The Prodigals were beaten at the Albert Club by The Bards.  Anne-Marie describes the scene:

"Overall a very enjoyable quiz (as usual from INBTO).  Tony excelled at knots and fish in Round 4.  Both teams spent an enormous amount of time talking themselves out of answers.  I suspect Steve is still kicking himself about Radio Caroline!  Will Tony ever forgive him?  Also I seem to remember promising to take Tony to Night and Day as he's has never heard of this NQ venue (citing his age as a mitigation).  Just wondering if INBTO could have squeezed in Band on the Wall, or Matt and Phreds into an answer in the Manchester music venue round - two of the best venues in Manchester IMHO."

The Men They Couldn't Hang beat The Electric Pigs in a desperately close finish at the Parrs Wood.  This is now two on the trot for The Men.  Not surprisingly Graham reports in under the heady influence of success:

"Well yawks alordy.  You wait for one forever, and then two come along at once!  The Hangers defeated (well scraped over the line) in a nail-biter at The Theatre Of Dreams that is the Parrs Wood Hotel.  We can only say that Gilly did a sterling job as QM raising her sore-throated voice above the throng of West Ham supporters cheering on the Irons during their 6-0 defeat at the Etihad. A great night was had by all and the question everybody should be asking themselves is: Is Dave Barras the new Tony Pulis?"

...and Andrew gives the Pigging view:

"Great performance from the home side particularly as we were tied 32 all at the end of Round 7 and they sportingly allowed us a dodgy answer to give us the lead (albeit briefly) with only 6 questions to go."

Compulsory Meat Raffle lost to The History Men and have now floated below Barrass's Boys in the table.  Ivor reports some mitigating circumstances:

"CMR played 3 handed tonight and two of those 3 hands have the additional burden of sitting part of their finals later this week - so turning up at all is much appreciated.  The margin of victory was largely due to us getting 12 steals to CMR’s 2."

Albert lost to the The Charabancs of Fire at The Fletcher Moss.  Damian tells the tale:

"The Charas started their 2014 campaign with a resounding, if close-ish, victory down at the Moss versus the same competitors who decided to whoop our collective asses as a Christmas present just before we broke up for the holidays!  If revenge is a dish best eaten cold, then the warm and continuing festive atmosphere at the Moss certainly banished any such uncharitable thoughts on our part.  Even the giant yellow statue of Homer Simpson continued to wear his Santa suit as he observed the proceedings below him.

Highlight of the evening was the mathematical prowess of both the ladies on the teams (Roisin and Eveline) who each managed to solve their quadratic equations questions in fine style.  Eveline then proceeded to offer up the intriguing fact that she could tell you what she was doing in 1989 but couldn't for the life of her tell you what she got up to 25 years ago!"

This week the paper was compiled by I've Never Been To One.

It seems to have been a generally sound start to the new year with plenty of friendly comments coming in with the match reports.  I was unable to sample the paper first hand as I was at the Theatre of Base Comedy laughing my head off at West Ham.  I did call in at the sparklingly refurbished White Swan late on to see how my lot were doing and found them and Ethel in fine fettle.  I'd say the paper had contributed to a pretty jolly evening.

Elsewhere Damian sums up for the Albert and the Charas:
"Tonight's fare from the guys who have never been to one was an excellent curtain raiser to the second half of the season and proved just the ticket to banish the post-Christmas-start-of-January blues.  Well, I suppose we would say that wouldn't we?  I guess their quizzes just seem to play to what remains of our once formidable strengths.  Now, if only they would agree to set every week!  It was well put together with no over-complicated or over-elaborate frills to tax our hungover brains.  One or two minor quibbles were raised about the balance of some of the pairs - for instance identifying the King of Thailand  as opposed to giving the full names of said country's beleaguered Prime Minister.  But I guess quibbling about the right balance of pairs is pretty much an occupational hazard for setting a Withquiz paper these days.

QotW: Probably the one about the knob of cabinet ministers.  At least that one seemed to get the biggest laugh of the evening!"

...and Ivor for the History Men and the Meat Raffle:

"The questions were very well received.  Needless to say the themes did not declare themselves until nearly the end of the rounds concerned (and in the birthday round not at all).  Maths questions are always guaranteed to cause a frisson of unease - even the questions that Year 10 pupils could do in their heads - so I was very pleased to still be able to expand a bracketed equation.

Agony of the week: Watching Rachael spending minutes trying to remember Ruby Walsh’s surname.

Blurt of the week: Julian Assange instead of Edward Snowden.

Most contrived question to fit a theme: The 11th studio album of Chumbawumba (11 studio albums???) - thankfully relegated to the spares.

Novelty round of the week: A picture round with the pictures elegantly stapled for ease of distribution and use.

This week the Bards vote for Round 5 Question 4 (the round with the a certain Manchester theme to it):

In which institution did Margaret Thatcher die in April 2013?

Tonight saw the return of an old favourite - WithQuiz welcomed back Ladybarn's White Swan to the  list of its venerable venues.  Ethel Rodin have opted to decamp from the Didsbury Cricket Club and return to their old stamping ground.  Rather like the return of the FA Cup Final from its temporary home in Cardiff to a rebuilt Wembley, Ethel have marched back down Wilmslow Road to the architectural grandeur that is Ladybarn leaving the Didsbury Cricket Club to a load of old Bards.

Well what's different in the new White Swan?  Pretty well everything!  It's plush, inviting and bright - with a bar (moved to the rear of the main space downstairs opposite the door) stocked with drinks most people would quite fancy.  The locals were friendly and welcoming and the barman spent his time behind the bar serving (rather than in front of the bar watching the TV and swearing at the punters).

I've taken/assembled some photos to celebrate the birth of the new Swan.  Note the very plush new TV lounge which is in the little old snug area where the quiz matches were originally held before Shaun shut the room down to save on heating bills.  The coach picture is not the original photo that used to be on the wall in the snug but a similar, though slightly more recent, photo that I found on the internet.  Proof however that the Swan will forever in our heads be associated with Charabancs (and thereby Father Megson).