TWO clever girls from Chester have been challenged by the country’s top quizmasters.
Former Bishops’ Blue Coat CE High School and Sir John Deane’s College student Rebecca Woods faced the unforgiving Jeremy Paxman on BBC2’s University Challenge on Monday night, just two months after Nina Featherston, a former pupil at Chester Catholic High School, found herself in the same position.
Rebecca, who is studying for a Masters degree in psycholinguistics, was captain of the University of York team that lost to New College Oxford, who will now go forward to the quarter finals.
Nina, who is reading Spanish and Russian at Jesus College, Cambridge faced Imperial College, London in an equally challenging episode which saw her team lose 80 points to 200.
Less than two weeks later Nina found herself in the iconic Mastermind black chair answering questions from quizmaster John Humphreys on rock band Guns ’n’ Roses.
She said: “At my interview , I was informed that my chosen specialist subject, Father Ted, had been done before, and the TV series Entourage was too obscure so I was left with Guns ’n’ Roses!” Following a successful general knowledge round Nina ended the contest in second place with 25 points.
Both headteachers were full of praise for their pupils. Catholic High’s John Murray said: “Nina is an absolute gem of a student. She has always aimed high and it was lovely to see her on the television, but we will always think of her as a brilliant and dedicated linguist.”
Justin Blakebrough, of Bishops’, said: “Rebecca was an outstanding student in everything she did. She was bright and articulate and impressed all staff who worked with her.”
