News and Views: 2018–19 Season – Week 8 – 11 December 2018

By Haydn Thompson, with input from Mark Watson.

Results

On the face of it, this seems to have been an excellent week to win the toss and go "second first". Only one team won by going "first first", and that was the Waters Green Lemmings.

There were relatively few close games this week. Closest of all was in the C League, where the Brewers Arms just missed out on their first victory of the season – over the unbeaten Robin Hood, no less – going down by 133 points to 135.

Tables

With just one round of matches to go in the first half of the season, the tables are starting to look more meaningful (as most teams have played six games, with two in each League having played seven). The Dolphin returned to the top of the A League with a narrow victory over the Ox–fford 'C', and the Royal Oak dropped to third. Rushton Diamonds remain at the top of the B League, while Harrington Academicals replaced the British Flag in second spot. In the C League, the Robin Hood are still unbeaten and remain in first place, while the Park Timers moved above the Chester Road Tavern into second.

Individual

Top scorer this week was Scott Dawson, with a personal best for the season of 51. No one scored 48, but there were five 45s: Peter McBride, Alan Hodgson, Alice Walker, Andy Johnson and Brian Bogie.

There were 20 personal bests this week, and 16 personal worsts.

In the A League, Alice Walker's 45 points took her into first place in the Individual table as neither of the top two played. She has an 18–point advantage over anyone else, but three people are tied on 270 points.

There was no change at the top of either the B or C League tables, where Brian Bogie and John Green are in the respective top places.

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 this week's questions.

The Specialists, set by the Park Taverners (with two visual rounds) scored well all round and came in at No. 3 in the table – but some way behind either of the Ox–fford's sets. The General Knowledge, set by the Chester Road Tavern, were quite popular – coming in at No. 5 in the Entertainment table. According to the spreadsheet they were slightly easier than average overall, but it was the balance that let them down: teams going first (second in the Specialists) scored on average 109% of their average scores, while those going second (first in the specialists) averaged only 94%. This 15% difference would mean a difference of just over 12 points on an average team score of 82 (in the General Knowledge).

Overall, the teams that went "second first" scored 110% of their average scores, while those going "first first" scored only 99%. This 11% difference would mean a points difference of just over 15 on an average team score of 137. With relatively few close games this week, only three games (one in each League) are likely to have been affected by this apparent imbalance; had those three gone the other way, four games would have been won by the teams that went "first first" and five by those that went "second first".

© Macclesfield Quiz League 2018