Chunky (from Stockport), plus the Smoke Fairies, the Bards and the Opsimaths from our own league, go through to the WIST Semis

Electric Pigs lost to Chunky though, according to Andrew, they did get the better of their opponents in the final round - just not the preceding 5.  It was, he says, a thoroughly enjoyable evening beautifully QMed by Anne-Marie.

The Bards beat The Traveller's Call.  Tony reports in:

"We were very pleased that James had not put a hex on us last night.  Our guests were a very strong team - certainly no pushover.  They are undefeated in their own league and deservedly so.  We had a friendly and convivial evening and enjoyed both parts of the paper."

The Alexandra lost to The Smoke Fairies in the only match played over the river.

The Opsimaths beat The Star in the back room of the Albert Club.  Although the match was scheduled as a home game for the Stockport team, they had asked to play at the Club as their own watering hole was undergoing refurbishment - a word yet to reach deepest Ladybarn - and now maybe it never will.

This week's paper was set by The Men They Couldn't Hang.  Brilliant!  I can't imagine a better advertisement for the way the question-setting in our league has advanced over the years.  Thanks, Dave (for I'm pretty confident this paper was your own concoction).  Tony adds:

"Dave is to be congratulated on a very searching, interesting and pleasing quiz.  As, Mike has said, it was a credit to our quiz league.  The logo on the cover of the questions was suitably sinister.  One minor criticism: it was an American noose, as imagined by Hollywood for wild west movies and nothing like the real thing as used by Albert Pierrepoint! (Ed: ...and Tony should know.  I would advise against arguing this point, Dave).

We endorse the choice of QotW shown below.  We had a very strict question master in Eric, aided and abetted by scorer/timekeeper Dom. They would not give us the points for saying: 'Expansion of the Universe' instead of 'Hubble's Constant', which I think impressed our visitors for its fairness.  If we had lost by a point though, I'd have cheerfully strangled both of them.  Happily that did not prove necessary."

The Star and The Opsimaths vote for Round 1 Question 22:

Marc Brunel, having fled Revolutionary France, married Sophia in Holborn on the 1st of November 1799.  They had met when she was governess in Rouen but what was the surname of the bride before the ceremony?