|
Charabancs lost to Electric Pigs
The Pigs notch up their first victory of the
season
 ...
while Damian waits for his
Well, we lost the toss, were forced to go second and
it was all downhill (well mostly) from that point
on. As usual we were able to answer our
opponent's questions but not our own. Despite
managing to go ahead in 3 of the rounds (including
the last) we could never quite make up the 4-point
gap that opened up in R1 conceding another two
during the rest of the quiz to make the final margin
6 points.
So, it looks as if the new season is going to be
very much like the last with us struggling to notch
up a win against superior opponents.
Déjà vu should probably be
our motto these days.
An August Kid
(R5/Q2)
I'm intrigued to learn that the Pigs and the Bards
will be playing their deferred match from last week
using our questions - but have apparently made a
solemn vow not to peek at them on the website.
Maybe they should peek anyway and let it become a
'who remembers the answers best' contest in which
they notch up the highest scores of the season
between them? Just a thought.
On the plus side, Graham turned up unannounced from
his Canadian excursion (despite assuring me he
wouldn't be back until the end of October - not sure
if the 11th of a month counts as being at the end)
and Jane graciously conceded her place in the team
choosing to spectate. Historyman Ivor sat in
the QM's chair and fired his questions at us with
that mixture of enthusiasm and cheeky charm that we
have come to expect from him. Also spectating
was John's newly retired friend, Bill, whom we are
hoping will become a welcome addition to our
depleted squad. On the scoring side, we all
managed at least one two with Bernard and Graham,
our star performers, notching up 4 and 3
respectively.
Cunk's Bunk
(R7/Q6)
Opsimaths lost to Prodigals
The Prods march on - though only just
 Mike
reports on a cosy evening in the Club back lounge
The
first Club derby of the season ended with each team
having won three rounds and drawn two. Trouble
was the rounds the Opsis lost were more decisively
lost than those lost by the Prods. A narrow
margin of victory for the Prods was the outcome but
a general feeling of a good quiz match well played.
The
Orkney Dark trophy awarded on such occasions was
paraded for all to see but Anne-Marie was clear that
no-one should touch it. The murky liquid which
has been inside the bottle since 1993 when John
Jackson, Richard Seed (both former Prods) and myself
brought it back as the spoils from a short break in
the Northern Isles looks to be, if not explosive,
then certainly poisonous. I wonder if in some
fantasy of the future a non-Albert Club quiz captain
visualises a massive Orkney Dark explosion wiping
out the contenders from West Didsbury's finest club
leaving the path open for others to succeed.
Meanwhile back on earth a very affable evening was
fought out by Anne-Marie, Jimmy, Michael and Richard
on the Prod side and Nick, Howell, Hilary and me on
the Opsi side. Brian was, as ever, a
scrupulously fair QM.
The
big swing rounds were Rounds 4 and 5 when the cereal
cinema-goers who are the Prodigals wiped the floor
with the Egyptology, Wales and Scotland experts that
are the Opsimaths. Indeed I think the film
directors round went 7-1 to Anne-Marie's crew and
from then on there was no recovery for Howell and
his mob. Had Brian been playing, with me QMing,
then I suspect the result would have been different;
Brian is a whizz at cinema questions.
Post-quiz there was a fair amount of time to natter
and, of course, politics was to the fore. It
does seem that in answer to last week's question
posed by Michael ("Has anyone ever met a Tory?")
Richard, Hilary and myself come from backgrounds
where Tories abounded - but in those days they were
predominantly so-called 'one-nation Tories' whereas
now the only Tories on display are those that are
intent on dividing the nation with their endless
culture wars. By the way, that prompts me to
give a shout-out for the excellent 'Shortest serving
Deputy Prime Minister' question (R1/Q4). Nice
one History Men!
One
feature that I'm really pleased to report about the
Opsimaths this year is that in our squad of 7
players we now have 3 women (Hilary, Emma and
Charlotte). Indeed last week when we played
the History Men (???) with Vanessa and Ann there
were as many women playing as men. Progress!
Excellent!
|
Baby-eating Bishop
(R2/Q1)
Bards lost to KFD
Déjà
vu all over again
 Kieran
reports on yet another one-point victory for KFD
Last season we played a fantastic game against the
Bards at the end of which, and after a Bingo Round
8, we sneaked a one point win. Neither team
could have played any better and neither deserved to
lose.
And tonight? Yeah, same.
Last season we played three times in the Parrswood
and each time the quiz took place against a
background of noises off from fellow punters in
south Manchester's least popular watering hole - how
can a place that's always so empty always be so
loud? I quote from my report on our game
against the History Men on 8th March:
"Tonight the interference was provided by a group of
a dozen or so lads who had the bearing and banter of
a victorious post-match football team, laughing,
joking, telling tall tales, generally using a pub
for its prime purpose and behaving as you're
supposed to on the premises. How inconsiderate"
And tonight? Yeah, the same. In fact I think most
likely it was the same football team.
And last season we squeaked home by one point in
four matches on our way to becoming the first
winners of the Barry Whitehead trophy.
And tonight? Yeah, well, the first part OK but
let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Twelve twos played seven - but twenty ones against
thirteen and the Bards won the steals 4-2 with three
unanswereds each. All good, all done by 10pm
and Tony & co. in splendid form before, during and
after the evening's main business.
Next week the first Griffin derby, an Opsis paper
and finally the return of Bob "if anyone asks you
haven't seen me" as QM. Yes this time he
really will be present. Also no football so
hopefully a return to our room - just don't get any
ideas about our bench Damian!
Once Upon a Time Deborah
♪♪♪
(R4/Q3 - click picture to hear her theme)
Ethel Rodin beat Albert
Stonking victory for Ethel with the highest score
of the evening
 James
basks...
Ethel won the first round 8-1 and that made things
hard for Albert from the start.
A match where our new regular player Michael Byrne
came into his own, finally bringing that modern
popular culture knowledge to Ethel’s stubbornly
traditional approach.
I think it was a good toss to win and go first
first. There were about 5 absolute gimme
questions tonight and they did all seem to fall to
Ethel.
Country Rock's Dad
(R5/Q4)
 Mike
tells how Eveline has been appointed to a new role
A much changed Albert team suffered a heavy defeat.
On the whole this was a good toss to win because the
early rounds appeared to lack balance - e.g. the
name of the dog from the 1950s TV series
Champion The Wonder Horse twinned with the name
of Tintin's canine sidekick. On the other hand
we fell foul of our own ignorance. We did miss
Ashton's sports and music knowledge.
Stephen played very well for us but could not
compensate for my performance which must rank with
one of my worst ever. Of course this makes no
difference because a clause in the Constitution of
The Albert Team declares me to be a team treasure
(the WithQuiz equivalent of a National Treasure) and
am therefore automatically exempt from any blame.
With this in mind and using my extensive powers I
have designated Eveline to take all the blame and to
write me a letter expressing abject apology. I
will publish the text when it becomes available.
|
Quiz paper
set by...
...The
History Men
Average Aggregate score 75.3
Excellent paper covering many varied subjects
delivered through rounds of questions in many varied
formats. Good aggregate score very much in
line with the aggregates from previous weeks this
season. Yet again no 'Run-ons'! Has this
format run its course? Let's see what the
Opsimaths paper next week holds.
Godfather's middle son
(R4/Q1)
...
and this is what Damian thought ...
Good set of questions from the History Men with
their usual display of assorted themes, hidden and
announced, rounds paired against each other and
culminating in the welcome inclusion of a Bingo
round. In short a quiz paper full of that
quirkiness that can educate, amuse and sometimes
exasperate in equal measure.
As is so often the case, the pairing can be a bit
dodgy - e.g. parsec vs centimorgan (although we
actually managed to guess that one).
Personally I thought some of the answers in the
round on halves and quarters a bit vague and this
prevented me from scoring a two with John Sessions
as I couldn't see how that fitted with the theme.
Nonetheless the paper made for an enjoyable evening
even if things didn't, as usual, go our way.
Who's Master
(R6/Q8)
...
and James ...
The questions were pretty good - and it was an
enjoyable evening - at least from our perspective.
...
and finally Kieran ...
A fine paper from the History People with no blast
of the trumpet against monstrous wokery. Could
Ivor be mellowing in his well-enjoyed retirement?
Reassuringly there was an entire round on
minor-titled aristos, the setters dispensing with
names for the nobodies this time round.
Art's Art
(R8/Q11)
Question of the Week
This week the vote goes to Round 1 Question 4 ...
Lasting only 49 days in office who is the
shortest serving Deputy Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom?
For the answer to this and all the week's other
questions click
here.
Shortest Deputy practising to become Health
Secretary
(R1/Q4)
|
