcalfe | 63 – 96 | Andy Royce | Dave Spikey | Susie Dent | 142 |
5336 | 21/09/2011 | P | Andy Royce | 74 – 42 | Daniel Kirby-James | Dave Spikey | Susie Dent | 122 |
5337 | 22/09/2011 | P | Andy Royce | 62 – 56 | Jacqui Rowley | Dave Spikey | Susie Dent | 120 |
5338 | 23/09/2011 | P | Andy Royce | 69 – 88 | Jayne Wisniewski | Dave Spikey | Susie Dent | 141 |
5339 | 26/09/2011 | P | Jayne Wisniewski | 97 – 66 | Craig Anderson | Kate Humble | Susie Dent | 133 |
5340 | 27/09/2011 | P | Jayne Wisniewski | 102 – 76 | Ophelie Humphrey | Kate Humble | Susie Dent | 120 |
5341 | 28/09/2011 | P | Jayne Wisniewski | 72 – 65 | Sydney Martin | Kate Humble | Susie Dent | 116 |
5342 | 29/09/2011 | P | Jayne Wisniewski | 72 – 64 | Brian Poole | Kate Humble | Susie Dent | 120 |
5343 | 30/09/2011 | P | Jayne Wisniewski | 81 – 79 | Suzanne Osen | Kate Humble | Susie Dent | 118 |
5344 | 3/10/2011 | P | Jayne Wisniewski | 96 – 56 | Kate Bronsdon | Anneka Rice | Susie Dent | 142 |
5345 | 4/10/2011 | P | Jayne Wisniewski | 97 – 48 | Anne Underwood | Anneka Rice | Susie Dent | 114 |
5346 | 5/10/2011 | P | Chris Moore | 52 – 66 | Wayne Chadwick | Anneka Rice | Susie Dent | 138 |
5347 | 6/10/2011 | P | Wayne Chadwick | 67 – 79 | Nikki Roberts | Anneka Rice | Susie Dent | 119 |
5348 | 7/10/2011 | P | Nikki Roberts | 83 – 49 | June McGregor | Anneka Rice | Susie Dent | 132 |
5349 | 10/10/2011 | P | Nikki Roberts | 75 – 68 | Rob Smith | Dr Phil Hammond | Susie Dent | 117 |
5350 | 11/10/2011 | P | Nikki Roberts | 100 – 44 | Jackie Kennedy | Dr Phil Hammond | Susie Dent | 118 |
5351 | 12/10/2011 | P | Nikki Roberts | 74 – 67 | Jonathon Kay | Dr Phil Hammond | Susie Dent | 118 |
5352 | 13/10/2011 | P | Nikki Roberts | 104 – 61 | Harry Santiuste | Dr Phil Hammond | Susie Dent | 132 |
5353 | 14/10/2011 | P | Nikki Roberts | 83 – 68 | Jack Gregson | Dr Phil Hammond | Susie Dent | 127 |
5354 | 17/10/2011 | P | Nikki Roberts | 57 – 95 | Anne Haley | Les Dennis | Susie Dent | 142 |
5355 | 18/10/2011 | P | Anne Haley | 90 – 91 | Tom Brooks | Les Dennis | Susie Dent | 129 |
5356 | 19/10/2011 | P | Tom Brooks | 55 – 75 | Beryl Upshall | Les Dennis | Susie Dent | 122 |
5357 | 20/10/2011 | P | Beryl Upshall | 82 – 73 | Daniel Holmes | Les Dennis | Susie Dent | 115 |
5358 | 21/10/2011 | P | Beryl Upshall | 56 – 63 | Sam Weissman | Les Dennis | Susie Dent | 116 |
5359 | 24/10/2011 | P | Sam Weissman | 71 – 67 | Nabil Shah | Cheryl Baker | Susie Dent | 132 |
5360 | 25/10/2011 | P | Sam Weissman | 74 – 80 | David Butcher | Cheryl Baker | Susie Dent | 117 |
5361 | 26/10/2011 | P | David Butcher | 82 – 63 | Robert Linfoot | Cheryl Baker | Susie Dent | 144 |
5362 | 27/10/2011 | P | David Butcher | 82 – 79 | Mauro Pratesi | Cheryl Baker | Susie Dent | 122 |
5363 | 28/10/2011 | P | David Butcher | 87 – 56 | Kyle McGrory | Cheryl Baker | Susie Dent | 130 |
5364 | 31/10/2011 | P | David Butcher | 60 – 50 | Dawn Turner | Mark Durden-Smith | Susie Dent | 129 |
5365 | 1/11/2011 | P | David Butcher | 82 – 57 | John Cammies | Mark Durden-Smith | Susie Dent | 132 |
5366 | 2/11/2011 | P | David Butcher | 81 – 49 | Chris Allen | Mark Durden-Smith | Susie Dent | 141 |
5367 | 3/11/2011 | P | David Butcher | 66 – 72 | Clive Barham | Mark Durden-Smith | Susie Dent | 116 |
5368 | 4/11/2011 | P | Clive Barham | 98 – 62 | Barry Morris | Mark Durden-Smith | Susie Dent | 120 |
5369 | 7/11/2011 | P | Clive Barham | 74 – 69 | Adam Morgan | Ken Bruce | Susie Dent | 122 |
5370 | 8/11/2011 | P | Clive Barham | 86 – 42 | Mark Peden | Ken Bruce | Susie Dent | 131 |
5371 | 9/11/2011 | P | Clive Barham | 78 – 92 | Julie Davis | Ken Bruce | Susie Dent | 141 |
5372 | 10/11/2011 | P | Julie Davis | 57 – 90 | Paul Keane | Ken Bruce | Susie Dent | 127 |
5373 | 11/11/2011 | P | Paul Keane | 102 – 70 | Siobhan O'Shea | Ken Bruce | Susie Dent | 128 |
5374 | 14/11/2011 | P | Paul Keane | 84 – 66 | Jack Presswell | John Parrott | Susie Dent | 119 |
5375 | 15/11/2011 | P | Paul Keane | 73 – 36 | Claire Aizlewood | John Parrott | Susie Dent | 116 |
5376 | 16/11/2011 | P | Paul Keane | 86 – 40 | Richard Noble | John Parrott | Susie Dent | 119 |
5377 | 17/11/2011 | P | Paul Keane | 103 – 31 | Nigel Fox | John Parrott | Susie Dent | 118 |
5378 | 18/11/2011 | P | Paul Keane | 102 – 53 | Jane Wrightson | John Parrott | Susie Dent | 140 |
5379 | 21/11/2011 | P | Paul Keane | 104 – 73 | Clare Nitman | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 129 |
5380 | 22/11/2011 | P | Alex Morton | 82 – 57 | Jamie Wainwright | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 119 |
5381 | 23/11/2011 | P | Alex Morton | 89 – 65 | Julie Healey | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 141 |
5382 | 24/11/2011 | P | Alex Morton | 59 – 77 | Dudley Lidiard | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 119 |
5383 | 25/11/2011 | P | Dudley Lidiard | 75 – 93 | Kirsten Thompson | Tim Vine | Susie Dent | 119 |
5384 | 28/11/2011 | P | Kirsten Thompson | 81 – 31 | Matt Rose | Robin Cousins | Susie Dent | 120 |
5385 | 29/11/2011 | P | Kirsten Thompson | 75 – 76 | Phyllis Styles | Robin Cousins | Susie Dent | 120 |
5386 | 30/11/2011 | P | Phyllis Styles | 61 – 47 | Mark Robinson | Robin Cousins | Susie Dent | 119 |
5387 | 1/12/2011 | P | Phyllis Styles | 95 – 71 | James Siddall | Robin Cousins | Susie Dent | 130 |
5388 | 2/12/2011 | P | Phyllis Styles | 109 – 71 | Rachel Shirley | Robin Cousins | Susie Dent | 117 |
5389 | 5/12/2011 | P | Phyllis Styles | 102 – 60 | Christina King | David Lloyd | Susie Dent | 117 |
5390 | 6/12/2011 | P | Phyllis Styles | 94 – 91 | Syed Bukhari | David Lloyd | Susie Dent | 130 |
5391 | 7/12/2011 | P | Phyllis Styles | 39 – 103 | Jack Worsley | David Lloyd | Susie Dent | 122 |
5392 | 8/12/2011 | QF | David Butcher | 21 – 116 | Mark Deeks | David Lloyd | Susie Dent | 126 |
5393 | 9/12/2011 | QF | Nikki Roberts | 61 – 113 | Graeme Cole | David Lloyd | Susie Dent | 129 |
5394 | 12/12/2011 | QF | Paul Keane | 96 – 78 | Dave Taylor | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 132 |
5395 | 13/12/2011 | QF | Jayne Wisniewski | 64 – 98 | Carl Williams | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 132 |
5396 | 14/12/2011 | SF | Carl Williams | 95 – 81 | Mark Deeks | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 119 |
5397 | 15/12/2011 | SF | Graeme Cole | 96 – 71 | Paul Keane | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 119 |
5398 | 16/12/2011 | GF | Carl Williams | 95 – 105* | Graeme Cole | Jon Culshaw | Susie Dent | 125 |