COBRIS - COUNTDOWN IN BRISTOL

JULY 2007

once again starring countdown 1/4finalist famous weatherman and all-round media personality daniel peake

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The Bristol Countdown tournament is confirmed for Saturday July 7 at the Bristol County Sports Association, Colston St, close to the centre of Bristol.

Venue

The Bristol County Sports Association is a private members club which hosts chess, bridge, backgammon, snooker etc. It's main claim to fame is that it was disguised to be used as the Orange Tree in Teachers. Some pictures of it in this photo. It is situated up the hill from the Colston Hall and the area of Bristol locally known as The Centre.

For a map of the area click here. The venue is about 2 miles from Temple Meads station - catch the 8 or 9 bus from the station forecourt and get off when you see the waterfront ahead of you and a concrete island which some planners think attractive, with Bristol's glorious fountains, cunningly disguised as twenty rather ordinary hosepipes, on the left.

"Like twenty old men peeing into a pond" - Councillor Bill Martin

This is where the bus stops	The venue is up past Yates's

We reckon we can fit 30 into the space available. More than that may be slightly difficult due to the shape of the bar. But there'll be plenty of space to move about between rounds.

Timetable

After the event we will move to a nearby venue for dinner, for those who do not have to return home immediately.

Format

The games will be run using the same format as last year - i.e. all players have the same letters/numbers which are displayed on stage, but they play against each other in pairs.

The main event will be a 5 round Swiss tournament - everyone plays in each round, and you play an opponent who is on the same score as you as nearly as possible. Some of the top players will be seeded. The games will be 9 rounds each (LLLNLLLNC).

For the letters games, choice will go from player to player and as there will be 35 letters games in total each player will choose letters once or twice.

For the numbers games the choice will be predetermined. As 1 large is the most popular this will be used on alternate games and the other choices will cycle. Therefore the sequence will be 10121314 and then repeat.

For the conundrum you tap the table and then write down the answer. The opponent should also write down the answer if they get it later, in case your answer was wrong. Second conundrums will be used for any pair that has tied.

Note that aggregate score will be used as a tie-break at the end of the competition but second conundrums will not count towards the aggregate.

If there is an odd number of players those on the lowest scores will play in a triple, for which there will be special rules on scoring.

Officials

Host: Daniel Peake
DC: Jerry Humphreys
Assistants: William Lowry
Website:

Booking

To book a place please email Jerry by clicking here, with your name, address and details of your Countdown experience or Scrabble rating (if any). If you are on the Countdown ratings list I'll get details from there.

There is no set fee for this event but waged contestants may be asked to make a donation. The venue is free so £5/10 would probably be sufficient to pay for the various expenses. It is intended that a buffet lunch will be provided.

Travel from London

By train: It is better to go to Temple Meads though you can also go to Bristol Parkway, which is about half an hour faster, then get a connecting train to Temple Meads. If you type Bristol Temple Meads as the destination in www.thetrainline.com, it should show services which change at Parkway as well as direct ones.

Saver returns are £49. You can also buy 2 singles on the internet, which may be £20 in total if you get them in time. Apex have to be bought either 3 or 7 days in advance, depending on the type. You can buy Saver returns at the station on the day, and there is no peak period  on Saturday so you can leave before 9 o'clock. Saver returns do not require a reservation if bought at the station, so this would give plenty of flexibility to stay on a bit later or go back the next day.

The more expensive tickets (which have now gone up to £125 believe it or not) are normally only relevant to peak hour travel on weekdays.

By coach: You can get a cheap ticket on Megabus arriving in Bristol at 11 am and leaving at 6. Visit www.megabus.com. This service runs from a point in the Centre (which in Bristol is different from the shopping centre) - this is at the bottom of Colston St outside the Colston Hall, at the bottom left of the map referred to above (or here if you're too lazy to go up). It is about two minutes walk.

National Express offer a wider range of times, and also have some very cheap tickets. Their website is http://www.nationalexpress.com.

Air Travel

Well, it can be cheaper and quicker. Bristol Airport is about 8 miles from the city, with a frequent bus link. It takes about 30 minutes and costs £5 for a single. Click on this link for further information. Note that the service goes to the bus station which is about half a mile from the venue.

Car Parking

There are a large number of public car parks in the vicinity but charges vary - those which cater for shoppers are likely to be higher.

According to the council's website both Trenchard St and Queen Square are £2.60 for the day on Saturdays. Trenchard St is very close to the venue - you have to enter from the lower entrance as the Park Row entrance is closed.

Information about car parks including maps can be found by clicking here.

Accommodation

There are a number of guesthouses in Clifton, Cotham, Southville and Bedminster which are fairly central. Many places are advertised on the Internet but this tends to be fairly random; you can also get a comprehensive brochure from the Tourist Information Office. They will find and book a room for you if you phone 0845 408 0474.

There is a Youth Hostel on the Waterfront, phone 0870 770 5726 (£20 adult £14.50 under 18 including breakfast). More details at http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/hostelpages/81.html.

There is a backpackers hostel in St Stephens Street, bang in the middle of town. Visit www.bristolbackpackers.co.uk for further information.

For a list of some cheap accommodation in Bristol click here.

Disclaimer

The Bristol Countdown tournament is run by Jerry Humphreys and is based on the TV game show. This event is 'unofficial' and not associated with Channel 4 or Yorkshire Television in any way. Countdown is an Armand Jammot game.

Links

The Countdown Forum

The Countdown Links page

Jerry's homepage

Contact me on msn: jerryhum1@hotmail.com