Corpus Christi triumphs in University Challenge
24 Feb 09
A team from Oxford’s Corpus Christi College has won this year’s University Challenge, beating Manchester University by 275 points to 190 in the television quiz.
The team was made up of captain Gail Trimble plus Lauren Schwartzman, Sam Kay and James Marsden.
Gail has become an instant household name after scoring two-thirds of the team’s 1200 points on the way to the final. Since the win, she has been inundated with requests for interviews and even photo shoots.
The poet Wendy Cope presented Latin scholar Gail with the winners’ trophy, at 2009’s Grand Final. Asked what she would do next, Gail said she was working on her doctorate in philosophy. She said: ‘I'm coming towards the end of it, finishing within the next year, then an academic job, hopefully. That's what I want to do.’
This was the second time that Corpus Christi has triumphed in the show, presented by Jeremy Paxman. They took the title in 2005, and this year’s runners up Manchester were champions the following year. The college was founded in the early 16th Century.
Tim Lankester, President of Corpus Christi, said: 'Corpus is delighted with its second University Challenge victory in four years. With fewer than 400 students to choose from, this is no mean feat. Gail Trimble was of course superb and the rest of the team - James Marsden, Lauren Schwartzman and Sam Kay - did exceptionally well, too.
'Congratulations have been pouring in from old members of the College from all over the world, and the fellowship and student body are exceedingly proud of the team's success. We also congratulate Manchester for their fine performance in the Final - the more so since one of their team - Henry Pertinez - was an undergraduate at Corpus.'
The Corpus Christi team played in five matches during the six-month competition. Their wins included beating Exeter University in the quarter finals, when they scored 350 point and their opponents only managed 15 – the lowest score since 1972.