Results & Match Reports

Quite a lot to report this week - first the results:

• Fifth Finger ran out fairly comfortable winners over Albert who could not turn last week's victory into a run.  'Finger' Kieran writes:

"Not the highest scoring or easiest paper but I guess fair to both teams.  I've just discovered devastating and secret news - Martin's not available in two weeks when we play the History Men. That's like Alan Shearer being ruled out for the United or Arsenal game. I don't fancy our chances. We are also at home so we may be one short."

• Ethel Rodin scored a famous victory over the History Men in what must have been a very tense derby match at the Red.  This is the Historians' first defeat of the campaign and the first slip by any of our top 3 teams.  Ivor writes from the Historic engine room:

"Weighed in the balance and found wanting!  Half time score was 20-11 in favour of Ethel Rodin and although we pulled back to 30-28 at end of round 7 we then got 0 in round 8 to Ethel's 7.  This is our first defeat at the hands of Ethel Rodin/Dr ONeil.  No excuses - we didn't know enough answers."

• Opsimaths continued their climb back by edging past the Pigs at the Fletcher Moss

• Stumped bowled over the Park at the Albert Club.  'Keeper' Copland writes:

"Luckily, we all had a sense of humour.  Some of the gripes voiced by both teams:

• Quite a few questions were impossible for both sides

• Some were too long

• One team got all the pictures

• One player (Roger, fortunately) got all the pop music."

• St Caths kept up their storming form by beating the Brains of Oak.  St Caths now go clear at the top and seats are already selling like hotcakes for their January 14th clash with the Fingermen at the Griffin

Quiz Paper Verdict

Questions came courtesy of Snoopy's Friends.  Average aggregate score for the 5 matches this week was 57.6, with actual aggregates varying from 50 (St Caths/Brains) to 65 (Ethel/History Men).  Clearly the scores were low and this echoes some iffy feedback (see above).  The colour theme was fine in concept and gave plenty of scope for a variety of questions (though an awful lot seemed to be literary) but dropping a 'violet' question, for instance, in a round that had hitherto been totally red was a bit naughty.  On the positive side, despite the low scoring, we did find quite a lot to debate in our many team 'confers' so we did find most of the questions interesting.

The Question of the Week

My vote for Question of the Week goes to (Round 8 Q5):

What is a Golden Number used for?

Click here for the answer to this and all the other questions and answers from this week.

Chatterbox

After our game at the Fletcher Moss we had an interesting debate with the Pigs about quiz etiquette.  I have always noted how disciplined the Pigs are in not allowing any verbal or written communication between the 'non-questionees' until the 'questionee' indicates a willingness to confer.  This means that there is no pooled indication to the 'questionee' of the certainty of the others knowing the answer - only individual views (shown by finger signals).  I know others follow the same code (e.g. St Caths).  In contrast the Opsimaths and the History Men (to name but two) allow 'non-questionees' to confer privately so that the 'questionee' does get a pooled view from the others of the confidence that an answer is known.  I think the Pigs' code is probably the fairer though it does lead to more time spent in conflab once the 'questionee' decides to confer.  Perhaps the best practice is to bow to the preference of the home team in these matters.  Any other views on this one?

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I don't know how many of you glance at the question papers on the website after the event.  You are probably aware, though, that we now have all the papers for the past 2 and a bit seasons archived away on the site (66 papers and approximately 4750 questions and answers).  I do know that a number of people have come to Withquiz to feed their appetite for quizzing (sometimes to bamboozle their work colleagues, sometimes just for personal challenge) and also that our questions are providing input to question-setters for other quiz leagues and competitions.

When I first started putting the papers up on the site (via a combination of text scanning, text interpreting and manual editing) I placed the answers after each question (as they normally appear on the actual papers distributed).  After a few weeks some commented that listing all the answers after all the questions would be more user-friendly.  This way you could challenge yourself without having the answer staring you in the face.  Further comments recently have noted that other quiz sites list each answer straight after the question to which it relates but arrange it so that the answer only appears if the mouse is dragged over the space containing the answer.  This way you can please all requirements.  I have now converted this season's papers to appear thus (though previous season's papers will remain in the old style).  You will note that should you print the page containing the paper the answers appear normally.  I hope this is more convenient to more of you.  It is actually easier for me to enter the papers this way - so I'm quite content!  Do let me have your comments on this change in style.

One further reminder of the quiz sites with whom we are paired - useful for getting inspiration for questions when you are on question-setting duty:

·      http://www.stan.kurowski.btinternet.co.uk/quizzes.html

which publishes results, quiz papers etc for the weekly quiz at The Pear Tree pub in Hadfield

and

·      http://mysite.freeserve.com/Quiztime2003

·      http://mysite.freeserve.com/QUIZERAMA2003

both of which are managed by a chap called Chris Mills.

Fr Megson

A Philosopher Writes

A Chairde,

Fr. Megson can be with us in spirit only this week as his more corporeal entity got struck by a bolt of meringue on the steps of St. Kathleens last night whilst remonstrating with His Eminence Grise, Cardinal Snoopy about the alleged superiority of Wittgenstein didactic over the far more Hegelian Thomas Aquinas school of thought (and woodwork up to GCSE standard).  Things got even more arcane inside as the questions were unfurled in a kaleidoscope of various hues matched only by the colourfully explosive language of those unfortunate participants who were unable to reach the fire escapes.  Truly unforgettable questions but then again Europe still has difficulty forgetting the Black Death!  Why, oh why, oh why, were there so many questions about Rainbows and no mention whatsoever of Zippy and his gay paramour George.  What a Bungle, Mr. Snoopy!

And why have Partick Thistle sacked Fr.Megson's ex-best friend and amanuensis (don't you ever wonder what Sylvia Kristell is doing these days?) Gerry Collins?  OK so they only had 2 points in the Scottish Premier League and OK it was beginning to seem unlikely that they would overhaul Celtic at the top of the tree but surely 2 points is not all that bad.  In our league it would probably be enough to guarantee you mid-table mediocrity.  I wonder if he will come down south to manage a top post office or maybe even City?  Who knows?  Nobody knows.  Which brings me nicely back to last night.  What a vicious circle life can be.

Emanuelle Kant