PARTICIPANTS in the Winter Quiz season were treated to a brief respite from regular league action last Thursday, with the staging of the annual ‘Television’ Tabletop.

Seventeen of Oxfordshire’s finest teams congregated at three separate locations to battle it out for the sobriquet, ‘Telly Supremo’.

In the north of the county, at the leg played at the Chequers (Chipping Norton), the next-door neighbours behaved in a slightly less than neighbourly fashion, as the Blue Boar ‘A’ outscored their opposition, amassing 131 points in the process.

Remarkably, however, this seemingly impressive total was good enough to place them only 10th overall! The home outfit trailed in last with a miserly 121.

The hosts fared no better either in the equivalent tie taking place at the King’s Arms, Wheatley. The runaway winners here were those genial old boys (sorry Walt!) from the Seacourt Bridge (Botley), whose tally of 145 was good enough to finish fifth in the whole shebang.

An out of sorts Green Dragon (Haddenham) mustered a mere 128 whilst the King’s Arms themselves lagged further behind on 124.

The top four positions on the night were filled from the ranks assembled at the Green Road Club (Kidlington). I had secretly fancied my lot, the North Oxford Conservative Club, to figure strongly (principally because I was absent), and their 146 was sufficient for fourth place.

Podiuming just ahead of the Summertown posse, were the White Hart (Eynsham) with 147, but some distance ahead lay the Plough (Wolvercote) together with their stablemate, the Ploughman’s Bunch!

A barnstorming final round enabled the Plough to edge the contest, (154 v 153), over their bitterest rivals, and so scoop up their fourth Tabletop success of this campaign.

Attention re-focuses this week on the leagues, and the stand-out match-up looks to be, ironically, the one between the Plough and the Bunch! Should the former prevail, the Premiership crown will be hovering above their collective head; defeat, however, and the impetus will swing significantly in favour of their opponents.

There is another top of the table clash in the West division where frontrunner’s, the Royal Sun, entertains the in-form Seacourt Bridge. It is vital the latter come away with something as victory for the Begbroke unit, as a quick glance at their remaining schedule reinforces, will virtually assure them of the title.

They may still require a miracle or two to pull off the unthinkable, but the Sun Inn (Hook Norton) could yet prevail in the North section. Without a single win in 2013, five from seven starts this year to date has offered them an outside chance.

A full fixture list and details of the league can be found at oxfordshirequizleague.co.uk

JAMES CARR'S QUESTIONS

  • Which 1970s TV series had episodes entitled The Love Potion, The Ides of March,  Vestal Virgins and Nymphia?
  • Which sketch from The Two Ronnies appears at Number 4 on Channel 4's list of the 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches?
  • Name the 2007 talent show that documented the search for an undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Joseph in the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat?

ANSWERS: Up Pompeii; Four Candles; Any Dream Will Do