"Much time was spent conferring and the first half didn't finish until after 9.45.  Coincidentally there were two questions about pop singles I remember buying 'back in the day' when I was working at Butlin's: Lord Rockingham's skiffle number and Forty Shades of Green, sung by some Irish colleagues .

"I sat out tonight's match so I'm bringing you my report from the sidelines.  This match was always going to be a crucial one as we fight to keep our slender title hopes alive.

The first half proved particularly tense as Ethel kept up the pressure, at one stage sitting just a single point behind us.  Our luck changed significantly in the second half as we pulled ahead to finish 17 points in front.  I believe this puts our combined scores in the range The History Men predicted in their intro to the paper!  Both teams put up a great performance, with some impressive conferring leading to correct answers being dragged from the depths of our collective memories."

James from the losing side of Ladybarn's premier watering hole echoes Rachael's remarks....

"Ethel were heavily beaten - after being just one behind at the halfway point.

Amateur hour behind the bar aside we rather enjoyed the evening.  The Albert had won four of the last six against us so we were far from confident going into the game.  But we caught Eveline and co. cold and were ten points ahead after two rounds.  From then on it was down to game management and a four round slog saw us still ten ahead at the end of Round 6.  Round 7 went, appropriately enough, seven nil to us and we were home, hosed, feet up blowing smoke rings.

Highlight of the night was Jeremy, in the absence of any support from the rest of his team, deciding that Kriss Akabusi was a reasonable punt at a North African 1500 metre world record holder.  How we laughed!  Actually we all did, including Jeremy, who along with the rest of his team played the match in a tremendous spirit even though the paper and the 'unanswereds' didn't favour them.

Ivor was guest QM and I think he'll be happy enough with the reception for the History Men's paper although the random facts bingo round at the end didn't live up to the preceding rounds.

With the Shrimp beating Ethel then, whatever the result of our game against the Pigs in three weeks, the title will be decided in the final match of the season against the Shrimp at the Turnpike.  Shades of Arsenal going to the Theatre of Total Delusion in 1989 and no pressure Mr Wagstaffe (who is the Guest setter for the final round of matches on April 18th).  Before that though we have a very important encounter with the Pigs on a paper set by the Shrimp.  If there are eight rounds on the history, geography, flora and fauna of Coventry I'll cry foul - for all the good it will do me.

And before all of that there's next week's birthday party and a handily arranged week off so David and I can watch World Cup winners, Copa America winners, African Nations Champions, Champions league winners, multi Premier League champions and serial domestic cup collectors become utterly terrified and freeze on the spot at the onslaught of a bunch of anachronistic fantasists with very bad hair and the greatest African player in the history of the last six months of the Premier League.  They might win the game, they might win the tie though I doubt that even Grobelaar would bet on it, but derision and contempt is all they'll get from this end of the East Lancs and they've earned every drop of it.

Football rant over, for now, see you all next week.

Oh and....

'Michael Thomas, it's up for grabs now....'.

Beautiful.  Have money on it did you Bruce?"

Sitting looking on at the Turnpike I really enjoyed the knowledge stretch that Ivor's team had concocted.  It elicited plenty of tip-of-the-tongue moments from the two teams (exactly the opposite to Gary's experience against the Bards - see below).  In particular the announced Prime Minister theme in Round 3 gave just the right scope for helpful sideways hints to some excellent general knowledge questions.

Oh, and by the way, in researching which pictures to load up to this page I discovered that the Hitchcock cameo featuring him alighting from a train with a cello case was in Strangers on a Train and not in North by Northwest as stated in the paper.  Tut! Tut!

....and from James....

"Some good rounds and questions.  By the way I actually think all paired rounds should be reverse-paired 'abcddcba' rather than 'aabbccdd'.  Naming the two popes by their papal names would have been hard enough for most pub quizzes - finding their Italian surnames was somewhat ridiculous."  (ED: Er, excuse me James - at The Turnpike Father Megson got both names spot on for a magnificent two points!)

....and finally from an underwhelmed Gary....

"Sorry,  but consensus tonight from both teams was that the quiz was below average.  One measure of what constitutes 'good' has been described by Mike Bath as 'questions with tip-of-the-tongue tantalising moments as you work towards an answer'.  Another, 'questions with a logic which can be worked out as you fathom your way to an answer.  Not enough questions answering to those descriptions tonight.  Too many 'straight up and down' stuff which you either knew the answer to or didn't.

And (an old complaint from me, but I'll give it another airing).....