News and Views: 2023–4 Season, Week 8 – 23 January 2024

Results and Tables

Our last unbeaten record for this season went this week, when the Nags Head 'B' were beaten by the Poachers – whose score of 147 was a maximum, in the sense that it was the highest score of the week. Elsewhere the Dolphin recorded a comfortable victory over the Queens of the Castle, and this allowed the Poachers to move from third place to top the A League table on goal difference.

At the other end of that table, the Nags Head recorded only their second victory of the season, and their first since Week 1, to increase their advantage over the bottom two to three points.

The top six teams in the A League have all now played six games, as have all of the B League teams – all of whom play next week. The Waters Green Nags had a two–point lead last week, and they remain on top this week despite not playing. The Bate Hallers regained second place on goal difference (behind the Nags by an admittedly hefty margin) by beating the Sutton Club, while the Sutton Mutton doubled their advantage over the Pack Horse Bowling Club with a seven–point victory.

The closest game this week was at the Park Tavern, where the Taverners beat the Chester Road Tavern by just a single point (112–111).

Six of the seven games this week were won by the teams that went second in the Specialist questions, but according to the spreadsheet the questions were very well balanced (with no advantage to either side). The only team that won by starting first was the Dolphin.

Individual

No one scored over 40 this week; the joint top scorers were Alan Hodgson, Ashton Davies and Mark Watson, each with 39. In the B League, where only five of last week's top eleven played, the highest scorer was Julian Amey with 36.

There were just four personal bests – one in the A League and three in the B League. Twenty–four out of 32 players in the A League, and 13 out of 24 in the B League, failed to better their lowest scores of the season.

Questions

To cut a long story short: the Specialist questions were fine – well balanced, averagely difficult, and eighth out of 16 in the Entertainment stakes. But the General Knowledge, although equally well balanced, were clearly very difficult and proved to be the least popular set we've had so far this season. A common gripe was the number of questions where the answer was a year, or another type of number.

Paul Prior, of the Waters Green Nags, has posted on the Forum to acknowledge, as the main setter of the General Knowledge questions, that there were issues. No doubt the setters will learn from this experience and we look forward to a friendlier set of questions in Week 17, when the Nags will be setting for the second time this season (having drawn that short straw).

A League – Full Results

Note: in this section, the teams that went "first first" (first in the Specialist questions) are on the left in the tables. In the headings, the home teams are given first.

Dolphin vs. Queens of the Castle

Nags Head 'B' vs. Poachers

Waters Green Weavers vs. Dolphin Hammers

Harrington Academicals vs. Nags Head

B League – Full Results

Note: in this section, the teams that went "first first" (first in the Specialist questions) are on the left in the tables. In the headings, the home teams are given first.

Park Taverners vs. Chester Road Tavern

Bate Hallers vs. Sutton Club

Sutton Mutton vs. Pack Horse Bowling Club

A League – Summary

Results

Note: in this section, the home teams are on the left and the away teams are on the right.

Table

Individual Top Ten

B League – Summary

Results

Note: in this section, the home teams are on the left and the away teams are on the right.

Table

Individual Top Ten

Cars & Van 4U Question Setters' Trophy

It was a game of two halves for the Waters Green Nags' questions. The Specialist set, according to the spreadsheet, were well balanced and of pretty much average difficulty, and they were well received in the Entertainment marks. They're in a respectable 8th place in the overall table – just making it into the top half. But all teams seem to have struggled with the General Knowledge; they appear to have been the most difficult we've had since the start of last season, and they received the lowest Entertainment mark of any set so far this season.

No team managed a better than average score in the General Knowledge; the best effort was by the Poachers who scored 92% of their average, while three teams (all in the A League) scored less than 70%.

The good news is that both sets were quite well balanced, and each team got the benefit of the easier questions in one half (in each set, the teams that went second did better) – meaning that the overall balance was just about perfect.

Several contributors to the Forum have commented on the number of questions where the answer was a year or other number. For example: the length of a badminton court. Not 50 feet, not 60 feet, and not 40 feet. 44 feet, with two feet of leeway either way. Other setters may do well to note that what may be acceptable in a fully–conferred quiz, where several people can put their heads together and come up with a consensus, should be used sparingly – if at all – in the League format, where you have to field questions on your own (initially at least).

For the full spreadsheet, please click here.

© Macclesfield Quiz League 2024