Weekly Match Reports - Winter 2024/25
(A big thank you to Jonny Peacock)
Week 9 - (19th December)
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This report is delivered to you by Wenceslas Pizzas™ – Deep Pan, crisp and even.
As the Christmas sparkle lights up, so the quiz teams get down to a serious session of Jeff’s jolly questions, with a small seasonal sprinkling of topical teasers this week. There were a few changes in league positions, it’s all to play for yet, and some close results, as usual. It’s so good that Jeff keeps the excitement going, no match is a safe bet, and I’m sure that there are more surprises to come. But of course, if we knew what they were it wouldn’t be a surprise.
Royal Blenheim 73 - Blackbird 75. Although played at Blackbird, as it was so busy in town, this was actually a home game for the Blenheim. It was a very close game, never more than three points separating teams. Went down to the wire, Band Aid the deciding question: Bananarama, not U2, deciding in favour of Blackbird. Well run by Jeff, asking his own questions. Good friendly contest with excellent food, as usual. The result takes the Blackbird to the top of League One, with an average of seventy points per game, equivalent to a Championship mid-table standing.
The Blenheim’s loss cleared the way for the Nomads to take the top place in the championship, playing at home to the Chequers Chipping Norton. It was great for the Nomads to see their friends from the Chequers. In fact, so great that they gave them the first round by a point. Nomads then won the next three rounds to be ten points ahead by the end of the picture round... as usual there was a collapse in round five that reduced the lead by three. Then a steadying of the ship. Final score Bletchingdon Nomads 80 - Chequers 70.
The Chandos played host to their rivals the Masons; basement battles are always fraught matches, and this one was no exception. The Chandos soared into a 11-4 lead in round one, drew breath in round two drawing the round, and then took the lead to nine points ahead on the picture round. Alas the Masons started their comeback, by knocking five points off the lead - both teams awarded a point for the thrush answer, despite having different answers - Mistle thrush and song thrush! Sausage and chips and round five saw the Masons reducing Chandos lead to one solitary point. Round six was all square - all down to ‘Give it away'. With three questions left the Masons were four points up. The Chandos needed to get both of their questions right and get the bonus on their opponents’ last question. Would you believe it? They did! Winning Chandos Arms 61 to Masons Arms 60! Helluva match! Great atmosphere, with very friendly visitors - Happy Christmas to all! From Captain Mole.
The Plough continue their run of top form, this week in the busy and welcoming White Hart Eynsham. It was very good to see this lovely local doing such good trade, with an interesting choice of local beers, too. Trevor negotiated a reduction in the music volume and called the teams to order for a ding-dong (merrily on high) round one: three bonus points to the visitors, sandwiched by three for the home team at the start and close, to finish nine each, really quite remarkable ©Alan Partridge, not in his pear tree. The Plough had strong rounds two and five, then the White Hart fought back in round six, but finishing with four bonus points in the final round won the match for the away team: White Hart 70 – Plough 86.
Their stablemates bounced back from last week’s defeat: Ploughman’s Bunch! 79 - 63 Gardeners Arms. The visitors took an early lead, due to the home side’s Blue Peter ignorance; they also won the pictures, and the penultimate round (the Bunch! failing to recognise the persistent Christmas Carol theme that popped up in Lily the Pink's rhyme of Julius Caesar). The damage was done in favour of the home team, however, by an unusual 14-5 scoreline in round two (some last-minute revision of The Twelve Days of Christmas paying off), and a 14-8 in round three (with unprecedented Bunch! bonuses on pop music). Narrower margins, but still for the Bunch!, applied in the other rounds (including a bonus on Jackie Collins, and the one Blue Peter golden retriever we could remember returning in the Boat Race reserve crew). The questions were expertly read by Stuart; and fine beer and food was supplied, as it has been all year, by landlord Tim and his team - very much appreciated.
It was a clear and chill night as the Sun Hook Norton welcomed the Windrush club to the not quite frozen North. The first round went the way of the visitors 10 -7 which was extended in round two so the visitors led 31 26. They maintained this lead over the next two rounds including the pictures which were both drawn. They then had a bit of a meltdown in round five which they lost 13-6 to leave it 58-56. Another drawn round left the home team with a narrow lead going into the last round which they successfully defended to run out winners. Good beer and sausages to eat and an early finish - what more do you need? Final result: Sun Hook Norton 75 - Windrush Club 70.
So that’s it for 2024, no matches for the next two weeks, how did that happen? The same thing happened last year, as I remember it. Have a great Christmas and New Year break, see you all on the other side in 2025.
Thanks to Jeff Welch for the questions, with a Christmas selection from this week below.
Q1: In the song ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ on how many of the twelve days are birds given as gifts?
Q2: What is the name of the town that The Grinch tries to ruin Christmas for?
Q3: What is the Wallace & Gromit Christmas day 2024 film with the return of Feathers McGraw?
A1: Six (1st Partridge; 2nd Doves; 3rd Hens; 4th Calling; 6th Geese; 7th Swans)
A2: Whoville.
A3: Vengeance Most Fowl.
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Week 8 - (12th December)
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A great result for the Masons this week, their first win of the season, which leaves no team unbeaten and no team without a win, after eight weeks. This is a tribute to Jeff’s question-setting skills, appreciated by all. The Plough continue their top form, highest scorers again with 91, with the rest of the pack in the seventies. The two top championship teams met, and the Blenheim’s win took them to the top of their league.
The Masons made the big trip to Chippy more in hope than expectation, but after three rounds in the more than pleasant environs of the Chequers they were 33-16 ahead. But if there’s a team who can squander a healthy early lead it’s the boys and girls from the Quarry. The pictures were even, and then as could have been predicted the home team rallied somewhat. A couple of answers in the final round meant that the visitors stayed ahead, just, to record their first win of the season. Phew. Final result Chequers 69 – Masons Arms 72.
The Blackbird report on a good evening, against very learned opposition the White Hart. It was nip and tuck, for the first five rounds, with only three points separating the teams. Round six saw the Blackbird take a ten-point lead going into the final round, and some inspired answers by Kerry man Frank got them past the winning post. Warning to other teams, the Eynsham mafia's knowledge on music is excellent. The evening was topped up with lovely food, respect to question reader Tara, a proper pro! Blackbird 77 - White Hart 65.
The Gardeners Arms welcomed the Sun from up north in Hook Norton, and up until the pictures there was very little to separate the teams. The picture round and round five created the greater disparity. Normal service was resumed but going into round seven The Sun knew they couldn't be beaten. There was a jovial atmosphere throughout. The beer was tasty, and the pizzas went down a treat. Gardeners Arms 56 Sun 79.
The Windrush Club continued their recent good run of form with a fourth win in a row, at home to the friendly quizzers who are The Chandos Arms team. The home side won the first four rounds, but by small margins, to lead 43-36 after the pictures (which were accompanied by a good selection of fresh sandwiches and some tasty sausage rolls!). Round five saw The Chandos leading the Tick-Your-Pick by 2-11 with three questions to go, but The Windies rallied to limit the damage to 7-11. The last two rounds saw the home side back in their stride, winning both of them 12-3, boosting their final score to Windrush Club 74 – Chandos Arms 53.
The Plough stablemates, that is both premiership sides, met in their derby match, and the excitement was running so high that both the questions and the reader were initially missing. A late start ramped up the pressure, but it was the Bunch! who had the slow start, 14-8 in the first and second rounds, then 12-6 in the third, already eighteen behind. Round five was closer, one bonus point making the difference, then round six could have been very different if the five bonus points had been distributed more unevenly, but the round, and the final round, went to the Plough for an unprecedented decisive win against their great rivals: Plough 91 – Ploughman’s Bunch! 62.
The big match to decide the temporary stewardship of top spot in the Championship went the way of the Royal Blenheim after an exciting match, somewhere in the sticks on the edge of Bletchingdon. The Royalists, reinforced by a new recruit, Anna, once a big winner on Millionaire, hurtled out of the blocks with a 13-8 lead at the end of round one, largely thanks to the pink and strawberry moons. But the Bletchers reduced the gap to just one by riding the Love Rollercoaster at the beginning of round three, only to pick Eurovision as their first 2003 choice - no one could remember the name of Jemini's deathless nul-pointer. The Blenheim shaded the picture round 17-15 and re-established a nine-point lead by picking the right categories in round five, but the home team then proved more familiar with those lovely horror franchisees, Pinhead and Jigsaw. With a six-point lead to defend going into the last round, the Blenheim were pleased to be passed Dickens only to have no idea in which novel to find Sergeant Buzfuz. What, Sergeant Buzfuz, the seven-piece indie band fronted by Joe Murphy? Er, no. But Sharon provided a fruity bonus, and the Blenheim had more than enough to hang on even though they imagined there were a thousand zeroes in a googol. Final score: Nomads 70 - 77 Royal Blenheim. But hats off to the Nomads for a friendly game, for questions blasted out on the Marshall amps, for a vast spread of carbohydrates and for a rare full house of 21 points on what seemed to the away team like quite a tough Blockbuster. The Championship race could go all the way to the wire....
Thanks to Jeff Welch for the questions, with an actresses selection from this week below.
Q1: In Only Fools and Horses, which actress played Del Boy’s wife, Raquel?
Q2: Jim Carter, Carson in Downton Abbey, is married to which actress?
Q3: In Only Fools and Horses, which actress played Rodney’s wife, Cassandra?
A1: Tessa Peake-Jones.
A2: Imelda Staunton.
A3: Gwyneth Strong.
Week 7 - (5th December)
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It was a dark and stormy night, and the captain said to the mate “Tell us a story, Jim” …
Storm Darragh made for some interesting journeys across the county this week, but our drivers regard deep puddles as an opportunity to wash out the wheel arches, and all teams made it to their destinations. The average winning score has been stuck at 75 for the past four weeks, but it was remarkable this week that the average losing score has leapfrogged (other jumping metaphors are available) to 71, so it was tight games all round.
The Chequers team ventured south from Chippy through the chill Oxfordshire air to take on the Royal Blenheim. Seldom have two teams been so evenly matched, as they proceeded almost in lockstep through the first few rounds. Horrible Histories provided all-knowing alliteration, but the Chequers displayed superior horse racing knowledge. In the pictures, Shirley was known to all, but John and Tennessee were more obscure wily Williamses! Both teams geared up for the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury's petroleum past, but only the Chequers correctly knew Welby was a former Bishop of Durham. As ever, Jeff tricked us all with his Scrabble question near the death, as we struggled to contend with raucous carol singers, whose enthusiasm was more than matched by their tuneless-ness! Justice was done, and it ended all-square: Royal Blenheim 75 - Chequers 75, the second 75-all draw of the season for the Chequers.
Chandos Arms 67 - Gardeners Arms 72. A horrendous journey each way with the wet weather and flooding, but a very friendly night. It was a very close game all the way through, and whilst the visitors won the points with lemon as the flavour on the top of a Whitby bun nobody had ever heard of it including someone who was brought up in that area!
It’s always a treat to visit the Sun Hooky, worth the journey as the travel guides have it. Arriving in the village on the stroke of eight was quite an achievement, as the church bells rang out to the in-car soundtrack of the Darkness festive irony Don’t Let the Bells End. Bonus points were hard to secure in a close contest where the Plough just kept in front until the Sun rose in round five to go one ahead with a thumping 12-8. Sustained by lovely chips and chicken nuggets, the battle resumed. A good start to the final round took the visitors into a six-point lead, but the home team pulled three back with three questions remaining. Blanks all round on the tower of tyres then sharing the last two questions let the Plough off the hook, to finish Sun Hooky 76 – Plough 79.
The Windrush Club made a trip to the Masons Arms and the first dilemma was which beer to choose! There was a great selection in this friendly, busy pub which even had a selection of alcohol-free drinks for the driver. With beverages sorted, the quiz started with the home team winning the first round 12-8. This week, The Windies woke up earlier than usual and took round two by 6-10 to level the aggregate scores. From there, the visitors never looked back, winning every round by just point every time apart from a 'huge' two-point win in round five. The final scores were Masons Arms 64-70 Windrush Club in a very tight match that was highly enjoyable for both teams. Great half-time snacks were gratefully hoovered up, as well as some more of that lovely beer.
Bep Guardiola rallied her troops into this difficult mid-week fixture following a run of poor form caused in part by the absence of Welsh Dave (Steffan Rhodri, from Gavin & Stacey). It's always a pleasure to welcome the jovial Blackbird team, good value throughout and providing highlights on Garage Music and A-roads, to the delight of ‘Storm Darragh’. They took an early chance for a bonus on Horrible Histories and were unlucky to be pegged back on Gardening; their one-point lead was reversed in round two, when neither team got the given answer on the Smiths. Round three was more or less decisive in the context of a close match, 12-6 to the Bunch!, with three unanswered questions in a row going to the visitors. The hosts edged further ahead on the pictures, but after the break for yummy food, to complement the ever-excellent beer, the Blackbird took round five, despite Beth's inspiration on beefcake and buns, when neither team knew the Stargazing question. With six points in it, there was still the prospect of a collapse of Feyenoord or even Brighton proportions, but the Bunch! eased the tension with a 9-6 round six, and also took the final round by three points. It was a good all-round effort by both teams; but tyro reader brother-in-law Phil put in the performance of the night. Ploughman’s Bunch! 82-70 Blackbird.
The Nomads always enjoy their trip to the White Hart and it’s not just because it’s closer to home for two of the team than Bletchingdon. It’s always a closely fought match though and this time was no exception. The Nomads edged the first two rounds but then the White Hart levelled the game in round three. The Nomads won the picture round, but their lead was short-lived as the home team took the lead for the first time by winning round five. Round six was drawn and so there was only one point in it at the start of “Give it Away”. The White Hart missed their first question, and the Nomads picked up a bonus point – crucial because both teams scored identically after that. So the Nomads held on and the final score was White Hart 71 – 73 Bletchingdon Nomads. A most enjoyable evening, great company, lots of laughs and more than enough to eat and drink.
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Thanks to Jeff Welch for the questions, with a business selection from this week below.
Q1: Which company was formed in 1998 by Tamara and Simon Hill-Norton, having 76 UK women’s activewear stores?
Q2: Which car company bought a 75% stake in Aston Martin in 1987?
Q3: What is the Yoshida Kogyo Kabushiki company most famous for manufacturing?
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A1: Sweaty Betty.
A2: Ford.
A3: Zips (YKK).
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Week 6 - (28th November)
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Jeff slightly cranked up the level of difficulty this week, with average scores, not ages, in the mid-sixties. As usual, there were some great matches with changing fortunes.
The Plough are hitting a run of form, top score again this week at home with an impressive 94, raining on the Chandos Arms’ parade after their recent win. Magisterial question reader Rupert called the teams to order, and the match began. The visitors started confidently, but slipped behind in round one, conceding two bonuses, which they consistently repeated until the final round, when the first thirteen points and three bonuses went to the Plough, before the cheery Chandos chaps took their final question. Ruth impressed recalling the strong and stable slogan, as did Nancy’s inspiration of the Ditch between Oz and NZ. The Chandos prevailed in the picture round, but it was one-way traffic as the points accumulated to the Plough. The visitors matched their legendary enthusiasm for a final pint before departing into the ice and mist. Final score was Plough 94 – Chandos Arms 52, a sociable evening in good company with a great selection of beers and fine food.
The Plough’s stablemates the Ploughman’s Bunch! have slipped up in successive weeks, both times to strong opposition, this week at the Bletchingdon Nomads. It was a seesaw game by any measure, and a pleasure to welcome friends from the Bunch! to the lively Social Club. The Nomads started off with an ominous four-point lead for the Bunch! after round one, then in round two the Bunch! fell asleep (that’s the only explanation) and after it, Nomads were three points up. Round three, the Bunch! had pulled two points back, due to Jeremy guessing a random word for the name of 10cc's studio in Stockport! Nomads won the picture round by one to lead by two. Then Nomads traditional round five collapse, and the Bunch! were two up. In round six the seesaw moved again, and the Nomads went into the final round two up! Give it away round: Nomads turn to make a wild guess. How many presenters has Blue Peter had? Five different guesses. Captain Carl made a desperate choice...and was correct! then the Bunch! thought long and hard and chose to give away Cathedrals - St Chads and St Phillips? Broad smile on the face of Nomads’ Brummie! Final score: Bletchingdon Nomads 73 – Ploughman’s Bunch! 65. Fantastic evening!
Blackbird 56 - Sun 63. This was a closely contested match in a very genial atmosphere. Blackbird had a storming start in round one; Sun pulled back in round two. After that there was only a point between the teams until the last round when the Sun were luckier with the questions. The good-humoured hosts provided lashings of lovely grub - stew, hotdogs, sandwiches and gently spiced drumsticks. Tasty!
The Blenheim took a commanding nine-point lead after three rounds, but the White Hart won the next three all by a single point giving them hope of getting something out of the match with a good last round. Alas, it was not to be with the Blenheim doubling their lead running out winners, the White Hart having to console themselves with a victory in the Blockbuster. Final score was Royal Blenheim 71 - White Hart 59.
Gardeners Arms 76 - Masons Arms 50 The Gardeners have suffered more than their share of misfortunes this season, the latest necessitating a temporary relocation to the Grapes in George St. As you can imagine the night was a little chaotic at the lively Grapes, but many thanks to the Masons for being really good sports: it was really appreciated by all of the team. The Masons prevailed in in the picture round due to their knowledge of instruments and their proper names which the Gardeners got totally wrong, and they got absolutely correct!
The Windrush Club visit to The Chequers Chipping Norton: The home team started strongly with solid wins in rounds one and two to give them a nine-point lead going into the 3x4 round. This is the point, as last week, where The Windies 'turned up', taking it 6-14 to reduce the arrears to a single point. The pictures round was shared 18 each, but the visitors then had two good rounds of 5-10 in Take Your Pick and 6-12 in the Pot Luck Pairs to have a ten-point advantage before Give It Away. The Chequers gave it a good go, with a 10-5 win, but the Windrush secured an away win 67-72. The Chequers is a friendly and welcoming pub with a great range of beers, and we were made most welcome by a very genial team.
Q1: Pho, a rice noodle broth with herbs and meat, originated in which country?
Q2: Greengages belong to which family of fruits?
Q3: Surströmming, lightly salted fermented herring, is traditional to the cuisine of which country?
A1: Vietnam.
A2: Plum (subspecies: prunus domestica italica)
A3: Sweden.
Week 5 - (21st November)
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Winter set in on week five of the Winter League, but it takes more than a cold snap to keep the teams away from their regular weekly quiz. The Chandos won after the best part of two years, congratulations to them, and the Blenheim found top form to knock top team the Ploughman’s Bunch! from the peak of the premiership.
Back to the Future to January 2023, reviving memories of the Chandos securing a victory – it’s been a long time, but worth the wait. Captain Mole missed the game, John won’t believe they won until he sees this report. The jovial Blackbird team braved the arctic conditions arriving at the warm and cosy Chandos in good spirits. Without their esteemed leader Mr Mole the Chandos raced into a 20 - 9 lead after two rounds. Round three saw the Blackbird rally winning it by eight points, helped in no small part by having heard of The Yellow Magic Orchestra. The comeback continued in round four. Chandos consolidated in round five, then lost round six, as the teams approached the last round level at 52 points apiece. The Chandos took the last round 10 - 6, Bruno Mars proving to be a key answer, leaving the Chandos over the moon, and mars. Result, and what a result: Chandos Arms 62 - Blackbird 58.
The Nomads report on a wonderful evening in Hook Norton: Great Beer, Great company, Great Food, and a cracking quiz! Nomads took an early lead, then lost rounds two and three. A drawn picture round meant the Sun were five points up. Then Nomads slowly pulled it back and won round five by two, round six by four, so two points ahead. Nomads held their nerve to give a final score of Sun 67 - Bletchingdon Nomads 73.
The Chequers Chippy got back to their winning ways, resulting in a second successive defeat for hosts the White Hart. It was a nail-biting match with the home team leading all evening, winning rounds one, three and four, while the visitors took rounds two and six with a drawn round five. This led to a tie before the final round, when the Chequers pulled all the stops to win the game. As always, a very convivial evening with a very friendly team. The match finished White Hart 69 - Chequers 72.
The Plough trekked across the arctic wastes and up the hill to Headington Quarry for a warm welcome, and a fabulous range of draft beers, at the Masons Arms. Three rounds finished 8-13 with one bonus, putting the match beyond the Masons’ reach after round five. With Barbara clearly and patiently reading the questions it was a lovely night, made even lovelier by a fine array of food. The Masons left their late rally too late, winning the final round to end a friendly, convivial evening, with guest spectator Jeff Welch. The game finished Masons Arms 68 – Plough 91.
The Windrush Club welcomed the Gardeners Arms to wintry Witney for what turned out to be a real slug-fest of a quiz. Round one saw the visitors take an early lead 8-13, but the home team reduced the deficit with 10-8 in round two. The Windies then chose uncharacteristically well in the 3x4 round three, to win it 11-3. A narrow 19-18 win on the pictures gave the home team a 48-42 running scoreline, but the Gardeners fought back with wins in both rounds five and six to make it 60-63 going into the final round. This is when the Windrush surprised even themselves by NOT giving it away, but taking it 14-4 for a final score Windrush Club 74-67 Gardeners Arms. As was said on the night, a real ding-dong battle! It was a really friendly quiz-night with both teams enjoying shared laughs, good beer and a nice selection of sandwiches and snacks.
After last week's car crash just north of Shoeburyness where the A13 finally peters out into a dirt-track, the Blenheim returned to winning ways with a solid away win in ever-lovely Wolvercote. Indeed, apart from a brief moment in round two, the Royalists were never behind. A six-point run with bonuses on Pocahontas and Maxim - after which there was a brief debate on whether Axiom was sufficiently synonymic (no!) - gave them a 22-19 lead and the Bunch! never got closer than that. The ice lolly set in the picture round brought back fond memories of Gerry Anderson-inspired Fabs and Zooms while the Bunch! unaccountably failed to recognise the great Flavor Flav, so the lead was stretched to 49-43. Would 'fructivore' have been deemed an acceptable answer for the fruit-eating animal? Fortunately, the Blenheim opted for 'frugivore' so no debate was required there. No one was old enough to remember which month the Magna Carta was signed. The denizens of the Westgate had an eight-point lead going into the final round and that quickly stretched to twelve when the question on American Football exposed an area of General Ignorance. But, with the match gone, the Bunch! picked up the only bonus of the second half (on Bruno Mars) to reduce the deficit to just seven points at the end. A tight match ended Ploughman’s Bunch! 72 - Royal Blenheim 79.
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Q1: Which pioneering Japanese electronic music group had a top 20 hit with ‘Computer Game (Theme from The Invaders)’
Q2: Which Queen hit opens ‘Steve walks warily down the street, with the brim pulled way down low’?
Q3: At the age of seventeen, Richard Oakes replaced Bernard Butler as guitarist in which group?
A1: Yellow Magic Orchestra.
A2: Another One Bites the Dust.
A3: Suede.
Week 4 - (14th November)
Four matches into the season, and there is now no team left with a 100% record, as two championship sides relinquished theirs. It’s very competitive, and thanks to Jeff for questions that give everyone a chance to shine, or to crash.
The Gardeners Arms secured their first win of the winter, as the Chequers Chippy slipped to a defeat after taking three points from premiership opponents in the past two weeks. Everyone had a lovely night in a wonderfully warm inviting pub, complete with candles. The food was great, and the visitors won five out of seven rounds only failing on rounds five and six. Final score was Chequers 56 - Gardeners 70.
And the Blenheim hosted fellow championship opponents in downtown Oxford. A gnat's whisker separated the teams throughout, with the scores being all square after round six. So it was fortunate The Sun gave away the A-Roads question in round seven to find themselves heading home up the A3400 with the narrowest of victories. It was a genial evening, and the Titanic was tasty, went down well, you could say. At the end of the day, it gets very dark, and the score was Royal Blenheim 74 - Sun 76.
The Blackbird would like to start by apologising to the Masons Arms, as this game was highway robbery of the highest degree. The Blackbird only took the lead with the 3rd question of the last round, so a big thank you to the Masons for the jovial manner and good banter in defeat, pleasure to play against these guys. Special mention to Tara, for making her debut as Quizmaster, passed with flying colours. Lovely food as always. And the score: Blackbird 67 - Masons 65.
It’s always a pleasure for the Nomads to welcome the Chandos Arms to Bletchingdon and this week was no exception. Both teams got off to an excellent start with the Nomads just edging the first round 11-10. However the Nomads then gradually built on that lead by taking rounds 2,3,4 and 5 by an average of three points. Round six was drawn but then the Nomads “Gave it Away” quite successfully to end the match Nomads 78 v 56 Chandos Arms. Neither team knew that the Chandos Portrait was of William Shakespeare although I guess the Chandos Arms will probably remember that forever.
The Plough Wolvercote were hosts to the Windrush for a game decided by two early rounds. The Windrush were 3-0 up after the first two questions, a strong start which won them the round. Then two bonuses in each of the next two rounds put the Plough ahead, and subsequent rounds consolidated the home team lead. It was Tim’s fate this week to have his two correct answers passed over (Cluedo and the Chinese Wall) but it was a strong team performance under Howard’s assured captaincy. The match finished Plough 85 – Windrush 57.
The Ploughman’s Bunch! were without Jeremy (Ireland) and David (broken foot), but still turned up with five for a closely fought match against the excellent White Hart team. Though the Bunch! were never behind, having gained a 3-point lead in the first round, it was nip and tuck all the way, with each team winning two rounds, two tied rounds and the away side taking the pictures on their superior reptile knowledge. A good number of bonus points too, fairly evenly shared (4-5). The Bunch! maths skills were needed too (Cluedo). Another quiz with some interesting questions (such as the motto of NATO), all read in inimitable style by the question master, ably assisted by Beryl, the ladybird, who had flown in especially. The evening was rounded off by some great food, with Beth much taken by the sandwiches. White Hart 70 - Ploughman’s Bunch! 75.
Thanks to Jeff Welch for the questions, with a film selection from this week below.
Q1: In which Bond film does the villain Emilio Largo appear?
Q2: Which was the only Carry On film in which Roy Castle appeared?
Q3: What was the title of the 2024 film in the Alien franchise?
A1: Thunderball.
A2: Carry on Up the Khyber.
A3: Romulus.
Week 3 - (7th November)
Jeff Welch seems to have the knack of writing a set of questions that result in close matches and unexpected results, that is quite a skill, great for an exciting evening, and for the quiz league. There were no home wins this week, very unusual, but the Bunch! did manage a draw against the resurgent Chequers Chippy.
Way out west at the Windrush in Witney, two well matched sides were in a hard fought battle, the standard of General Knowledge from both sides excellent. Two losing rounds for the home team scuppered their chances, and it is very hard to pull back scores in this well constructed quiz, congratulations to Jeff the setter. The night was capped off with an excellent selection of sandwiches, also good bar prices, a venue for a Tabletops in the future, visitors the Blackbird suggested. The match finished Windrush Club 64 - Blackbird 76.
Bletchingdon Nomads made their trip to Headington Quarry looking forward to good company and a good quiz. Hope springs eternal after last week’s drubbing, but losses in rounds 1,2,3, and 5, and a draw in round 4 left Nomads nine points adrift. Hope was disappearing round the ring road when the Nomads woke from their slumber. Then round six was an eight point win for the Nomads. So, give it away. Starting one point down, neck-and-neck until the final pair. Nomads got theirs, so all in the hands of the Masons... they slipped. Final score Masons 70 Nomads 71. A wonderful night!
The Royal Blenheim made the trek out to the Bucks/Oxon borders to take on the Chandos Arms in Oakley. The Chandos got off to a flying start and took the first round 10-9. In the second round, knowledge of King Lear's daughters and Staffordshire settlements allowed the Blenheim to take the round 9-4. This set the scene for the later rounds despite a very challenging picture round when those Good Charlottes with the exception of Ms Rampling proved particularly challenging. Nobody knew that Oasis were starting their overpriced reunion tour in Cardiff, but no matter - it ended up, thanks to Vince Hill and others being pulled out of the bag, with a victory to the Blenheim 70 - 56, fuelled by generous portions of the Chandos chunky chips.
In Hook Norton, despite the hosts shading the first round and three others being drawn, the White Hart won the rest by enough to enjoy a surprisingly comfortable victory overall. Quite how that happened is anyone's guess, but it demonstrated that both teams knew more about 60s/70s crooners than chemical elements, and that knowledge of Su Pollard's singing career is nothing to be ashamed of, possibly. The beer, food and general welcome were second to none, as usual. Sun 53 - White Hart 68.
Still reeling from their defeat in Chippy, the Plough visited a favourite venue, the Gardeners Arms. A couple of bonuses in round one settled the away team, but an all too familiar rout in round three gave the Gardeners the lead, which they held on to in the picture round, before suffering their own turnaround to slip three behind. The Plough narrowly took the last two rounds, despite some dodgy decisions from Captain Peacock, failing to take heed of his own inspirational quotes on display. Final score, and a heartfelt sigh of relief from the visitors, was Gardeners Arms 70 – Plough 77.
Ploughman’s Bunch! 75 – Chequers 75. Fresh from their victory over the Plough, the Chequers settled in to a comfortable position on the shoulder of stablemates the Bunch!, narrowly losing rounds one and three and drawing round two and the pictures. A bit of good fortune on the last two questions of round five saw the home side draw seven points clear as the Bunch! made a bid for the winning line. But they peaked too soon, and a swing on the perfumes questions in round six gave the Chequers the scent of another famous victory. The plucky Chippy outfit still needed a perfect start to the give-it-away round, and they found this by giving away the two questions that the Bunch! didn't know. Suddenly it was neck-and-neck, with the Bunch! playing catch-up as the Chequers answered everything they were given. Now it was the home team who needed to be perfect to salvage a draw, and they were, the teams crossing the line in a dead heat. As ever with a drawn match, all players could reflect on the missed intervention that would have delivered victory, but also on the contribution that avoided defeat. David Quinn as question-master controlled the tense match with aplomb (not a plum).
Week 2 - (31st October)
Plenty of treats this week, and no tricks, for the quiz on a cold, misty, spooky Halloween. The streets were thronged with marauding youngsters on a sugar high, demanding sweet tributes, but all the quizzers wanted was refreshment and a good match, so Jeff provided a great set of questions to ensure that.
Ploughman’s Bunch! 89-54 Sun Hook Norton. The Sun's long journey to one of their nearer Oxford away games was rewarded as they edged round one, the home team having three of the four unanswered questions. Although another one followed in round two with the Belarussian river, (Q1 below) bonuses on Wallis Simpson, Matilda, and perfect numbers, together with David Parr's inside knowledge of salmon and David Quinn's inspiration on Bradford City, saw the Bunch! open up a tidy lead, which was considerably extended in round three when it was the Sun's turn to get the three unanswered questions. The pictures went 18-16 the way of the Bunch!, and round five was also close - the home team edging it thanks to last-ditch answers on Rhode Island, Rwanda, and Kim Hughes. The second paired round saw both unanswered questions fall to the luckless Sun, and the Bunch cantered to the finishing line despite Jeremy’s failure to remember that larkspur was delphinium. Lovely food; lovely chairmanship by Martin; excellent captaincy by Beth; a good all-round team performance, with Charles and David Parr in particularly good form; and we look forward to the return match in Hook Norton in January.
The Windrush Club made a fog-hampered journey over to Bletchingdon for an enjoyable evening's quizzing at The Bletchingdon Nomads. The away team edged round one 6-8, with the Nomads levelling the match with a 9-7 in round two. The Windrush then took the next three rounds for a ten point lead going into round six, which the Nomads won 13-8 to give them hope of a comeback. Unusually for the Windrush, they didn't take 'Give It Away' literally and prevailed 7-10 for a final score of 57-65. The welcome at the Bletchingdon Sports & Social Club was warm and friendly and the beer on top form. Lovely fresh sandwiches sustained the quizzers as did some tasty pork pies and sausage rolls. All in all, a great evening with thanks to our convivial hosts, The Nomads.
And at the Blackbird it was a good evening, played in a very sporting atmosphere, tight game until the Gardeners imploded in round five with a nine point turnaround, which sealed their fate. Frank's stag weekend seemed to have fired his passion, with some cracking answers, especially with Leonard Nimoy, where did that come from? Food lovely as ever, capped off with a lovely stew. Blackbird 77 - Gardeners Arms 63.
White Hart 80 – Chandos Arms 52. Having had a tricky journey across a fog-bound county, the Chandos then endured some unfortunate question choices and a number of 'nearly but not quite' answers. As a result, the White Hart shaded every round to end with a rather flattering margin of victory. All the members of the home team had their moments but, for some reason, Martin's knowledge of the M25 proved a particular highlight.
Royal Blenheim 79 - 57 Masons Arms. Credit to Jeff for a quiz mercifully lacking in Halloween-themed questions. (Nick’s favourite: who was the first – and only – player with all nine letters of Halloween in his name to make a Premier League appearance on 31 October [in 1998]?*) Certainly the city centre where the Royal Blenheim welcomed the Masons Arms was awash with witches and ghouls of all kinds. The home team got off to a 'slow' start, having no idea what ZIP stood for and getting their Celtic diaspora mixed up when it came to rugby tenants of the Kassam, but 0-5 after four questions was soon turned round to 10-7 at the end of Round one. The Blenheim built their lead steadily from there, aided by useful knowledge of Peter Kay, Leonard Nimoy and Sam Hain, but frustrated by the discovery that JD Salinger was Jerome David rather than Jeremy David. But the masonic fivesome fought back to win the pictures 15-13, giving a score of 44-34 after four rounds. Sarah Michelle Gellar gave them their second (and final) bonus of the evening before the Royalists pulled away again in Round six, with a surprising clean sweep on islands and astronomy. The last round was more nip-and-tuck with everyone strangely unable to remember what day of the week June 2nd 1953 was. So a final score of 79-57 to the home team.
* Noel Whelan of Coventry City ... Xmas and Halloween all in one name!
And in shock news (the shock was to the Plough, not the home team) it was Chequers Chippy 71 – Plough 65, a turnip for the books, not the island question (Q3 below) that was Swedes. The Chequers got off to a good start, taking the first round 11-6, a score they repeated in round three to go eight ahead. Question master Mike Wilks kept good order and timed the break perfectly for a real treat of food to be put out: Thai prawn and veg curry, fish goujons, chicken wings, accompanied by perfect chips – the Chequers Chipping Norton is highly recommended for food, compliments to the chef and landlord. The subsequent rounds were finely balanced, in other words the Plough had no opportunity to catch up. A 1998 mini round brought out the best from Connor, the Chequers newest, and youngest, recruit - born in that year (is he old enough to go to a pub?) his extreme youth and brains made the difference between the teams, congratulations to the Chequers on a very well deserved win.
Week 1 - (24th October)
And they’re off! Winter is here, with twenty-two weeks of league fixtures ahead, twelve teams each play eleven home and eleven away matches up to next April, with two weeks off as 2024 turns to 2025. In a tribute to the League organiser, David Quinn, all six top division teams won their games this week, but a couple of them were outscored by the Blackbird who came out the wrong side of a high-scoring match.
The highest-scoring team this week were the Ploughman’s Bunch! who ventured across the Ot Moor to the Chandos Arms, Oakley. A warm welcome (and later scrummy chips) awaited as ever, and the home team concentrated their fire on the areas where most points lay, with near full-houses on the pictures and the blockbuster, while adding a morale-boosting tie in the give-it-away round to take into next week's fixture. Elsewhere, however, the Bunch! dominated, with sizeable wins in the other rounds and every bit of luck going their way for most of the contest. Spectacular missed opportunities on one picture, one traditional song, and one medical term will pass into Bunch! folklore as sticks to tease team members with over the long winter months, but for the most part this was a faultless display from the visitors (including all the cricketing signals despite the absence of seasoned umpire David Quinn), marshalled by Beth who had risen from her sick bed to take in her one fairly local fixture of the season. A couple of deer but only one fatality (a hit and run) from the 70 million field voles were spotted on the return journey. Chandos 47-92 Bunch!
The Sun 72 - The Chequers 63, always an enjoyable local derby, and this week’s match was close until the pictures when the Sun's greater knowledge of cricket helped them to a lead which they maintained to the end. The beer was eminently quaffable, and the sausage and chips went down a treat.
Masons Arms 65 - White Hart 70. Graced by the presence of question setter Jeff on question master duties, this match followed the usual pattern between these two closely matched sides, to the extent of the scores being level after the picture round. The White Hart then edged the next two rounds to give them a seemingly unassailable 10-point lead going into 'give it away'. Only just, as a low-scoring affair saw the visitors score just two points and frankly stumble over the line.
The Royal Blenheim ran the all-conquering Plough team pretty close over the summer, but it's set to be a very different story this winter as they will be missing the two great pillars of the team, Jeff Welch and Peter Groves. Jeff, who knows 49% of the world's facts, is setting the questions and Peter, who also knows a non-overlapping 49%, is taking a sabbatical. As they've been quizzing together and winning county titles (as the Chester Arms, Far from the Madding Crowd, etc) since the turn of the century - possibly longer, who knows? - they leave a huge gap. Still, the remaining foursome (Nick, Trevor, Mark and Tony) made a pretty good start to life as a championship team. Having inched their way into the Windrush carpark, they found the home team in pretty good form. It was 27-27 after three tight rounds, 45-45 after the pictures and 55-56 after the second Take your Pick round. A solitary bonus off the 1st question of Round 6 stretched the Royalists' lead to 65-69 with a round to go but the Give it Away finale proved a bit of a nightmare for the Windies after the shock of the away team knowing the answer to the 2024 Pop question which was the automatic first giveaway at this, and no doubt other, games. Suddenly, the Blenheim had the first eight points in a row and 12 of the first 13 before the Windrush nabbed the Monopoly question at the end. So a 68-81 that was closer than the score suggests. Windrush Club 68 - Royal Blenheim 81.
Summer champions the Plough opened the winter season at home to the Blackbird. The first four rounds all went to the home team by a small margin each time, then the visitors took one back, and the Plough went into the final round an unlucky thirteen ahead. The Blackbird found their best form to win back nine of those with three correct and three bonuses, and the Plough were looking furrowed. Calm nerves held under captain Nancy, and the Plough finished winners on 80 to the Blackbirds strong 75. A sociable evening ended with a discussion of the excellent standard of Jeff’s questions – nothing too simple, and none were impossible, well done Jeff.
It was a special evening at the Gardeners Arms as they all bid a fond farewell to Carsten who is leaving the UK after thirteen years of quizzing. Quite rightly, Carsten oversaw the evening in the role of Question Master – the role he preferred most. And he certainly went out on a high – in control but with numerous breaks for funny stories and laughter. But what about the quiz I hear you say? Well, both teams knew it was going to be close when the first round ended in a draw. Then the Bletchingdon Nomads took round two, the Gardeners round 3, the Nomads round 4, The Gardeners round 5 (are you getting the idea now?), the Nomads round 6 and the Gardeners round 7. So it was definitely close, but when all the adding up was done, it finished Gardeners 68 v 76 Nomads. A great evening and we wish Carsten all the very best – he will be missed.
Thanks to Jeff Welch for the questions, with a literary selection from this week below. Fixtures, Weekly Scores, Reports etc. are at: www.oxfordshire-quiz-league.com
Q1: Which 1817 novel is set during the Jacobite rebellion of 1715?
Q2: Under what name does American author Daniel Handler write?
Q3: Who wrote the 1929 novel ‘The Good Companions’?
A1: Rob Roy (by Walter Scott).
A2: Lemony Snicket.
A3: J B Priestley.
Table Top - (17th October)
And so it begins, the winter league stretching ahead of us in all its icy fog-bound glory, through to early April 2025, but with a generous two weeks off as the year turns. The only scheduled tabletop of the season was held in the convivial surroundings of the Masons Arms, Headington Quarry. Jon Young, from the White Hart Eynsham team, stepped up to set a stimulating and challenging quiz to get the winter season started.
Starting the quiz, and indeed the season, in the time-honoured way with round one, pot luck, it was clear from the off that Jon had set the standard high. That brought out the best in the Chequers team (augmented by a few from Woodstock Social Club) who sprang into an early lead with eight out of ten. We were back on familiar ground in round two, places, with three teams missing a full atlas by only one map, including the Nomads who briefly took the lead. The Gardeners Arms, on a lap of honour to say auf wiedersehen to Carsten, were only a pretzel (not a bagel) off the top score.
Habitual tabletop mavens the Ploughman’s Bunch! found their form in round three, with 6½ against the round average of a paltry two, which considering the theme was this year, 2024, reflects a general lack of attention all round. Jon had put together a great picture round, not all mugshots but including such varied images as outdoor games, knots, and cheese. The deliberations were sustained by a super selection of Posh Fish food – chips, onion rings and all the delights for chip butties! The pictures were refreshingly different, like the food, and produced a good total from the Royal Blenheim, but a top score from the Plough which took them into the lead.
That advantage dissolved in the next round, where Jon had thoughtfully provided the initial letters of the answers. This helpful start helped the Bunch! who registered the only maximum score of the night to take the lead, the fourth change of six in a roller-coaster contest. The music boomed out in round five, a fiendish combination of samples and cover versions, which showed the strength of the Nomads, who owned the round, and there was a good showing by the White Hart, who were clearly missing Jon Young on question-setter duties.
The Blackbird saved their best form for round six, films and TV, but the Plough had the highest score in to retain the lead going into the monster blockbuster round, sixty-three points up for grabs. The Chandos had a good showing in the blockbuster, the long form playing to their strength, but they were suffering from missing pie night at the home pub. The home team, the Masons Arms left their late run too late, but a very impressive top score of forty-seven took them that step closer to a podium finish.
The Ploughman’s Bunch! took the trophy, four points clear of their rivals and runners-up the Plough, with Bletchingdon Nomads a little way adrift but clear of the rest of the field in bronze medal position.