Victory for Liverpool as we head to quarter finals of University Challenge

After scraping past Sheffield in the previous round, we’ve only gone and bagged ourselves a place in the quarter finals. Unlucky Glasgow.

Liverpool’s top brains smashed Glasgow in last night’s University Challenge with 170 points to 105.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the team as host Paxman shot us down when the team hesitated over the war poetry round.

Unimpressed Paxman said: “These are some of the most famous poems of the First World War. You should know them.”

After a rather unconvincing win against Sheffield back in September, Paxo was surprised to see Liverpool win.

His parting words were: “You’re going to have to sharpen your act up a little bit you know, now you’re in the quarter finals.”

But Captain Declan Crew, 22, French Masters student Hugh Hiscock, 23, Astrophysics student, Ben Mawdsley, 21, and Tropical Disease Biology student Jem Davis, 21 pulled it out of the bag.

The fab four

When asked about his experience on the show, Mawdsley told The Tab: “The second round match felt more fun than the first one for me, the first one I spent staring blankly and not answering questions.

“I managed to listen this time though and do slightly better.”

Surprisingly, the team didn’t have a hardcore prep routine.

Ben added: “Prep was mainly just meet up for a beer and watching a few episodes, although we also went to a few pub quizzes.

“We tended to do worse on them than we did on University Challenge though…”

The winning team with the legendary Paxo himself

The competition has been running since 1963 with usual suspects Oxbridge always taking the final victory, but maybe this could be Liverpool’s year?

Ben continued: “Winning is a relief but then you realise you’re going to go through it all again.

“Although quarters aren’t straight knock out so might be more casual.

“Possibly even so casual we might wear something other than blue too.”

Finally, what we’re all DYING to know, what is Paxo really like?

“Paxo is friendlier backstage than he likes to let on to the camera,” said Ben.