The paper this week was set by The Opsimaths.

By some way the highest average aggregate score of the season to date (80.8), this was a quiz with few unanswered questions.  Compared to last season when the second Opsimaths paper notched up a measly average aggregate of 57.4, the lowest of that season, this was a return to form.  All seemed to like it and there were few gripes.  Credit largely goes to Brian who compiled it all and modified accordingly when the other Opsimaths fed back their comments.  But it would be wrong of me not to acknowledge the contribution of Paddy who played for us throughout last season but is now pursuing his meeja career in London.  He sent us the well-liked, but somewhat narcissistic, 'Theme with a progressive link' Round 3.

In the Charas v Pigs encounter Gary D liked the paper but did query again why some of the themes had been announced at the start of the round rather than left to be deduced by the teams.  In particular Rounds 1 and 8 had themes that could quite reasonably be expected to be cracked after 2 or 3 questions and this would have added to the fun.

Here are the other comments I received....

Tony: "I was dismayed at the start to hear that there were Bingo rounds as well as a 'Choose Your Own Subject' round.  However the Bingo rounds, brilliantly, had themes - and intelligent ones at that - and the subject round was also quite cleverly crafted.  So all is forgiven.  Our congratulations to the setters for a most enjoyable evening analysing our general ignorance - which is what a typical Withquiz night should be."

Ivor: "The quiz tonight was deemed to be of a very high quality (especially as it was an Opsimaths paper!) and, as a typesetter/printer/compiler myself, I appreciate the fact that some Opsimath has spent a lot of time constructing the grids and filling the envelopes correctly, never mind setting the questions.  The themes and connections were reasonably gettable and the running theme in Round 3 a tour de force (with even the spare contributing).  Sadly although I spotted the connection by question 2, and was awaiting my Harry H Corbett in question 8, it never came.  Likewise David spotted the theme very early, but equally sadly the early 1970s albums were not by Bread.

Tonight’s frustrations were, as usual, plumping for the wrong answer when there was a choice of two (the wrong MI organisation) and of course picking the wrong questions from the grid.  It is usually James who complains about the unfairness of Lady Luck with this style of question rounds but I bet he is not complaining tonight!"

Dave 'Egghead' R: "I really enjoyed this quiz.  Well done The Opsimaths!"

James: "Good quiz - enjoyed by both teams.  Lots of fine rounds with good themes. Plenty of excellent questions - and I think only one dud (the one about the small man who turned out to be very tall indeed).  But overall well balanced and competitive from start to finish.

The one about the Manchester Sports Guild Folk Club would be our choice for QotW.  That was the best theme round too.  I'd been trying to link 'Holy -----' with a word from each answer before we twigged the link."

Ashton: "QotW agreed by both teams - the one about the ratios in the 'Big' final round."

Dave B: "QotW - John Knox and his monstrous regiment."

A few nominations this week, but I've plumped for Round 6 Question 2 which a number of you mentioned.  It comes from what seems to have been the most popular round of the week and mentions one of our own, the late lamented Frank Duffy, who played off and on in the league back in the 1970s and 1980s:

In the early 60’s, an MC at the Manchester Sports Guild Folk Club booked (on an expenses-only basis) an up-and-coming folk singer, who was in Birmingham at the time.  After his first set, the singer came up to Frank Duffy and said 'Is it OK if my buddy joins me in the second half?'  Frank said: 'Sure. What's his name?  I'll give him the build-up'.  The singer told him his friend’s name.  Frank said: 'Stop f***ing me around, Paul!  WHAT'S HIS NAME?'  What was the name of the singer’s friend?

Having exposed the League's very own Notts County supporter on this site a fortnight ago, I thought I'd take the opportunity to go and see for myself what Geoff was on about.  Accrington Stanley were playing Notts County in an FA Cup First Round replay at Accrington's Crown Ground on Tuesday evening.

With the country's major football competitions in abeyance (yet again!) whilst the irrelevance of such matches as Scotland v England and Germany v Gibraltar were staged to satisfy some far off football bureaucracy, here was an opportunity to see what life was like in the cheap and cheerful basement of our own national game.

County goalkeeper (and star of the quiz paper a fortnight ago), Roy Carroll, was much in evidence as Accrington piled on the pressure but sadly M. Balmy had been rested - not even on the bench.  In the event Stanley were victorious 2-1 earning a home tie against Yeovil in Round 2 in a few weeks' time.  The stadium was about a third full with just over 1,000 spectators including 100 or so in the visitors' end shouting non-stop abuse at everything and anything that moved (principally the referee) with language that would have made even Manchester United fans locked in the visitors' end at the Etihad blush.

Perhaps the greatest expense in running such an outfit as Accrington Stanley is balls.  Yes, Balls!  With stands about 15 feet high surrounding the pitch I counted at least 10 occasions when the ball was booted out of the ground and a fresh ball had to be rolled onto the pitch by one of the club officials.

For all the humble surroundings it was a great atmosphere and a very fast-paced match with no little amounts of skill on display.  I'd happily go again.

Here's hoping M. Balmy is fit and well, and ready to play on Saturday when Notts County are at home to......Yeovil!

Kittens.  That's what Fr Megson will be havin' when he finds out I've missed me first deadline.  And him payin' me the guts of half a crown per week!  I hope he takes it better than Mr Dusty did.  He nearly fell out of bed when I told him my first blob was late.

I blame them fcekin illegitimate postmen.  It really gets on me goat when the GPO gives jobs to people who can't read.  I sent a letter off to Gorton College in me best handwriting askin' them if they had any cheap diploma courses goin' for people who wanted to do blobs on the computer.  The next thing I knew me lollipers were flappin' in the wind as I pedalled like the hounds of hell to get to Cambridge for an interview in some god-forsaken place called Girton College.  And a right waste of time that was.  They didn't even do blob studies.  They said they could rustle me up a nice crash course in Phenomenology; all I had to do was run home and  get four 'A' levels by next Tuesday.  And while I was at it, could I change my accent as well?  I told them that Phphphenommennnoology might be a fine and dandy option for them that could say it but it wouldn't butter many parsnips in the cultural hinterlands of Ladybarn and was any of them carryin' a spare bicycle pump?

Well, there's no way me bunions or me lollipers would allow me to pedal up and down to Cambridge everyday for three years so I'll sit in the kitchen and drink a few bottles of strong alcohol and then after a wee nap I'll say a prayer in front of me headless statue of the Infant of Prague for divine guidance.  With any luck the Holy Ghost might pop down and help me out with me blob.  I'll make a start just as soon as I've peeled the spuds and mangled the neeps for dinner.  I would have started sooner if Mr Dusty hadn't got the rooster's dander up when he tried to take the Sinclair out of the henhouse.  There was no way that rooster was going to give up his favourite roostin' place and his reputation for bein' the only rooster in the neighbourhood to have his own personal computer without a struggle.  Blood and feathers all over the place.  The two of them are still up in the bedroom recuperatin'.

Well, tempus fugit as the fella said and we're another day closer to the grave.  Mr Dusty and the rooster are still asleep so I'll have a bowl or two of Coco Pops to get me strength back.  I was up half the night cleaning the Sinclair.  Them hens had made a right mess of it - bad cess to them - but it has come up a treat after steepin' it in bleach for a few hours and then givin' it a good goin' over with a bar of coal tar and a packet of Brillo pads.  There were still a few wee bits wedged under some of the keys so I got on the blower to that Mike bloke who does the teleprinter results for the quiz and sought his expert advice. He wasn't all that friendly to be honest and I'd hate to be his wife if he's always that grumpy at five in the mornin'.  Fair play to him though, he stopped effin' and jeffin' after a while and said it sounded like I might be suffering from 'sticky key' syndrome.  Had I tried turning the  computer off and then back on again? If that didn't work I could always try a smidgen of Mr Muscle oven cleaner - but just a smidgen, mind you, as it tended to  melt the computer.   And if I didn't want any more episodes of 'sticky keys' I should tell Mr Dusty to stop using them dodgy websites in the middle of the night.

I'll just head up to the Co-op now to get a bit of breakfast for Mr Dusty and the rooster and a few more bottles of strong alcohol to have in the house for emergencies.  And then it will be all systems go for the blob.  I suppose I better leave a note in case the Holy Ghost decides to pop down before I get back.