Manchester reaches semi finals of University Challenge

11 Mar 2014

The University of Manchester is now only two wins away from what would be an unprecedented third successive University Challenge title.

In the quarter-final match broadcast on BBC2 last night, this year's quartet comfortably defeated the University of Southampton 200-80 and became the ninth successive Manchester team to reach at least the semi-finals of the long-running quiz show.

The team has made it to the last four with wins over Brasenose College, Oxford, Queens' College, Cambridge, and Cardiff University, as well as last night's victory against Southampton. Their only setback was a single defeat in the extended quarter-final stage, by 285-205 against Trinity College, Cambridge.

The current quartet are following in the footsteps of Manchester's victorious teams in the 2012 and 2013 series, both of whom also lost a match at the quarter-final stage before going on to take the series title. Manchester's semi-final is scheduled to be broadcast on BBC2 at 8pm on Monday, 24 March.