Ronan Higginson - Revision history

GTh: /* Series 87 heats */

2026-05-14T21:16:34Z

‎Series 87 heats

GTh: /* Series 87 heats */

2026-05-14T21:15:29Z

‎Series 87 heats

GTh: /* Series 87 heats */

2026-05-14T20:12:49Z

‎Series 87 heats

GTh: /* Series 87 heats */

2026-05-14T20:12:11Z

‎Series 87 heats

GTh: /* Appearances on the programme */

2026-05-12T20:49:43Z

‎Appearances on the programme

GTh: /* Finals */

2026-05-10T22:21:00Z

‎Finals

GTh: /* Finals */

2026-05-10T22:20:48Z

‎Finals

GTh: /* Finals */

2026-05-10T22:20:34Z

‎Finals

GTh: /* Series 87 heats */

2026-05-10T22:19:51Z

‎Series 87 heats

GTh: /* Series 87 heats */

2026-05-10T22:19:34Z

‎Series 87 heats

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 As a part of what would eventually be one of the greatest [[octochamp]] runs ever seen on [[Countdown]], Higginson then rattled off seven more sublime performances, which were also all [[century|centuries]], and included further nines such as {{word|NEOTERIST}}, {{word|ARAGONITE}}, {{word|RITUALITY}}, {{word|AMBROSIAN}} and {{word|ALPENROSE}} to become only the second [[octochamp]] of the series after [[Cillian McMulkin]] nearly four months prior. Of particular note, in his [[Episode 8023|fifth match]], Higginson achieved only the thirteenth [[max game]] with 135 points being both the max and his score. This was the second time within a year this had occurred – [[Tom Stevenson]]'s record-breaking performance in [[Episode 7860]] being the last one. And, in his [[Episode 8024|sixth game]], he equalled [[Elliott Mellor]]'s [[Episode 7080|four-year-old record]] for the highest margin of victory in a game of ''[[Countdown]]'' when he defeated challenger [[Aaron Sutton]] by 133 points – this game also confirmed his qualification for the series finals and his joint-highest score of 143. He also showed exceptional skill in his [[conundrum]] solving ability, with not only the variety of difficulties faced, but also with four of them each being solved in under a second.
-Higginson finished off his heats and established himself as the number one seed, with a [[Episode 8026|13-max performance]] against [[Richard Clingen]]. This game also marked the fourth time he had held an opponent to [[List of 15-round scores under 30|under 30 points]] and the fourth time he had won a game by over 100 points – the former being an all-time joint-record. He ultimately finished with 1,041 points and an average of just over 130 per game – this, along with making him the 31st member of the [[800 club|900 club]] and only the fifth person to score at least 1,000, also gave him the second-highest octotal of all time, with only Elliott Mellor having more points. He also tied [[Ed McCullagh]]'s record of 96 maxes out of 120, and his 93.69% conversion rate (1,041 out of 1,111 points available) still stands to this day as the secnod-highest of all-time in the [[15 round format]], again behind only Elliott Mellor. [[Colin Murray]], by this point, had also given him the title "'''The Hurricane'''" owing to his performances on the show.
+Higginson finished off his heats and established himself as the number one seed, with a [[Episode 8026|13-max performance]] against [[Richard Clingen]]. This game also marked the fourth time he had held an opponent to [[List of 15-round scores under 30|under 30 points]] and the fourth time he had won a game by over 100 points – the former being an all-time joint-record. He ultimately finished with 1,041 points and an average of just over 130 per game – this, along with making him the 31st member of the [[800 club|900 club]] and only the fifth person to score at least 1,000, also gave him the second-highest octotal of all time, with only Elliott Mellor having more points. He also tied [[Ed McCullagh]]'s record of 96 maxes out of 120, and his 93.69% conversion rate (1,041 out of 1,111 points available) still stands to this day as the second-highest of all-time in the [[15 round format]], again behind only Elliott Mellor. [[Colin Murray]], by this point, had also given him the title "'''The Hurricane'''" owing to his performances on the show.
 ===Finals===

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 Higginson made his heavily anticipated TV debut on [[Episode 8019|17 May 2023]], against five-game winner [[Jonathan Seal]]. With both players having spotted two nine-letter words {{word|BATTERIES}} and {{word|REPOSTING}}, Higginson won with a strong 132 points to Seal's still comparatively impressive 98 points. These two scores helped make the highest [[List of 15-round joint scores over 200|joint score]] in a preliminary game under the [[15 round format (new)|new 15-round format]] – a record unbeaten for nine-and-a-half years.
-Higginson then rattled off seven more sublime performances, which were also all [[century|centuries]], and included further nines such as {{word|NEOTERIST}}, {{word|ARAGONITE}}, {{word|RITUALITY}}, {{word|AMBROSIAN}} and {{word|ALPENROSE}} to become only the second [[octochamp]] of the series after [[Cillian McMulkin]] nearly four months prior. Of particular note, in his [[Episode 8023|fifth match]], Higginson achieved only the thirteenth [[max game]] with 135 points being both the max and his score. This was the second time within a year this had occurred – [[Tom Stevenson]]'s record-breaking performance in [[Episode 7860]] being the last one. And, in his [[Episode 8024|sixth game]], he equalled [[Elliott Mellor]]'s [[Episode 7080|four-year-old record]] for the highest margin of victory in a game of ''[[Countdown]]'' when he defeated challenger [[Aaron Sutton]] by 133 points – this game also confirmed his qualification for the series finals and his joint-highest score of 143. He also showed exceptional skill in his [[conundrum]] solving ability, with not only the variety of difficulties faced, but also with four of them each being solved in under a second.
+As a part of what would eventually be one of the greatest [[octochamp]] runs ever seen on [[Countdown]], Higginson then rattled off seven more sublime performances, which were also all [[century|centuries]], and included further nines such as {{word|NEOTERIST}}, {{word|ARAGONITE}}, {{word|RITUALITY}}, {{word|AMBROSIAN}} and {{word|ALPENROSE}} to become only the second [[octochamp]] of the series after [[Cillian McMulkin]] nearly four months prior. Of particular note, in his [[Episode 8023|fifth match]], Higginson achieved only the thirteenth [[max game]] with 135 points being both the max and his score. This was the second time within a year this had occurred – [[Tom Stevenson]]'s record-breaking performance in [[Episode 7860]] being the last one. And, in his [[Episode 8024|sixth game]], he equalled [[Elliott Mellor]]'s [[Episode 7080|four-year-old record]] for the highest margin of victory in a game of ''[[Countdown]]'' when he defeated challenger [[Aaron Sutton]] by 133 points – this game also confirmed his qualification for the series finals and his joint-highest score of 143. He also showed exceptional skill in his [[conundrum]] solving ability, with not only the variety of difficulties faced, but also with four of them each being solved in under a second.
 Higginson finished off his heats and established himself as the number one seed, with a [[Episode 8026|13-max performance]] against [[Richard Clingen]]. This game also marked the fourth time he had held an opponent to [[List of 15-round scores under 30|under 30 points]] and the fourth time he had won a game by over 100 points – the former being an all-time joint-record. He ultimately finished with 1,041 points and an average of just over 130 per game – this, along with making him the 31st member of the [[800 club|900 club]] and only the fifth person to score at least 1,000, also gave him the second-highest octotal of all time, with only Elliott Mellor having more points. He also tied [[Ed McCullagh]]'s record of 96 maxes out of 120, and his 93.69% conversion rate (1,041 out of 1,111 points available) still stands to this day as the secnod-highest of all-time in the [[15 round format]], again behind only Elliott Mellor. [[Colin Murray]], by this point, had also given him the title "'''The Hurricane'''" owing to his performances on the show.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 Higginson then rattled off seven more sublime performances, which were also all [[century|centuries]], and included further nines such as {{word|NEOTERIST}}, {{word|ARAGONITE}}, {{word|RITUALITY}}, {{word|AMBROSIAN}} and {{word|ALPENROSE}} to become only the second [[octochamp]] of the series after [[Cillian McMulkin]] nearly four months prior. Of particular note, in his [[Episode 8023|fifth match]], Higginson achieved only the thirteenth [[max game]] with 135 points being both the max and his score. This was the second time within a year this had occurred – [[Tom Stevenson]]'s record-breaking performance in [[Episode 7860]] being the last one. And, in his [[Episode 8024|sixth game]], he equalled [[Elliott Mellor]]'s [[Episode 7080|four-year-old record]] for the highest margin of victory in a game of ''[[Countdown]]'' when he defeated challenger [[Aaron Sutton]] by 133 points – this game also confirmed his qualification for the series finals and his joint-highest score of 143. He also showed exceptional skill in his [[conundrum]] solving ability, with not only the variety of difficulties faced, but also with four of them each being solved in under a second.
-Higginson finished off his heats and established himself as the number one seed, with a [[Episode 8026|13-max performance]] against [[Richard Clingen]]. This game also marked the fourth time he had held an opponent to [[List of 15-round scores under 30|under 30 points]] and the fourth time he had won a game by over 100 points – the former being an all-time joint-record. He ultimately finished with 1,041 points and an average of just over 130 per game – this, along with making him the 31st member of the [[800 club|900 club]] and only the fifth person to score at least 1,000, also gave him the second-highest octotal of all time, with only Elliott Mellor having more points. He also tied [[Ed McCullagh]]'s record of 96 maxes out of 120, and his 93.69% conversion rate (1,041 out of 1,111 points available) still stands to this day as the secnod-highest of all-time in the [[15 round format]], behind only [[Elliott Mellor]]. [[Colin Murray]], by this point, had also given him the title "'''The Hurricane'''" owing to his performances on the show.
+Higginson finished off his heats and established himself as the number one seed, with a [[Episode 8026|13-max performance]] against [[Richard Clingen]]. This game also marked the fourth time he had held an opponent to [[List of 15-round scores under 30|under 30 points]] and the fourth time he had won a game by over 100 points – the former being an all-time joint-record. He ultimately finished with 1,041 points and an average of just over 130 per game – this, along with making him the 31st member of the [[800 club|900 club]] and only the fifth person to score at least 1,000, also gave him the second-highest octotal of all time, with only Elliott Mellor having more points. He also tied [[Ed McCullagh]]'s record of 96 maxes out of 120, and his 93.69% conversion rate (1,041 out of 1,111 points available) still stands to this day as the secnod-highest of all-time in the [[15 round format]], again behind only Elliott Mellor. [[Colin Murray]], by this point, had also given him the title "'''The Hurricane'''" owing to his performances on the show.
 ===Finals===

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 Higginson then rattled off seven more sublime performances, which were also all [[century|centuries]], and included further nines such as {{word|NEOTERIST}}, {{word|ARAGONITE}}, {{word|RITUALITY}}, {{word|AMBROSIAN}} and {{word|ALPENROSE}} to become only the second [[octochamp]] of the series after [[Cillian McMulkin]] nearly four months prior. Of particular note, in his [[Episode 8023|fifth match]], Higginson achieved only the thirteenth [[max game]] with 135 points being both the max and his score. This was the second time within a year this had occurred – [[Tom Stevenson]]'s record-breaking performance in [[Episode 7860]] being the last one. And, in his [[Episode 8024|sixth game]], he equalled [[Elliott Mellor]]'s [[Episode 7080|four-year-old record]] for the highest margin of victory in a game of ''[[Countdown]]'' when he defeated challenger [[Aaron Sutton]] by 133 points – this game also confirmed his qualification for the series finals and his joint-highest score of 143. He also showed exceptional skill in his [[conundrum]] solving ability, with not only the variety of difficulties faced, but also with four of them each being solved in under a second.
-Higginson finished off his heats and established himself as the number one seed, with a [[Episode 8026|13-max performance]] against [[Richard Clingen]]. This game also marked the fourth time he had held an opponent to [[List of 15-round scores under 30|under 30 points]] and the fourth time he had won a game by over 100 points – the former being an all-time joint-record. He ultimately finished with 1,041 points and an average of just over 130 per game – this, along with making him the 31st member of the [[800 club|900 club]] and only the fifth person to score at least 1,000, also gave him the second-highest octotal of all time, with only Elliott Mellor having more points. He also tied [[Ed McCullagh]]'s record of 96 maxes out of 120, and his 93.69% conversion rate (1,041 out of 1,111 points available) still stands to this day as one of the highest of all-time. [[Colin Murray]], by this point, had also given him the title "'''The Hurricane'''" owing to his performances on the show.
+Higginson finished off his heats and established himself as the number one seed, with a [[Episode 8026|13-max performance]] against [[Richard Clingen]]. This game also marked the fourth time he had held an opponent to [[List of 15-round scores under 30|under 30 points]] and the fourth time he had won a game by over 100 points – the former being an all-time joint-record. He ultimately finished with 1,041 points and an average of just over 130 per game – this, along with making him the 31st member of the [[800 club|900 club]] and only the fifth person to score at least 1,000, also gave him the second-highest octotal of all time, with only Elliott Mellor having more points. He also tied [[Ed McCullagh]]'s record of 96 maxes out of 120, and his 93.69% conversion rate (1,041 out of 1,111 points available) still stands to this day as the secnod-highest of all-time in the [[15 round format]], behind only [[Elliott Mellor]]. [[Colin Murray]], by this point, had also given him the title "'''The Hurricane'''" owing to his performances on the show.
 ===Finals===

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 Higginson then rattled off seven more sublime performances, which were also all [[century|centuries]], and included further nines such as {{word|NEOTERIST}}, {{word|ARAGONITE}}, {{word|RITUALITY}}, {{word|AMBROSIAN}} and {{word|ALPENROSE}} to become only the second [[octochamp]] of the series after [[Cillian McMulkin]] nearly four months prior. Of particular note, in his [[Episode 8023|fifth match]], Higginson achieved only the thirteenth [[max game]] with 135 points being both the max and his score. This was the second time within a year this had occurred – [[Tom Stevenson]]'s record-breaking performance in [[Episode 7860]] being the last one. And, in his [[Episode 8024|sixth game]], he equalled [[Elliott Mellor]]'s [[Episode 7080|four-year-old record]] for the highest margin of victory in a game of ''[[Countdown]]'' when he defeated challenger [[Aaron Sutton]] by 133 points – this game also confirmed his qualification for the series finals and his joint-highest score of 143. He also showed exceptional skill in his [[conundrum]] solving ability, with not only the variety of difficulties faced, but also with four of them each being solved in under a second.
-Higginson finished off his heats and established himself as the number one seed, with a [[Episode 8026|13-max performance]] against [[Richard Clingen]]. This game also marked the fourth time he had held an opponent to [[List of 15-round scores under 30|under 30 points]] and the fourth time he had won a game by over 100 points – the former being an all-time joint-record. He ultimately finished with 1,041 points and an average of just over 130 per game – this, along with making him the 31st member of the [[800 club|900 club]] and only the fifth person to score at least 1,000, also gave him the second-highest octotal of all time, with only Elliott Mellor having more points. He also tied [[Ed McCullagh]]'s record of 96 maxes out of 120, and his 93.69% conversion rate (1,041 out of 1,111 points available) still stands to this day as one of the highest of all-time. [[Colin Murray]], by this point, had also given him the title '''The Hurricane''' owing to his performances on the show.
+Higginson finished off his heats and established himself as the number one seed, with a [[Episode 8026|13-max performance]] against [[Richard Clingen]]. This game also marked the fourth time he had held an opponent to [[List of 15-round scores under 30|under 30 points]] and the fourth time he had won a game by over 100 points – the former being an all-time joint-record. He ultimately finished with 1,041 points and an average of just over 130 per game – this, along with making him the 31st member of the [[800 club|900 club]] and only the fifth person to score at least 1,000, also gave him the second-highest octotal of all time, with only Elliott Mellor having more points. He also tied [[Ed McCullagh]]'s record of 96 maxes out of 120, and his 93.69% conversion rate (1,041 out of 1,111 points available) still stands to this day as one of the highest of all-time. [[Colin Murray]], by this point, had also given him the title "'''The Hurricane'''" owing to his performances on the show.
 ===Finals===
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 Higginson returned for the series finals on [[Episode 8044|21 June 2023]], against number eight seed [[Andrew Barrett]], where a 12-max performance, and a spot of {{word|IGNORABLE}} for nine helped him to finish with a high score of 122 points to qualify for the [[Episode 8048|semi-finals]], although Barrett had the last word by solving the [[conundrum]]. His semi-final face-off against fellow [[Apterous|Apterite]], [[Adam Dexter]], was a much closer affair, but with {{word|wolfman {{x}}}} and {{word|epistema {{x}}}} being unfortunate misfires from Dexter, this kept Higginson 14 points ahead after the last [[numbers round]]. Although both players could have made a closer figure to the target in the first numbers game, Higginson unravelled the conundrum with a trademark flourish to achieve his second [[max game|maximum-scoring game]] – he is the first person ever to achieve this feat twice in a regular series, and the first to do it more than once since [[Conor Travers]] did it thrice in the [[30th Birthday Championship]].
-In the [[Episode 8050|grand final]], both '''''The Hurricane''''' and [[Cillian McMulkin]] scored immediately off the blocks, spotting {{word|IGNORABLE}} for nine. However, Higginson began to really whip up a storm either side of both players finding another set of nines, and then in Round 10, Higginson claimed a symbolic coup de grâce with the fantastic spot of {{word|PECORAITE}} for his third nine-letter-word of the game. With the match wrapped up before the final numbers round, Higginson signed off by unscrambling {{word|SOULPARTY}} to {{word|PULSATORY}} to win the series with an astonishing 150 points, matching [[Zarte Siempre]]'s [[Episode 6991|150]] in the quarter-finals of [[Championship of Champions XV]] in 2019. He lifted the [[Richard Whiteley Memorial Trophy]] with an astounding [[xicount]] total of 1,435 points – the highest of all time, beating [[Luke Johnson-Davies]]'s previous 11-game record by a hefty 51 points.
+In the [[Episode 8050|grand final]], both "'''The Hurricane'''" and [[Cillian McMulkin]] scored immediately off the blocks, spotting {{word|IGNORABLE}} for nine. However, Higginson began to really whip up a storm in-between both players finding another set of nines, and then in Round 10, Higginson claimed a symbolic coup de grâce with the fantastic spot of {{word|PECORAITE}} for his third nine-letter-word of the game. With the match wrapped up before the final numbers round, Higginson signed off by unscrambling {{word|SOULPARTY}} to {{word|PULSATORY}} to win the series with an astonishing 150 points, matching [[Zarte Siempre]]'s [[Episode 6991|150]] in the quarter-finals of [[Championship of Champions XV]] in 2019. He lifted the [[Richard Whiteley Memorial Trophy]] with an astounding [[xicount]] total of 1,435 points – the highest of all time, beating [[Luke Johnson-Davies]]'s previous 11-game record by a hefty 51 points.
 {{series winner|preceded_by=Tom Stevenson|series=87|followed_by=Harry Savage}}