Rachael sounds pretty happy...

When we arrived at the Fletcher Moss the place was packed with noisy football fans and it became apparent that, even if we found a secluded corner, we wouldn't be able to hear the questions, so we decided to relocate to our new home venue (the Parrswood Hotel) which was much more civilised!

After a most enjoyable evening of quizzing with our excellent opponents we ended 18 points ahead.  We gained a three point lead by the end of Round One and continued to extend our lead throughout the match.  Timewise we got off to a flying start, breezing through the first four rounds in half an hour. There were many two-pointers on offer and very few questions went unanswered all evening.

This was a crucial match in terms of keeping our title  hopes alive, so tonight's win was particularly welcome!   We still have some distance to go as we've yet to face some formidable opponents - but it's nice to have been able to recover our form after what was a terrible start to the season.

(R1/1)

Non-skipping skipper, Mike O'B, gives the losers' view

Ah the pleasures of being whacked!  Simply not our kind of quiz - question after question on music and science sailed past us to be picked up by our opponents.  Of course Ashton and Jeremy were still suffering from the head traumas inflicted on them by Eveline last week.  There was so little conferring possible that we shot through the first four rounds in less than half an hour.  The Shrimps, being so much younger and more lively than us, were able to skip around like nimble elves - it was all too much.

to which Shrimp James adds...

The evening got off to an unusual start when we made a detour to The Parrswood Hotel as the Fletcher Moss was packed and the room in which we usually play was booked for some sort of group meeting. That wasn't the most surprising thing about the night, however.  Yes, Rachael was the first person from either team to turn up!

Once the quiz started, we instantly took a shine to the 'Film Quotes' round, allowing us to open up a 3 point lead.  After a tied second round, we managed to extend our lead to 12 by half time and 18 at the close.  The 21st-century bingo round was obviously to our liking.  

As ever, Albert were a delight to play against and they made it a most convivial night's quizzing.

Emile Ford and the Checkmates making eyes at you in 1959

The Opsis prove they are still in the hunt

Mike B reports

I was in the QM chair for this one and witnessed a cheery match with the lead ping-ponging between the two teams until half-time after which the Bards' challenge  faded.

At times it was hard work for the QM to keep the attention of all the quizzers whilst the excitement of the United match in Paris grew to a crescendo in the front lounge.  Eventually we held a short impromptu quiz break as the football reached its nerve-tingling climax allowing  Bards Tom and John to zip into the TV viewing area.  Even I, a lifelong Blue, have been pleased to see the Red bottle uncorked following the reign of the Evil One.  United have moved from 'No way Jose' football to 'Ole, Ole' football in the blink of an eye.

Anyway the non-football fanatics of the home quiz team were patient and their patience was rewarded with a stout victory.  VAR had to be called into play over the 2010 question on the Myanmar politician when the Bards' answer failed to cross the line - just; but otherwise there were no sticky moments for me to negotiate.

Best chuckle came when the question about the memoir Becoming fell to Tony who had to confer.  Grandson Tom duly snorted; it seems Tom had given the very book to his Grandmother Sheila for Christmas and Grandad Tony had failed to notice.

Brian was the Opsimath of the match with 3 twos though the Bards got more twos in total - 9 to the Opsimaths' 7.

A very enjoyable match and at least half the Bards squad as well as all the Opsis went home celebrating a victory.

Kieran effuses

For the second week running our quiz fixture chimed uncannily with a football match, this time one taking place 500 miles to the south east.  United's hopeless task trying to do what had never been achieved in 106 previous attempts and overturn a two goal defeat at home from the first leg and the Donutz, after our bruising encounter with the Shrimp two weeks ago, playing just for pride in a league title race where ultimate victory is surely beyond us. 

And for the second week running Ethel found themselves on the wrong end of a quiz that could have been written with their opponents in mind.  Film tag lines, popular culture and sport seemed to be everywhere and played very much to our strengths.  This was reflected in a 'two' count of 16 for us against Ethel's 7.  Nine questions went unanswered which seems high because the quiz didn't feel at all difficult to us but (ignoring the random factor of the 'Pick a Year' bingo rounds) they went 4-2 against Ethel - so no great swing there.

The quiz and the football started similarly with the 'no hopers' from Heaton Mersey and Stretford taking early leads but we built on ours, winning every round except the seventh which was drawn.  Meanwhile at the Parc des Princes United were running out of time and Barry was becoming increasingly frantic (though just about able to contribute to the Donutz cause despite being barely present at least mentally). Shortly afterwards he wasn't even present physically as he executed a reverse Kepa and left the middle room of the Griffin without permission in response to the roar from the rest of the pub which signalled United's late penalty.

DID you ever!

(R4-5 - 2018)

Rodinista Geoff suggested that we should forfeit the game at that point and he wasn't obviously joking.  We have to apologise to Ethel for the raucous nature of the Griffin tonight but it wasn't anything to do with us.  David and I weren't enjoying it at all, except that PSG are a monstrously unlovable construct even more Spursy than Spurs, more Klipperty than Klopp.  To nick from Oscar, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to laugh. 

The roar from all quarters that greeted our first point of Round 7 (which meant we'd mathematically won the game) seemed a tad over the top until we realised it was for the final whistle in Paris and was honouring United's progression to be eviscerated by Bayern in the quarter final.  Beyond ecstasy Barry returned to the quiz and immediately identified the Round 8 theme about his heroes from twenty years ago.  I'd have got the psychopathic liar from Henley anyway, honest, though I'd completely forgotten the much more savoury Ronny.  Yes to this blue even a United treble winner is preferable to that thing that has barely scratched the surface of the havoc he intends to wreak on the country.     

The night really couldn't have gone any better for the one Red amongst us and after the misery of the Mourinho years should I be happy for him?  Er - there are limits.

The results are just in and the Shrimp have gone top having unsurprisingly beaten the Albert on a paper that would favour them as much as it did us.  So the last three weeks' fixtures look like they'll set up the mother of all title scraps with the Shrimp playing the Opsis and the Prodigals and the Donutz taking on the same two teams.  And I wouldn't count the Albert out just yet either.  Lots of squeaky bum time to come in WithQuiz - good job the football is going to be such a breeze for God's own team!

At last the Pigs get the victory they deserve

Ivor reports...

An impressive and deserved victory for this season’s league whipping boys who have suddenly found their form.  Traditionally the Pigs are end of season specialists as confirmed by their many successes in the Cup and tonight we were unfortunate to find them in such good form already.  The margin of our defeat was due to them picking up no less than 9 steals to our three.  Some of these really irked us because we kept plumping for the wrong answer of two (Hicks or Ramprakash; javelin or discus; Tusk or The Wall).  What's more we managed to miscount the number of letters in the Macbeth quote, and then lost the confidence to risk a two-pointer on Cocktail because of blurtophobia.

to which Mike H adds...

I was surprised by Ivor asking me to play rather than QM.  As it happens though I managed to get Lonnie and Superman.

The continuous noise of United supporters in the background alongside noisy neighbours in the quiz room meant that QM Alison had to struggle with repeats.  She did an admirable job

From the History Men's perspective there were too many questions which were 'either-or'.  Our team invariably plumps for the wrong one, having discussed at great length which of the two it might be.  So I'd like to propose that the quizzing glossary term 'Prodigal answer' given on the website last week might hereafter be known as a 'Ramprakash'.

Quiz paper set by...

The Prodigals

Average aggregate 75.8

...a score very much on the nail in terms of the season's overall average aggregate (77.1).  Loads of interesting material and some snappy questions (at least in the first half) which didn't slow things down.  At the Albert Club all were appreciative of the Prodigals efforts - including myself as QM for the excellent layout of the printed word making reading the questions (even with footballing cacophony in the background)  a doddle.

Slight grumble?  Well Round 3 with the 'strange words' answers was a 'know it or don't know it' round with no chance of an alternative way in but otherwise nothing to moan about.  My 'Crap Culture' sensor registered red in Round 2 when the 1959 pop pair appeared - but the Bards proved long enough in the tooth to remember chewing gum, bedposts and Emile Ford and the Checkmates.  Ah!

From the Parrswood Rachael sends these comments with an excellent QotW nomination...

"We all enjoyed the paper very much; lots of variety, fun themes and enough of a challenge to keep us thinking while never slowing the pace down too much.

In honour of my beloved and much-missed dad I'd like to nominate the 'Peter Cook and Dudley Moore' question as Question of the Week.  Dad was a huge fan of Not Only But Also and, had he not repeatedly played me the 'Teaching Ravens to Fly Underwater' sketch when I was a kid we would never had got that one right!"

...whilst fellow Shrimp James adds...

"I thoroughly enjoyed this paper.  It was well balanced, in terms of the subjects and time periods covered, and peppered with interesting and accessible questions. We managed to fly through the first 4 rounds in under half an hour, which is a definite improvement on the seemingly never-ending slogs that can happen from time to time.  One slight quibble however: is it really fair on City fans in the quiz league to have a theme based on a Champions League final?  They'll have no clue what that is!"

(Ed: One more quip like that sunshine and I'll get my mate Jose to reappear)

(Round 8)

From the Red Ivor sums up the History Men's view...

"Moderately hard quiz with some interesting themes (and we all crave interest and novelty).  The rounds on film tag lines, on 'answering a question with a question' and Brexit were well received.  We struggled, however, with the 21st century bingo rounds - personally I would have liked to have had the chance to pick a year when I was still full of vim and vigour (1976 springs to mind).  We didn't spot the 1999 Man United theme but perhaps with a team of Liverpool, Everton and Spurs supporters there was an involuntary blind spot to the extra time final victory in Spain (which was almost as impressive as tonight’s escape from the hook in France)."

Our cameraman at the Vatican spots one of St Beryl’s finest practising her nunnery

(R4-5 - 2015)