Date: Saturday 15th June 2024
Venue: St Clement’s Centre, Cross St, Oxford OX4 1DA (map)
Admission: £12 (by PayPal or Monzo)
Start time: Doors open 10:15 for an 11am start, please arrive by 10:50am
Finish time: 6pm
Hosted by: Darren Godfrey
Games to be played: 7 plus 3rd / 4th Place playoff and Grand Final (see Format below)
Wheelchair accessible?: Yes

June 2024 will see the city of dreaming spires welcome Countdown enthusiasts from far and wide, as part of a jam-packed FOCAL calendar. Join Darren, your friendly neighbourhood baldy, for some fun with letters, numbers and conundrums!

Format

Rather than come up with a zany new Oxford format, we’ll go with the classic Lincoln-style. 3 to a table, with a random draw for the first round of games. We’ll have three rounds (two before lunch, one after), with the latter two rounds drawn based on the league table.

However, to put a little spin on it, we will then have two 9-round Bristol-style semi-finals (1st v 4th, 2nd v 3rd) played simultaneously to decide who will contest the 15-round final. At the same time, everyone else will get to play one last game, against the person next to them in the standings wherever possible (as we want to try and reduce the number of rematches). Depending on timings, we’ll then have the 3rd / 4th-place play-off, before our Grand Final!

During the lunch break, we will head to a nearby park for a little kickaround (weather-permitting).

Timetable

Doors open: 10:15am
First round draw: 10:50am
First round: 11am – 11:50am
Second round: 12pm – 12:50pm
Lunch and Kickabout: 1pm – 2:15pm
Third round: 2:20pm – 3:10pm
Cake break: 3:15pm – 3:30pm
Semi-final / Bonus ‘Bristol-Style’ game: 3:30pm – 4:15pm
Grand Final: 4:30pm – 5:15pm
Prizegiving: 5:15pm – 5:30pm

Feeding & Watering

There will be a small kitchen available for making beverages, filling water bottles and the like. We will have the main hall for the event, and while some of the other smaller rooms at the Centre may also be booked on the day, this should not interfere with our event.

There are a number of shops and well-known fast food chains a 5-10 minute walk from the venue for folks to grab a bite at lunchtime. Snacks will also be provided during the day.

I have booked a table at Yeti for our post-event meal. After this, we will head to a nearby pub for some post-dinner drinks and merriment. For those interested in football, we’ll try to find somewhere where it’ll be possible to watch Italy v Albania.

Logistics

Located just outside of the city centre, the venue is a short bus ride away from Oxford rail station and Gloucester Green bus station. If you’d prefer to drive, there are a number of parking spaces available at the Centre. Or if you’d prefer, you can park at Redbridge Park and Ride, and take a bus from there.

Accommodation

There are numerous hotels within easy reach of the venue and city centre.

The Premier Inn Oxford Cowley Hotel is a short walk and bus ride from the venue, while the Ramada Oxford M40 and the Travelodges at Peartree, Wheatley and Abingdon Road are relatively close, decent and shouldn’t break the bank.

Making a weekend of it

For those who are planning to travel in on the Friday, and would like to meet up, we can head here for a bite to eat and a few drinks. There is also the option to find a pub somewhere showing the footy – Euro 2024 kicks off that Friday evening, with Germany playing Scotland!

Depending on the weather, possible options for the Sunday are:

– Punting on the Thames
– A walk and possible kickabout in one of the University parks
– A trip to the Castle area (there’s a prison, and a hill to climb – more interesting than I’m making it sound)
– Junkyard golf

There are also some cool museums and other things if we’re forced indoors.

What’s Next?

Sound like your cup of tea? Splendid. Fire over £12 via one of the links below (or if you need an alternative way to pay, drop us an email) and I’ll add you to the list.

Paypal
Monzo (Bank Transfer)

One last thing…

June 15th, 2024 will be Darren’s 43rd birthday.

Since 43 is somewhat overly ambitious for entrants, and 4×3=12, let’s say that the person who finishes 12th will have their entry fee refunded. There will also be cake.

We look forward to welcoming you to CO:OX in the new year!

NOTE: All event organisers and attendees are bound by the FOCAL Code of Conduct

Last updated 02/06/2024