Wins for The Bards, The Opsimaths and Ethel at the top of the table

Results & Match Reports

The Opsimaths maintained their 'goal difference' advantage over Ethel at the top of the table by beating The Electric Pigs in the back lounge of the Albert Club.  Dunker David Delahunty played the QM role and thus was on hand to defend the paper (a relatively easy task this week).  Although the home team started well and ended comfortably ahead the middle rounds saw the scores pretty even.  With the well-known Coventry fan, Gary, sitting on his left hand Andrew had the misfortune to make an error with the Lanchester question getting all confused with Warwick University.  Oh, and talking about Andrew, I had an interesting chat before the kick off discussing the recent headlines about 'DevoManc' (as it's being dubbed).  Soon there will be a vacancy for a new Mayor of Greater Manchester and it strikes me that our very own Councillor for Didsbury East would make an excellent fist of the job.  Perhaps a whole tranche of Westminster funds could be used to convert the old Withington Baths building into an acoustically friendly venue for increasingly deaf old quizzers to play out their major quiz finals and end of season celebrations?  Now there's a manifesto pledge!

Ethel Rodin kept up their title challenge, beating The Charabancs of Fire.  The Charas were making a first return visit to their old stomping ground of the White Swan since the inevitable tide of gentrification washed over the former Ladybarn hellhole a couple of years back.  A wistful Damian reports....

"To paraphrase the opening line of Daphne du Maurier's classic novel, Rebecca, 'Last night I dreamed I was in the White Swan'.  The following night, I arrived at an establishment that somewhat resembled the White Swan, but now had a friendly bar manager who would agree to sell you tomato juice and Perrier water (as well as drinkable beer), actually had clean toilets, and rejoiced in the name 'The Ladybarn Social Club'.  The room where we used to quiz now has a shiny new mirror and someone had actually taken a lick of paint to it.  The bar was in the wrong place and seemed bigger and our quizzing had been consigned to the room upstairs, a location that always remained mysterious and out of bounds in former days.  Whatever happened to the eerie thumping sounds?  I asked  Father Meggers if he had sent someone round to exorcise it, but he just replied by telling me it was my turn to go to the bar!

Culture shocks aside, this was not a quiz that played to our strengths.  Ethel, on the other hand, ran away with it, leading in every round and steadily increasing their score as they went.  We did well to keep it to a 10 point difference at the end.  When a lovely little ladybird was actually found crawling across Chara John's doodling paper (I kid you not) we were convinced it must have been sent by the Dunkers, and at least 3 of us interpreted it as a sign that we should adopt the name 'A Loveliness of Charabancs' next season.  Well, it's either that or 'Charabancs Motor Traction'.  What do you think?" 

Compulsory Meat Raffle lost to The Prodigals in The Turnpike - this week mercifully free of the foul-mouthed ranter that terrified everybody last Wednesday.  Anne-Marie sums up....

"Another good quiz from The Dönitz - and yet another last couple of rounds comeback from The Prodigals."

Albert lost to The Bards of Didsbury in the Fletcher Moss.  Mike O'B reports in....

"The Bards beat us fairly and squarely.  We were never far behind but couldn't seem to get on to the front foot.  Must brush up on our saints especially Madagascar saints - but the problem is there are too many of them in the charity game.  Who should be the patron saint of quizzing?  As for the paper, the points score suggests the quiz was fair enough for both teams."

A close encounter at the Parrswood saw The Men They Couldn't Hang just losing to The History Men.  Ivor's take on the match....

"Nip and tuck all the way tonight with a Derek Ezra steal and a dredged up St Vincent de Paul proving crucial to swing things our way."

Quiz Paper Verdict

This week the paper was set by Dunkin Dönitz.

The Question of the Week

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