24th January - Away to the Plough Horntails

ick was not playing in the quiz as he was soaking up the culture of London (including the exhibition of illuminated manuscripts at the British Library – hence the opening character) but with the assistance of a judge they managed to win the game against the Plough Horntails. The questions can be seen here. Hope to show detailed results in the future.

Have now had a chance to look at the results and comments - in a week of generally low results and critical comments, the Phoenix did well. At the halfway stage they were ahead with 49 to 27, and they won the General Knowledge rounds 77 to 63 with a final score of 126 to 90. Tim playing his first game in the League did very well in the Specialist questions whilst Tomo achieved a magnificent score. Individual scores were Bob 3/18, Wendy 9/12, Tim 12/6 and Tomo 12/21; conferred points were 7/12 with passovers 6/8. The Horntails picked up 7/8 passovers.

17th January 2012 Home to the Lamb

 

“And the Wolf shall dwell with the lamb”

This was the first game of the second half of the season and the Phoenix were lying second with the Park Taverners snapping at their heels. The Lamb have had some unfortunate results and were holding up the rest of the League – see the link to News & Views aside. It was therefore with a vulpine, confident swagger that the Phoenix gathered on their home turf. Coincidentally Macc Town were playing Bolton in a 3rd round replay of the Cup having drawn 2-2 in the first round – both they and the Phoenix had a lot to live up to!!

The Specialist Questions (set by The Church House Bollington) were different (not to say unusual) with tongue-twisting questions and mathematical symbols. Unfortunately these were far more to the Lamb’s taste than to the Phoenix who finished the rounds 13 points behind (45 points to the Lamb’s 58)!! Only Bob and Tomo got into double figures (12 each) so there was a lot of hard work to do!!

The General Knowledge were more to the Phoenix’ taste and the scoring was pretty steady as they fought to get back into the game. After a couple of beer breaks in which the Magic Rock Curious ale fortified spirits and minds the Phoenix had managed to make up the deficit and get a nose in front eventually finishing the questions with 79 to 51 – a good recovery.

Individual scores were Bob 12/12, Wendy 3/18, Nick 3/12 and Tomo 12/12; conferred points were 12/14 and passovers 3/11. The Lamb picked up 6/3 passovers.

For some reason the game lacked the sparkle we have come to expect and have previously enjoyed with the Lamb and we don’t think it can be put down to the questions. Perhaps it was the pain Nick was obviously experiencing with his neck that spread to the rest of the players’ bums.

Final score then was 124 to 109 – a fine recovery sadly not matched by Macc Town who lost the replay 2-0.

A fine selection of sandwiches rounded off the evening. Thank you Brian and Tracey.

Quizmasters 10th January

 

This week the Phoenix set the specialist questions and asked both sets at the four games in the B League – hopefully not as unctuously as Anil Kapoor in Slumdog Millionaire.

There was a special round to celebrate Bob’s 25 years in the quiz league and generally they went down quite well. The big question remaining is which of the quizmasters got the best supper!! Did anyone do better than Nick with chips, sausages in onion gravy and bread and butter??

13th December–away to the Plough Horntails

From our sports writer Duncan Disorderley

Greetings!

I thought I might pen a few lines to your blog as I met my old friend Bob Langstaff the other day and we got around to talking about the early days of the Macclesfield Quiz League when I was first reserve for the Robin Hood in Rainow. It’s good to see that this old hostelry has a team in the Quiz League once more, trying to do as well as its illustrious predecessors. It’s even better to know that the Robin Hood is still open! This time last year there were three pubs in Rainow and now there’s only the one - The “Rising Sun” has finally set, and the “Highwayman” has robbed his last shilling. Bob told me that my old mate Graham Holt was making a guest appearance for the Tavern against the Plough Horntails so I thought I’d go along for old time’s sake as this year is Bob’s Silver Quizzing Anniversary.

The quiz itself was quite good, but not like the quizzes of yore. Those were the days! – the Quiz League of the 1980s when men were men and so were most of the women. There were guys like Nick Dennis, ex-Brain of Britain who led the fearsome Millstone team and used to insult opponents using the ‘sledging’ like the Aussie cricketers do only in a Cockney accent. His team was so dedicated they used to interview hire and fire! They were all fairly old so they had a young lad who was under instruction during the match to answer only sport and pop music questions (at which he was a master) and confer on all other questions.

Then there was the famous smoking Vicar, David Harrison who gave up the league when he could no longer chain smoke his way through twenty rounds. He once played on the quiz team for one of the little house-pubs – I think it was the Morning Star - and we were neck and neck until we had a specialist round on Saints and he knew the bloody lot! I’m convinced to this day that it was divine intervention. Yes, those were the days, when you had to put up with questions like “What is the only creature besides man that can catch leprosy?” That raised some eyebrows I can tell you. Then there were those team members who came out for a pint and an argument. I won’t name the chief antagonist as he may be still around, but no, it wasn’t Paul Beard – he made PB seem like a choirboy!

The Tavern team did OK. Graham held his corner, Bob has lost none of his charm and good looks and Wendy only made one howler when she said that a Royal Enfield was where the queen kept her chickens. Tommo answered well between bouts of making things disappear and they eventually won the match. Didn’t see Nick though. Somebody told me he was away celebrating his 70^th birthday. I must say he doesn’t look seventy, though he must have done at one time!

And in case you were wondering, nine-banded armadillo’s can also catch leprosy.

Cheerio for now

Duncan Disorderley