25th February–Away to the Weavers

 

Again I am indebted to Bob for supplying details as I was again out of town - Nick

Tuesday we played at the newly refurbished Weavers in the newly foreshortened Thornton Square, no longer a vast, pitch-black, ankle-breaker car park, but a bright parking lot with some new-build adjacent. The pub itself has been changed just sufficiently to make it more homely, which was just what it needed. A bright, cosy atmosphere and a good selection of ales.  Perhaps this lulled the WGL into a false sense of security as it went steadily downhill from there...  The questions were OK - not an armadillo in sight, and the

Chester Road Tavern provided two great 'free' specialist rounds - "A colourful life" and "Trigger Points" - a good little tribute round to the great Roger Lloyd-Pack.

In Nick's absence, WGL were joined by Dave Jones who scored a creditable 18 points for us. The home team were welcoming, as were the butties, and Caroline, the QM hosted the quiz really well. But all this didn't stop the Lemmings going further and further behind until we were somewhat bemused that an enjoyable quiz had drifted into a thumping win by the Weavers of 196 points to 115.   A good quiz, we thought, but for us on the night a bad toss to lose.

We have decided not to mention that it was the opposition wot got the question "What great American Folk Singer died recently?" Yes, we know it was Pete Seeger, but what group did he play in for many years..... The Weavers!

18th Feb Away to the Knot ‘Arf

 

It is always a pleasure to head for Rushton Spencer to play either of their two teams and this was no exception. Much fun was had from the repetition in previous games of Trowbridge being the county town of Wiltshire (see comments from 28th January) that fuelled more humour with the evening’s questions – hedgehogs were flavour of the evening but the questions were fine, especially the Specialist although the Knot’s avid interest in cricket served them well.

At the end of the Specialist the Lemmings were trailing by just 5 points with 68 to 73 – not usually a problem as the General Knowledge is pretty good for the Lemmings and they were slowly making up the deficit until two disastrous rounds where they scored practically nothing at all and fell impossibly behind losing the General Knowledge with 60 to 110. Final score a great win for the ‘Arfs with 183 to 128.

Individual scores were Bob 18/12, Wendy 18/9, Nick 6/9, Tomo 18/6, conferred points 7/16, with pass-overs 1/8; the home team picked up pass-overs 4/13

A most enjoyable evening rounded off with generously filled sandwiches with chips – many thanks to the Knot, the ‘Arfs and the Dragons for interesting questions

11th Feb Away to The Ox-Fford

 

Nick was again out of town and his place was taken by Tony – Bob has been kind enough to send in the following report:

“ We played the Ox-fford, including Mark and got off to a very slow start - after round two it looked like we were in for a thrashing almost equal to Arsenal at Liverpool, but the ship steadied and we were only four points behind at the end of the specialists! Although Wendy's figures showed that at one stage we got within a point of them, we couldn't keep it up and they ran out winners by 146 to 123.  Another demonstration of us knowing a lot of the questions that they knew but it was like an Arab celebration - no Passovers! There was a "who am I" round which everybody seemed to enjoy, and I found my questions not too bad, but Tommo and Tony in particular, were not having much luck with their questions. The company was great, though we did have one complaint. They were selling Marstons' bitter for £2 a pint which we thought was a deliberate ploy on the part of the Ox-Fford team to lull us into a false sense of security. There was a large slice of humour to the match and we couldn't help but dwell for a moment on the fact that as soon as the floods hit the Thames Valley, including Windsor, Marlow, Eaton and other bastions of Tory heartland, the first thing the Prime Minister shouts is "Money's No Object". I wonder if he'd have said that if it was Sunderland? The whole quiz was excellently and entertainingly refereed by the Knot Know-All's, and rounded off with good butties! Thanks to the Ox-fford for hosting such a good evening.

Match stats:

Final score: Ox-fford 146.

Waters Green Lemmings 123.

Specialists: Ox-fford 57; WGL 53

GK:              ox-fford 89; WGL 70

Conferred: Ox-fford 33; WGL 17

Passed Over: Ox-fford 23.  WGL 7

Bob: 33

Wendy: 33

Tony: 12

Tommo: 21”

The questions have been unavoidably detained (stolen laptop) but are now available in a rather different format.

Thanks all

4th February–Away to The Dolphin

 

Revenge is mine; I will repay saith the Dolphin (with apologies to the King James version Romans 12:19)

In the first game after the Christmas break, Alan the question-master from the Dolphin had sworn to “leather” the Lemmings who had won the first round against the Dolphin, so it was with some trepidation that they headed up the hill to the pub safe only in the knowledge that the Robinson’s beer is one of the best (if not THE best)  in town.

On a serious note our opponents like a laugh and are good fun to play and this was no exception. It was a very pleasant game and the few quibbles about the questions or answers were resolved with good nature and laughter under the watchful eyes of the question masters from the British Flag.

It was one of those nights when the questions fell easily for some and were a real headache for others although as usual conferred questions served the Lemmings well. Some in particular stretched the rules a bit, in particular round 4 of the Specialist that were arithmetical (admittedly easy) but required two other answers as well (a glance at the round will make this clear). Nick suffered his usual problems with names (Van Eyck for Vermeer) and the whole team played an over-cautious game conferring questions only to confirm the original knee-jerk answer.

At the end of the Specialist the Lemmings were 10 points behind with 46 to 56 but hopes were undimmed as they have often picked up that many points in the General Knowledge – but it was not to be – the General Knowledge finished with equal scores of 82 and a final score of 128 to the Lemmings and 138 to the Dolphin.

Individual scores were Bob 18/18, Wendy 0/18, Nick 6/6 and Tomo 9/24; conferred points were 9/11 with 4/5 pass-overs whilst the Dolphin collected 8/10 pass-overs.

The evening ended with a supper of an outstanding cheese and potato pie with an excellent shortcrust pastry, a superb meat and potato pie and if that was not enough there were chips!! Thank you The Dolphin and the team for a very pleasant evening.

To sum up, revenge is a dish best served cold, but that supper steeled the Lemmings to face the dreadful rain and cold outside.

28th Jan CUP/PLATE Questionmasters

 

The Lemmings were questionmasters this week and Nick was out of town – however one or two comments on the questions have been passed as follows:

Dave P from the Harrington Academicals:

“Alain Prost did not win 4 consecutive F1 championships

Magical Mystery Tour was not released as an album until 1976 – it was originally a double EP

Matt Baker is a co presenter of Countryfile as well as the one show

We didn’t use the supplementary for who replaced Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes Team. They answered Peres and pointed out that it was the McLaren Mercedes team and he moved to Mercedes.”

Brian from the Knot ‘arfs suggested that some questions have been used so often they should be formally banned – Fred Perry in particular.

Vetting lessons for us all there!!

Two more late entries from anonymous in the comments:

And Stafford is on the river Sow.

And Sydney Opera House opened in 1973, not 1956

Nothing for the Armadillo trophy then??

21st Jan Home to the Dolphin Dragons

 

The first game of the second half of the season,the Lemmings once again faced the Dolphin Dragons – the first clash resulted in a draw so it was with some trepidation that the Lemmings gathered on the home turf.

The dragons play a relaxed and friendly game and we all looked forward to an enjoyable evening.

The Specialist questions started well with Arts and Culture but then some rather odd rounds were introduced including one on trains and  another on numbers – not particularly wrong but certainly did not suit the Lemmings, reflected in the uncharacteristic low scores. At the half-way stage the Lemmings were trailing by 61 to 46.

It was therefore with some relief that we turned to the General Knowledge questions – how wrong we were!! These seemed to have been written by a committee comprising a computer programmer, a maths teacher and a daytime TV fan with a primer in quiz questions – so much so that it seemed at times that questions had been written in an attempt to gain nomination for the armadillo trophy. As in the Specialist the very low scores(except for Tomo and Bob respectively)  reflect the level of the questions. At the end of the General Knowledge the Lemmings lost by a similar margin with 86 to 70 – final score 147 to 116

Individual scores were Bob 6/27, Wendy 3/12, Nick 6/9 and Tomo 15/9; conferred points were 14/6 and pass-overs 2/7. The Dragons picked up 4/9 pass-overs.

All questions were borne with good humour on both sides and the evening ended with an excellent selection of cheeses and French bread – many thanks to Brian and Stephen, and to the Dragons for helping us through a difficult evening assisted by Mark from the Ox-Fford who asked the questions with patience and good humour.

And finally I’m sure everyone who reads this will join me in wishing Mark Watson a very speedy recovery and return to full health.

14th Jan Away To The British Flag

 

The British Flag are old adversaries as we have had many clashes over the years but this was to be the first one in the A league.

There was the usual distraction as Macclesfield were playing Sheffield Wednesday in the replay of the FA cup, but the game was played in a comfortable room away from the screens .

The questions did not really suit the Lemmings’ interests (not that they should!) and by about the half-way mark of the Specialist rounds they were trailing by 15 points but they managed to pull themselves together and ended the Specialist with 53 to the Flag’s 57.

The Lemmings fared rather better in the General Knowledge with 88 to the Flag’s  70 with the game finishing 141 to the Flag’s 127.

Individual scores were Bob 9/18 Wendy 12/21 Nick 6/9 Tomo 6/21 conferred points were14/12 and pass-overs 6/7; the Flag picked up 5/9 pass-overs.

It was a friendly game with little worthy of comment (other than Macc losing 4-1) ending with a tasty selection of sandwiches. Many thanks to the British Flag and their team.

7th Jan Away to the Ox-Fford C

The first game after the Christmas break and after two weeks of intense eating and drinking the Lemmings managed to waddle to the Tavern and get a lift across town to the Ox-Fford, a pub that has seen some ups and downs during the economic crisis but now seems to have settled comfortably under new management. The pub still supports two quiz teams and other activities. It has always been a pub for football supporters so it was bound to be a noisy night as Manchester United were playing Sunderland.
I don’t think the Lemmings have ever played this team before so it was with some trepidation that they trooped onto the the Ox FFord C’s home turf. The game was played in a small back room in a very pleasant atmosphere presided over by Alan from the Dolphin with an ebullient style and occasional charade, in particular West Life’s Go West.
When the game was interrupted by a great cheer from the other bars following a goal from Sunderland, it became clear that the TV watchers were Man City fans, assuming Sunderland had not bussed fans into Macc. Sadly this was to be repeated following a very muted equaliser.
The questions were much to the Lemmings’ taste, two rounds in particular: Sport in which we were asked to identify certain international sporting venues and a round on the usually frowned-on capital letters and acronyms in which only the letter M was to be identified.
By the the end of the Specialist the Lemmings had stolen a slender lead of seven points with 67 to 60.
The General Knowledge were not quite as inventive but again suited the Lemmings’ interests. A very clever idea was to include a question to which the answer was an armadillo and the Lemmings did not get it!! There was just one mild issue when Alice gave the Polish name for Stettin and Nick was able to confirm this was right because in his days as an overseas telegraphist all telegrams had to begin with a handshake sequence of ZCZC and Szczcettin always caused a problem as the message kept starting again!!
The Lemmings won the GK 86 to 67 and the game finished 153 to 127.
Individual scores were Bob with a remarkable 15/24, Wendy 9/12, Nick 18/12 and Tomo 12/12; conferred points were 10/20 with 3/6 pass-overs. The Ox-Fford C picked up 4/5 pass-overs.
It was a most enjoyable game rounded off with a generous selection of sandwches and a quiche – another first!!!
The final flourish was when Alan the questionmaster recalled that the Lemmings had beaten his team in the first half of the season but that the next game they would leather us!! Bring it on!!!
Many thanks to the Ox-Fford and their team.

10th December–Home to the Knot Know-Alls

 

This was the last of the Lemmings’ long run of home games in the first half of the season. We were facing our co-promotees, the Knot Know-Alls who had kindly helped us out when we were short of a question master a couple of weeks ago. They are a very friendly group and it is always a joy to play them.

It was also a delight to welcome back to the fold our founder-member and captain Bob looking lean and fit after his jolly in the Everglades and with the expectation that we would enjoy a return to form with his reappearance. He certainly had not forgotten his old jokes,

We liked the questions very much and in fact gave the Specialist the highest score ever; the General Knowledge were not quite as good and there was some concern that a couple required two answers not just one – Nick in particular whined about this as he did not know the date of St Andrew’s Day but shares the starsign (Q62). But there’s always one!!!

The two teams were pretty evenly matched with the Lemmings edging ahead by just 5 points at the half-way stage, 63 to 58. The General Knowledge rounds are usually the Lemmings’ strong point and after a round of drinks returned confidently to the fray.

But it was not to be!! By now the ladies’ darts teams had arrived creating the usual noise problems and this combined with Nick’s whining led to the Lemmings being distracted as they ended the General Knowledge lagging by a shameful 20 points, 105 to 85.

Individual scores were Bob 9/18, Wendy 15/21, Nick 12/15 and Tomo 15/18; conferred points were 5/10 (very low for the Lemmings!) with 7/3 pass-overs whilst the visitors picked up 6/10 pass-overs. Final score victory to the Know-Alls with 163 to 148.

No complaints – they were the better team and fully deserved to win,

The evening finished with hot dogs and onions – a first for the Tavern!! Many thanks Stephen and Brian, and to the Know-Alls and the question master from the Knot-‘Arfs.

And finally, if anyone has got this far, a very merry Christmas to everyone associated with the Quiz League and their families, and may we all look forward to health and fun quizzing in 2014.

CUP ROUND 2–AWAY TO THE BATE TAVERNERS

 

As far as I know this is the first season that the Bate Hall has been in the Quiz League – and they now have two teams!!  Whilst this is a welcome development, it reflects a rather sad fact as both teams were formerly playing for the Plough that sadly now stands empty.

The Bate Hall has a long history having been built in 1525 and served as a coaching house.  There are several reminders of its past in and behind the building, such as a priest hole that sheltered itinerant Catholic priests after the Reformation, medieval walls and a magnificent Jacobean staircase behind the bar. The pub has had its ups and downs in recent years but is now in the hands of a very pleasant young couple who have set strict standards and made the Bate a very welcoming place – and the mannequin monk has been restored to its rightful place on the staircase.

Rosie the mascot was with us but Bob was still absent and Ken stepped in to fill the gap. The Bate Taverners are old friends that we have followed from the Cricket Club and The Plough – it is a pity the Plough has closed as it was always a very friendly pub with generous refreshments. The questions were wide-ranging covering science, fine art, history and much else and question masters were Shauna and Pete from the Park Tavern who controlled the game with a light touch.

The opening rounds were fairly close swinging from one team to the other (home team first 19/17, 18/11, 16/19) with the Bate six points ahead with 53 to 47 at half-time; things then picked up in the second half (17/10, 13/12 and 20/11) giving the home team victory by more than 20 points!!

The evening ended with chip butties – many thanks to the Bate’s new couple, to Shauna and Pete and of course the Bate Taverners for a most enjoyable evening.

November 26th Question Masters

 

It was the Lemmings’ turn to ask the questions this week and they were helped out by the Knot Knowalls who kindly supplied their own question master as the Lemmings only had three available. Greatly appreciated and many thanks to Mark for facilitating this.

All went smoothly and perhaps some of the criticisms that arose were due to a bit of a mix-up with the printing but no fights broke out and we move on to the next round of the Cup next week.

19th November - Stitched Up By The Weaver

 

Not in any malicious way, but the Lemmings’ recent success was brought to a shuddering halt.

The Lemmings got off to a bad start as Bob, founder-member and long-time quizzer was on holiday but Graeme manfully stepped in to play his first game in the Macc Pub Quiz League.

Perhaps it was the changing weather that dampens spirits but there was none of the usual banter and jokes that we have enjoyed so far in the A League.  Or maybe it was just Bob’s absence.

We liked the questions but felt perhaps the general knowledge were weakened by too many music questions. Nick as usual struggled with names, confusing Lana Turner with Rita Hayworth, Rhode Island with Long Island and perhaps most oddly using the mnenomic “Everard, shut that door” for Grayson Perry … and still getting it wrong.

This failing alone however cannot explain the scores for the evening, as at the end of the Specialist rounds the Weaver were leading with 79 points to the Lemmings’ 57; and with remarkable consistency they won the General Knowledge with 89 to 64 leaving a final score of 168 to 121.

Individual scores were Wendy 21/3, Tomo 9/24, Nick 15/15 and Graeme 3/3; conferred pints were 7/16 with 2/3 pass-overs. The Weavers collected 6/14 pass-overs, which alone tells a story.

The question master Alice controlled the game and timing very well with a light touch and sense of humour so we finished the game in record time, perhaps because there were no distractions from the ladies’ darts.

 

And yes, we have pour first nomination for the nine-banded armadillo trophy – see here.

The evening was rounded off with a selection of Brian’s home-cooked beef and ham sandwiches that were delicious – thank you Brian, Alice and the Weaver.

12th November–Home to the Knot ‘Arf

 

It was good to meet old adversaries again as we had hardly seen them since they were promoted to the A League some years ago. In that time they have gone through a couple of name changes as they were joined at The Staffordshire Knot by another team; the first name change was the Knot Originals but they have now reinvented themselves by adopting the unlikely DJ’s familiar saying “Not ‘arf” –  could have been worse, might have been “Alright? Stay bright” or even “Greetings pop pickers”!!

The banter we used to enjoy was still lively and Bob demonstrated that he can still remember his old jokes. Moreover the game was played with much generosity of spirit: whenever there was a doubt over an answer the Lemmings generously urged the question-master to give the visitors the points; in similar vein, the Knot ‘Arf generously accepted them.

The questions were very good, failing to get a nomination for the nine-banded armadilllo award whilst venturing into rarely seen areas in the quiz league.

There was little to choose in the Specialist questions the scores being very close at the end of each round – but, at the end of the Specialist the Not-‘Arfs had snatched a lead of 65 to 62, leaving the Lemmings grim-faced and determined.They fought back taking the General Knowledge 91 to 88 meaning that for the second time this season the Lemmings had got a draw with a final score of 153 each.

Individual scores were Bob 9/15, Wendy 12/21, Nick 9/9, Tomo 15/27, conferred 15/12, pass-overs 2/7; the visitors picked up 1/6 pass-overs.

Both Wendy and Tomo showed why they feature in the top ten scorers, Tomo in particular scoring a remarkable 42, a personal best he will struggle to beat.

It was a great evening rounded off with a selection of Brian’s home cooked beef, lamb and ham – thank you Brian and the Knot ‘Arfs for an excellent evening.

5th November–First round of the Cup

 

For the first round of the Cup/Plate the Lemmings were away to The Lamb. This is a beautiful pub in the village of Sutton just on the edge of the Cheshire hills that stretch over to the moors of Derbyshire – wonderful countryside! At one time it was in danger of closure but was taken over by Marshall who played for the local pub quiz team since which time the pub has changed considerably, having been completely refurbished both internally and externally providing a very warm and welcoming hostelry with a quiz team we have known in various forms for many years.

The Lemmings arrived a little early and grabbed the first available reserved table – not realising that it was the traditional table for the home team and unconsciously stealing a psychological advantage; this was given an extra boost when the Lamb explained that one of their team was unavoidable detained and would not be able to appear until about 10 past – the Lemmings had no problem with postponing the start but as the missing player had still not appeared after about 15 minutes the game had to start with the home team at a numerical disadvantage (and on the wrong table!!).

The questions were well balanced and there was little to choose between the teams for the early rounds, the Lemmings managing to cling to a slight advantage scores being (home team first);

14/18, 11/16, 14/16, 21/16, 16/16 and 13/15 giving a final score of 89 to 97 in favour of the Lemmings – the change in the Lamb’s fortunes in the latter rounds can probably be attributed to the eventual arrival of the team’s missing member.

Only one question (q4) raised some difficulty that was resolved in a very sporting manner (the questions showed the wrong answer as all agreed) reflecting the good humour that dominated the game. The pretty good scores show the consistency of the questions although Nick did struggle over the difference between a lakh and a crore.

The evening was rounded off with a fine selection of very tasty sandwiches and chips – many thanks to Marshall and the team for a most enjoyable evening.

29th October–Home to the Ox-Fford

 

A second home game this time against the Ox-Fford, a team with a daunting reputation in the A League usually featuring in the top two positions and top scorers. But heh!! The Lemmings haven’t lost a game!! And of course we had Rosie our mascot.

Both sets of questions had been set by our fellow promotees the Knot Know-Alls  and showed some new ideas, especially the round on The Cabinet.

The question masters were fortunate they were not in competition with the Ladies Darts this week and everyone could hear the questions clearly.

It was a good-humoured game but there was nothing causing outrageous laughter worth reporting.

At the half-way point the Lemmings were trailing with 47 points to 66 but faced up to recouping some ground in the General Knowledge.

But it was not to be as they lost with 81 points to 89 – but the whole team scored well consistently and there is no shame to losing to the Ox-Fford.

Individual scores were Bob 6/15, Wendy 6/18, Nick 12/15 and Tomo 12/18; conferred points were 7/10 and pass-overs 4/5 – the visitors picked up 13/14 pass-overs.

Final score 155 to the Ox-Fford and 128 to the Lemmings. An interesting point is the number of pass-overs – obviously the Lemmings picked up very few but the Ox-Fford collected a total of 27 perhaps reflecting a new tactic of the Lemmings.

Rosie’s collar remained motionless all night!

The evening was rounded off with a fine chicken curry by Brian with pulao rice and nan – thank you Brian, the Ox-Fford for an excellent game and the Knot Know-Alls for a good set of questions.

22nd October–home to The Dolphin

After a nerve-racking game against the Dolphin Dragons last week the Lemmings were facing their sister team The Dolphin in the first of a run of home games. Yet despite the formidable reputation of the visitors, the Lemmings were unfazed as once again we had our trusty mascot Rosie complete with flashing collar, and as that great quizzer in the sky Alexander Pope has said “Hope springs eternal”.

The questions were well balanced but there was perhaps an over-emphasis on celebrity game shows and a question on how many prime ministers had served in the 20th century drew criticism as even if one could count a mental list there was insufficient time to do so.

The question master from the British Flag put in a sterling performance despite considerable opposition from the amazonian ladies’ darts teams (not pictured,) remaining unflustered despite the noise.

The Lemmings remained disciplined throwing nothing away and Wendy in particular startled us all several times by dragging something from the deepest recesses of her skull when all others hadn’t a clue!!Even so, it came as something of a surprise at the half-way stage to find that it was level pegging with 49 each – Rosie’s collar blinked!!

The General Knowledge questions were very varied ranging from mythology to advertising slogans via London statues testing a wide range of knowledge that seemed to reflect the Lemmings’ interests.

Scores for the evening were Bob 9/18 Wendy 15/9  Nick 6/15 Tomo 6/18 Conferred 9/13 Pass-overs 4/12.

Scores for the General Knowledge were 85 to 71 in the Lemmings’ favour, final score being 134 to 120. Rosie’s collar was spinning!!

It was a very pleasant game, not taken too seriously, rounded off with a fine selection of cheeses with biscuits and warm baguettes.

Thank you Brian, the Dolphin and well done the question master.

And finally we are proud to introduce the trophy for the nine-banded armadillo award although there are as yet no nominations.

NEW SEASON – NEW NAME

 

At the end of the last season, the Phoenix had achieved their long-held goal of rising from the ashes of the B League into the celestial heights of the A League – which means that their name no longer had any relevance and a new one was called for, more in keeping with their prospects in the new season.

After much deliberation the team decided on another beast who’s activities have often been misunderstood but do seem to presage the future.

So it was with much trepidation that the team headed for the Dolphin for the first game of the season. The pub has recently had a complete refurbishment and is now much brighter whilst retaining its very friendly atmosphere, and the Dolphin Dragons team has been sitting comfortably in the A League for many years. It is also one of the most reliable of the town’s pubs for the quality of the beer (Robinsons).

There was a bit of a query about allowing our sole mascot Rosie into the pub but we eventually resolved that and she did us proud, sporting her new flashing collar.

The questions had been set by the Ox-Fford and were very well received with both teams scoring well and never separated by more than three points as the game edged towards a tense last round with good humour and banter. As was to be expected in the A League there were relatively few pass-overs.

Individual scores were Bob 6/27, Wendy 12/27, Nicki 15/21 and Tomo 15/21 with conferred points 9/10 and pass-overs 6/5. The final score 174 each – a draw!!!

On reflection, some tactical errors cost the Lemmings a win, in particular Nick’s culinary pedantry about the ingredients of a vindaloo cost a valuable point.

Special mention must be made of the quizmaster Paul Morrisey who kept the quiz rolling along with a deft hand and good humour and made the evening such a pleasant one, rounded off with a generous dish of chicken curry with real chips.

Many thanks to Paul, the Dolphin pub and the Dragons for a great quiz evening

A New Season

 

The cool mists of autumn are edging the eccentric days of summer into cloudy memories of floods, heatwaves, holidays and political demonstrations.

Among the memories is the annual party hosted by the Waters Green Phoenix that started as a celebration when they were promoted to the A League many years ago attended by the team, substitutes and partners/wives; the next year was a bit larger when the team were relegated back to the B League and has grown every year since until now about 70 attend. The Phoenix have now again been promoted so next year’s will celebrate relegation as the team name has been changed to the Lemmings.

As usual the season began with the Plate Final, this time between the Plough Taverners and the Park Taverners who faced a varied collection of questions in a very closely fought battle. For the first few rounds the Park edged it with slight margins so there was a difference of 10 points at the half-way point. But the Plough fought back so that with just ten questions left the scores were dead level and the teams matched each other blow for – in the end it was question 119 that decided the issue and the mighty Plough won with 81 to 79. It was a great contest!!

The final was followed by the AGM which as usual took about 10 minutes as the Executive and excellent secretary had done most of the spade work – details will appear in News and Views – see the link at right.

Onwards to a new season!!

THE FINAL CURTAIN

 

April 16th saw the last gasp of the season with the Cup Final between the Ox-Fford and the Harrington Academicals. This will covered in more depth in News And Views but the questions have been posted – they were very good indeed.

Duncan Disorderley will be penning some thoughts on the season that will be published when available.

March 19th–Season’s Last Game

 

News and Views has already pointed out how close the situation is in the B League with several permutations of promotion and relegation being possible depending on the results of this the last game of the season.

The Phoenix were playing the Nag’s Head, a Robinson’s pub with a delightful interior and with a better selection of beer than the usual Robbies; as well as the usual, there was Dizzy Blonde a tasty light beer, and Frederics a ruby red ale named after the founder and celebrating 175 years of brewing in Stockport.

The team are old friends from over the years who have had more success than the Phoenix in short-term promotion to the A League and were sure to be a tough team to beat.

The questions were something of a mixed bag, the Specialist in particular being difficult if not obscure and perhaps one or two will make it into the new blog being a hall of shame for obscure questions. At the end of the Specialist the score was 40 to the Nags to just 37 to the Phoenix’

A special mention must be made of the question master from the Knot Know Alls who was clearly inexperienced but controlled a game that had a lot resting on it and in which the tension broke through from time to time. Nevertheless the game was played in good humour with friendly banter. The General Knowledge rounds ended with 63 to the Nags and 76 to the Phoenix.

The tactic of the Phoenix is plain to see from the scores below – at the cost of individual glory they made sure that they answered almost all of their questions:

Bob 3/15, Wendy 3/12, Nick 6/6 and Tomo 9/15; conferred points were 11/18 with 5/10 pass-overs. The Nags picked up 9/9 pas-overs.  Final score 103 to the Nags, 113 to the Phoenix.

The evening ended with a magnificent supper of a choice of sweet and sour chicken or piri piri chicken with chips and bread and butter. Many thanks to the Nags for their hospitality, to the team for their good humour and to the Knot Know Alls for their control of the game.

The end of a great season that sees the Phoenix top of the League and heading for the A League.