Ben Hocking - Revision history

GTh: /* Finals */

2025-12-24T09:46:25Z

‎Finals

GTh: /* Finals */

2025-12-19T23:07:14Z

‎Finals

DaaniyalAli at 03:42, 19 December 2025

2025-12-19T03:42:24Z

GTh: /* Finals */

2025-12-19T00:33:46Z

‎Finals

GTh: /* Finals */

2025-12-18T22:37:06Z

‎Finals

GTh: /* Finals */

2025-12-18T22:36:36Z

‎Finals

GTh at 22:36, 18 December 2025

2025-12-18T22:36:08Z

GTh at 23:04, 16 December 2025

2025-12-16T23:04:24Z

GTh: /* Heat games */

2025-12-15T21:32:07Z

‎Heat games

GTh at 20:09, 15 December 2025

2025-12-15T20:09:38Z

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 ====Finals====
-Hocking ultimately returned as the third seed for the finals and was put up against [[Ricky Cohen]]. Fortunately for the former, he lived up with some excellent spots in {{word|MELODICA}} and {{word|HEROISED}} as well as his taking advantage of a handful of errors from Ricky. This all meant the match was over before the final [[numbers]] round, which Hocking also solved to obtain an eighth [[century]]. Although neither of them solved the [[conundrum]] of {{word|PLUMBSEAS}}, the match was officially done and as he maxed 12 rounds, Hocking marched onward into a semi-final against No. 2 seed Dr. [[Brett Davids]].
+Hocking ultimately returned as the third seed for the finals and was put up against [[Ricky Cohen]]. Fortunately for the former, he lived up to his reputation with some excellent spots in {{word|MELODICA}} and {{word|HEROISED}}, as well as his taking advantage of a handful of errors from Ricky. This all meant the match was over before the final [[numbers]] round, which Hocking also solved to obtain an eighth [[century]]. Although neither of them solved the [[conundrum]] of {{word|PLUMBSEAS}}, the match was officially done, and with his maxing of 12 rounds, Hocking marched onward into a semi-final against No. 2 seed Dr. [[Brett Davids]].
 With little on paper between Davids and Hocking, the match turned into a proper {{w|Clash of the Titans (film series)|Clash of the Titans}}. Both of them traded blows early on with Hocking spotting the [[darrenic]] {{word|FAINTEST}}, and Davids quickly striking back with {{word|UNPAIRED}}. A crucial moment came when Brett spotted {{word|LIONHEADS}} for nine which Ben missed and an 18-point gap was thus held by Davids up until the final six-small [[numbers]] round. However, Hocking cracked it while Davids did not, to force the crucial [[conundrum]] of {{word|SUMENIGMA}}. But after neither of them turned it into {{word|MAGNESIUM}}, and despite scoring an impressive 108, Hocking's time on [[Countdown]] was over for the second time. He finished with 1,078 points from ten appearances to add to the 74 he scored back in [[Series 72]].

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 Hocking ultimately returned as the third seed for the finals and was put up against [[Ricky Cohen]]. Fortunately for the former, he lived up with some excellent spots in {{word|MELODICA}} and {{word|HEROISED}} as well as his taking advantage of a handful of errors from Ricky. This all meant the match was over before the final [[numbers]] round, which Hocking also solved to obtain an eighth [[century]]. Although neither of them solved the [[conundrum]] of {{word|PLUMBSEAS}}, the match was officially done and as he maxed 12 rounds, Hocking marched onward into a semi-final against No. 2 seed Dr. [[Brett Davids]].
-With little on paper between Davids and Hocking, the match turned into a proper {{w|Clash of the Titans (film series)|Clash of the Titans}}. Both of them traded blows early on with Hocking spotting the [[darrenic]] {{word|FAINTEST}}, and Davids quickly striking back with {{word|UNPAIRED}}. A crucial moment came when Brett spotted {{word|LIONHEADS}} for nine which Ben missed and an 18-point gap was thus held by Davids up until the final six-small [[numbers]] round. However, Hocking cracked it while Davids did not, to force the crucial [[conundrum]] of {{word|SUMENIGMA}}. But after neither of them turned it into {{word|MAGNESIUM}} despite scoring an impressive 108, Hocking's time on [[Countdown]] was over for the second time. He finished with 1,078 points from ten appearances to add to the 74 he scored back in [[Series 72]].
+With little on paper between Davids and Hocking, the match turned into a proper {{w|Clash of the Titans (film series)|Clash of the Titans}}. Both of them traded blows early on with Hocking spotting the [[darrenic]] {{word|FAINTEST}}, and Davids quickly striking back with {{word|UNPAIRED}}. A crucial moment came when Brett spotted {{word|LIONHEADS}} for nine which Ben missed and an 18-point gap was thus held by Davids up until the final six-small [[numbers]] round. However, Hocking cracked it while Davids did not, to force the crucial [[conundrum]] of {{word|SUMENIGMA}}. But after neither of them turned it into {{word|MAGNESIUM}}, and despite scoring an impressive 108, Hocking's time on [[Countdown]] was over for the second time. He finished with 1,078 points from ten appearances to add to the 74 he scored back in [[Series 72]].
 ==Episodes==

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 ====Finals====
-"'''The Trick-or-Treat'''" ultimately returned as the third seed for the finals and was put up against "'''The Silencer'''" [[Ricky Cohen]]. Fortunately for the former, he lived up to the latter part of his nickname with some excellent spots in {{word|MELODICA}} and {{word|HEROISED}} as well as his taking advantage of a handful of errors from Ricky. This all meant the match was over before the final [[numbers]] round, which Hocking also solved to obtain an eighth [[century]]. Although neither of them solved the [[conundrum]] {{word|PLUMBSEAS}}, with the match officially done and 12 rounds maxed, Hocking marched onward into a semi-final against No. 2 seed Dr. [[Brett Davids]].
+Hocking ultimately returned as the third seed for the finals and was put up against [[Ricky Cohen]]. Fortunately for the former, he lived up with some excellent spots in {{word|MELODICA}} and {{word|HEROISED}} as well as his taking advantage of a handful of errors from Ricky. This all meant the match was over before the final [[numbers]] round, which Hocking also solved to obtain an eighth [[century]]. Although neither of them solved the [[conundrum]] of {{word|PLUMBSEAS}}, the match was officially done and as he maxed 12 rounds, Hocking marched onward into a semi-final against No. 2 seed Dr. [[Brett Davids]].
-With little on paper between Davids and Hocking, the match turned into a proper {{w|Clash of the Titans (film series)|Clash of the Titans}}. Both of them traded blows early on with Hocking spotting the [[darrenic]] {{word|FAINTEST}}, and "'''The Winking Goliath'''" quickly striking back with {{word|UNPAIRED}}. A crucial moment came when Brett spotted {{word|LIONHEADS}} for nine which Ben missed, and an 18-point gap was thus held by Davids up until the final six-small [[numbers]] round. However, Hocking cracked it while Davids did not, to force the crucial [[conundrum]] of {{word|SUMENIGMAS}}. But, after neither of them turned it into {{word|MAGNESIUM}}, despite scoring an impressive 108, Hocking's time on [[Countdown]] was over for the second time. He finished with 1,078 points from ten appearances to add to the 74 he scored back in [[Series 72]].
+With little on paper between Davids and Hocking, the match turned into a proper {{w|Clash of the Titans (film series)|Clash of the Titans}}. Both of them traded blows early on with Hocking spotting the [[darrenic]] {{word|FAINTEST}}, and Davids quickly striking back with {{word|UNPAIRED}}. A crucial moment came when Brett spotted {{word|LIONHEADS}} for nine which Ben missed and an 18-point gap was thus held by Davids up until the final six-small [[numbers]] round. However, Hocking cracked it while Davids did not, to force the crucial [[conundrum]] of {{word|SUMENIGMA}}. But after neither of them turned it into {{word|MAGNESIUM}} despite scoring an impressive 108, Hocking's time on [[Countdown]] was over for the second time. He finished with 1,078 points from ten appearances to add to the 74 he scored back in [[Series 72]].
 ==Episodes==

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 "'''The Trick-or-Treat'''" ultimately returned as the third seed for the finals and was put up against "'''The Silencer'''" [[Ricky Cohen]]. Fortunately for the former, he lived up to the latter part of his nickname with some excellent spots in {{word|MELODICA}} and {{word|HEROISED}} as well as his taking advantage of a handful of errors from Ricky. This all meant the match was over before the final [[numbers]] round, which Hocking also solved to obtain an eighth [[century]]. Although neither of them solved the [[conundrum]] {{word|PLUMBSEAS}}, with the match officially done and 12 rounds maxed, Hocking marched onward into a semi-final against No. 2 seed Dr. [[Brett Davids]].
-With little on paper between Davids and Hocking, the match turned a proper {{w|Clash of the Titans (film series)|Clash of the Titans}}. Both of them traded blows early on with Hocking spotting the [[darrenic]] {{word|FAINTEST}}, and "'''The Winking Goliath'''" quickly striking back with {{word|UNPAIRED}}. A crucial moment came when Brett spotted {{word|LIONHEADS}} for nine which Ben missed, and an 18-point gap was thus held by Davids up until the final six-small [[numbers]] round. However, Hocking cracked it while Davids did not, to force the crucial [[conundrum]] of {{word|SUMENIGMAS}}. But, after neither of them turned it into {{word|MAGNESIUM}}, despite scoring an impressive 108, Hocking's time on [[Countdown]] was over for the second time. He finished with 1,078 points from ten appearances to add to the 74 he scored back in [[Series 72]].
+With little on paper between Davids and Hocking, the match turned into a proper {{w|Clash of the Titans (film series)|Clash of the Titans}}. Both of them traded blows early on with Hocking spotting the [[darrenic]] {{word|FAINTEST}}, and "'''The Winking Goliath'''" quickly striking back with {{word|UNPAIRED}}. A crucial moment came when Brett spotted {{word|LIONHEADS}} for nine which Ben missed, and an 18-point gap was thus held by Davids up until the final six-small [[numbers]] round. However, Hocking cracked it while Davids did not, to force the crucial [[conundrum]] of {{word|SUMENIGMAS}}. But, after neither of them turned it into {{word|MAGNESIUM}}, despite scoring an impressive 108, Hocking's time on [[Countdown]] was over for the second time. He finished with 1,078 points from ten appearances to add to the 74 he scored back in [[Series 72]].
 ==Episodes==

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 "'''The Trick-or-Treat'''" ultimately returned as the third seed for the finals and was put up against "'''The Silencer'''" [[Ricky Cohen]]. Fortunately for the former, he lived up to the latter part of his nickname with some excellent spots in {{word|MELODICA}} and {{word|HEROISED}} as well as his taking advantage of a handful of errors from Ricky. This all meant the match was over before the final [[numbers]] round, which Hocking also solved to obtain an eighth [[century]]. Although neither of them solved the [[conundrum]] {{word|PLUMBSEAS}}, with the match officially done and 12 rounds maxed, Hocking marched onward into a semi-final against No. 2 seed Dr. [[Brett Davids]].
-With little on paper between Davids and Hocking, the match turned a proper {{w|Clash of the Titans}}. Both of them traded blows early on with Hocking spotting the [[darrenic]] {{word|FAINTEST}}, and "'''The Winking Goliath'''" quickly striking back with {{word|UNPAIRED}}. A crucial moment came when Brett spotted {{word|LIONHEADS}} for nine which Ben missed, and an 18-point gap was thus held by Davids up until the final six-small [[numbers]] round. However, Hocking cracked it while Davids did not, to force the crucial [[conundrum]] of {{word|SUMENIGMAS}}. But, after neither of them turned it into {{word|MAGNESIUM}}, despite scoring an impressive 108, Hocking's time on [[Countdown]] was over for the second time. He finished with 1,078 points from ten appearances to add to the 74 he scored back in [[Series 72]].
+With little on paper between Davids and Hocking, the match turned a proper {{w|Clash of the Titans (film series)|Clash of the Titans}}. Both of them traded blows early on with Hocking spotting the [[darrenic]] {{word|FAINTEST}}, and "'''The Winking Goliath'''" quickly striking back with {{word|UNPAIRED}}. A crucial moment came when Brett spotted {{word|LIONHEADS}} for nine which Ben missed, and an 18-point gap was thus held by Davids up until the final six-small [[numbers]] round. However, Hocking cracked it while Davids did not, to force the crucial [[conundrum]] of {{word|SUMENIGMAS}}. But, after neither of them turned it into {{word|MAGNESIUM}}, despite scoring an impressive 108, Hocking's time on [[Countdown]] was over for the second time. He finished with 1,078 points from ten appearances to add to the 74 he scored back in [[Series 72]].
 ==Episodes==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{octostats|TBC|3|862|5}}
+{{octostats|Semi-finalist|3|862|5}}
 [[File:Ben Hocking.png|thumb|200px|right|Ben Hocking, ten years after his first appearance in Series 92.]]
-'''Ben Hocking''' was a [[contestant]] in [[Series 72]], and an [[octochamp]] in [[Series 92]] from Mevagissey in Cornwall. As of his first appearance, he was an undergraduate Business Management student at {{w|Bath Spa University}} and administrative assistant at the {{w|Eden Project}}.
+'''Ben Hocking''' was a [[contestant]] in [[Series 72]], and an [[octochamp]] and semi-finalist in [[Series 92]] from Mevagissey in Cornwall. As of his first appearance, he was an undergraduate Business Management student at {{w|Bath Spa University}} and administrative assistant at the {{w|Eden Project}}.
 As of his second set of games, Hocking ran and hosted his own {{w|Formula 1}} podcast, ''Late Braking'', and also worked as a client success manager until mid-2024 before fully committing his time to said podcast. He is also an [[Apterous|Apterite]], and made an appearance on [[ZoomDown Series 4]] in [[Episode ZD111|November 2021]].
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 "'''The Trick-or-Treat'''" ultimately returned as the third seed for the finals and was put up against "'''The Silencer'''" [[Ricky Cohen]]. Fortunately for the former, he lived up to the latter part of his nickname with some excellent spots in {{word|MELODICA}} and {{word|HEROISED}} as well as his taking advantage of a handful of errors from Ricky. This all meant the match was over before the final [[numbers]] round, which Hocking also solved to obtain an eighth [[century]]. Although neither of them solved the [[conundrum]] {{word|PLUMBSEAS}}, with the match officially done and 12 rounds maxed, Hocking marched onward into a semi-final against No. 2 seed Dr. [[Brett Davids]].
 ==Episodes==
@@ Line 35: / Line 37: @@
 {{ep | 8593 | 29/08/2025 | P |Ben Hocking|103 – 47|[[Steve Thurlow]]|Pat Nevin|Susie Dent|123}}
 {{ep | 8669 | 15/12/2025 | QF |Ben Hocking|108 – 61|[[Ricky Cohen]]|[[Christopher Biggins]]|Susie Dent|120}}
 {{episode table end}}

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 '''Ben Hocking''' was a [[contestant]] in [[Series 72]], and an [[octochamp]] in [[Series 92]] from Mevagissey in Cornwall. As of his first appearance, he was an undergraduate Business Management student at {{w|Bath Spa University}} and administrative assistant at the {{w|Eden Project}}.
-As of his second set of games, Hocking ran and hosted his own {{w|Formula 1}} podcast, ''Late Braking'', and also worked as a client success manager until mid-2024 before fully committing his time to said podcast. He has now qualified for the end-of-series finals in December.
+As of his second set of games, Hocking ran and hosted his own {{w|Formula 1}} podcast, ''Late Braking'', and also worked as a client success manager until mid-2024 before fully committing his time to said podcast. He is also an [[Apterous|Apterite]], and made an appearance on [[ZoomDown Series 4]] in [[Episode ZD111|November 2021]].
 ==Appearances==

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 ====Heat games====
-However, just over 10.5 years later, Hocking came back for another go and kicked off with a victory and a [[teapot]] while maxing 13 rounds in the process against [[Abby Scott]]. He followed that up with seven further triumphs, with six additional [[century|centuries]] among them. His fourth game saw the only nine-letter-word spot in his heats of {{word|DOMINATES}}, but it is worth noting that he only had two others available; those being the rather obscure {{word|PRECISIAN}} and {{word|TELOPHASE}} respectively. In keeping with [[John Payne]]'s and [[Brett Davids]]' runs, he also had to face some difficult opponents during his heats but avoided a crucial [[conundrum]] in every instance.
+However, just over 10.5 years later, Hocking came back for another go and kicked off with a victory and a [[teapot]] while maxing 13 rounds in the process against [[Abby Scott]]. He followed that up with seven further triumphs, with six additional [[century|centuries]] among them. His fourth game saw the only nine-letter-word spot in his heats of {{word|DOMINATES}}, but it is worth noting that he only had two others available; those being the rather obscure {{word|PRECISIAN}} and {{word|TELOPHASE}} respectively. In keeping with the runs done by [[John Payne]] and [[Brett Davids]], he had to face some difficult opponents during his heats but avoided a crucial [[conundrum]] in every instance.
 After getting past [[Steve Thurlow]] in his last preliminary with a seventh [[century]] to his name, Ben joined the [[800 club]] with an octototal of 862 and settled in as the provisional No. 2 seed for the finals. As a final nod to his achievements, he was christened "'''The Trick-or-Treat'''" by [[Colin Murray|Colin]] and [[Rachel Riley|Rachel]]; his run was made all the more impressive given that he only had 999 points available to him across his heats (this to note is an unusually small eight-game possible points total in the [[15-round format]]).

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:09, 15 December 2025
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	[[Category:Teapot owners]]		[[Category:Teapot owners]]
	[[Category:Octochamps of the 15 round era]]		[[Category:Octochamps of the 15 round era]]
		+	[[Category:Finalists]]