Week 17 - 17th February

 

The Oxford Mail may not publish anything until my end of season report, but I'll keep sending it in. Here is what they didn't print this week:

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Average scores were higher this week, does that mean that the teams are a bit cleverer, or the questions a bit easier? Whichever, it was an interesting and varied set of questions from Tim Busby, as ever, which produced some good tight matches.

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At the Chequers Chippy it was another game that could have gone either way until the last few questions. After a slow start, the Chequers picked up a bit of energy and kept up the pace, in a good match against a very friendly visiting team. It ended Chequers 71 - Mason's Arms 65, which takes the Chequers to the top of the Championship with only a few weeks of the season left.

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The Windrush set off across Oxfordshire for their first visit to a lovely pub, the Bell Lower Heyford. They had a fine night at the Bell, with good beer, nice surroundings and friendly opposition. The Windrush got their noses in front early on and managed to maintain it through the quiz. The pictures, give it away round and blockbuster were all tied, with the match ending Bell 51 - Windrush Club 73.

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Like several other teams, the Sun Hook Norton were delayed by road works coming in to Oxford. They were held up in the quiz, too, in the eternal contraflow of picking the wrong questions. The visitors never really got going, but the Gardeners were on form with some inspired guesses. Another enjoyable night, ending Gardeners Arms 72 – Sun 58. And the Royal Blenheim were hosts to the Six Bells, winning 79-63, the top score of the night, again.

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Ramblers 61-66 Ploughman’s Bunch! Even before the Gilbert and Sullivan question it was a topsy-turvy evening. The Bunch! won the opening round 14-2 as the Ramblers rejected a number of correct answers; but they then won the third round 12-4 when it was visitors’ turn to take some wrong options. Thanks to some astonishing answers from Miles on Dickie Valentine and an Abba album the Bunch! retained their lead going into the give-it-away round, and saw it all out comfortably – the Ramblers securing the last five points to make it look a little closer than it felt. It was an entertaining evening in pleasant company: nice to be back in the Royal Sun again.

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The Plough got off to what is becoming a habitual slow start against keen visitors the Nomads, who won the first two rounds and were still ahead after three. Better form in the second half saw the Plough pull away from their friendly rivals in a keenly-contested game. Independent observer David Quinn reports: “4-2 on bonuses, lost both numbers rounds, brilliant captaincy picking”. Final score: Plough 76 - Nomads 65.

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And in a friendly match the Blackbird beat the Chandos 71 - 43. Captain John Conway said that it was a lovely evening, and good to hear that the Chandos Arm's is now a community pub, long may it prosper. Beware likes of the Blenheim and the Plough teams of this world, when the Blackbird have five players!

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Week 16 - 10th February

 

Still no word on Oxford Mail publication, but I'll keep sending it in. Here is what they missed:

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Carry on Quizzing – the cast list is yours to create. There was a bit of a theme developing this week with three Carry On classics featuring: Cowboy, Emmannuelle, and Loving, what a mash-up they would make. In other questions the Cornish king crab did not feature in Carry on Crabby, Doc Holliday was not in Carry on Doctor, and Carry on Constable was not about the artist.

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It was a tense match all the way between one-time local rivals the Masons and the Gardeners. The result could have gone either way until the very end, but the Masons snuck in with a 70-66 win. As so often this season it was another enjoyable fixture played in a great spirit.

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Blackbird 42 - Chequers 68. Very good effort for the Blackbird considering they only had two players, well short of the full pie. Good company, and we enjoyed the KFC, and as usual some unexpected answers.

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The S1 bus carried its precious Plough quiz team cargo across Swinford Bridge and into the wild west of Eynsham for a visit to the White Hart. There was a warm welcome in a busy pub for the visitors, and a good range of beers. The home team deservedly drew level after round two, making the visitors fearful of another match needing last-round heroics. In the event, the Plough gained a few points in each round to finish fourteen ahead at White Hart 61 – Plough 75.

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Ramblers 66 - Six Bells 64. As the score suggests this was pretty close all evening. The Ramblers’ one-point lead after round three was reversed by a rather impressive 19 out of 20 for the Six Bells in the picture round. Wrong question choices in round five by Six Bells swung it back the other way, and even though Six Bells won the final two rounds it was not enough. Once again obscure rock knowledge at the death got the Ramblers over the line.

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Ploughman’s Bunch! 85 - Bell 37. A nice evening with the good-natured Bell outfit who were undaunted by not scoring in the first round, and played their part in what was an enjoyable match under Quinny’s characteristic chairmanship. Last week’s heroic duo Chas and Dave were joined by Beth, Jeremy, and Bob (not seen for a couple of years), and the three of them helped as they accrued a full seven more points than the two of them had against not one but Six Bells last week. They were indebted to Tim Busby for the high number of Carry On questions, but Beth’s detailed memories of a Metallica concert came too late for her to answer the relevant question.

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Unfortunately, The Chandos Arms scratched late because of Covid and a bereavement. They offered the game to their hosts the Sun Hook Norton, who were therefore awarded 57 points, their average for the season to date.

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And to complete the round-up of results, the Nomads played a friendly match against the Windrush Club, winning 76 – 59.

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Week 15 - 3rd February

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Tim Busby cheered up the winter night by referencing not one but two classic sixties novelty songs this week. In the first round Charlie Drake’s Boomerang came back after sixty years, thanks to the wise counsel of witch doctor George Alfred Black, “First you’ve got to throw it”. Jennifer Eccles was spotted in the final round, with her terrible freckles, as featured in Lily the Pink. Now she joins in all the games, and I’m sure there’s a lesson in that for all of us, if only we knew what it was.

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With five regular players unavailable, the Ploughman’s Bunch! had a duo for a team, to play four of the Six Bells Kidlington. So they were just Charles and David, outnumbered by the home team. A rather brilliant performance from the Bunch! of two ended Six Bells 64 - Bunch! 78, that’s the way to do it.

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The Masons and the Sun Hook Norton met at the Masons for a fixture that was always close. Making heavy weather of where the T20 World Cup was played, but instantly getting the question about Boogie Nights, the Masons eventually won 61-58. A good match, two sociable teams in a sociable pub, what better way to bring light to a February night?

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Chequers Chippy 58 - Chandos Arms 52. A good game, of various fortunes.. After a strong start for the Chequers, the Chandos fought their way back up, and the last round could have gone either way. Very friendly team and an enjoyable evening.

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Gardeners 65 Blackbird 40. The Gardeners were in cruise control, their opponents never at the races. A very convivial evening, and the Gardeners leapfrog two rivals to hop up to fourth in the Championship.

 

And the Royal Blenheim continued their run of good form, beating the White Hart 71-63.

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Bell 39 Ramblers 71 Since the Ramblers built up a nineteen-point lead after two rounds it was never much of a contest, but played in good spirit, nevertheless. The home side disappointed themselves by failing to remember the Walker Cup, and Paul surprised Ramblers by recognising "My Boomerang won't come back". Some rather tasty Spaghetti Bolognese helped things along as well.

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At the Plough, after last week’s all-premiership triumph, the Windrush Club were within a whisker of beating the home team. The visitors from Witney started slowly, but gradually recouped their seven-point deficit from round one. Going in to the final round the Windrush were one point ahead, well within sight of a deserved win. But the Plough pulled out all the stops, stepped up to the plate and went the extra mile, amongst other mixed metaphors, to win the round 16-2 for a flattering final score Plough 71 – Windrush Club 58.

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Week 14 - 27th January

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Still no word on publication, but I'll keep churning out the copy, like this:

Question setter Tim Busby cranked up the level of difficulty this week, and average scores were the lowest of the season so far. There were the same questions for everybody, though, so no complaints. The odd quirk was that no home team won outright, although the Ramblers managed a draw, clearly invigorated by a return to the Royal Sun Begbroke, their spiritual home.

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The Plough, Wolvercote was the venue for an all-premiership clash between long-term friendly rivals the Ploughman’s Bunch! who were hosts to their stablemates the Plough. The Bunch! were not quite at full strength but stormed to a three-point lead in the first round. The Plough recouped this at the start of round two, going nine ahead after three. The pictures and a tough round five put the Bunch! back in contention, only four behind with all to play for. But the Plough pulled away in the last two rounds to finish as 73-61 winners. Plentiful bonus scores went 10-4 to the Plough, winners of a keen contest, and retaining their position at the top of the premiership. Magisterial question master David Quinn calmly kept order.

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The Masons Arms travelled to their nearest neighbours The Blackbird for a game that was very close, very enjoyable but not high scoring. The final score was 51-55 to the Masons.

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Windrush 53 - Gardeners 55. This was an enjoyable match, where the Gardeners only took the lead in the last round, and clung on thanks to Bob Dylan!

 

And in the east The Chandos Arms welcomed the Royal Blenheim, who won 78-48 with the highest score of the night, for the third week running.

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It was all level at the end of the match at the Royal Sun, Begbroke: Ramblers 60 White Hart 60, and the Blockbuster was tied 16-all too. There really was no way at all to separate these two teams on the night. The Ramblers built up a nine-point lead after two rounds, but after the pictures they were level again. A three-point lead for the White Hart going into the last round was at risk of being thrown away but in the end both teams' knowledge of rock (both punk and classic) meant honours stayed even.

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Bell Lower Heyford 37 – Chequers Chipping Norton 61. This was a game of mixed fortunes, with the usual brain waves and inspired guesses. Another evening with good company, and it’s great to see venues filling up again, but the pub hubbub affected the concentration needed to crack Tim Busby’s fiendish suite of brain teasers.

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Unfortunately the Six Bells were not chiming this week, as the home team only managed to get eight questions correct in all six Q&A rounds. This then allowed the Nomads to pick up eleven bonus points on their way to a comfortable victory. The picture round and the Blockbuster were more competitive, but the final scores were Six Bells 32 - Nomads75. However a mere quiz result couldn’t spoil a very sociable evening made all the better for copious amounts of pizza, chips, ale, and laughter. Life on the Kidlington Moors wasn’t that bleak after all.

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Week 13 - 20th January

 

Discussions of an ongoing nature happening very much behind the scenes at the Oxford Mail. In the meantime, here is what they did not publish:

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Week thirteen of the winter season was unlucky for some, but a flock of bird-related questions suited others better. Feathers flew and nests were lined, as chickens came home to roost.

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Following their disastrous outing last week, the Nomads made two substitutions and one positional change (Chris wasn’t allowed to sit in his usual seat) for the game against the Blackbird. After a good first round, the Blackbird experienced what their captain described, when he answered the Charles Dickens question, as “Hard Times”. Eddie would have been impressed with the Nomads tactics as normal service was resumed and they scored a reasonable 78 points to the Blackbird’s 39, in a very enjoyable evening.

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Sun 55 White Hart 64. The White Hart had one of those all too rare nights when all their guesses seemed to be correct. This enabled them to build up enough of a lead that even a 10-3 drubbing in the final round had no effect on the final outcome. Their knowledge of the Kardashians was reassuringly poor, however, unlike their hosts'.

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Windrush 48 Chandos 65. With three team members side-lined, The Chandos Arms had to draft in family members, and it looked ominous as they lost the first round, however they found their feet and were up after the pictures. The second half saw the gap widening as the Windrush kept choosing the more difficult questions.

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The Chequers Chippy were very welcome visitors at the Plough Wolvercote. The Chequers made a strong start with bonuses in the second round, and there was only one point in it after three rounds. The pictures separated the two sides a little more, celebrities with bird names. Johnnie Peacock was conspicuous by his absence there. Tasty pizza and chips inspired the Plough to pull ahead in the later rounds, winning 77 - 63. It was a very friendly and jolly match, enjoyed by both sides.

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Gardeners Arms 56 Six Bells 52. The lead changed hands a few times, but Carsten’s knowledge of Sam Cooke saw them home, despite not knowing much about history, biology, trigonometry or even what a slide rule is for. A very pleasant evening, twisting the night away.

 

And the Royal Blenheim travelled north to the Bell Lower Heyford, winning 88-43.

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A growing tendency to overrule correct answers saw the Bunch! looking anxiously over their shoulders in the early rounds. The picture round doubled their lead, but to just four points. They eased to victory, though, winning the last three rounds by reasonable margins. It was good to see the pub busy, so the questions were expertly read in a slightly challenging environment, and the food was excellent. Final score: Masons 60 – 77 Ploughman’s Bunch!

 

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Week 12 - 13th January

 

Nobody was asked to bring their own booze, as the quiz matches are held in pubs and clubs. There was no question of anyone mistaking the quiz for a work meeting. Serious questions were asked, but not by a senior civil servant. So nobody has to apologise to the Queen, I hope that’s clear.

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Another week, another challenging and stimulating suite of questions from Tim Busby, and the quiz league rolls on through the dark January nights. A good night was had by all, as usual.

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The Plough had a warm welcome at the Gardeners Arms North Parade, with great beer and a tasty spread of sausages and classy sandwiches. As Andy, home captain, summed up it was a good night all round. Carsten asked the questions, and the visitors won the first round 14-4, consolidating that lead throughout the evening, finishing as 78-50 winners.

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A local fixture for two of the Masons team saw them at the Windrush Club in Witney. In one of those games that seemed closer than the score indicated, the Masons won 44-58. The chips at half time went down particularly well.

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Nomads 53 Sun Hook Norton 67 A pleasant evening. Both teams were appropriately socially distanced - from the questions. Rebellion real ale was on offer and was very tasty. Congratulations to the Sun, and commiserations to the Nomads, as this was the first time this season that the Nomads have been beaten by another championship team.

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Bell 35 White Hart 62. The Bell were the very definition of the term 'genial hosts', right down to predicting their own score to within a point. Consistent scoring allowed the White Hart to ease to victory, with their lack of knowledge of 1960s albums being the only disappointment. Who knew that Face to Face (1966) was the first Kinks LP not to feature the band name?

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And in another part of the county, the Chequers Chippy beat Six Bells Kidlington 75 – 42,

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The Blackbird were hosts to an on-form Royal Blenheim, who won 82 – 51.

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And to even up the fixtures, the department for levelling up, or evening out, there was a friendly match where the Ploughman’s Bunch! won against the Ramblers 71-50. It was good of the Ramblers to come out for a friendly, and of the pub to provide the venue and food. There was usually only a couple of points in it per round, but the home team slowly built a useful lead and then ran away with it in the last round.

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Week 11 - 6th January

 

Happy New Quizzing year, it’s Catch-22. What will 20-22 bring? Who knows, but the second half of the winter league started with a good range of questions from Tim Busby, which produced some high-scoring heroics from valiant victors and luckless losers alike.

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It was a tight match for the Ploughman’s Bunch! against a Blackbirds team of four, including Darragh. The Bunch! were at full strength, and after the first six questions had been answered correctly they took an eight-point lead from the remainder of round one. That hardly changed throughout the next three close-fought rounds, but the Bunch! stumbled after the pictures and could have lost their advantage, particularly with the Blackbird demonstrating their celebrated knowledge of Yves St Laurent fragrances. Two classical music questions in round six restored the home team’s eight-point lead going into the give-it-away. The Bunch! romped home with top score of the night on 83, with the Blackbird unlucky to lose with the fourth-highest score of 69.

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In the far north the Sun Hook Norton won 65-34 against The Bell. There were some challenging rounds for both teams, but the home team came out victors. The food was a comforting pasta bake and the Hooky beer was in top condition, as ever at this venue.

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Chequers 62 - Gardeners Arms 57 After a very slow start, The Chequers managed to creep back with a balanced game. As usual they passed the questions to which they knew the answers.

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White Hart 61 - Chandos 58. An entertaining and wildly fluctuating contest saw both teams winning individual rounds by wide margins, including a 13-4 rout by the visitors in round three, and they still led by four points coming into the final round. The White Hart managed to steady the ship with a series of bonus points, but still needed to answer the final question to secure victory, and were able to fall back on their knowledge of Bob Hoskins' film career to inch over the line.

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The Ramblers were first time back at their old home, The Royal Sun Begbroke, and a communication breakdown meant they weren't expected! However the new people rose to the challenge well and found them a spot. A 15-6 lead after round one meant it was never a contest, and the rest of the match played out in a relaxed manner. The Royal Sun weren't expecting a match, so no food had been arranged, so they ended up buying every packet of crisps they had! Final score Ramblers 78 - Windrush 49.

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Jonny Peacock featured as guest question reader at the Masons Arms for their match against the Nomads. Both teams were on hot form from the start, and it was only at the end of round two that a question was not answered. It was a night of bonuses, twenty in total, and the difference between the teams was the Nomads fourteen bonus answers. The Masons had a storming nineteen on the pictures to go within three points of the lead, but they were sunk 4-15 in round five. A warm and welcoming pub to visit, with a fantastic selection of well-kept beer. Thank you for having me!

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Week 10 - 16th December

 

So here it is, Merry Christmas, everybody’s having fun, it’s the last quiz of the year. Walking in a winter wonderland for Tim Busby’s magical Christmas-themed quiz, and King Kong merrily on high, as quizzers puzzled over the gorilla being the largest nest-building mammal.

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It was a very enjoyable match for the Gardeners Arms at the Chandos, ending as 50 – 60 winners. They resisted humming the Girl from Ipanema, whose words featured as a tall and tan and young and lovely question. Everyone who passes said aah.

 

And in swinging downtown Oxford the Royal Blenheim won at home against the Masons Arms 74 – 44.

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The Ploughmans Bunch! won 80-55 against the Windrush. With the pictures and rounds three and six tied (the latter as part of run of twenty correct answers from the teams), the difference on the night came down to a strong start by the Bunch! They retrieved some good answers as part of a 13-4 margin in round five that clinched the victory over a good-natured Windrush outfit, who had cheerfully braved Oxford’s rising Omicron numbers. Plough captain Howard, who popped in to spectate, got a couple of solo bonuses.

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At the Blackbird both teams were only able to field three players, and the evenness of the numbers showed in the way the game swung one way and then the other. In the end it was a disastrous/superb (depending on which team you mean) 2-11 score in round three that made the difference. A very convivial evening enhanced by a delicious chicken curry. Final score Blackbird 53 - Ramblers 61.

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Last week’s tribute act trio for the Sun Hooky continued their world tour in Kidlington. The same three players for the Sun followed the star south to the Six Bells bearing their gifts, wondering what myrrh is (there’s a balm on the bus!). The Fun Boy Three struck gold and started lapping the Cream. The first five rounds were fairly even, but the Sun won round six with a monster (Frankenstein not frankincense) score of 15-2 and the last round 10-3 to win 65-44.Thanks to the Six Bells for a good evening, good beer and baguette hot dogs.

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What a night for the Nomads! Great to see the Chequers back in Bletchingdon. Vince acted as stand in reader as John C failed his fitness test. This was a tight game, and it was all square after four rounds. Both teams were predicting they would have a round five collapse. One did. It was the Chequers, and then they slipped further behind after round six. So, Nomads had a nine-point lead, and give it away was very even. Final score Nomads 81, Chequers 72 an exceptional result with the highest score of the night and a very respectable losing score that could have won elsewhere.

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That’s it for 2021, next matches are on 6 January, so it’s Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

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Week 9 - 09th December

 

Always winter but never Christmas, or at least not yet, the cold dark days of December were lightened and warmed by an entertaining quiz supplied as ever by Tim Busby. Points were hard-earned in some close matches, but the Thursday evening quiz continues to raise spirits and glasses.

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The Masons hosted the White Hart, and the away team led all the way until round six, when the home team took the lead, but after a tense give it away round the scores finished level at 58 all.

 

And it was a close-run thing at the Chandos. Visitors The Blackbird started with only two players and lost round one by four points. The third team member then arrived, but they were thirteen points down by round three, but THE CHASE was on. They rallied to get within one point during give it away. The final score in a low-scoring game was Chandos 43 Blackbird 41.

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The Ploughmans Bunch! had a close shave at the Gardeners Arms. Four rounds of the first six were tied, and the Bunch! went into the last round one down. Whenever they seemed to reach a positive turning-point the pendulum swung the other way, but the tide definitively turned to the Bunch! in the give-it-away round, where they took the first eleven points. Enormous credit to the three-person Gardeners team, who ensured that they stayed in it thanks to some inspired answers. As ever, nice to be back in that pub again. Gardeners Arms, 66-74 Bunch!

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The Sun Hooky came to the Plough as a power trio, but were more the Fun Boy Three than Cream or Nirvana. The Sun scored best in round one, getting eight to the Plough’s twelve, but it was the home team all the way, winning every round to come out top scorers on the night, Plough 87 – Sun Hook Norton 37.

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Ramblers 68 Bell 39. The Ramblers were always slightly ahead, but not by much, until a score of 15 - 2 in round six put them firmly in control. Bell at least managed to put in a pretty good blockbuster score, and the evening concluded with an inter-team discussion on the fate of local pubs in general. Which brings us on to another topic. The new people at the Royal Sun have confirmed The Ramblers are welcome so they would like to move back there in the new year, starting with their match on Jan 6th against the Windrush. They will keep the name 'Ramblers', at least for this season anyway.

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The Nomads made the trip out west to a warm welcome at the Windrush. Great to play against old friends. The first three rounds seemed to play into the Nomads hands, and the score at this point was Windrush 16, Nomads 32. A tough picture round was drawn twelve all. Rounds five and six again went Nomad's way, and a drawn round seven gave a final score of Windrush 42, Nomads 72. A valiant effort from the hosts.

 

And the Royal Blenheim went north to Chipping Norton, ending the Chequers winning run, winning 72-53.

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Week 8 - 02nd December

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No word yet from the printers at the Oxford Mail, this is your own copy of what would have been published:

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It was déjà vu all over again as last week’s blockbuster came back for an encore. These things happen, taken in good humour as a memory test. I said it was déjà vu all over again…

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The one team to whom the blockbuster was virgin territory were the Chequers Chippy, who had a bye last week. They played for fun, thinking that it wouldn't count, but as it worked out, that made the ‘virtual’ scoring easier. Otherwise, the game was full of high and low scoring rounds with the usual inspired guesses and answers dug up from some obscure region of the brain. White Hart 55 - Chequers 60.

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The Nomads had a very strange match as hosts to the Gardeners. The Nomads’ hospitality stretched to giving their welcome visitors a win in each of the first two rounds, so the Gardeners had a seven-point lead. Round three was a draw, and a slight advantage to Nomads in the picture round meant that after four rounds Gardeners were four up. Then instead of a round five collapse Nomads won by seven, then another five in round six. Then Nomads started to take Give it away literally. Heart palpitations were starting, but Nomads held on to win 59 -53.

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The Masons continued their winning streak at the Six Bells Kidlington. Scores were level at half time, but the Masons edged ahead to win 57-63. In spite of it being last week’s blockbuster the Masons didn’t remember enough to win, but it was all academic anyway.

 

And the Windrush equaled their previous week’s winning score, only to lose at the Royal Blenheim 66 – 60.

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The Chandos Arms chalked up their first victory after two weeks of falling on the last question. The Chandos soared to an 18:7 margin in round two, both teams struggled in round three, the Bell winning 4:2. The pictures and round five went the Chandos way, then the Bell stopped the rot drawing round six and winning the 'Give it away' round for the first time this season. Splendid Bolognese supper was much appreciated by all. Final Score Bell 44, Chandos 57.

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Sun Hooky 50 - Ramblers 71. Finally the Ramblers get off the mark properly. They thought it would be the same old story when they turned a six-point lead after round one into a two-point deficit after round two, but never looked back after that. They knew it was going to be their night when John told the team about buying his wife a bottle of Bombay Sapphire for their 45th wedding anniversary, supplying an answer to one of the sealed questions. Some lovely curry to keep warm with, but neither team could remember all the right answers to the same blockbuster as the previous week. Somehow Rod Stewart's wives just don't stick in the memory...

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The Plough were in Blackbird Leys on a long-range strategic reconnaissance mission. The home team took a bonus from the visitors in round one, the first they had conceded for three weeks. The Plough flew at low level in that round, drawing five-all, but sustained high-altitude quizzing for the rest of the night. The Blackbird missed a couple of regulars, and debuted new members in a good-natured match, but never caught the Plough in their radar. The hosts declined to identify their namesake aircraft (see Q3 below), handing the Plough a bonus on their way to a convincing win: (Lockheed) Blackbird 43 – Plough 79.

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Week 7 - 25th November

 

One month to Christmas, and the winter quiz league is getting hotter as the weather cools. There were some narrow last-minute victories, and plenty of inspired answers dredged up. Thank you to Tim Busby for another set of thought-provoking questions. And the quizzers of Oxfordshire are happy that the venues, pubs and clubs, remain open and welcoming.

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There was an all-premiership match at the Plough, hosts to the Royal Blenheim. It was played in a good spirit of friendly rivalry, and the Blenheim gained a narrow lead after two rounds. The Plough fought back to seven ahead with one round to go, then nearly gave it away. A final ‘Bond villain’ answer gave them a narrow victory: Plough 70 – Royal Blenheim 67.

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The Masons journeyed east to the Chandos Arms to play a close fought match that could have gone either way until the very last pair of questions. Eventually the Masons won by a single point; in the end correctly guessing Roy Rogers’ dog Bullet. Result 60-61, great opposition and great venue.

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Blackbird 58 - Sun 66, it was pretty close throughout. Red Stripe and KFC with sarnies very tasty. Unlike Fleetwood on Tuesday night the visitors were able to see off their COVID depleted opposition.

 

And the Gardeners Arms beat the Bell 71 – 42, in a very good-natured evening where the Bell were unlucky with some of their picks.

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There was another miracle for the Six Bells, with only three playing against the White Hart. They nailed it on the last question again, and won 54/53 - happy and astonished with the win, and enjoying it while it lasts.

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Windrush 60 - Ramblers 52. A good night at the Windrush Club with the quiz played in good humour. The lead changed hands through the first three rounds but the Windrush got their noses in front after the picture round, which they managed to hang on to till the end.

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The Ploughmans Bunch! travelled to old rivals the Nomads, finishing as 62-80 winners. It was nip and tuck early doors, but round three proved the turning point, as the Bunch! stunned themselves with a run of truly inspired answers. The Nomads clawed a couple of points back in the penultimate round, but good quiz knowledge on how cold it is in Mongolia saw the Bunch! comfortably home. Stonking answers from Miles and Quinny crowned a solid team performance under Beth’s cool captaincy. A pleasure to be back in Bletchingdon, and to renew old 

acquaintances recently only seen on Zoom.

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Week 6 - 18th November

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"I would happily pay 85p to read this in the Oxford Mail"

Week six of the winter league produced some high-scoring matches, as the quiz teams tackled Tim Busby’s testing questions.

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In an all-premiership clash the Ploughman’s Bunch! met the Royal Blenheim, winning a see-saw battle 72-65 against a four-man Blenheim team. The decisive turning point came in round five, with the Blenheim five points down, but threatening a comeback. The Bunch! won round six by a point and it was the same story in the last round. It was good to see old rivals again, amid innovative floury baps and impeccable question-reading from David Quinn.

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The short trip to Eynsham was a good night out for the Nomads. John Clark stepped in as question master, and the first 2 questions went for 0 points, not an auspicious start. Then both teams got going. Nomads established an early lead, winning each of the first three rounds, and were fifteen points ahead. Then the White Hart won the picture round, and round five was drawn. Nomads then got back into their stride. Final Score: White Hart 57, Nomads 75. A sociable evening, in a friendly pub .

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Blackbird 51 - Windrush 47. A good evening played in a friendly manner. Both teams were struggling for numbers, so they played with four players apiece, still very competitive. The Blackbird nearly blew it on "give it away", learning their lesson DO NOT GIVE THEM MUSIC, this West Oxfordshire team know there stuff. Be warned.

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In Headington Quarry, after a very slow start for both teams, the scores eventually started to stack up, with the Masons early lead never being overtaken by the Bell. The final score was 61-42 to the Masons.

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Sun 59 - Chequers 67. Another very pleasant evening in Hook Norton, in good company and good food (as always at the Sun!). After a hesitant start the Chequers found their level with children's TV questions and some inspired guesses...

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The Six Bells played the Chandos, and scored an unprecedented first by bagging NUL POINTS in the first round - never done that before! However, things picked up from there (well, they had to), and the visitors finished up taking the final question in 'Give it away' (Sunderland), which Lindsay dredged up from somewhere. Final score was 54 - 52 to the Six Bells, a bit of a cliff-hanger, but a good match.

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The Plough trekked to Bletchingdon (or is it Bletchington?) for the second time in three weeks to meet the Ramblers. Rob’s mum was firm but fair asking the questions, and Paul produced a half-time buffet from his cool bag. The Ramblers had a cautious start, scoring three in each of the first three rounds, but picked up boldly later, winning round six convincingly. It was too late, though, and the Plough got the highest score of the night, winning 80-51.

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Week 5 - 11th November

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Still no publication of my hebdomadal critique in the Oxford Mail. If it was, it would look something like this. Or exactly like this, because I wrote it:

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It was Remembrance day, and question setter Tim Busby delivered a challenge to the memory, with the two minutes silence long past.

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There was a very enjoyable night in Bletchingdon, despite the questions not arriving, but Tim Busby ensured, with John Clark's help, that the game went on! And the Nomads were very grateful for that. A valiant effort by the Chandos was not enough to stop an in-form Nomads from winning six of the seven rounds, with one drawn. Final score Nomads 79 Chandos 56, the top aggregate score of the night, which put the Nomads top of the Championship.

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It was end-to-end stuff at the Windrush Club, finishing level at Windrush 52 - Sun Hooky 52. Twice the Windrush achieved a good lead, and twice the Sun came back to draw level. The final give-it-away round saw the Windrush with an eleven-point lead at the start, but by the last question they were faced with a two-point deficit, luckily they knew it, and a draw was achieved. The Sun had only four players, yet they put in a strong performance, and are unbeaten in three now. Well down going into the last round, this felt like a victory for the Sun, especially as they were never in front all night! A nice bunch of people and good beer.

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Royal Blenheim 67 – Gardeners Arms 65. After having a comfortable half-time lead the Blenheim had a couple of disastrous rounds resulting in a five-point deficit going into the give-it-away. It looked like the Gardeners would hold on, but scoring seven unanswered points on the last five questions the Blenheim went away with a very lucky victory.

 

And the Plough rallied to a convincing win 78 – 48 against the Six Bells Kidlington. The Plough won every round, but there were puzzled faces all around in very low-scoring rounds two and three. There was lovely squeaky cheese to eat (and carnivore catering covered), excellent food here as always.

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White Hart 49 - Ploughman's Bunch! 85, top score on a night of trickier questions. A good time was had by all at the very cosy White Hart, with a home team that was somewhat makeshift due to late withdrawals playing a full part in an entertaining match. The visitors leapt into a flattering early lead, and although rounds two and three were much closer, once take-your-pick came around again the questions fell decisively to the Bunch! Far from disheartened, the White Hart took the penultimate round; but by then we were too far ahead to give it away.

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Chequers 66 - Ramblers 55 After a slow start, the Chequers managed to creep back up. A few questions with a French answer were very useful!

 

Meanwhile, in Chipping Norton it ended Bell 51 - Blackbird 55. Very enjoyable evening at the Bell, the Blackbird flew out of the traps, but a very bad round three brought the teams level, Blackbird inched ahead and held on to prevail to a hard-earned victory. Lovely Spaghetti Bolognese! And the Masons Arms team enjoyed their bye week answering the questions without an opposition. They still managed to lose a round, but a great time was had by all.

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Week 4 - 04th November

 

No imprimatur from the Oxford Mail "yet" but here's what they are missing:

It was David Quinn to the rescue this week, as Postman Pat was victim of the mystery thief (spoiler alert – it was the magpie hen). Some of the questions went missing, or were delayed due to ongoing Royal Mail short staff of a continuing nature. David and Tim Busby literally (not literally) stepped up to the mark and went the extra mile to ensure that every venue had their questions.

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The Sun Hook Norton were hosts to the Gardeners Arms, winning 64-59 due in part to David Webb recognising that he was born Jason Bourne, or vice versa. It was a close, good-humoured contest throughout, with great Hooky beers on draught, and lovely fish and chips for supper.

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Chandos 53 White Hart 61. The White Hart built up an early lead against their ever-genial hosts, only for it to be eroded to a precarious five points going into the final round. The result was still in the balance until answering the last three questions enabled them to ease away to a somewhat flattering final victory margin. Knowledge of British geography proved as useful as it was unexpected, and a special mention to the barmaid for answering the evening's “youth” question, when no one on either team had a clue. The White Hart leapt from fifth place to the top of the Championship, due to their good form, and the “mixed” (bad) fortune of the top four teams.

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Ploughman’s Bunch! 78-46 Ramblers. It was good to see Las Ramblas again in the flesh, and in the words of question-master David Quinn they poked the tiger in round one, edging it 10-9 after the Bunch! picked the two categories neither team knew. Both teams learned new facts on the motoring questions, and the home side went into the pictures 30-13 up and retained that lead over yummy pizza and chips. The Bunch! edged round five, and closed out the last two rounds despite floundering as they tried to imagine the black keys on a piano, while Quinny pulled off a creditable attempt to pronounce sphygmomanometer, (that’s easy for you to say), the pressure is on. Debutant Miles played a full part in their success.

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Six Bells 64, Chequers 46. Despite depleted numbers on the away team a good time was had by all with some interesting and inspired answers from both sides. A really cosy evening at their new and very friendly Kidlington venue.

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The Windrush Club beat the Bell 57-39, and the Royal Blenheim got the highest score of the night, winning 80-49 against the Masons Arms.

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The Nomads were hoping for their first win against the Plough, and it looked for a while as if that would happen. The Plough narrowly won the first two rounds, then in round three and the pictures the Nomads got a two-point lead. Jonny Peacock surprised himself, identifying a sporting picture (Jonnie Peacock), but it was not enough to recoup the lead, and the Nomads were one ahead going into the final round, and it was still that way after four questions. But one night early, it was the Bonfire of the Vanities and the Plough snatched an unlikely 69-72 victory.

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Week 3 - 28th October

 

If anyone spots one of my reports in the Oxford Mail, please do say. In the meantime here is a samizdat version:

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The scores were a little higher this week, as the quizzers of Oxfordshire were getting acclimatised to Tim Busby’s thought-provoking questions, and being back in close contact with team-mates. In a wide range of other subjects, a good crop of sports questions suited some teams more than others.

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Top of the Premiership table Royal Blenheim hosted top of the Championship Bletchingdon Nomads, winning 74 – 62. Both sides jumped the wrong way on numerous occasions when they had the right answer. The Nomads chipped away at the Blenheim's comfortable half time lead before they pulled away again in the last round.

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The Blackbird had a lovely evening at the Chequers Chipping Norton, with great food, and anybody passing should call in. Blackbird flew out the traps, and were never caught. Nice to see all the millions that watch and play sport were well represented with some good questions. Chequers 55 - Blackbird 65.

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Chandos Arms 52 - Sun Hooky 58. A good-humoured quiz in a warm and inviting community owned pub. The Timothy Taylors on draught was delicious. Great night, first trip to the Chandos for the Sun, and well worth the lengthy trip! A friendly bunch, and one of the best pints in years.

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The Six Bells drew with the Ramblers (Royal Sun as was), 68 points each - all turning on the last question of who sang 'Just like Eddie' - that's when you need some oldies in the team. The home team went off like a rocket in the first two rounds, but were gradually caught up with as the night went on. So a very creditable performance all round from the Six Bells - certainly better than the previous week’s fiasco.

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Bell 33-93 Bunch! The visitors report that it was a real pleasure to be back in Lower Heyford for their first ‘proper’ away match, a nice trip out to a welcoming pub with a great range of booze and fantastic spaghetti Bolognese, and nice to see the good-natured Bell team again, who played a full part in a very enjoyable evening, although the questions were often not to playing to their strengths.

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Plough 86 – White Hart 58. The Plough were on strong form, winning the first five rounds to lead by twenty-one points. The White Hart stayed positive, enjoying the food and the beer. Although the White Hart registered their highest score of the season so far, this was their first defeat.

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Gardeners 59 - Masons 61. A 4x4 classic, only four on each team, which undulated like an off-road course. Both teams got good starts off the line, and reached the first corner neck-and-neck, then the second saw little separation. The third round came, and the Masons wheels fell off, being stumped (now mixing metaphors) by questions on 1969. Pictures sent the Masons further into muddy water. Somehow as the second half began the Masons engine spluttered back into life, as the Gardeners struggled up the climb to the finish. Knowledge of four-legged animals, both racing and towering, helped them into the lead. Both teams almost stalled on the line and somehow the Masons held on to reach the chequered flag, with a photo finish. A great evening at the Gardeners.

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Week 2 - 21st October

 

Still no published report in the Oxford Mail, see what they are missing:

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The difficult second week of quiz fixtures produced some quality quizzing and high scores. In coincidence corner, three of the seven games ended with an aggregate score of 111, which must mean something. It was the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, so Nelson had to feature somewhere.

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The Ramblers had their first game in their new home, Bletchingdon Sports and Social Club, playing against the club's long-time residents, The Nomads. The Ramblers tried to alleviate Nomads' shock at being away in their own home by letting them sit in their usual seats, but their disastrous picking of questions let them down. The Ramblers started shakily, losing round one by two points, then the shakes got worse as the Nomads increased their lead to nineteen points. Then came their usual 5th round collapse, and round six was even worse. Going into the final round, Nomads had a lead of three, but they recovered and started to breathe easily. Final score Ramblers 56, Nomads 64.

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After a slow start and a few inspired guesses, the Chequers finally got through: Windrush 47 - Chequers 64 (111).

 

The Blenheim continued their high scoring run, winning without conceding a single round, eclipsing the
Sun 46 – 80.

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The Ploughman’s Bunch! recorded the highest score of the night, 91 against 47 from the Six Bells. Virtually everything fell their way throughout, with the Six Bells enjoying no luck at all but admirably and cheerfully hanging on in there, and edging round three 10-9. Otherwise, though, the Bunch! had a field day, dragging out the word ‘embracery’ which the late Graham Jackman had taught them about twenty years ago, the Slag Brothers and the Chemical Brothers, alongside Liz’s knowledge of England managers and ginger, Beth’s of Bobby Crush, Jeremy on Justin Bieber, and Charles and David’s of nearly everything that came their way, all under the expert question-mastery of David Quinn and the usual delicious food and attentive service.

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The Blackbird played host to the Gardeners Arms, who won 46 – 65 (111) A very enjoyable evening with away team on good form. Carsten certainly knows his Aussie bays!

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The Plough had a night ride across the Otmoor to visit The Chandos Arms in leafy Bucks. There is always a warm welcome waiting from Dawn in charge, and John Mole’s team. The visitors won all but the pictures in a fun and friendly competition ending Chandos 53 – Plough 76.

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White Hart 57 Mason's Arms 54 (111). For the second week running the White Hart left it late to stumble to victory in what had been a close contest throughout. The visitors had the better of things for most of the first half, hardly giving a chance of a bonus point in rounds one and two, but the White Hart brought new meaning to the phrase 'winning ugly' as they edged some low-scoring late rounds, clinching victory on the final question, where the captain's knowledge of late 10cc albums finally proved useful.

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Week 1 - 14th October

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If the Oxford Mail published the quiz report, this is what it would say:

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And so it begins, long may it continue. The regular, in the pub, team v team matches started this week, and it felt so good. Tim Busby supplied a range of questions to suit all tastes and test a range of knowledge.

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The Nomads report that it was wonderful to be able to quiz in their own club, and follow the tradition of taking the mickey out of each other! And with our old friends, now playing as the Six Bells. A twelve-point lead by the end of round six needed a miracle from the Six Bells, but the Nomads obviously enjoyed the return to face-to-face quizzing more. Final score: Nomads 74, Six Bells 55.

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The Chequers Chippy found it nice to get back in the old routine, winning against the Bell Lower Heyford 57 – 35.

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White Hart 57 - Ramblers 52 The White Hart were straight back into their old ways, building an early seven-point lead, before squandering it in a single round. The visitors then maintained their dominance to the extent that they led by five coming into the final round, only for the hosts to somehow turn it round with a 12-2 score, securing a victory that surprised everyone, particularly themselves. Howard's mafia knowledge remains unmatched.

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In a hugely enjoyable match, in one of Oxford’s better pubs, the Mason’s Arms beat the Blackbird 62-50. Proceedings were held up at one point for a lively discussion on the subject of “what sort of person listens to the Archers?”.

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Gardeners 74 - Windrush 40. Four on each side, home team on fire, especially Rob. The Gardeners chose well and guessed well. Long may it last!

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The Blenheim were never in any danger, winning every round except one where the Chandos could only match their score. The Blenheim’s score or 82 was the highest of the night, against 47 for the Chandos.

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The two “home” teams met at the Plough Wolvercote in a tense and hard-fought battle, won by a narrow margin by The Plough. The Ploughman’s Bunch! stormed to a convincing six-point lead after two rounds, but it was level after four, all to play for. Going into the final round the Plough had their own six-point lead, and as midnight approached they scraped a three-point victory. Final score: Plough 73 - Ploughman’s Bunch! 70.

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