Kieran reports a classic result on a less than classic paper

The Space Mutts v Auguste's little sister; a game for the ages played on a paper from the dark ages. This rivalry (almost) always comes down to the last question as it did tonight.  It is ever thrilling and exhausting and played really hard but scrupulously fairly.  All of that was true of tonight's contest but, dear God, against any other opponent this would have been a miserable evening. 

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(R7/Q8)

The Historymen were even-handed in doling out the dolour; twos, conferreds, bonuses and unanswereds (of which there were 14) were the same for both sides.  At one point we led by nine but this had been reduced to four halfway through the final round.  Then Ethel picked up a two and a bonus to leave the margin at a single point with the last two questions to come.  Of course it was; that's just what is pre-ordained. Neither Greg nor I are entirely joking when we say that we should just cut to the final pair whenever we play each other and decide the game that way.  Tonight that would have saved us a couple of hours of tedium and rising blood pressure.  We didn't know the answer to my final question - whatever it was I've already forgotten -  but thankfully neither did Ethel.  Greg needed a two to win and one to draw.  He knew Phnom Penh (of course he did) but he opted for discretion rather than valour and yet another CKC/Ethel dogfight ended in the only fair and fitting result.  

(R6/Q7)

Highlights?  Hmm that's difficult. The 'Hey Arnold!' question displayed some wit and invention and would have been fairly decent had either team heard of the show concerned.  I was very pleased to pull Three Dog Night out of some half remembered sixties music education.  I was there in the sixties in that I was alive but I don't remember much of it because I was only ten when they ended (depending on when you define the sixties as ending - I'm using dates).  Mind expansion by chemical means came much, much later.  Also I penned a shamefully nerdy list of all the Winter Olympic host cities I could think of whereby we arrived at the answer which was the obviously correct one the instant the question was asked.

If David had been listening when, in a Two Ronnies tribute, we said Colin Pitchfork to the question before the one to which he was the correct answer, then we'd have scored an extra point.  But in that case Greg would have gone for, and got, the two for Phnom Penh.  Ethel were also really unlucky with Tempest rather than Professor T. but them's the breaks.

(R3/Q3)

The competition was, as ever, so intense that there wasn't much banter between the teams while the game was still going on.  James, rather sweetly, pretended he didn't think Labour were going to get wiped out next week in Gorton and Denton.  It was touchingly loyal; we decided not to face him with the cold reality of the inevitable hammering.   

So after our car crash start to the season we've won five and drawn two in the league and a top four finish is still a realistic aim.  Prodigals next week though; I'll get back to you on those final league placing hopes.   

A great contest, a far from great evening and a paper I'd never wish to revisit. Draws aren't so bad; I'm off to polish my Rob Edwards/Tom Edozie shrine.