The Leeds University Challenge Team 2002 - By Steve Kidd
6: Quarter Final v Worcester, Oxford. 12th October 2002
The four quarter finals are played on the same day, and we were to play last. I wrote the following at about 4:10 A.M. the following morning:
______
We won. The style was something to behold.
During the long Saturday we found that Birbeck had defeated UCL. We saw Sheffield beat Warwick in a close five point game. The fascinating result of Durham v Cranfield makes a tale of it's own.
The performance of Oxford in their first round game made them the favourites of those seen so far for the tournament. After two warm ups and three starters we knew why. I blew a starter and we were 65 to minus 5 down. What followed is the most impressive run I have seen so far, and to a large degree I was an observer.
After three years in higher education I thought I had mastered writing. This feels disjointed, almost frustratingly, unreadable. It is because I witnessed Adam, Jenny and James press starter after starter after starter, Oxford blow a couple and us convert a 70 point defecit into our most resounding win.
Paxman said we stared atrociously. I disagree. I blew ten points
from the teams score with two stupid starters, but Oxford were awesome,
interrupting and getting the first three. Then something happened.
There was a break, I questioned the score, turned to James and said
'This is doing them more harm than us' We came of age in that last
twenty minutes, I was dazzled and gratefully bemused. Awesome, Superb,
you three guys were on a different planet and in retrospect I am the
happiest man to have stowed away.
The semi final is in 7 hours time tomorrow morning, and I'm in the hotel writing this. I can't remember much of the game now so I have to record the impressions of the blur of that classic game. Prior to this game I thought we had a 45% chance of winning it. If we play like that tomorrow whoever wins will deserve it thoroughly.
I have not got a music starter
We have not had any easy classical
We have not all fired together
If we did that would be something