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Difference between revisions of "Template:FA March"

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The '''[[Countdown Marathon]]''' was a twenty-four-and-a-half hour long game of ''[[Countdown]]'' played to raise money for the charity {{w|Comic Relief}}. The contestants were [[Mark Deeks]], who originally appeared on ''Countdown'' as an [[octochamp]] and semi-finalist in [[Series 65]], and [[Innis Carson]], who had also achieved octochamp and semi-finallist status during [[Series 61]]. The game was played at the Pleasance Theatre, Islington, as part of comedian {{w|Mark Watson}}'s 25-hour Comedy Marathon for Red Nose Day 2013. It lasted from 11pm on 28 February 2013 until 11:30pm on 1 March 2013, mostly taking place backstage but with three rounds – including the conundrum – played onstage before a live audience.
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[[File:GraemeCole.jpg|right|150px]]
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'''[[Graeme Cole]]''' was [[Series champion|champion]] of [[Series 65]]. On his ''[[Countdown]]'' début against [[Liam Herringshaw]], he immediately gained an eight point lead and spotted the [[nine-letter word]] {{word|RECOMBINE}} in the third [[letters round]]. Cole also scored 30 out of 30 on the [[numbers round]]s, and won with 112 points. He outplayed [[Steven Hatton]] in his second game and found three further perfect numbers solutions to win {{score|105|49}}. In Cole's third game, his opponent [[Aidan Turnbull]] kept apace in the early stages and this was the first of three consecutive games in which he fell short of a [[century]]. In the first seven rounds of Cole's sixth game, he amassed 62 points without reply including the niner {{word|NURSEMAID}}. He again scored 30 points on the numbers rounds and unravelled the conundrum {{word|IVYLEAVES}} in 2½ seconds. His final score of 125 was four points short of the maximum possible score in the game, and one point short of the [[Episode 5312|highest score of the series]]. Cole concluded his [[octochamp]] run with scores of {{score|91|41}} and {{score|95|59}}, and with an eight game total of 813 points he qualified for the series finals as #2 seed.
  
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The format for the game was four [[letters round]]s followed by one [[numbers round]], repeated as many times as possible. The number of rounds played was not decided in advance, to allow for downtime preparing to go onstage and the changing pace of the game owing to participants' sleep deprivation. Late in the game it was decided to end play backstage after 449 rounds, before playing the [[conundrum]] onstage to bring the final number of rounds up to 450 – the equivalent of 30 consecutive [[15 round format|15 round]] games, or six weeks' worth of ''Countdown'' on television. A live video stream and dedicated score-keeping website (developed by [[Graeme Cole]]) allowed the [[:Category:online community|online community]] to follow the game in progress, but the match looked to be a foregone conclusion as Carson steadily built up a lead of 60 points by the game's eighteenth hour. However, Deeks rallied to reduce his arrears to just two points by round 448, almost seven hours later. A straightforward final numbers round meant that, almost unbelievably, the game was decided by a [[crucial conundrum]]. ''Countdown'' series producer [[Damian Eadie]] had prepared a conundrum for this very situation and, at 11:25pm, Deeks and Carson were tasked with unscrambling {{word|WERELAPSE}}. After one second, Carson buzzed – or rather hit a piano key, as no-one had thought to bring any buzzers – to declare {{word|SLEEPWEAR}}, to claim victory by 3,128 points to 3,116.  
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In his quarter-final match against [[Nikki Roberts]], Cole spotted the niner {{word|DRAGLINES}} and again scored 30 out of 30 on the numbers. With a further 10 points for the apt conundrum {{word|EIGHTWINS}}, he won comfortably by 113 points to 61. In his semi-final against [[Paul Keane]], Cole once again went behind early in the match but recovered with the word {{word|CAPRINE}} and took the lead with {{word|EXHAUST}} in round 8. Scoring 10 points in the second numbers round and spotting the eight letter word {{word|OCCULTED}} late in the game helped Cole to a {{score|96|71}} victory. In the series final. he faced #4 seed [[Carl Williams]]. Both players scored 43 points across the first five rounds, before Williams went ahead with {{word|ERECTION}} in the sixth. Five rounds later, Cole went three points into the lead, and he extended the gap to 10 points in round 14. Williams unscrambled the [[crucial conundrum]] {{word|TIMEUPLAD}} to force the game to a tie-breaker second conundrum. Cole unravelled {{word|VAANGELIS}} and became the 65th ''Countdown'' series champion, and the last to be crowned during [[Jeff Stelling]]'s spell as [[presenter]].
  
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The match was hosted and adjudicated by ''Countdown'' super-fan [[Zarte Siempre]], assisted by ''Countdown''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s arithmetician [[Rachel Riley]] for the concluding 57 rounds. Riley had agreed to donate money for every round in which one or both contestants found a [[nine-letter word]], with the amount given rising from £5 to £50 as the game progressed. (Further tributes to her altruism were her surprise attendance of the event, arriving with a replica letters board for rounds played onstage, and choosing to spend the final two hours of the event backstage helping with the Countdown Marathon rather than relaxing with the other celebrities present.) In total, the Countdown Marathon raised more than £2,700 for Comic Relief. ('''[[Countdown Marathon|more...]]''')
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Cole returned to the ''Countdown'' studios for a [[special episode]] against [[Edward McCullagh]] in July 2012, to decide the [[Episode S35|overall champion]] of 2011. Six months later, Cole took part in the [[30th Birthday Championship]]. After receiving a bye to the first round proper, he lost his only match against the [[Series 66]] champion [[Jack Worsley]] by a score of {{score|104|98}}, despite achieving the maximum possible score across the first 13 rounds. Today, Cole is an active contributor to the online ''Countdown'' community, using his skills as a software developer to provide data analysis on the [[c4countdown]] forum. ('''[[Graeme Cole|more...]]''')
 
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Revision as of 15:41, 1 March 2021

GraemeCole.jpg

Graeme Cole was champion of Series 65. On his Countdown début against Liam Herringshaw, he immediately gained an eight point lead and spotted the nine-letter word RECOMBINE in the third letters round. Cole also scored 30 out of 30 on the numbers rounds, and won with 112 points. He outplayed Steven Hatton in his second game and found three further perfect numbers solutions to win 105 – 49. In Cole's third game, his opponent Aidan Turnbull kept apace in the early stages and this was the first of three consecutive games in which he fell short of a century. In the first seven rounds of Cole's sixth game, he amassed 62 points without reply including the niner NURSEMAID. He again scored 30 points on the numbers rounds and unravelled the conundrum IVYLEAVES in 2½ seconds. His final score of 125 was four points short of the maximum possible score in the game, and one point short of the highest score of the series. Cole concluded his octochamp run with scores of 91 – 41 and 95 – 59, and with an eight game total of 813 points he qualified for the series finals as #2 seed.

In his quarter-final match against Nikki Roberts, Cole spotted the niner DRAGLINES and again scored 30 out of 30 on the numbers. With a further 10 points for the apt conundrum EIGHTWINS, he won comfortably by 113 points to 61. In his semi-final against Paul Keane, Cole once again went behind early in the match but recovered with the word CAPRINE and took the lead with EXHAUST in round 8. Scoring 10 points in the second numbers round and spotting the eight letter word OCCULTED late in the game helped Cole to a 96 – 71 victory. In the series final. he faced #4 seed Carl Williams. Both players scored 43 points across the first five rounds, before Williams went ahead with ERECTION in the sixth. Five rounds later, Cole went three points into the lead, and he extended the gap to 10 points in round 14. Williams unscrambled the crucial conundrum TIMEUPLAD to force the game to a tie-breaker second conundrum. Cole unravelled VAANGELIS and became the 65th Countdown series champion, and the last to be crowned during Jeff Stelling's spell as presenter.

Cole returned to the Countdown studios for a special episode against Edward McCullagh in July 2012, to decide the overall champion of 2011. Six months later, Cole took part in the 30th Birthday Championship. After receiving a bye to the first round proper, he lost his only match against the Series 66 champion Jack Worsley by a score of 104 – 98, despite achieving the maximum possible score across the first 13 rounds. Today, Cole is an active contributor to the online Countdown community, using his skills as a software developer to provide data analysis on the c4countdown forum. (more...)

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