Pub Quizzing Done Right Let me get this out there right away. There are two sorts of people in this world: those who think that all’s fair in love, war and pub quizzes; and those who feel sick to their stomach whenever they see someone Googling answers on their mobile. If you’re in the latter camp, we’re already pals – read on warmed by the glow of your high moral standards. If you’re an unrepentant Googler (or ‘cheat’ to some), this article will probably seem like too much hard work anyway.
mental hinterland where you are left groping desperately for an answer that is right on the edge of your memory. They range from the clever “How much did the Daimler Conquest cost when it was produced in 1953?” (£1066), to the fiendish: “Monk’s House in East Sussex was the country retreat of which novelist?” (Virginia Woolf), to the borderline impossible: “Which TV detective drives a vehicle with the registration number P392 SUM?” (DCI Vera Stanhope). A catalogue of past questions is stored on the League’s very wellmaintained website if you are feeling brave. Just bear in mind that there are six people on a team or your ego may never recover.
The pub quiz took off in the 1970s, readily embraced by landlords looking to reverse a decline in custom. Yet long before people had access to the sum of human knowledge on their smartphones, a semi-pro offshoot developed whereby the best brains at one pub could take on their rivals at another. The Pub Quiz League had arrived. I recently took part in a Stockport League match. Of the 80 questions posed, I knew the answer to just a few and quicker minds than mine beat me to them all. Consequently, I was struggling to justify my inclusion as a reserve for the Tiviot Dale team one Thursday evening in December. Then came my moment in the sun: “What does the file format ‘CSV’ stand for?” I doubt whether anyone has ever written down the words ‘Comma Separated Values’ with more satisfaction. I have spent a lot of time on public transport but never have I felt more of a passenger than I did that night in the pub. And yet it was a great experience for a number of reasons. Firstly, this was a proper, well run quiz. No furtive fumbling with a mobile beneath the table or mass outbreaks of cystitis just before the answers are handed in. Two teams go head to head with a question master giving each side 30 seconds to deliberate. All answers are arrived at by committee but only the team captain can be the spokesperson. Secondly, the questions were meticulously researched, suitably challenging and frequently exploited that
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The venue is another major plus. Mental sparring like this would be pretty grim in a church hall or a community centre. A pub setting elevates it to a clash of the titans. For some reason, the ready availability of real ale also seems to make thinking easier. Lastly, and probably most importantly, the company was great. Everybody tries hard to win but they have a laugh along the way and it is clear that there are friendships here that have outlived even The Bill (2,400 episodes, 1984 – 2010). You can’t lose touch with people when you see them every week for nine months a year. Incredibly, the Grove is not represented in the Stockport League. That cannot be down to a lack of talent. So, to my final question: how about joining me in forming a new team this September? We will be hosted at a pub with real ale if that helps….
By James Pettecrew > wordsbyjames.co.uk > gpettecrew@gmail.com