News and Views: 2018–19 Season – Week 4 – 6 November 2018

By Haydn Thompson, with input from Mark Watson.

Results

No fewer than eight of this week's nine matches were won by the teams that went "second first". The only team to buck this trend was the Ox–fford. More details in the Cars & Vans 4U section.

Just as remarkable, although probably of less consequence, was the fact that eight of the nine matches were won by the away teams.

The closest game was at the Royal Oak, where Rushton Diamonds beat the British Flag by 139 points to 132. Oddly enough this was exactly the same score by which the Flag won last week.

Tables

We now have two unbeaten teams in each league. The Dolphin, Harrington Academicals and Park Timers are setting the pace in their respectibve leagues, although with some teams having played four games and others only two, the tables probably don't mean all that much at this stage of the season.

Individual

Mark Watson was the top scorer again this week, with 54 - the highest score of the season so far. Next highest was Ashton Davies with 45. The highest scorer outside the A League was Andy Johnson with 42, while in the C League three players scored 39.

A League

Results

Table

Individual Top Ten

B League

Results

Table

Individual Top Ten

C League

Results

Table

Individual Top Ten

Cars & Vans 4U Question Setters' Trophy

For the full spreadsheet, please click here.

It was very much a game of two halves for the Waters Green Rams' questions. The Specialists were almost perfectly balanced (according to the spreadsheet), and only slightly harder than average. They received one of the lowest Entertainment marks of the season, but their total score of exactly 20 would have put them in seventh place last season.

The General Knowledge set, on the other hand, showed a distinct bias in favour of the teams that went first ("second first"). Teams that went "first first" scored exactly 100% of their average scores, on average, but those that went "second first" scored 117%. This is the heaviest bias we've seen for some time. The General Knowledge questions were somewhat easier than average, but they scored poorly for Entertainment.

Overall, the teams that went "first first" also scored (on average) exactly 100% of their average scores, while those that went "second first" scored 110%. This is borne out by the fact that eight of the nine games were won by the teams that went "second first"; the only team to win against these odds was the Ox–fford.

© Macclesfield Quiz League 2018