News and Views: 2021–2 Season – Week 10 – 1 March 2022

Results

The most notable statistic this week is that all seven matches were won by the away teams! There were no really close games, all seven being decided by margins of 20 or more. One of the biggest margins was in the local derby in Sutton. The previous meeting between these two resulted in this season's only draw to date, but this time the Club came out on top with 137 points to the Mutton's 95.

The biggest margin of all came in the A League, where the Poachers beat the Harrington Diamonds by 169 points to 96.

Tables

In the A League, the Nags Head 'B' slipped to fourth place after defeat by the Dolphin. The Poachers are now the nearest challengers to the Queens – who are in a strong position with only three games to play, but each of those games is against one of their three nearest rivals – two of which have a game in hand!

Meanwhile, the Waters Green Weavers, who were asking the questions in the A League, slipped into the relegation zone on goal difference – but they now have a game in hand on the Queen Bs.

The Park Taverners swapped places with the Nags Head again at the top of the B League table, but the Nags will play their game in hand next week. If they win they will return to the top on goal difference.

No change in the C League, but the Sutton Club will take the title if they win their final game next week.

Individual

In a low-scoring week, the highest scorer was Alan Hodgson with 51. There were only two scores in the 40s - Ashton Davies scoring 48 and Mark Watson 42 - and the biggest individual score outside the A League was 33, by five people: Dave Partington, Rob Parkin, Alan James (all representing the Harrington Academicals!), Julian Amey and Emma Griggs.

In the A League, Alan Hodgson's score puts him above your Web Editor in second place. With the Nags Head not playing, Paul Prior's lead at the top of the B League table took a massive hit, his nearest rival now being Rob Parkin. And in the C League, Emma Griggs went from ninth place to third; Andrew Fenton held on to first place, but the top four are separated by just twelve points (four questions).

There were only four personal bests this week: none at all in the A League, and two each in the B and C Leagues. But in a night when only 55 people took part (the Waters Green Lemmings being a man short yet again), 24 of them - ten each in the A and B Leagues, and four out of eight in the C League - failed to beat their lowest scores of the season so far.

In the C League we have now reached the stage where some people's lowest scores are starting to be discounted. With each team playing eight games, each player's best six scores will count come the end of the season. In the A and B Leagues it'll be the best ten, from a maximum of twelve.

A League

Results

Table

Individual Top Ten

B League

Results

Table

Individual Top Ten

C League

Results

Table

Individual Top Ten

Cars & Van 4U Question Setters' Trophy

This was another week of challenging questions. The Specialists, set by the Nags Head, were of averge difficulty (teams scoring exactly 100% of their average scores), but according to the spreadsheet, the General Knowledge (set by the King's Gambit) were the most difficult we've had so far this season – average scores 84%.

Both sets were also, according to the spreadsheet, significantly biased in favour of the teams that went "first first". In the Specialists those teams scored on average 106% of their average scores, while their opponents scored only 94%. In the General Knowledge the averages were 89% (first first) and 79% (second first).

On an average team score of just under 130, the overall difference of 10% is likely to have made a difference of around 13 points; but the good news is that this is unlikely to have affected any results (the lowest margin of victory for any team going "first first" being 25 points).

The low scoring was reflected in the Entertainment marks. The General Knowledge questions were marked highly in the C League but very lowly in the B League – average over the Leagues 5.11. The Specialists scored better, especially in the B League: average 6.50.

For the full spreadsheet, please click here.

© Macclesfield Quiz League 2022