Miniature Hound

A late start today and low-key was the only way to describe it. Getting there just before 8 we were still the first there and the rowdy lot round the corner were fewer in number and less rowdy. Under the Hound Articles of Association, we weren't even quorate, owing to a variety of reasons we numbered just two. But you know how it is, gets to Thursday after long days at work, not had chance for a beer, no time to relax etc...

Of course none of this applied to me. But Steve had some justification so we fronted up. We'd thought of maybe joining another team but with only 3 other teams there it was hardly appropriate, Siobhan didn't even bother with the microphone.

First up was this lot:

Not me you understand, just providing context.

We excelled with our boy/girl band knowldge with Steve bagging Jo O'Meara from S Club and myself Simon Webbe from Blue (with prompting you understand). 3,7 and 10 were more elusive. 7/10

Current affairs was a make do job. However if you find a pizza in Finland for under 6 euros, there's probably tax evasion going on, Graham, you went recently so presumably can confirm. 7/10

Now, the Art & Literature, actually just literature, actually really just books, was devised specifically for Graham. So he would have known how long the Owl & Pussycat were at sea, who Valentine & Proteus were and what Thomas Keneally wrote. We didn't. 7/10.

Connections and Steve bagged it after answers of Quentin Crisp, Jose Carreras and Salvador Dali. Anyone? They are of course preceded by "San". This led to the usual question spotting but Miguel proved elusive. Not surprisingly though, a Spanish theme continued and we tucked them all away. 10/10.

10 pointers and now it gets serious. So where's Batman? Not the fictional caped crusader but the town in Europe? Not a clue. Thankfully though the smell of hydrogen sulphide was more familiar, particularly after a few pints and I think it was Kevster who supplied the 2012 Olympic mascots at a previous quiz which were still in the archives. 20/30.

Refreshed with wotsits are we're up to R - cue inane piratical noises from TLATT. You know we did ok here. The famous first line "Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley" eluded us though. No doubt Daren or Graham would have known. A thoroughly respectable 9/10

Jeopardy and with only two, we had to tread carefully. However Steve knew the place Joan of Arc was burned (not, the stake obviously) while I knew who Shawn Carter is (doesn't that just say it all) and we were off. Three questions vexed us, Bert and Ernie were characters in a film, what was the codename for the D Day landing and what does the C stand for in Unicef? I had Operation Overlord as a large WW2 operation somewhere and children seemed logical but we didn't know the whole acronym. 1 escaped us completely though so we opted out of guessing. 7/10 - surely not enough based on recent weeks.

Music and we knew them all except for the most recent two, something by Bieber and something by Pink. So, probably did the rest of the pub. 8/10

How many nights in Arabian nights? Our speed to the answer was only matched by its inaccuracy, no double tonight that's for sure.

Onto results and it wasn't going to take long. My private prediction was 3rd. So:

108 - The Busters

124 - TLATT

126 - Anoraks

132 - Hound!

We'd won. We naturally basked in the glory, the rest of the team are passengers, that sort of thing but it was with a score that wouldn't make the podium most weeks on a quiz that really didn't feel much different. Odd. Pleasing as it was, hope we're up to full strength next week.

Missing answers:

Ollie Reed, Kym Marsh, Marlon Brando

A year and a day, Two gentlemen of Verona, Schindler's Ark

Turkey

Rebecca

A wonderful life

1001