SPW (with a week off on setting duties) lose their top spot to the Charabancs on score difference - Snoopy's keep up their challenge

The Results

Charabancs of Fire enjoyed a comfortable home win over the Getaways - Damian writes:

"The most startling occurrence of the evening was the tray that the barmaid provided for us to transport our rounds from bar to table (we never knew they possessed such things at the Stadium of Murk)"

Snoopy's Friends kept up their charge to the top beating X-Pats at the Didsbury

Electric Pigs managed their first victory since the opening match of the season, winning the Fletcher Moss derby against Albert

History Men lost at home in a close encounter with last week's setters Ethel Rodin - Ivor writes:

"A game where the lead between the teams oscillated like a sine curve.  We went into round 8 at 31 all with Ethel getting to the winning post with a flurry of 2s.  The Historymen’s poor run continues….it’s not as if we are not trying."

TMTCH fought Opsimaths to a standstill in the second half (20 all) but by then it was already a lost cause since the Badly Hung Boys had slipped to a 20 point deficit in the first half

The Paper

SPW set this week.  Bumper scorelines all round with the Opsimaths posting a record (for them, anyway) 50 points .  "A most enjoyable quiz" was the general verdict of the Opsimaths and TMTCH.  Fresh from the Parrswood Opsimath 'Owl writes:

"There may have been a change of name but this was a typical Napier Girls quiz  – somewhat reminiscent of George Foreman rumbling in the jungle with Ali … by that I mean that the questions were straightforward and much less rambling that some of the other setters' efforts – but they still hurt when an incorrect answer connected!

Opsimaths scored more 2-pointers (16) than in any of their previous 34 matches - so the clear implication is that as a team we model ourselves on Ali (except Mike, of course – who models himself on Cassius Clay)." 

Not quite such universal praise from the Red.  Ivor comments (including a  revelation about the CANny Round 1 in last week's paper):

"Neither side succeeded in identifying the mountains (Tim was QM and was most disgusted at such poor orological knowledge) but the Mount Everest picture made it look as if you could amble up the tourist route in a few hours and Mont Blanc barely looked like a hill.

Historymen think that a theme round should be announced before, rather than after, the round otherwise it generates a “who gives a ****” comment since it neither helps with the answer nor can one normally be bothered to back track and marvel at the ingenuity with which it was executed.  This is a shame since apparently Ethel executed a brilliant 'hidden theme' round last week with Round 1.  It seems that it had been a celebration of World Toilet Day (Humphrey BOGgart, WC Fields, sLAVonic dances etc).  Now this has been pointed out, we applaud Ms Rodin's genius!!"

...and from the White Swan Damian sums up:

"SPW's questions were a fairly well-mixed assortment.  Nothing to get too excited about but nothing too perplexing either.  The consensus was that it was a fair quiz although we had our suspicions that the Chefs theme from Round 6 had been set rather recently."

Gary from the Pigs thought last night's paper was excellent value but does share Ivor's concern that if a theme is not signposted at the start of the round there is a strong chance that the fun of tracking down the theme is missed altogether.  There were two 'hidden theme' rounds last night where there was no mention of a theme at the start of the round.  Had it not been for the foresight of our QM at the Parrswood we would have missed the point of the round - and I guess the same was true for the Pigs and Albert at the Fletcher Moss.

The Question of the Week

This week the History Men, the Charabancs and Snoopy's all go for the Spares Round Question 6:

Which Manchester band boasts a tribute act called Arse?

For the answer to this and all the week's questions click here.

Chatterbox

Due to popular request I have altered one of the WithQuiz venue icons on the website.

You will have noticed that, in the absence of any pictures of the White Swan on the internet (or anywhere else for all I know), I have used a picture of a pristine white swan gliding down river to symbolise our favourite Ladybarn nightspot.  Well it was felt that the floater pictured is too white to do justice to the real White Swan.  I have therefore used a bit of wizardry to murk it up.  Should the rededorating plans Damian mentioned last week come to fruition, I may feel free to unmurk it.