13th March–Home to The Park Taverners

 

Back to full strength this week – including Rosie!! Our opponents are old friends but it was disappointing to find that they were having to play with only three members. On the last occasion we were soundly beaten and we would have preferred to start with a level playing field. This was of particular importance as the Phoenix were clinging on to second place by the skin of their teeth from the Park Taverners and Church House Bollington both having equal points and separated by “goal difference” but with a game in hand.

Tradition was always that the place of a missing player would  be taken by an ashtray, but of course since the smoking ban they are hard to find and the hapless question master had to refer to absent friends.

Special mention must be made of the question master as it was the first time he had ever done it and he also had to control timekeeping which he carried off with considerable aplomb.

The questions had a fair sprinkling of river questions that seemed to excite Graham from the Park and they were very good indeed – I think we marked them the highest of the season. Bob and Tomo both had great runs in the general knowledge. At the end of the Specialist the Phoenix had nosed ahead with 47 to 37 and the General Knowledge finished at 88 to 62, final score being 135 to 99.

Individual scores were Bob 9/24, Wendy 3/9, Nick 9/9 and Tomo 6/21; conferred points were 17/12 with 3/13 passovers. The Park picked up 3/7 passovers.

It was a very relaxed game with lots of laughter and jokes, and Nick said it was the most enjoyable game he had played that season. Brian rounded off the evening with a magnificent chicken casserole. Thanks to Brian, the Park Taverners and the question master for a most enjoyable evening.