Cup & Plate - Quarter Final Draws...

The FA Cup? Worthless frippery compared to these mighty competitions, in which I should say that no balloons of any kind are allowed. If you had the misfortune of watching the last tie of the round yesterday you will know what I mean...

Anyway, here is all the news...

Cup & Plate Results...

Week 8...

Almost at the half way stage of the season and all very much still to play for.

After the Week 9 games (to be played on Tuesday the 29th of January) I will publish all the scores so far and give a half-term report on the state of this (small but interesting) nation.

News & Views - Week 8

Peter Cole

Many of you will remember Peter Cole, who did the same Quiz League Secretary’s job I do now for many, many years, along with playing for the CAP team based at the St Dunstan.

Peter and his wife Tina moved down South to live near Milton Keynes some years ago and I was very sorry to hear this week that Peter had a nasty accident on New Year’s Day.

Peter, Tina and several friends had stayed at a château in France for a New Year’s Eve Gala dinner. On New Year’s Day, whilst walking in the château grounds, Peter slipped on some steps and broke both his arms. His left elbow has a compound fracture which has required seven pins and two plates to hold it together whilst his right upper arm is broken, fortunately not quite as badly. After being taken to a French hospital, it took several days to sort out the usual procedures to bring him home to the UK.

Peter is now back at home after a further few days in a Milton Keynes hospital. He is feeling a little better but it sounds like full recovery will be a long haul.

Tina has let me know that any information on useful websites for home care / ideas about healing remedies / messages of support generally would be very gratefully received.

I have emailed Peter's contact details separately and won't post them again here, but do feel free to contact me if you have mislaid them and would like them again.

Week 7...

The Principals became the first team to reach 1000 points in total this season after they beat the Church House Bollington. Lesley Davies scored 33 in a season-best effort with another 42 for Alan Levitt who continues to head the A League Individual standings. The Ox-fford beat the Castle with Mark Watson and John Knight top scoring for their respective teams.

The real story happened as the Ox-fford 'C' beat the New Castle and we had another tantalisingly close effort at the "perfect score" of 60 as Alice Walker registered the season's second 57, her all-time personal best score. The only question she missed on was the Montgolfier brothers' balloon full of animals. I dare say she would have popped their balloon given half a chance...in any event, well done indeed Alice.

The usual suspects continue to head the B League. The British Flag beat the Three Crowns with a very useful 33 from Neil Drummond.

Is it my imagination or does Neil look younger every year? I must ask him if he has any paintings of himself locked in an upstairs room...

The Waters Green Wonderers had their second very close game in succession, just coming out ahead in this one as they beat the Baths Hotel by just 4 points, Bob Langstaff top scoring with 33.

The Plough Taverners just beat the Harrington Academicals by 8 points thanks to an excellent 36 from Phil Davies (top B League score this week) and the George & Dragon have still had no luck in looking for their first win of the season, just losing by 6 points to the Cock Inn. Mike Bennett scored his second consecutive 27 for the G&D whilst Jackie Hulme (30) and Anne Goddard (27) top scored for the Cock.

Apart from the Flag and the Wonderers, the remaining B League teams seem intent on beating each other, with the 5 of them locked together on 6 points separated only by "points scored".

Similar happenings also in the C League where the top two won again - the Knot Inn beat the Prince of Wales in a close game with Art Higham scoring 39 for the Knot. Art hasn't played before this season and the Knot surely have a knack for producing big scoring players. The Albion stay second after a close win over the Chester Road Tavern, John Hargreaves top scoring with 27. The Sutton Church House beat the Puss Artists by just 6, Win Greenwood (24) and Darren Stoddart (30 in his first game of the season) top scoring.

Special mention must go to Geoff Parkin of the Harrington 'B' who scored a fantastic 48 in the 'B's win over Park Tavern. This was the second best score of the night after Alice Walker's incredible 57 - well done Geoff.

The Dolphin Dragons supplied the questions which were a welcome variation on some of the usual themes and had obviously had a lot of thought put into them. Cars and Vans 4U Ltd Trophy scores will follow soon.

News & Views - Week 7

The Dolphin - Big Fish...

Yes, I do know dolphins are mammals and not fish, but this team representing the Dolphin are very "big fish" indeed in Macclesfield Quiz League folklore. Besides, if you call people "Big Mammals", I find they get very upset and might even hit you...

The Dolphin have won the lot and more besides over the last few years and in Alan Hodgson they have the premier player in this forum bar none. He has been the A League Individual Champion for 10 out of the last 13 years and has been seen on many TV programmes as well during that time. He is also the one and only person anyone can ever remember getting the magic "full house" score of 60 out of 60 in the the League Match format. We have had lots of scores in the 50s, but only one bit of perfection.

The team are (from left to right) : Derek Owen, Peter McBride, Alan Hodgson and Stuart Rowbotham. The other regular member - Alan Rudden - was elsewhere on the night the photo was taken. I will get him next time.

As time wears on, I will try and feature as many teams as possible with a picture so we can be preserved for posterity (some of us are closer than others to preservation as it is). If you have a picture of your or any other team, do let me have it...

Week 6...

Welcome back after our longer than usual Christmas break. Below are all the results from the last round of games in 2007 which were all played on the 11th of December.

The Principals head the A League going into 2008 courtesy of their win in a very high scoring game against the Ox-fford. Alan Levitt top scored for the Principals with 48 and heads the Individual rankings. Mark Watson missed out on a maximum 60 score (a feat rarer than Portsmouth scoring at home) by one question, failing to come up with the name of one of the many Rock Hudson / Doris Day films, namely "Pillow Talk". (He couldn't get past thoughts of "The Pyjama Game" for some reason...)

The Dolphin beat the Ox-fford 'C' by just 8 points, Peter McBride scoring a season's best 48 in doing so. Haydn Thompson maintained his usual incredible consistency with 42 for the 'C'. The Dolphin Dragons beat the New Castle in the only other game, with the match seeing the welcome return (as far as the Dragons were concerned anyway) of Gary Stubbs for the Dragons. Gary now lives elsewhere but makes occasional forays back to his old stamping grounds and did so very effectively this time with 42.

The B League saw the closest game of the week in which the Cock Inn beat the Waters Green Wonderers by just 3 points. Jackie Hulme (33) and Bob Langstaff (30) top scored for both teams. The numbers in brackets are their scores, not their ages of course...

The British Flag top the table after beating the ever dangerous Harrington Academicals whilst the Baths Hotel beat the Three Crowns, for whom Billy Stubbs scored a seasons best 30. The Lamb Inn denied the George & Dragon their first win of the season, Marshall Barnard producing an excellent 33 for the Lamb. Despite 27 from Mike Bennett and 24 from Pat Jeater, the Lamb won by 14 points.

The Knot Inn continue to head up the C League with another raft of excellent performances from Brian and Andrew Bogie (30 and 27 respectively) along with 30 from Mike Hancock. The Prince of Wales did well to run the Sutton Church House close but the availability of only three players (unless there is a Mr T. Lard now playing) meant that the SCH won by 16 points - Betty Dobson top scoring with 24.

Geoff Parkin top scored with 36 for the Harrington 'B' who beat the Puss Artists whilst Mark Griffiths had his best night of the season with 39 for the Park Tavern, who beat the Waters Green Rams.

The questions scored a middling number for entertainment value and divided opinion amongst those involved. Some teams were very happy with them and marked accordingly, others thought some of the questions were a bit too much "straight from a book" and there were occasions where the same person was getting lots of questions on the same subjects. You can see all the questions via Nick's website here http://nicksquiz.blogspot.com/ and make up your own mind...

News & Views - Week 6