Article Published in the April 2019 Edition of Maldon Life Magazine

With our next quiz due on Saturday 6th April I wanted first to let you know how our last quiz on 23rd February went. ( It was unfortunately too late in the month for the March edition). With a clash of local events that evening unfortunately numbers were down but we didn’t let that affect anything. Kevin was ready with his 100 questions based on the following subjects. Round 1, General Knowledge, round 2, Politics, round 3, A mix of Poets and General Knowledge, Round 4 A mix of London Underground Stations and U.S. States. Round 5 was based on James Bond films, round 6, World geography, round 7 the letter G, ie all answers had to start with the letter g. Round 8 was triple words and so that you understand what that meant one of the questions was. What was Viv Nicholson’s Mantra? Yes you got it. Spend, Spend , Spend. Round 9 was on Football Managers and Car Manufacturers and round 10 Pot Luck. My least favourite round mainly because I think it should be renamed No Luck.

Anyway with 8 teams fighting for glory at the first marking of papers, team Funky Looking Donkeys pulled into an early lead with 41 points having played their joker on round 4 and scoring a round best of 18 points (9x2) with it. The Underachievers were the highest scorers in round 1 though they failed to play their joker so only 9 points earned. Round 2 highest scorers on 9 points were Scrambled egg and Good Neighbours jointly. Round three highest scorers were Late again with 8 points but many teams scored poorly here. Poets were definitely not our thing. So after four rounds and in second place came Late Again (having played their joker) and in third place came Team Densa, on 35 points ( clearly not denser at this stage anyway) and again having played their joker.

There was still plenty to play for at this stage and not many teams had played their jokers. After a nice break eating and drinking our goodies we continued with round 5. Funky Looking Donkeys continued their strong showing with a maximum of 10 on this round, a magnificent showing as a few teams scored just 1 or 2 points here. Clearly not many James Bond fans about. Round 6 honours went to Late Again who scored 9 points. Round 7 top place went to Densa who scored a maximum 10 points and papers were again passed to Kevin for marking.

So at this stage the team still leading everyone was Funky Looking Donkeys on 65 points with Late Again, hot on their heels on 62 points. However Densa were pushed out of their third place into 4th by Good Neighbours on 57 points. Still all to play for.

Round 8 saw The Underachievers score the most points again with 9 having wasted their joker with a measly 12 points on round 4. Round 9 saw the honours shared with maximum 10s scored by The Underachievers, Team 5 , Scrambled Egg and Team of two Bonnie and Clyde. Wow! Clearly a popular (easy) round.

Round 10 saw Good Neighbours, Funky Looking Donkeys, and Densa each score a best score of 8 each leaving final Positions as follows:-

Winners with an overall score of 89 points were Funky Looking Donkeys. Well done to them. Having been a team of many years standing at our quiz nights I believe this is their first win and it was well deserved on the evening. They seemed delighted to receive their 6 bottles of wine. In second place on 84 points came Late Again only just pipped at the post. Third place went to Good Neighbours on 78 points with fourth going to Densa on 75 points. In joint fifth place came The Underachievers one of their best showings for a while with 74 points ( it could have been so different if we’d used our joker wisely!) along with team Scrambled egg who did a little better with their joker. In 7th place came Bonnie and Clyde, didn’t they do well just two of them, earning 67 points but just 10 with their joker on round 9. Last but not least came Team 5 on 63 points who were happy with their chocolate bars. It certainly sweetens the blow. Whilst scores were down this time it didn’t lessen the enjoyment. In fact there was a lovely fun atmosphere all evening and with numbers down but plenty of raffle prizes there were certainly plenty of happy people.

However can I please thank the following people for adding to the evening and generally helping out. Firstly Kevin. What a quizmaster he is. Then there is Sue Mason who helped me collect monies at the door and sell raffle tickets. She was a really great help. I mustn’t forget Mike Frederick who always helps get the chair trolleys out and locks up when he’s there and of course Jim our wonderful caretaker who sets up beforehand so that it’s all ready when we arrive. What stars they all are.

Right now I have to remind you that if you want to hold a party or make a booking don’t forget to book in plenty of time. The last few weeks have seen several children’s parties booked moving into the summer. Don’t be late we’d hate to have to let you down.

Now don’t forget our next quiz is on April 6th at 8pm. Teams of up to 8 and priced at £4 per head for teams players aged over 16 years of age. There is no need to book but you do need to think of a good name. My favourite this time was Densa. Wish I’d thought of it.

Have a look at the website or call me on 07823777201 if you have any queries.