QuizList

Last post of 2008!  And what a year it’s been.  First of all, a huge thanks to Carl who does all the technical stuff on the site and this year gave it its new look.  I think he took the photo at the top as well.  Second thanks to everyone who has mailed me details of new quizzes, updates and corrections, especially Eddie.  This really keeps the site going and please let me know of quizzes that are no longer taking place (a lot of people will mail me details of a new quiz but not so many follow it up if it doesn’t take off).  And last but by no means least, thanks to all pubs offering quizzes in London and elsewhere, and to (most) quizmasters for their sterling efforts in the face of WAP and punters who think it’s their god-given right to win every week.

So what happened this year?  A certain homogeneity in quizzes, especially with regard to picture rounds (if I see those Mister Bastard Men again I’ll throw up, not to mention the awful one with Santa beards on Barack Obama, David Tennant et al).  Not one good specialist quiz that I managed to attend, be it movies or music, and every Christmas quiz was ghastly because there is not a hell of a lot you can do with the twelve days and Santa’s reindeer.  Roll on the end of year quizzes, because they can only be better.

And this was the year when everyone had two professions – their own and quiz machine playing – of which more next week…

So, to awards.  Was there a quiz and quizmaster of the year?  It’s difficult.  I have to say that I think the best quiz I attended, and a great favourite of NC and PH, is the Three Compasses in Hornsey.  They certainly put in an effort and the questions aren’t the staple ones you get elsewhere.  The pub has a couple of ‘leagues’ which run a few times a year but even if you don’t turn up every week, there’s a decent prize most weeks for winning the quiz itself.  Quizmaster of the year?  There isn’t one, possibly because I never got to Robbie’s (The Plough, Hornsey Road), but Pat Logue deserves compliments for his Sheephaven Bay (Oxford Mark II) quiz and Bobby Moore for services to quizzing in North London with his empire stretching from Archway Road to The Walks.

The Vern Schillinger award goes to a quiz we turned up to twice in succession and were screwed twice in succession.  This pub is also awarded the ‘John Doe has the Upper Hand’ award for the mysterious teams who kept winning and the ‘Dude, where’s my quiz?’ award as you won’t find it on this site.

The Beecher and Keller award goes to the two people of my acquaintance who managed to get through this year without having a row about ‘whose round is it?’  A first, I think.

The Adebisi ‘how does he keep his hat on’ award goes to another friend who manages to turn up to quizzes having spent the day in the pub and not fall over.  Well, most of the time.

And if you didn’t understand any of the last paragraphs, not to worry.

Please keep your news coming;  thanks for your support during 2008 and have a good New Year’s Eve!