Mick Keeble

Mick Keeble, a chartered accountant from Ipswich was the runner-up of Series 9. He first appeared the day after David Trace completed his octochamp run, and drew his first game against Peter Conroy 42-all. He beat Conroy the following day, but lost his subsequent game to Geoffrey Taylor. Nonetheless, Keeble returned for the finals as #7 seed, beating Geoffrey Taylor in their quarter-final rematch of their earlier heat game. In the semi-final, he beat Alan Lee by a solitary point as a result of Lee's having misheard the final numbers game's target. In the final against David Trace, Keeble led by 35 points just before the end of the first half, but eventually had to settle for runner-up of the series, after Trace pulled off one of the most dramatic comebacks in Countdown history.

Keeble did not play in Championship of Champions III, but did return for the Supreme Championship, where he debuted near the beginning of the event against Clive Freedman. He was on good form in this game, equalling Freedman with words including MEANINGS and MALTIEST, and was able to push the former Champion of Champions to a crucial conundrum. However, Freedman unscrambled ARIDCHECK first to defeat him 67 – 50. Keeble and Joyce Cansfield were the only players to enter the Supreme Championship, as well as the only players to make Grand Finals, having won only one game.

Preceded by Anthony Butcher

Series runner-up Series 9

Followed by Mike Percik

Episodes

#	Date	Type	Contestant 1	Score	Contestant 2	Presenters				Guest	Lex	Max
413	21/04/1986	P	Peter Conroy	42 – 42	Mick Keeble	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Bill Tidy	Catherine Clarke	74
414	22/04/1986	P	Peter Conroy	50 – 60	Mick Keeble	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Bill Tidy	Catherine Clarke	71
415	23/04/1986	P	Geoffrey Taylor	48 – 40	Mick Keeble	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Bill Tidy	Catherine Clarke	69
439	27/05/1986	QF	Mick Keeble	52 – 42	Geoff Taylor	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Bill Tidy	Della Thompson	74
443	2/06/1986	SF	Mick Keeble	52 – 51	Alan Lee	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Bill Tidy	Catherine Clarke	71
444	3/06/1986	GF	Mick Keeble	74 – 80	David Trace	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman			Cathy Hytner	Gyles Brandreth, Bill Tidy	Catherine Clarke	129
M11	12/06/1989-16/06/1989	M	Mick Keeble	82 – 87	Jean Fish	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman					none	Catherine Clarke	135
1862	18/10/1996	bQF	Clive Freedman	67 – 50	Mick Keeble	Richard Whiteley	Carol Vorderman				Lucy Summers	Philip Franks	Susie Dent	73