Withington Pub Quiz League - QuizBiz 21/09/15

Eh! Good to be back or what?

No change at the top as the Shrimps, the Prodigals and Ethel all notch victories leaving next week's round to decide the league championship

Electric Pigs beat Opsimaths

History Men tied with Bards

Ethel Rodin beat Albert

Mantis Shrimp beat Charabancs

Prodigals 'walked over' Turing Testers

Ethel Rodin beat Albert

A close encounter - with Ethel just maintaining their title push

James reports from the winners' enclosure...

We enjoyed the return to face to face quizzing tonight. Ethel have been playing in an online league for the past year, so we have been meeting virtually throughout lockdown, but tonight was the first time we had been in the same room since, well, the night Liverpool played Athletico Madrid.

Our online quiz league allowed each player a guess for 2 points before the question was passed to the rest of the team. Returning to the WithQuiz system where a wrong individual answer means the question is passed to the opposition meant we had to be careful not to blurt.

Ethel took a commanding lead after 3 rounds, but then Albert gradually chipped it back, round by round, but didn’t quite make up the difference.

So, on to the final week next week, presumably with three teams still in the mix for the title.

Unlikely Gang member

(R4/Q7)

and from Mike O'B the other side of the table...

This ended up as a close result which was good considering how bad we were in the first two rounds. At one point we were 9 behind.

We had a new player tonight - Dave, who deputised for Jeremy. I explained to Dave that he was standing in for a respected and much loved member of the team although I must confess this is a lie; he was replacing a despised and hated member of the team. Oh it is good to be back quizzing again. Our favourite question was the Ricky Valence 'Run on'.

Where God faces 8 ways

(R2/Q7)

Mantis Shrimp beat Charabancs

An emphatic win for the title challengers

Rachael reports...

We had a lovely evening quizzing, finishing with a score of 52 to our excellent opponents 30. It felt wonderful to be back to real-life quizzing and to be with everyone in person after such a long break!

The Charabancs were delightful company as usual and it was great to catch up with them. The Shrimps are sad to have left WithQuiz. We have spent eleven years as part of this wonderful league, made lots of new friends and played some exciting quizzes. We are grateful to have been made so welcome and will miss you all! However, we very much hope to be able to join other teams for the odd match when we're not needed for OQL. Anne-Marie has already very kindly said that I can join as a temporary Prodigal which is very exciting!

as does Damian...

A 3-man Charabancs team celebrated our first WithQuiz match in 18 months by getting well and truly Shrimped by our doughty opponents in their penultimate appearance in the league. They demonstrated their quality to us yet again, and we can only hope their coming departure will prove a temporary one and we shall see them again soon. We can so ill-afford to lose teams of their quality permanently. As for the Charas, I may be forced to re-institute early morning jogs around Fog Lane Park (our former captain's time-honoured modus operandi for stimulating our ever-greying grey matter) with maybe a spot of Tai Chi for good measure. It won't do any good but at least it may keep us alive for one more quiz season!

Oh yes, please do!

(R3/Q3)

"Dinnae Messi with me"

(R5/Q3)

History Men tied with Bards

Honours even at the Parrswood

Ivor fills us in...

One and a half years since our last league game but it was as if we had never been away. The rules unchanged (and remembered), the Parrswood relatively empty (apart from four quiz teams), the etiquette, the strategies and 'caution versus risk' decisions all finely balanced and appropriate. But most of all it was seeing old colleagues and spending Wednesday evenings HAVING FUN.

Our match was an 84 point thriller with our early lead whittled away by the Bards who were 2 points ahead going into the last two questions. Fortunately for us we got a steal on the Bard’s 'Run on' question and then got the necessary point for a draw as there was no prospect of a two when I get a film question.

A draw however was just the right result as every team member was on good form whether producing amazing twos or being cautious for a team one, and there was not a single blurt by either team all night.

Bottom of the Way

(R1/Q6)

Electric Pigs beat Opsimaths

The Pigs limber up for the coming season with a thumping victory

Mike B called in late at the FM to interview the Pigs...

This was a three-a-side between a confident Pigs line-up and a visiting group of Opsimaths. Howell was otherwise engaged and I had been at the Etihad to watch the slaughter.

Statuesque birdman and erstwhile QM, Andrew, filled me in on the proceedings and the result.

Seeing the youthful Pig ensemble of Guy, Dave, Gary and Andrew made me feel at least 20 years younger. God we've been doing this for a long time!

Making her giggle

(R4/Q6)

Prodigals 'walked over' Turing Testers

A 'walkover' victory for the Prods

Sadly the Testers have left the league, most of them having had to disperse from Manchester during the pandemic. We wish them well - thank them for their time in the league and their unstinting friendliness - and will welcome any or all of them back should they pass this way again.

In the league table, following precedent for such situations, I've awarded the Prodigals the average winning score for the evening (45) and the Testers the average losing score (36). I need to do his in case points difference is needed to decide league standings at the end of the season.

A match for Queen of the South?

(R3/Q5)

Quiz paper set by...

...KFD

Average Aggregate score 80.6

A great paper from the experts to get us back into our cherished WithQuiz habits. Online quizzing (which the Opsimaths have been engaged in for the past year or so) is somewhat puritanical and frowns on any themes or gimmicks regarding them as introducing the possibility of unfairness. To me they're the spice that makes our quizzes so enjoyable. The setter has the chance to unwind a chapter of interest rather than grind out a number of carefully measured but too often boring paragraphs.

This KFD offering scored a creditably high 80.6 points average and exercised all the familiar question techniques: Hidden themes, Announced themes, Run Ons, Pairs and simply quirky Kieranisms. Bravo!

Absolutely loved the Barcelona question in Round 5.

"Now you see it, now you see it"

(R3/Q7)

so what did James make of it...

"High scoring quiz. No real stinkers. The few unanswereds nearly all had the right answer mentioned when we were conferring."

and Mike O'B...

"The questions were well balanced although there appeared to be a heavy weighting of music questions."

and Andrew...

"The quiz set by KFD was first rate and as QM I was well placed to enjoy the wit behind some of the clever questions. My favourite was the 'Run on' round standout poser about the drunkard with the Golden Arm."

and Ivor...

"KFD produced an excellent paper to restart the 19/20 season with plenty of variety and only four questions went unanswered. The COVID history round was considered a bit easy ('the kind of questions you might get on Tipping Point') but Martin’s maths questions no doubt suitable for a year 9 student proved more challenging ('some of us have forgotten more things than others ever knew'). Gratifying to have no pop music questions after 1984 (even our late friend Tim might have approved).

QotW: Many nominations. Jim got the drunken film director one for a two in two seconds and John got Scotland's Barcelona nemesis in one second but my choice would be the name of the socialist all round good egg with a daughter who was a gang member (R4/Q7)."

and Damian...

"We thought tonight's questions a decent offering although a bit top heavy with sport and popular music for my own tastes. However they played well to Chara Graham's strengths and it was thanks to his presence and to Chara John's that the outcome was not even more embarrassing for us. Both scored multiple twos whilst I managed to spare my blushes by sneaking in with one of my own.

QotW: We voted for which famous feminist and socialist writer had a daughter who was a member of a notorious gang (I was particularly proud of dredging up that one).

AotW: Shrimp Rachael coming up with Helen ReddyBrek in the run-offs round (demonstrating why she and her team had us by the short and curlies) although I was rather fond of Graham 'Tizer Boy' Wiggins' hopeful offering of Annie RiceKrispies. Better luck next time, Graham!"

and finally Rachael...

"We enjoyed the paper very much. It was good to see the return of old WithQuiz favourites like 'Run ons' and themed rounds which we have missed during the long break. Our favourite was the 'Helen Readybrek' question in the final round!"

Question of the Week

This week Andrew QMing for the Pigs chose 'Run Ons' Round 8 Question 5...

A slang term for being drunk &

A Hollywood director whose films include Laura and The Man With The Golden Arm.

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

"Oh yes you are, Mr P!"

(R8/Q5)

...and also

All is now set for the new season with the Fixtures appearing here.

Remember our End of Season/Start of Season social quizzing evening will be on October 6th starting at 8.30pm at the Albert Club. It'll be good to see you all there.