A (Cam)bridge too far - Merton lose to St John's, Cambridge in University Challenge Final

Merton's winning run in this year's University Challenge competition was brought to an end last night, as they were defeated by the team from St John's College, Cambridge in the Final. Despite trailing by 55 points after the first five minutes, St John's staged a formidable comeback, taking victory with the scores standing at 145-100 at the gong.

The Merton side - captain Leonie Woodland (2016, Physics), Edward Thomas (2014, Ancient & Modern History), Alexander Peplow (2013, History), and Akira Wiberg (2002, Medicine) had reached the final by defeating teams from King's College London, Oxford Brookes University, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and Newcastle University, amassing an astonishing 1,025 points along the way. But the St John's team, who had scored 970 points across the previous four rounds, proved to be their undoing.

Following last night's show, the Merton team had this to say:

"While we are of course disappointed to lose in the Final, we are extremely pleased to have made it this far. We were also warmed by the enormous amount of support we received from our friends, from College, and also from members of the public. St John's were a fantastic team who played exceptionally well in the Final, and were worthy winners.

"On the night the Final was shown, we were touched that so many people from College came along to watch it with us. With minutes to go until the broadcast, we had an unfortunate projector malfunction in the TS Eliot Theatre. The Warden came to the rescue, and graciously invited all of us into his house – it was a surreal sight to see close to a hundred students filing into the Warden’s Lodgings, and we managed to fill the sitting room and kitchen just in time for the opening theme music. This certainly made for an unorthodox (but unforgettable) viewing, and we are extremely grateful to Sir Martin and Lady Taylor for hosting us all. It was also a reminder to us of how fortunate we are to be part of such a close-knit academic community."