Val Draper Cup (Semi Finals)

Electric Pigs beat Charabancs

The end of this match was sow pleasing and far from boaring.  There was a pungent  smell of crackling  as the Charas racked up a very creditable 7 twos in Rounds 3 and 4.  Later it seemed they had laid the cochon with a 6-point lead by the end of the penultimate  round.

The final bout turned out to be electric for some and a beast for others.  We have all been there.  This was a very rare episode of pigs flying to general stupefaction and disbelief.  Percy Pig’s tails  swill grow in the telling.  Thanks are due to the Charas for their grace and good humour.

(R1/Q3)

Ethel Rodin beat KFD

Tonight was a classic KFD/Ethel game.  I think I'm right in saying we have done the triple on them this season.  Hopefully, there's no hubris saying that; in my previous 15 years of doing this quiz thing, I don’t think we've managed to scrape together more than 3 wins against KFD.  More recently all our games have been within a point either way, so it was no great surprise that tonight’s quiz ended up as a tie.  It’s a shame we only get to meet teams 2 or 3 times a season - I particularly enjoy the post-match chats we have with KFD - especially about politics.  

My brain struggled to remember the name of Austin Mitchell - and then I was convinced that Ted Heath was MP for Bexhill rather than Bexley so that led to another unnecessary confer.  In fact I don’t think I got a two all night. 

The two teams were neck and neck throughout - very few unanswereds - very few handovers - and only one blurt I can remember.  This came at a crucial time, four questions from the end when Michael went for the wrong 19th century elemental discoverer.  To be fair we had very much encouraged him to ‘go for it’ so this was a shared team failure.  Fortunately we got the handover for the paired question so ultimately it didn’t matter.  Michael had more than earned his place by picking out Mambo No.5 after a couple of questions, such that Rita Heyworth moved from an educated guess to an obvious steal.

The tiebreak led to us giving a number that was ridiculously close - only about 45,000 from the answer.  This was partly luck rather than judgement; both Roddy and I had said “just under 68 million” and so we just went for a random answer and ended up being spookily close to the right answer.  I can’t remember what that was but will ask my 10 year old tomorrow.  Actually he probably doesn’t know it, but will find out (he's being groomed as a next generation WithQuizzer).  On this point, a shout out for Kieran’s son, Thomas, who at 25 dredged up several great answers this week.  Indeed one of the reasons for Ethel’s success this year has been the injection of young blood into our line-up.  All teams should be actively seeking to recruit younger team members as we move forward to our 50th WithQuiz season in a few year's time.

That felt familiar.  After a season in which the game that is always decided by one point had been won by the huge margins of four and then five, we were back to the slimmest difference between the teams - or no difference at all - or back to just the one point without the handicap.  

The record books state that Madrid didn't beat City, United didn't beat Coventry and for that matter we didn't beat the Prodigals two weeks ago, but cup competitions have to have a team progress to the next round and tonight that was Ethel, deservedly so.  

This time I couldn't pull out the two on the last question which would have snatched victory away from Ethel at the last.  The only thing I know about Khachaturian is the Sabre Dance which introduced the nine-year old me to Dave Edmunds and made me fall in love with guitar gods.  I'd have nailed Stravinsky though; small margins.  

Greg was MVP with 6 twos (plus ça change), and the whole contest was decided by Ethel netting four steals to our three (as well as by the handicap of course).  It was a superb evening, enhanced by the news from the wrong end of the East Lancs which found favour with pretty much all the assembled company.  

I doubt that the Bards were aware that a couple of years back in the Stadium of Murk, I took an agonisingly long time to hit on Michael Green in a Cumbria-themed round to win with a two on the last question.  But some strange influence had them include Corinne Stockheath again tonight and, though this time it was a trademark KFD confer, the spectre of Sebastian Fox eventually emerged from the huddle.  It's always fun to replay a greatest hit or, as James put it: "This time you didn't take quite as long to squeeze out the turd."  For those of you who have given up keeping track of the shortest serving Home Secretary's multiple personality disorders, or those who couldn't give a toss in the first place, all of the above are online aliases used by that 'here today, gone tomorrow' politician Grant Shapps.    

Congratulations to Ethel and the Bards both.  We still have a final to play and the chance of silverware which is one up on the toothy bad loser.  Bring it on!

(R3/Q8)