After a nail-biting match we were able to seize victory by two points in Round 8.

The Bards were down to three players tonight but were great company and put up a brilliant fight all night, leading for most of the match with only the 'Christmas round' allowing us to move ahead.

Wishing you and all of the other members of this wonderful league a joyous and magical Christmas and all our best wishes for a very happy and healthy new year.

Bags of experience!  Just right for United?

(R5/Q2)

 and QM Mike H adds...

As regards the Bards, they  unfortunately had to perform with 'George' in number one chair (i.e. the invisible conferring man) since Jim was absent and his replacement also had to cry off at the last minute.  Nevertheless, they did very well, being ahead for the whole match, only succumbing finally on 'Rachael's round'.

A relatively low scoring quiz, with not much to get one's teeth round.  But enjoyable as ever, with two friendly teams.

Brothers in Rhyme

(R2/Q4)

Charabancs lost to Prodigals

The table toppers go marching on into the new year.

Damian reports

As the scores indicate this was a real nail-biter to cap off the first half of the season. There were never more than a few points between us at any stage but, despite leading by a point at the start, we could never quite catch the Prodigals in any of the remaining rounds.  Obviously my letter to Santa didn't arrive in time (maybe I should have used a first class stamp).  Nevertheless it was all good festive fun with our naturally jovial opponents needing no encouragement to add to the seasonal atmosphere.

Disconcerted Answer of the Night: Me excitedly shouting out "Adele" for the name of the third Pankhurst daughter confidently expecting a two only to be firmly informed by Pankhurst enthusiast Anne-Marie that it was actually  Adela and so I couldn't have any points. Evidently the uncompromising spirit of the late Emmeline continues to flourish in Glennon circles!

Happy Christmas to all and see you in the New Year!

The poecilia reticulate

(R3/Q2)

and Gerry C reflects

Tonight we learned many things about quizzing.  But chiefly:

a) The Prodigals are a mighty fine quiz team and will be there or thereabouts at the business end of the season.

b) Stupidity alone cannot explain why the Charabancs of Fire lose so often.  It must be obvious to all that something else, something supernatural, must by necessity lie behind the phenomenon.  Fr Megson will henceforth use the term 'intelligent failing' to explain away the shortcomings of the Charas.

c) If you decide to confess your weaknesses, do so to Fr Megson rather than the Bishop of Bath without Wells.  Megson will quickly forget and forgive.  Bath will deem every word  you say as admissible evidence against you in a show trial that would have made even Stalin blush.

Albert beat Dunkin' Dönitz

A solid victory for the second-placed team

Mike O'B tells the tale

We lost the toss and thought we had the rougher end of the questions in the first half.  In fairness to the Donuts we also believe we had the better run of questions in the second half (By the way who is Doctor Syntax?  Is he like Doctor Cyclops?).  At the end of the quiz we felt like industrious Dung Beetles who had pushed our growing ball of dung up the mound and over the other teams of Dung Beetles. When we reached the pinnacle of the mound our only concern was that fatigue would make us let go of ball and it would roll all way down.  Our only consolation then  is that we would have rolled over all those other Dung Beetles just as they were getting to their feet again.  I think the drivel you have just read has been inspired by one of tonight's themes.

Top of the Mornes

Ethel Rodin beat Electric Pigs

Ethel win by 2 points and stay in touch with the table leaders.

Tristan Da Cunha signpost

(R7/Q2)

Well it couldn't have been closer  with scarcely a point between the two sides right up to the end.  In the earlier rounds it was the History Men who led but they could never get away from their opponents and in the end Howell's Welsh heritage served him well as he slam-dunked Dylan Thomas for two points leaving Ivor's Fezziwig answer for two just a tad too late.

A great evening amongst good friends with plenty of ribaldry (well Anne was playing) and loads of laughter. Ivor's Christmas jumper featured two flashing nipples, one red and one green, but they only flashed when he moved and towards the end of the evening his personal battery had run down and the flashes were few and far between.

That Historic flashing jumper!

The History Men are too often The Nearly Men.  Surely in the New Year their fortunes will rise and those one point defeats will turn into one point victories.

Fr Megson

'Put a Cork in it'

A seasonal warning from Keane by name

Watch out next week lads. Christmas. Most dangerous time of year. Plenty of langers about.  And friggin  liggers as well. Up to no good.  Found that out when I was a young  cub in Cork.  I was a very innocent cub.  Swallowed the Santa shite hook line and sinker.  Waited up for him. Sat there just watchin and waitin.  Plate of fig rolls and a carrot for bait.  Roy of the Rovers on me knee.  Readin, watchin and waitin.  He came down the chimley at quarter to six. Right lookin ligger, red duffel coat and big  purple nose.   Whiskey fumes and Old Spice fumes comin off him at an equal  rate of knots.  No bag of swag on his back.  Grabbed the fig rolls and the carrot and straight back up the chimley. Thievin bastardin langer.

Never trusted any langer in red from that day onward.  Nor any hoor with a purple nose for that matter.  Blighted me career it did,  made it hell.  Made the mistake of tellin the sports psychologist about it once.  He called it a seminal moment in my development.  Had to give him a slap.  His own fault for being a thick twat.   Seminal moment me arse.  Who ever heard of a six year old cub managin to have a wet dream.  I know I couldn't.  And I was normal.  Still am.  More normaler than most, if I'm honest.  Ask me mammy if you don't believe me.

Anyway, that's all in the past.  It won't happen again.  Nobody gets to jump Keano twice.  I'll be waitin for him again this year.  Just like every other year.  Me and the dog.   Just watchin and waitin.   Plate of  prawn sandwiches (things change) and a carrot for bait.  Me phone on silent and a cork in  each of me guns - the wife won't let me keep  real guns in the house at Christmas.   But that's all right.  She's a woman.  Not her fault. Women are like pundits.   Not paid to understand.  No harm done, he won't know they're not real.  Watchin and waitin.  Just me and the guns  and the dog and the phone on silent.  No ligger gets down that chimley tonight, boy.

I can hear him.  Take her nice and easy, boy.  Cock the corks but say nothing til you see the white of his beard.  And smell the whiskey fumes and the Lynx  (things change).  Nice and easy, boy.   Let him grab the prawn sandwiches and then,  cool as a cucumber, ask him if he's feelin lucky tonight?  Go on punk, reach for the carrot, make my day.  If he calls my bluff it's a cork up each nostril before he reaches the carrot.  If he chickens out and makes for back up the chimley it's two corks up the arse.  A seminal moment for both of us.  Down boy.

No axe to grind against you langers and lingers in Withquiz.  No problem wishin you all a Merry Christmas.  Peaceful too, if that's how you like it.  I might be free for a month or two so if you need a good manager just ask me.  No problem.  But ask me politely, that's all I'm sayin.  And keep your phones on silent during the questions.  Quiz teams with phones on noisy really do me head in.  I won't ask youse again.  For fcek's sake!  I haven't even taken the job yet and youse are startin to annoy me already.  Down boy.

Shine on David Helfgott

(R3/Q1)

Quiz paper set by...

Guest (Mike Bath)

Average aggregate 70.2

Spotland - 3rd/4th tier staying power

The height of Manchester’s Victorian heritage

(R5/Q3)

This week Albert have nominated Round 7 Question 12 (RABT in the Geographical Blockbuster Bingo):

The height of Manchester’s 21st century legacy

...and also

‘Our Emmeline’ points out in Manchester

As echoed in tonight's quiz paper, last Friday saw the unveiling of the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst in St Peter's Square.

We should be very proud of two of our quizzing colleagues, Anne-Marie Glennon and Andrew Simcock, for their respective roles in seeing the 'Our Emmeline' project through to such a fine conclusion.

Anne-Marie had the original idea of increasing the (pathetically low) count of statues of women in Manchester City Centre (just one - Queen Victoria in Piccadilly Gardens).  The idea led to the 'Womanchester' competition in which local people voted overwhelmingly for Emmeline Pankhurst.

Andrew through his tireless work running the competition and then raising the money, commissioning and overseeing the making of the statue and finally planning and executing the highly successful ceremony and celebrations of last Friday has acted throughout as project manager.

As I said to Andrew after the day had passed off so well "You've made me feel proud to be a Mancunian Man".

‘Our Annie’ rings out in Oldham

(R5/Q7)

...and so to Christmas.  Hostilities resume on Wednesday January 9th with a paper from the Pigs.

Happy Christmas and let's hope it's a good 2019 despite the disasters being lined up for us by our politicians.