KFD lost to Prodigals

We've now lost eight on the bounce to the Prodigals, five of them on Charas' papers.  If I was a conspiracy theorist I'd be plotting the storming of the Bundestag but instead I chose quizzing to get my kicks.  Bloody hell!   

Two top teams playing at the very edge of their abilities, sometimes at the edge of reason.  Ludicrous long shot punts earned vital points: the 'Palais de Luxembourg' offered up on no more firm information than (like 'Oxygen') it had an 'X' in it; 'Ignorance and Want' dredged from God knows where after a particularly poor Bingo pick.  Hmmm Bingo... no we'll get to that.  On the other side of the quiz coin toss both 'Batman' and 'See How They Run DMC' were ignored even after being written down in front of us - and both snaffled by the Prodigals for priceless bonuses; and then a total Horlicks from the KFD brains trust regarding Edward the First's dates.   

Ewan's 'Local Hero' Uncle

We led all night right up to Question 3 of the final round - and again after Question 4, and then Bingo... no not yet.  A match filled with such rancour that we unquestioningly allowed the Prodigals a Spare after they'd been misled by the wrong date for Stand By Me.  Of course they got a two for the replacement question.  They thought we were hard done to with the 'Standing Stones' question but Harris and Lewis are discrete islands and I couldn't argue a case for points or a spare for that (ED: No they're not discrete islands - the Isle of Lewis and the Isle of Harris are separate areas within a single island mass called Lewis and Harris - see my comments against the Quiz Paper).  There was endless bum-numbing conferring from both sides such that we didn't finish until the ungodly hour of 10.25, exactly the same time as last week's shocking KFD display of shithousery at the quondam Stadium.  

A month ago we held a seemingly unassailable lead against the Opsimaths going into the final round.  The Historymen had set a bingo test to complete the quiz.  We squeaked home by a single point.  We just can't do f***ing bingo rounds.  That's how to beat us, even more than setting Dickens questions on which, as mentioned above, we scored what we thought was a vital point at the death.

And so to tonight's Bingo round... a two point lead for us had become a two point lead for the Prodigals with only my question left and three options to pick from.  Last week I was a hero, to my team mates at least, when, after thinking time which apparently lasted longer than Jarndyce v Jarndyce, I nailed Grant Shapps (ugh!) and we won by a point.  Karma's a bitch as they say.  Tonight I became zero as I honed in on the one of the three I didn't know.  The chance of the tie and a two point lead in the league at the halfway stage vanished and with admirable ruthlessness the Prodigals picked up the bonus for a slightly flattering 3-point win.  When you've got your foot on your opponent's neck push down harder and all that.  

When we got to the spares I asked if I could have first go at the two so far unused Bingo questions.  You see I was baptised a Catholic and that's the sort of torture we just have to put ourselves through.  'By St Agnes' Fountain' and 'A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols' scarcely required a moment's thought but I was nowhere near 'A Visit From St Nicholas'.  Prodigal Michael, whom I'm sure bats for a very different Christian sect - or more likely none, just like me - helpfully reminded me that had I been born to Presbyterians I would have known that I was always destined to make the wrong choice and that we were fated to lose the quiz before the first question had been asked.  Calvin had this stuff down centuries ago.  But I was taught that I have a free will and that if I exercise it wrongly I will sin against my creator.  It makes the guilt so much deeper and so much sweeter.  That's a pleasure(?) and a poignancy that the Presbyterians and all the rest will never know.  

Forgive me Father for I have bollocksed it up right at the death.  

Michael chips in from the winners' bench...

Ethel Rodin beat Bards

Well, after several weeks of being closely done over by a lack of knowledge, dodgy question pairings and a lack of league governance re timing, this week Ethel were lucky recipients of a 'steal win' thanks to a couple of blurt-near-misses: 'Tax' over 'Taxi' and 'Clancy' over 'Clarence'.

'Ethel 40-38 Bards' was probably just about right on the night; Bards never ahead, with Ethel’s lead wavering between 5, 0 and the eventual 2 points.

We almost threw it away on the Blockbuster Bingo round but held it together to maintain our mid-table mediocrity.

Following on from last week’s loss in the shape of an uncomfortable last-question 5-minute tie-clincher, after the quiz we discussed whether the league needs to set time limits for answering.  Other leagues do this, despite WithQuiz always managing without it.  It would be best to have a gentleman’s and lady’s agreement on this rather than impose a ‘constitutional’ change, but 2 minutes feels like more than long enough first up, with one minute once conferred by either team.  Thoughts….?

En route to grave-mouldering:

Hanged for treason