Week of Quiz suffered a weekend lapse, owing to unsurprising lack of quiz to be had on a Friday and Saturday and urgent need to end a commitment of some six-months standing, namely the final episode of 24. Undeterred, ‘Jack and Nina’ spent Monday night in the Oxford Arms in Camden Town ‘ a pleasant enough corner boozer, replete with Beer Garden and Harry Hill look-alike. The nervous tension rose with promise of a ‘300 snowball prize, more later. The quiz, and it was a long one, took the form of a 5-round spectacular ‘ 2 rounds of general knowledge, a music round, a film and TV round, and the sheer horror of a Sport round. While we acquitted ourselves rather splendidly on 4 of the rounds ‘ we were only able to muster a measly 3 out of 15 on the frankly unnecessary sport round; thus condemning us to an overall 4th place in the competition. The Snowball, took the form of a raffle ‘ the lucky winner facing public ridicule in a challenge to answer a tricky slice of trivia ‘ this time identifying the name of the Captain of the Titanic, prize unwon ‘ roll on the roll-over and a decidedly dangerous walk home back to the tube if you do win. Various spot prizes ensued and all participants were rewarded with a splendid sausage and chip supper.
The quiz, needless to say, was won by a team of greying comb-overs called ‘The Usual Suspects’. I ask you. The other clue to their quiz bastardry was that one member of the team had brought along his ‘special Alan’ plate and cutlery for the supper, a large ceramic number, which he piled high; while the rest of us proles ate from paper plates.
The publog chapter must surely be written on old geezers that insist on their special glass and other fawning favourtism in their locals.