A Quiz of Three Teams

Yes, dearly beloved, I know you’re dying to know how the quiz went on Thursday night. In fact that’s why I’m posting about it now and not later in the weekend. I don’t want you suffering from anxiety. Well, it went okay, I think. It was difficult to judge because there were only 3 teams last night. I was put in mind of one of my favourite “Not the Nine O’Clock News” sketches from about 1982. It’s a Rowan Atkinson single hander, where he plays a vicar whose church is hosting an edition of Songs of Praise. He begins “You join a full congregation of local people who have come to worship tonight. Indeed it makes quite a change to have so many here because it wasn’t quite the same story last week, was it? Last week the congregation numbered 7, four of whom had turned up a week early by mistake. The previous week, Harvest Sunday, there were 3 of us. Myself, the organist Mr. Posner, and a tin of spaghetti.” If you’d like to check it out, here’s the link - Not the Nine O'Clock News - Songs Of Praise - YouTube

Now, I’m not for one minute suggesting that the three teams last night resembled a tin of spaghetti in any way, shape or form. No, all that I meant was that I do understand why people can’t come every week – there’s holidays, the beginning of the long cold and flu season, and the feeling of -I don’t want to play on my own if nobody else can come, but it was a slightly strange experience doing a quiz with so few teams.

It’s a shame really that there weren’t more teams because it was quite tight all the way through the quiz, and at the end after all the shouting there were only 3 points separating all 3 teams. I’m pleased for the winners, because whatever you say it must be a little bit disheartening turning up week after week and knowing that – God, this is going to sound smug and arrogant, but I can’t think of a better way of phrasing it – knowing that you’re probably playing for second place at best. But I have to say that I’m particularly pleased for my team. As I was compiling the quiz last week I was conscious of thinking – you are at a distinct disadvantage in this quiz if you’re less than fifty years old. Well the three of them fall a couple of decades short of this age. Yet they finished joint second, only 3 points behind the winners. And they won the picture quiz as well.

Well, nobody was moaning loudly enough at the end of the quiz for me to hear them so I think I did alright. Dai Norwich ( so called because a) his name is David, and b) he’s connected with Norwich) asked me if I’d do the New Year quiz, so hopefully he won’t ask me again before then.