Withington Pub Quiz League - quizbiz 17/04/13

Albert, the Charabancs, the Bards and the Pigs go through to the Val Draper semis

Results & Match Reports

The Men They Couldn't Hang had an off day losing rather heavily to Albert. Graham tells it like it is for the Men....

"'Our Cup Runneth ith over'. The Hangers were well and truly routed by the Albert and good luck to them. Our usual round 6 curse was dwarfed by the trouncing we received in rounds 2 to 8 - although I shall make sure that Evelyn is barred by the National Football Museum if she ever tries to set foot through the doors after threatening to report me to the powers that be over my apparent lack of football knowledge.

A thoroughly entertaining evening was had by all despite the fact that the Parrswood has now acquired the capability to show both Manchester games at once. Once more there was sterling work by Gilly in the QM department."

Mary reports in for the Albert team from the same match:

"A very convivial evening despite competing with West Ham v United in the big bar and City v Wigan in the smaller bar, made even more exciting by an Italian commentary. The paper suited us tonight though we have a big confession to make - we failed to get the Olive Shapley question despite the Fletcher Moss being situated on the corner of Olive Shapley Avenue and William Street!

Finally, a query from Dave Barras....in Round 8 (Commonwealth Games cities) why wasn't there a question with the answer 'Kuala Lumpur'. He waited expectantly, only to be disappointed!"

The Opsimaths couldn't quite rid the score sheet of their handicap leaving The Charabancs of Fire as narrow one point victors. It was good to see the Charas get some form back though the aggregate score for our match was on the low side compared to some of the other matches. One of the enduring features of the season has been the decline in form of Gerry, John, Roisin and Damian. Week in, week out Damian has chronicled this in a cheerful but resigned way in his weekly match reports. Let's hope next season sees the Charas rise up the charts to regain their former position as the 'nearly team'.

The Electric Pigs proved yet again that they are the cup specialists par excellence as they dispatched The History Men. Defeated History Men captain Ivor recounts the story of the match....

"The magic of the Cup Part 1! For a year the Cup has graced my mantelpiece after the Historymen's unexpected win in last year's final over the Smoke Fairies (a win comparable to Partick Thistle's 4-1 victory over Celtic in the 1972 Scottish League Cup Final).

The magic of the Cup Part 2! Only a few weeks after we beat the Pigs and condemned them to the bottom of the league for the first time in their history they bounce back and give us a trouncing in the Cup. The Pigs have always been Cup specialists and perhaps it was a mistake, as holders, to have brought the Cup along to the game (freshly polished) to encourage my team to greater things. The very sight of the Cup seemed to electrify the Pigs!"

The Bards went ahead early on in their delayed Thursday evening fixture against arch rivals, the Smoke Fairies - and just managed to keep their noses in front when the Fairies rallied in the final round. A very convivial affair which might be seen as a warm up for the WIST Final between the same two teams at the same venue on May 8th. Bard Steve excelled as ever - this time with his intimate knowledge of Bradford band Talulah Gosh.

Friendly:

The Gin'll Fix It v Compulsory Meat Raffle match never happened. WithQuiz officials are still investigating but neither hide nor hair of Gin'll could be found, either at the Old House at Home or at The Turnpike.

Quiz Paper Verdict

This week the paper was compiled by The Prodigals.

Once more we had a paper that was pretty popular around the grounds. I don't whether it's just me but I've noticed a real flowering in adventurous question writing in the second half of this season. The 'Like Father, Like Son' round was a good example of this. Excellent clues and answers that were on the edge of everyone's arc of knowledge - i.e. 'tip of the tongue' stuff. The Blue Square round was also imaginative, as well as being informative. However (I bet you knew there was a 'but' coming) why throw in a whole round of dates - and what's more dates clued largely by the most trivial events?

Andrew from the Pigs liked the paper - and especially Round 8:

"Great round that really sucked us in to the wrong theme twice. Plus Mary our QM used to clean for Olive Shapley, and Dave lived next door to her old house in Stephens Terrace."

Ivor's reaction from the same Pigs/History Men encounter...

"Once again an interesting and well constructed quiz with the father-son clues especially cunning. Interesting fact of the night was that Olive Shapley is commemorated in the road name beside the Fletcher Moss where we were playing."

In the Charas/Opsimaths match Brian QMed and was staggered that none of us knew who Olive Shapley was.

The Question of the Week

This week The Pigs and History Men go for Round 8 Question 5:

In which city were the authors Howard Spring, Ken Follett and Roald Dahl born?

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

Chatterbox

Since the Opsimaths have been knocked out this week, Brian, our regular setter, has offered to edit the 'Knocked Out United' paper to be used for the 2 Finals on May 1st. If your team is already assured of playing no part in either of the Finals on May 1st (the Opsimaths, the History Men, the Smoke Fairies and TMTCH are already in this category) then you need to prepare a round (with a couple of spares if possible) as well as a pair of questions to go into Round 8 - and then submit them to Brian at bmcclintock@18sjs.com.

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Another dip into the archive revealed this QuizBiz page from April 16th 2003:

"At the top of the table both the Braggarts and St Caths kept up the pace with victories respectively over the Albert and Albert Park.. With just one round of games remaining the Braggarts lead St Caths by a single point. Next Wednesday the Braggarts play away against Snoopy's at St Catherine's club while St Caths play the Opsimaths at the Albert Club. A really tense finish is guaranteed.

In the other fixtures this week:

TUFKAC continued their rousing end of season form with a comprehensive rout of the Electric Pigs

Dr O'Neil got a convincing and very welcome win over Snoopy's Friends (who were playing one short)

SWMCC moved up the table with a well earned victory over lacklustre Opsimaths at the Albert Club - South West could now end their first Withquiz season in the top half of the table - and to celebrate they're planning to change their name to 'Stumped' for next season

Apologies for posting this week's results a bit late. I missed out on Wednesday evening's matches, choosing instead a brief and very sunny break in the Scottish Highlands. I only got back this (i.e. Friday) evening. All the results, the question paper (electronically from Ivor - many thanks) and (although the Brains weren't playing this week) the weekly musings from Ballyboke (see below) were waiting for me on my computer when I switched on. You (and especially amongst you the Braggarts and Snoopy's) will note that Fr Megson is gripped by excitement at the impending struggle of the Titans due for next Wednesday at St Catherine's club. To mark the occasion he has interviewed a senior Snoopy player (methinks a little fabrication here, Your Honour).

The paper this week was set by the Historymen. Comments were generally favourable although aggregate scores were a tad on the low side (mid 50s to 70). Ivor owned up to some candidates for terminological inexactitude in the paper, namely:

The Misfits was the last film of Montgomery Cliff, as well as of Clark Gable

both de Montford University and Anglia University have campuses at several sites

and, although Martin Sheen is probably Emilio Esteves's father, it is a wise child that knows it's own father!!

Because I love hearing snippets of Betjeman anytime my 'question of the week' award goes to Round 6 Question 2:

What is the missing town from this Betjeman poem: 'Miss J Hunter Dunn, Miss J Hunter Dunn, furnish'd and burnish'd by ------- sun?'

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

It seems that I was a little harsh on SouthWest's paper last week. Apparently the question paper was road-tested on 5 of Copland's friends (??) and between them they conjured up the answers to all the questions - even the 'real name of Roy Rogers' question. I gather levels of knowledge on Roy Rogers are considerably higher in Chorlton than in Withington or Didsbury.

and from Fr Megson's Presbytery....

Ballyboke Bugle Saturday Supplement

Legend tells us that on St. George's Day 2003 the white Knights of The Companions of St. Snoopy did mortal battle with the noisome maiden-mauling, vindaloo-swilling Braggarts of Griff. Today to mark the Millennium of this, the kid sister of all battles, we revisit Snoopy and, in the tired and detested format of a more famous but less worthy Saturday supplement, we subject them to a toe-curlingly fatuous Q + A session. No names have been changed to protect the innocent and it should be noted that the editor is insolvent as he had to buy another loaf at lunchtime.

Home for Snoopy's Friends is a large detached neo-Romany caravan which clings idyllically but frantically to the westernmost tip of the third Reek from the sun. When I arrive I find that all the others have gone out otter-tagging leaving the paterfamilias to field my questions unconferred - thus at a stroke doubling the fee. I am surprised to find that he is in fact Sassenach-born, a cross he seems to bear with good humour and great fortitude. Looking cool yet reassuringly avuncular in a cerise kaftan with matching deerstalker and bedsocks he drapes himself luxuriously across an accommodating ottoman and, sucking ruminatively on his meerschaum, signals me to begin:

Q: Firstly, a question often asked by housewives who can't resist a flutter on you, is 'Snoopy's Friends' your real name?

A: (Laughing and peeling a kumquat). Good Heavens, no. No that name goes back to the early 90's when we were big in the world of rap music. We have kept it partly for reasons of nostalgia and partly to confuse the tax man. No, our real name is 'The Wife and Bairns of Judge Roy Bean'.

Q: When did you first break into the world of TV stardom?

A: I think it was in 1685 (gosh I'm showing my age now!) when we were lucky enough to be asked to host the popular light entertainment programme 'Sunday Night At The Bloody Assizes' . Do you remember 'Beat the Clock-Watcher'? That was our idea. Of course not many people had clocks or even TVs in those innocent days.

Q: Do you believe in Life?

A: Yes. Especially for those irritating people who insist on reusing partly franked postage stamps.

Q: And Death?

A: If the black cap fits.

Q: And Life after Death?

A: No. The quality of mercy is not strained but droppeth like a gentle Fr. Megson from the Premiership. Ergo, the two sentences should be allowed to run concurrently.

Q: And less boringly, what's your favourite Boy Band?

A: (Polishing a papaya with gusto). Atomic Kitten.

Q: What is your greatest strength?

A: An esoteric knowledge of Irish geography. My family has had moles in the Reeks for centuries and they keep us fully informed. And before you ask we don't have any weaknesses. Incidentally, did you know that the medieval Reeks were divided into 14 ridings just like Somerset? Marvellous!

Q: What is your favourite smell?

A: Exhibit "A" from The Crown versus Keith Moon at The Old Bailey in September 1972.

Q: And your favourite fantasy?

A: It used to be coming off the bench, still in my robes, to score the winning goal in the All-Ireland Hurling final (a more dapper version of that chap in the Guinness advert). I can't really discuss my more recent one as it is currently sub judice - anyway it's none of your business, slaphead!

Q: What keeps you awake at night?

A: Dangling participles, Schrödinger's Cat and bad-boy Braggarts throwing stones at my window.

Q: Should the Royal Family be scrapped?

A: No, not all of them. Just the big fat geezer in the armchair. He should be ashamed of himself, he should.

Q: How would you define a perfect question?

A: One that is left hanging in the air for a while before it is allowed to go begging.

Q: What is the one most important lesson that Latin has taught you in life?

A: (Looking darkly into his half-eaten pomegranate) "Mens imbuta vino volat ad pudenda."

Q: If you could take only one dyslexic anagram with you to your Desert Island to remind you of your colleagues in the Reeks quiz league which one would you choose.

A: GRABING FFRIGG-RATS.

Q: Finally, how would you like to be remembered?

A: Instantaneously and for 2 points (imagine the ignominy if my family had to confer!).

Editor's Note: Julie O' Burchill is unwell (a vented spleen following a surfeit of French fries). I'm sure all our readers will join our circulation manager in wishing her a very slow recovery."