The Prodigals lost to Compulsory Mantis Shrimp by a single point in a thrilling match at the Albert Club.  The Shrimps remain undefeated as they visit the Club again next Wednesday to play The Opsimaths - also undefeated and sitting on top of the table.  The visitor's victory was in no small part due to their captain going for a two on the final question and getting it right.  So, euphorically Rachael sends this report....

"After a very close match in which the two teams were rarely separated by more than a point or two - and in which the lead changed hands several times - we just scraped home.  We had a most enjoyable evening with the Prodigals who we always look forward to meeting!  When it came to the last question we were one point behind and I risked going for a two on my question (the last of the quiz).  I got it right.  I'm not sure my team would have forgiven me if I'd messed up and got it wrong!"

Albert lost to Dunkin' Dönitz in a key match that leaves the Dunkers undefeated (but then again City won ten on the trot and look what's happened to them).  Mike O'Brien gives a loser's view....

No matter.  Once settled down we won the toss and, having digested that there were three paired rounds and a hidden theme in the first half, obviously elected to go second.  This had to be a huge advantage and indeed it was since we established a ten point lead by half time and eventually won by thirteen.  Unanswereds went 7-5 against us - which is nothing to complain about.  We predicted quite a few twos in the paired rounds and got the apple theme eventually which also helped to keep us comfortably ahead.  Martin weighed in with another six twos and my return doesn't seem to have affected our form too badly I'm pleased to say.  We will be calling on super-sub Simon again next week for our match in the Turnpike against the Charas as Barry is off for a romantic North Yorkshire break with his main squeeze (I'm hopelessly stuck in the late eighties and by the way Greece is much warmer and sunnier than Ripon this time of year).  Despite their bad luck in losing the toss The Albert always competed strongly and we never felt entirely easy with our lead until the result was mathematically beyond doubt.  The evening ended with Eveline 'Helga Geerhart' Matthews claiming a two for Hitler's Last Will and Testament almost before the words were out of the QM's mouth.  Who knew?  Uniforms, jackboots, harsh strident dominant voice.... no stop........"

The History Men beat The Men They Couldn't Hang in a gruelling contest at the Red.  Ivor reports....

"There is no such thing as an easy match in our league these days.  We would have been a 'home win' on a Pools Panel Committee decision tonight - but TMTCH never go down without a fight and it was only half way through Round 6 that we managed to pass them.  As is often the case the harder papers can keep the tension going as they require a greater amount of concentrated fact-dredging."

Well worth waiting for....The Charabancs of Fire beat The Electric Pigs decisively at The Turnpike to notch up the first victory in their famous 2016/17 surge to the league title.  As yet I have no report from Damian but I'm fairly sure one will emerge once he's rediscovered the appropriate adjectives to accompany a winning report.....and indeed he now has.  Here without further ado is the initial victorious match report of the 2016/17 campaign from Damian....

"Yes, the Charas' losing juggernaut was brought to a shuddering halt tonight (and in the comfort of the Turnpike lounge too after being relegated to the vault on our 2 previous appearances at our home venue).  No matter that our winning score was less than some of our previous weeks' losing scores.  Father M's triumphant return from his successful soul-searching foray into the Caledonian wilderness last week proved infectious enough to make us draw a line in the sand and firmly declare, 'NOBODY beats the Charas FIVE times in a row!'  Contrary to the widespread rumours, we DO have our pride and Chara Roisin was sufficiently moved by the occasion to dig out out her well-worn copy of the fixtures and defiantly inscribe a large tick next to our name for tonight's event (she's long since lost interest in plonking down endless crosses).  Fortunately, Chara John actually had enough money to buy the traditional round for our gallant opponents, a fine tradition that we Charas had somehow got out of the habit of preparing for lately!"

The Bards of Didsbury succumbed to The Opsimaths in a high-scoring match at the Cricket Club.  The Bards were on good form but absolutely everything fell right for the visitors - whether by virtue of dredged up half-forgotten knowledge or good luck.  Typical was the 'last' question to come Nick's way.  "Never heard of EC Bentley but I remember a book of my parents called Trent's Last Case.  Could it be?" - and of course it was.  Clare was no less impressive with her encyclopaedic recollection of Shakespearean quotes, and who but Welshman Howell would get the Radnor/Powys question.  The best I could do was nail the composer of Hiawatha's Wedding Feast - though according to Howell I did manage to invent a new style of blurt, the 'Question Blurt'.  When asked to name the missing Patriarch of the early church in Round 5 I called for Eric to repeat the list of cities in the question saying: "The Patriarchs of Antioch and which other ancient cities?"  Of course Antioch was the one missing from the list.  Kindly Eric and the Bards let me get my 2 points.

"The Bards will win plenty of matches in due course - especially when Steve returns (which Tony says will be soon) but tonight was just not their gig.  The whole evening was summed up by Sarah's lament that having devoted much of her life to worshipping Aztec Camera the question about them fell to the Opsimaths.  And of course let's not forget the contribution of QM extraordinaire, Eric, whose accent fooled us all when announcing that the round themed on apples was to be followed by a round of pairs.

I tend to look forward to Ethel's papers these days rather like a school examination - full of things you jolly well ought to know even though the student's range of interests is usually a whole lot different from the examiner's.  So precious little popular culture but a good dose of art and high-end stuff (like art movements and Shakespeare).

"The paper was a really decent effort from Ethel.  You could spot some of the question-setters I think: James and his fondness for shadow cabinet non-entities and Roddy with his penchant for the more obscure composers.  Overall we thoroughly enjoyed it - even managing a 10.30 finish despite a late start thanks to overcrowding and the attentions of the overly enthusiastic red contingent during the evening.

But I ask you!  A cloned cat with the initials 'CC' is quite clearly 'Copy Cat' rather than the dull, plodding 'Carbon Copy' - and as for baseball does anyone really give a flying one?  Look to Chittagong a few days back for a proper game."

Opsimath Nick took a flying punt at Round 6 Question 1 and got it right - so this gets his vote:

What is coincidental about William Herschel’s age when he died?

Blissfully undaunted by a recent run of drubbings that stretches back to October 2013, dynamic quiz impresario and part time man of God, Fr Megson, sent his team sauntering into battle earlier this evening with the inspired and only marginally slurred instruction to "Carry on Kampfing".  These, the very words used by Adolf Hitler in the last of his hilarious bunker romp-coms that made a star out of Barbara Windsor, ably supported  by her pert and perky pair of Siberian hamsters.  And, very much to the annoyance of Hitler fans and turf accountants all over Britain, this time the words had the desired effect.  Yes folks, go tell it on a mountain - the Charabancs of Fire have won a game this season.

Naturally TalkQuiz Radio - Britain's only radio station to talk quizzing "every fcekin minute of every fcekin day" -  were keen to talk to the victorious prelate after the game.  Sadly however so was Slipper of the Yard who had earlier slipped into the Turnpike heavily disguised as a book club.  "Nothing to worry about, Sir, just a few routine questions about the Defence of the Realm act.  We need not detain you more than 25 years or so."

As he was being bundled away TalkQuiz - "every fcekin minute of every fcekin day" -  managed to grab an incoherent word with Roisin, doyenne of South Manchester quizzing for more years than she cares to (or is capable of) remembering.  "So how did it feel to be on the winning team tonight after all those years of heartbreak?"

"Did we win?  Brilliant!  Is it over then?  Thank God for that.......sorry I was busy flossing my toes when it happened so I didn't hear the final whistle. Brilliant!  This is the best day of my life, apart from last Friday, of course.....or was it Sunday?.........can't remember.....It's a bit too early to take it all in yet.  Maybe I will be over the moon when I wake up in a day or two.....or under the bed, maybe.........who can tell where they'll be in a day or two, you'd need a crystal ball for that sort of stuff......or tea bags might do the trick if you could read them and were desperate.  Which I'm not of course.  Just a bit tired.  Tired and plum-tuckered 'cause we won tonight.  Are you sure we won.?.... I tried to listen but I kept getting distracted...... Who was that annoying woman who was sat in the middle?.....she kept talking to me as if she  knew me and kept asking me daft questions.  I hate when that happens when I am trying to listen to a quiz......So we won eh?  Fine and dandy - just what the doctor ordered.  And speaking of orders, what's everyone having?  I'll have a pint of lager please.....no I won't, I don't think I could manage a pint.....I think I'm starting to well up inside.  God no, a pint would be a big mistake at this juncture in time.....just get me three halves please.....and a wee bag of pork scratchings."