Birmingham Mega Quiz 2014

OK, let’s start with the facts. We came third in last night’s Birmingham Mega Quiz, and we were well beaten by the Bizarre Brains and the winners Utopia. Utopia, I’m sure, were the former winners Utopia Limited – I guess they junked the word limited since team maximum size had been increased to 6 from 4. They beat us because they were better than we were – throughout the whole quiz, not just the parts specifically on Birmingham. Even if there had not been a round specifically on Birmingham and the West Midlands they would have beaten us last night anyway. They were that much better than we were.

It was one of those nights that you have from time to time (not too often, mind, or you’d give it all up as a bad job) when all of your 50/50 answers go the wrong way, and you’re just not at the races, however hard you try. Maybe it might have helped if we’d notice that team size had been increased to 6, but there we are, we didn’t notice until it was too late. Mind you – and I hope that I’m not laying myself open to an accusation of sour grapes here – it didn’t do a great deal for our confidence when we arrived to see that the list of rounds included Round 9: Birmingham and the West Midlands. There is a precedent – we had a Birmingham round when we last lost in the rather shambolic 2011 competition. Oh well, as I said, it didn’t cost us the quiz, we’d already gone way too far behind even before that round. Well, while I’m whinging I will say that whereas a Birmingham and West Midlands round is just one of those things you have to grin and bear, I did feel that then having local news questions making up a good half of the news and current affairs round as well was taking the proverbial. Well, there we are, moan over.

I have to pay tribute to every other aspect of the way this quiz is run though. Last year we were sat at the back, practically in the car park. This year we were on table one at the front. Alright, so the poor old chairman, who made an opening address, can’t use a microphone for toffee and was unintelligible again. Apart from that though, once again Pete Morgan of BBC West Midlands radio proved he is a past master of the neglected art of getting the hell on with it. The quiz ran as smoothly as if it was on greased rails, and unlike last year there wasn’t the slightest controversy either. You have to admire an event which runs that smoothly.

So once again thanks Birmingham for a good evening.