Macclesfield Quiz League
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Macclesfield Quiz League |
| News and Views |
| 2009–10 Season |
| Week 1: 6 October 2009 |
| Week 2: 13 October 2009 |
| Week 3: 20 October 2009 |
| Week 4: 3 November 2009 |
| Week 5: 10 November 2009 |
| Week 6: 17 November 2009 |
| Week 7: 1 December 2009 |
| Week 8: 8 December 2009 |
| Week 9: 15 December 2009 |
| Week 10: 5 January 2010 |
| Week 11: 12 January 2010 |
| Week 12: 26 January 2010 |
| Week 13: 2 February 2010 |
| Week 14: 9 February 2010 |
| Week 15: 23 February 2010 |
| Week 16: 2 March 2010 |
| Week 17: 9 March 2010 |
| Week 18: 16 March 2010 |
| Week 10 Revisited |
| A League | B League | C League | Cup | Plate |
The following table shows the number of games won each week by the teams going first and second, respectively, in the Specialist rounds.
| Week | Date | No. of games | First | Second |
| 1 | 6 October 2009 | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| 2 | 13 October 2009 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| 3 | 20 October 2009 | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | 3 November 2009 | 11 | 4 | 7 |
| 5 | 10 November 2009 | 12 | 10 | 2 |
| 6 | 17 November 2009 | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| 7 | 1 December 2009 | 11 | 7 | 3 |
| 8 | 8 December 2009 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| 9 | 15 December 2009 | 11 | 3 | 8 |
| 11 | 12 January 2010 | 11 | 5 | 6 |
| 12 | 26 January 2010 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| 13 | 2 February 2010 | 11 | 1 | 9 |
| 14 | 9 February 2010 | 12 | 10 | 2 |
| 15 | 23 February 2010 | 11 | 5 | 6 |
| 16 | 2 March 2010 | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| 17 | 9 March 2010 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| 18 | 16 March 2010 | 11 | 5 | 5 |
| 10 | 23 March 2010 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
In each of Weeks 13 and 18 there was one drawn game.
Week 10 was postponed due to adverse weather conditions, and played after Week 18.
Mighty scores this week to get us going, and the Ox–fford 'C' top the tree after a 189–158 win over the Dolphin in an early season clash of the titans. Haydn Thompson and Alice Walker got their seasons started with 51 apiece, whilst Peter McBride and Alan Hodgson scored 48 and 42 respectively for the Dolphin.
The Weaver were not far behind in scoring terms with a 172–151 win over the newly promoted Pussycat Guys. Alan Levitt top scored for the Weaver with 45 whilst Alasdair Reid weighed in with 42 for the Guys in a very creditable A League debut. The Weaver look very strong all round this year, with a top quality "core 4" of a team.
In the remaining A League game, the Dolphin Dragons just beat the Castle in an excellent contest at the newly redecorated Dolphin by 162–157. The cerebral Robin Morrell scored 42 for the Dragons whilst Tony Fogarty racked up a cracking 45 for the Castle, including 11 out of 12 correct in the GK.
The newly relocated Plough Horntails (ex of the George & Dragon) beat the Waters Green Phoenix 150–123 in their first game at their new home. Bob Langstaff scored 39 for the Phoenix who made an excellent effort with only 3 players due to some early season confusion, whilst Malcolm Asquith's 42 made him the horniest of tails for the Plough.
The New Castle just had the edge in a close contest with the Church House Bollington, Graham Wallace's 42 and Rick Davis's 39 being the best scores on either side.
The Knot Inn were unlucky to miss out on promotion to the A League due only to the League restructuring, but they resumed their normal service with a 159–128 win over the Pack Horse Bowling Club. Main men Brian Bogie and Art Higham scored 36 each for the Knot, whilst Mike Vickerstaff did the same for the Pack Horse.
Closest game of the night was at the British Flag who just edged a 150–146 win over the Albion. Good scores for all the Flags with Helen Laurence's 33 being the best of them, whilst the ever reliable John Hargreaves had the B League's highest individual score of the night with 45.
The Sutton Church House got off to a winning start against the Chester Road Tavern, 125–97 sealing victory. John Stein top scored with 30 whilst Tony Moores racked up 27 for the CRT.
In the battle of the "Inns", the Cock beat the Lamb by 144–134. Jackie Hulme and Peter Wilcox scored 33 each for the Cock, Chris Butler and Marshall Barnard chipping in with 24 each for the newly refurbished Lamb (the pub that is, not the people...)
The Crown had the better of the first ever game at the Royal Oak, with a 112–83 win. Glyn Bradley top scored with 24 for the Crown, who like the Knot Inn were unlucky to miss out on promotion last year. Scores were evenly spread amongst the Oak team, who we hope enjoyed their first taste of this particular type of Tuesday night action.
Finally, the evergreen Harrington 'B' beat the Waters Green Rams 132–93. John Green scored an excellent 39 for the Harrington, and David Reynolds 21 for the Rams.
Peter McBride of the Dolphin team has informed me of the very sad news
that Alan Rudden, a regular player in the League for many,
many years, passed away on Monday the 12th of October.
Alan played for the Dolphin and of course the Bridgewater prior to that, being a stalwart member of that all–conquering team. Alan had been battling cancer in recent years which he faced with typical good humour and resilience. His last appearance (pictured left) came in May's Cup Final.
I have played in many games against Alan over the years and he was always fantastic company, erudite, intelligent and a thoroughly well rounded human being, always the same whether his team won or lost (won, usually!).
Our immediate sympathies go to Alan's family and all his friends in this circle and well beyond. He was a gentleman who will be greatly missed.
The Weaver are quickest out of the blocks, and top the tree after a 139–98 win over the Harrington Academicals. Graham Bailey scored 27 for the Weaver and Rob Parkin 24 for the Accies.
The Ox–fford started their season with a 166–121 over the Pussycat Guys, for whom Alasdair Reid (now leading the A League Individual standings) and Andy Johnson both scored 33. Laurence Plant scored 36 for the Ox–fford; this turned out to be the highest individual score of the night anywhere in all three leagues, which indicates that the questions were tricky–ish by comparison to last week. Your correspondent failed to spot Giorgio Armani's logo in the picture round, but if you know what I usually wear, that won't come as any surprise to you...
Elsewhere, the Dolphin beat the Castle 142–106, Alan Hodgson weighing in with 30 for the Dolphin as did Jeff Corry for the Castle.
Shauna Barstow scored an excellent 30 for the New Castle in their 120–77 win over the Pack Horse Bowling Club, which leaves her second in the B League Individuals.
The Knot Inn top the B League with two wins out of two, the Plough Taverners being on the wrong end of a 116–90 scoreline against them this week. Art Higham has started the season well and added another 24 to his total in this game.
The Albion had the better of the Waters Green Phoenix in a 115–100 win, Roberto Rodriguez top scoring with 24 for the London Road outfit. Wendy Brown was the highest flying Phoenix with 30.
Rick Davis top scored with 27 for the Church House Bollington as they beat the Plough Horntails 126–82, Malcolm Asquith top scoring for the 'Tails.
The Crown are off to a flyer with a 100% record from two games, this week edging a close 106–101 win over the Cock Inn. Tim Hayes wore the crown individually with 30, whilst Jackie Hulme had 21 for the Cock.
The Baths Speedos opened their campaign with a 111–94 win over the Royal Oak. The "Nelson" scoreline didn't derail the Speedos, for whom Dave Cooper scored 30. Gill Baker was the leading Royal with 21.
Closest game of the night was the Chester Road Tavern's 93–90 win over the Harrington 'B', Steve Moores (21) and John Green (30) topping the scores for each team respectively.
Finally, in the "Sutton Showdown", the Lamb Inn beat the Sutton Church House 110–85. Marshall Barnard led the way with 21 for the Lamb; Ray Henry and Win Greenwood both scored 15 for the House.
Early doors still results–wise, but the A League has four teams on four points. The Weaver still head the list, and are followed by the two Ox–ffords and the Dolphin Dragons. The next round of games sees the Ox–fford derby so another unbeaten record will go (barring a rare draw) and there will be a mighty contest at the Dolphin as the Dolphin derby takes place on the same day.
The Knot Inn and the New Castle are setting the pace, each with three wins out of three. The next six teams are all on two points, with only the Pack Horse Bowling Club yet to get off the mark.
There is congestion at the top here, as per the A league. The Cock Inn, Lamb Inn, Crown and Baths Speedos are deadlocked on four points, with the next four on two points. The Waters Green Rams still await their first win of the season. On the subject of first wins, congratulations to the Royal Oak who scored their first victory in this forum by beating the Rams 106–92 this week.
Some very close games were fought out this week, three of them being decided by a margin of just one point and one by two points. It was also 'Derby Day' for many of the pubs with two teams playing from the same premises.
In the first of those derbies, the Ox-fford just edged out the Ox–fford 'C' 146–134, Mark Watson top–scoring for the Ox–fford whilst Haydn Thompson and Alice Walker continue their neck and neck similar scores for the Ox–fford 'C' with 33 apiece.
In the Dolphin Derby, the Dolphin beat the Dolphin Dragons by 149–129. Alan Hodgson scored 33 for the Dolphin whilst Peter McBride and Stuart Rowbotham also scored excellent 30s. Liz Horrocks scored a season's best 42, and Chris Wearne also had a 'pb' with 33 for the Dragons.
In the remaining game, the Harrington Academicals scored their first win of the campaign with a 144–113 victory over the Castle, assisted by 33 from silver fox Stuart Mills. Jeff Corry top scored for the Castle with 24.
The B League saw two of the games with one–point margins. The Plough Derby finished with a 123–122 win for the Taverners over the Horntails. Phil Davies scored 30 for the Taverners and Malcolm Asquith did the same for the Horntails. The other nail–biter was a 124–123 win for the Albion over the New Castle. John Hargreaves scored a top class 39 for the London road outfit, whilst Graham Wallace was as reliable as ever with 30 for the Church Street boys and girl.
The Waters Green Phoenix moved to third in the table with a 144–115 win over the British Flag. Bob Langstaff used the acquired knowledge of his 85 years (at least, surely…) to score 39 for the WGP, whilst Wendy Brown had her second 30 in three games too to enter the Top 10 Individual table. Ian Tams flew the Flag's flag most strongly with 27.
The unstoppable force that seems to be the Knot Inn continued their 100% start to the season with a 122–116 win over the Church House Bollington. Brian Bogie top scored for the Knot on the night with 27, whilst Art Higham's 21 leaves him joint top of the Individual table along with Bob Langstaff from the Phoenix and the New Castle's Shauna Barstow. Ed Baron and Rick Davis both scored 27 for the CHB.
The Baths Speedos remain the only unbeaten C League team after their 125–106 win over the Sutton Church House. Andy Bailey (36) and Dave Cooper (33) top scored for the Speedsters whilst Win Greenwood did the same with 30 for the Church House.
The Church House's near neighbours at the Lamb Inn top the table after their 113–112 win over the Royal Oak. Marshall Barnard pulled out the stops with 33 for the Lamb whilst Chris Bogie (27) and Alan James (24) did the Royal Oak proud.
Just two points separated old rivals the Chester Road Tavern and Waters Green Rams, with the CRT (which sounds like some sort of drug) having the edge this time. Tony and Jim of the Moores dynasty scored 24, and Bill of that ilk had a season's best 21.
A very warm welcome back to this arena is extended to Steve Auty, who rolled back the years with 30 for the Rams. Steve – good to see that you never forget any of this stuff!
Finally, the Harrington 'B' beat the Cock Inn 124–104. Geoff Parkin and John Green chipped in 24 apiece for the Harrington, and Jackie Hulme did likewise for the Cock.
Tighter than the next round of public service spending settlements at the top of the A League, where five teams find themselves with six points after four games, all only being separated on "points scored".
The Ox–fford 'C' just head the table from the Weaver, followed by the Dolphin, Ox–fford and Dolphin Dragons.
Stuart Rowbotham scored a personal best 36 as the Dolphin beat the Ox–fford in that often seminal showdown, despite an excellent 36 from Laurence Plant for the Ox–fford. The Ox–fford 'C' had the better of their game against the Pussycat Guys, Alice Walker and Alasdair Reid top scoring for each side respectively with 36.
Robin Morrell scored the week's best total with 39 for the Dolphin Dragons as they beat the Harrington Academicals, whilst the Weaver racked up the highest total of the week (165) with an ominously solid all round performance against the Castle. Alan Levitt top scored for the Thornton Square outfit with 36 whilst Graham Bailey had a season's best 33. Jeff Corry manned the Castle's ramparts to best effect with 30.
The Knot Inn continue their scorching start to the season, now standing at five wins from five games and one of only two teams unbeaten in any League thus far. Art Higham equalled Robin Morrell's 39 in a 'pb' for the Knot.
It remains quite tight behind the Knot with the New Castle, Waters Green Phoenix and Albion all jockeying for second spot. Jon Thompson had his best score of the season (30) as the the Phoenix beat the Plough Taverners. The Albion continued their very effective form with a win over the Pack Horse Bowling Club – John Hargreaves leading the way again with 24.
The New Castle just lost out to old rivals the British Flag, for whom Ian Tams had a 'pb' 33.
The Baths Speedos are the only other unbeaten team with a perfect four–out–of–four start, which leaves them heading the C League. They had a close one this week against the Moores dynasty at the Chester Road Tavern, but main man Andy Bailey and Darren 'Skyscraper' Stoddart each scored 27 for the 'peeds to carry them home.
The Cock Inn's win over the Waters Green Rams keeps them in second place, with Jackie Hulme's 27 taking her to second in the Individual table.
Win Greenwood is firmly ensconced in the Top 10 individuals too, and her 27 helped the Sutton Church House to a convincing win over the Royal Oak.
Finally, that stalwart performer Geoff Parkin chipped in with another invaluable 27 as the Harrington 'B' worked the oracle over the Crown.
Respect is due ... to Haydn Thompson from the Ox–fford ‘C’
for hitting the magic "full house", top of the shop, 60 out of 60.
Twenty questions, all answered correctly. I take my metaphorical hat off to you ...
Haydn is only the second person ever to achieve this mighty feat, following Alan Hodgson on 31 October 2006. Two people only have done this in the wrong end of 30 years, which suggests it is not easy!
It is noticeable that both times the big number has been scored, it has occurred in games against the Castle, played at .. .the Castle! Clearly this the venue where magic happens!
Haydn – many congratulations, we are not worthy.
A celebratory photo of Haydn (and Alice, from last Finals Night) seems appropriate ...
The A League is traditionally tight at the top with only a handful of points scored separating the two Ox-ffords and the Weaver. The Ox-fford 'C' and the Weaver meet next week in the latest Titan / Clash interface ...
The Knot Inn lead the B League by one point, the one point coming courtesy of their 138–138 draw with the New Castle in Week 7 – the only draw of the season thus far. Only a point behind are the Waters Green Phoenix, British Flag and Albion ...
The C League is even tighter, with four teams tied on ten points: the Cock Inn, Harrington 'B', Baths Speedos and the Crown, in that order of points scored.
Unusually, in Week 8, all eleven games were won by the teams that went "first first".
At halfway, there is all to play for in all Leagues. Nothing to speak of separates the two Ox-ffords and the Weaver in the A League, with both Dolphins still very much in the hunt too.
In the B League, the Knot Inn have opened up a three-point advantage, whilst the chasing pack of the British Flag, Church House Bollington, Waters Green Phoenix and the Albion are only a hair's breadth apart.
The C League is very similar, with the Cock Inn heading the table by two points from the Lamb Inn, Harrington 'B', Baths Speedos and the Crown.
Happy New Year to you all, and see you in 2010!
This week's games were postponed due to adverse weather conditions. It was decided to play them on 23 March, the week after the scheduled end of the League season. The Finals Night, which had been pencilled in for the Tuesday after that (30 March), was postponed to 13 April, which would avoid Easter (Good Friday being the 2nd of March and Easter Monday the 5th).
This would still see us finishing all but a month earlier than last season, when the Finals Night was held on 12 May.
The Pussycat Guys, currently playing in the A League, relocated to the Nags Head in Waters Green earlier in the season, after the Puss's temporary closure. They are staying put for the duration now and have decided to formally call themselves the Nags Head. In the Results they are recorded as the Pussycat Guys up to and including Week 9, but from Week 11 onwards (including the rearranged Week 10) and in the final tables for this season they are the Nags Head.
Some sad news. Word reaches me that Nick Dennis, a stalwart player in the League in the 1980s and into the 1990s, passed away on the 15th of January in hospital. Nick played for the Millstone team and others, and was A League Individual Champion on (at least) 6 occasions. He was a formidable player in this and many other fora. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to his family at this sad time. Nick’s funeral was held on Wednesday the 3rd of February with a service and committal at Macclesfield Crematorium at 3.20pm.
Some tough questions this week to test the slumbering post–Christmas intellects, but still some very good scores were posted. Particular congratulations to the Nags Head (f.k.a. Pussycat Guys) who recorded their first A League win of the season against the Dolphin Dragons after coming out on the wrong side of some close games earlier on.
Welcome also to Keith Pointon, a new player for the Waters Green Rams who scored a very respectable 27 on his debut in the League.
Nearly two–thirds of the way through now, and the 'business end' of the season looms.
Some very close and high–scoring games this week, and we look set for an exciting conclusion to the season over the next few weeks.
The Ox–fford 'C' won the local derby by beating the Ox–fford 177–164. Haydn Thompson continues his 'on fire' season with another 48, whilst all the Ox–fford 'C' were in fine form – Alice Walker with 42, Caroline Massey with 33 and Tim Massey with a season's best 30. Any team from the top four can win the A League, but the Ox–fford 'C' are in pole position as it stands.
The Dolphin derby went the Dolphin's way as they beat the Dolphin Dragons 174–130, Peter McBride and Alan Hodgson registering season's pbs of 48 and 42 respectively.
The final A League fixture saw the Harrington Academicals beat the Castle 161–132. Accies top scorer Dave Partington found the questions very much to his liking with a 'pb' 45, as did John Knight for the Castle with 36.
Not much separates several teams at the top of this League either. The Knot Inn are still on top spot, but are being ruthlessly pursued by the Church House Bollington, who just beat the Knot this week by one point – 127–126. Ed Baron scored a B League best of the week pb with 42 whilst Rick Davis stayed at the top of the B League Individual standings with 33. Art Higham's 30 was the Knot's best on the night.
The Plough derby saw the Taverners just beat the Horntails by five points – 137–132. Phil Davies (36) and David Williams (27) did the deed for the Taverners, whilst Julian Amey (30) and Dave McGuinness (30) kept the Horntail wagging. Welcome back to the League Julian, by the way, after a lengthy absence!
The Waters Green Phoenix are third after a 136–124 win over old rivals the British Flag, Wendy Brown and Jon Thompson scoring 27 apiece for the WGP.
Finally, the New Castle are the League's 'draw specialists' after their second drawn game of the season, sharing 242 points with the Albion. Very good scoring all round: Graham Wallace and John Hargreaves top scored with 30 for each team, whilst Heather Wallace had a pb 27 for the New Castle.
The Cock Inn stay top after a 137–111 win over the Harrington 'B'. Peter Bullivant scored a pb 36 for the Cock.
The Lamb Inn benefited from Chris Butler's season best 39 (the best individual score of the week in the C League) as they beat the Royal Oak 153–95 to stay in second place.
Keith Pointon top scored with 36 as the Waters Green Rams beat the Chester Road Tavern 138–104, Tony of the Moores clan top scoring with 30 for the CRT.
Finally, the Baths Speedos are picking up the pace as a very good all–round performance saw them beat the Sutton Church House 135–90. Andy Bailey (33), Dave Cooper (30) and Warren Jones (a pb 21) were all in a 'go faster' mood for the Speedos on the night.
Exciting stuff now. The A League is surely within the grasp of the Ox–fford 'C' as they go two points clear with a game in hand on their nearest rivals. A tricky run–in looms with games against the Castle, both Dolphins and the Weaver, but the 'C' are on fire this season, making Amy Williams's run of form in the slippery tea–tray event look small beer by comparison.
The B League is in a fascinating stage, with the Knot Inn slipping to a very rare defeat this week, offering fresh hope to all the teams down to sixth place. The Waters Green Phoenix face the Knot next week in a battle royal ...
You can perm any two from five in the C League as well, as the Cock Inn did a 'Knot Inn' and lost for only the third time this season. All to play for just yet ...
More sad news reaches me this week: Betty Dobson, a player for many teams going back much further than I can remember in the Quiz League, has passed away after being ill for the last year or so. Betty has most recently featured for the Sutton Church House, and last played in the League in 2008. Many people will have met Betty over the years – she was playing for the Franklin, I think, when I started – and she will be very much missed. Our thoughts go out to her family and friends.
We have had a run of unfortunate news recently in terms of dear departed friends, but here is a positive story
for a change. Liz Horrocks from the Dolphin Dragons has just had a novel published,
which is (and will remain) at least one more than me!
The book is entitled The Edge of Doom and is published by Vanguard Press / Pegasus Publishers. It's available from all the usual sources these days – Waterstones and Amazon both have it online as well. The summary describes the story thus: "... set in a variety of times, but focussed in the Cheshire countryside, The Edge of Doom is rooted in ancient stories, and leads eventually to the sandstone hill of Alderley Edge, a place of mystery, where legend and history meet."
Amazon say that people who bought the book have also bought The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Time Traveler's Wife. Illustrious company indeed!
Well done indeed to Liz and I have posted the official Press Release too so you can find it and get buying! I think Liz is the second Dragon (no slight intended) to enter print. Fellow quizzer Chris Wearne had a book on economics published back in 2008 examining Britain's increasingly shaky love affair with money. A team of many talents, to be sure ...
Eighteen weeks of titanic struggle has concluded and congratulations are due to the triumphant teams, along with commiserations to those less successful. Next season it all starts again ... !
The Ox–fford 'C' deserve all the congratulations for winning the title for the very first time, relegating last year's winners (and stable mates) the Ox–fford into second place.
The Nags Head and the Castle fell through the relegation trap–door, but both teams will be missed and were excellent opponents (and very good company) through the season.
Mark Watson won the A League Individual standings, with Haydn Thompson second and Alice Walker third, meaning that the top three places were shared between the Ox–ffords.
Very special mention must be made of Haydn Thompson who scored the magical 60 out of 60 full house personal score on the 17th of November 2009. This is only the second time this has happened in League history, the mighty Alan Hodgson being the first to crack it.
Haydn – hats off ...
In a tight finish to the season, the Knot Inn won the title by just one point from the British Flag. Congratulations to both teams – a wonderful effort and promotion to the A League beckons.
The Plough Taverners and Pack Horse Bowling Club will start next season one rung lower, but their time will surely come again.
Art Higham won the B League Individual title for the very first time, just pipping John Hargreaves from the Albion and Rick Davis from the Church House Bollington – both stalwarts at this lark for many years.
The Lamb Inn won the title and promotion after just missing out last year – congratulations to all for a fantastic season. They will be a force next year in the B League, as will the Cock Inn who had an excellent campaign in finishing a very deserved second.
Andy Bailey won the C League Individual title by a goodly margin, and for the second time in three years. Paul Griffiths and Jackie Hulme – regular 'Top Tenners' – did even better this year in finishing joint second for the Lamb Inn and Cock Inn respectively. David Cooper secured a first well deserved Top Three finish for the Baths Speedos.
The Dolphin won the trophy with their Specialist questions from Week 9. This is the first time the Dolphin have ever won this trophy – well done indeed.
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