Oxford hat-trick is sweet revenge

Memories of its Boat Race humiliation may be fresh in their minds, but last night Oxford got its revenge over Cambridge when a team from Magdalen College won the final of University Challenge - and immediately earned itself a place in the history books.

After pitting their wits against Gonville and Caius on subjects ranging from classical architecture to Big Brother, Magdalen became the first educational institution in the programme's 40-year history to win the final three times.

Magdalen team captain Freya McClements, 23, said: "It was quite amazing. To win University Challenge is something I dreamed about. But you don't think it's actually going to happen.

"Paxman said there were three minutes to go and I was thinking 'Wow! We might win this. Then the gong went and I could not believe it. We'd won! It was wonderful'."

Magdalen got off to a good start when a wrong answer put Caius on minus five points and Oxford stormed off to an early lead. The Cambridge team slowly closed the gap until both teams were on 65, but never managed to overtake.

With three and a half minutes to go there was everything to play for, with Magdalen on 165 and Caius on 130. But Magdalen maintained their lead and when the gong went the final score was 190-160.

"It was very close," said Ms McClements. "We got the first two questions right. Then Gonville and Caius were right back in it. We were never able to relax.

"There was one question I will always remember. Paxman started to read out a starter question about some economic grouping in the former Russian states.

"He wanted to know the countries that made up this group, GUUAM. I started guessing - Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Moldova - and somehow blundered my way through and got them right. I had no idea!

"It had always been my aim to win University Challenge. It was something I deliberately set out to do. I said to the team 'If we are going to do this we are going to do it to win'. But at the same time there were so many imponderables, so many good teams out there. You might have a bad time."