Despite the loss of a couple of key players, and the uncertainty surrounding the future of their pub, the Green Dragon (Haddenham) secured back-to-back titles in the East Division with three rounds of fixtures still remaining.

Their latest success, the 10th from 13 starts, was a comprehensive 69-50 demolition of a clearly out-of-sorts Eight Bells (Long Crendon).

Twinned with the welcoming news that the current landlord has had his application to take on the tenancy accepted, life for some in this small South Buckinghamshire village could not be sweeter.

In 2013, the Sun Inn (Hook Norton) failed to register a single win in league quizzes, beaten in all 16 matches they played.

Remarkably they now lie a mere two points behind frontrunners the Blue Boar Bees (Chipping Norton) in the North, with an outside chance of landing their first championship.

Last week, they edged closer to making the seemingly impossible possible with a last-gasp victory over section rivals, the Chequers (also ‘Chippy’), winning a low-scoring affair 58-57.

Their joy was further enhanced by the news all the other teams in their division tasted defeat.

The Sun face a tough battle next up at the Green Road Club (Kidlington), but win there and it really is game on.

It was business as usual in the Premiership. The Plough (Wolvercote) retained top spot with a workmanlike 68-52 win against the Blue Boar ‘A’, taking the honours 68-52, whilst nearest challengers and stablemate, the Ploughman’s Bunch! accounted for West leaders the Royal Sun (Begbroke), 79-63.

Far From The Madding Crowd ‘A’ (Oxford City) stays hot on the heels of the leading pair courtesy of a hard-fought triumph over the luckless Chandos Arms (Oakley), 67-61. These three quizzing Goliaths now face three weeks of round robin with each other to decide the destination of the silverware.

  • James Carr’s questions
  • The Bali, the Javan and the Caspian are all extinct sub-species of which animal?
  • In wine bottle sizes, what is another name for a double magnum?
  • What is the technical name for the tail fin of a fish?
  • Who wrote the memoir Moab is My Washpot?

That setback for the Royal Sun has opened up the race in the West, especially as the three sides immediately below them all recorded wins.

The Seacourt Bridge (Botley) continue to occupy second spot after brushing aside the Woodman (North Leigh) 66-54, while the White Hart (Eynsham) are still close following a 65-64 win over the Blue Boar Bees.

The Windrush Club (Witney) got the better of in-form Black’s Head (Bletchingdon) 69-63, to keep their championship aspirations alive.

In contrast, dreams of successive titles in the Oxford Division for the North Oxford Conservative Club (Summertown) were extinguished in Childrey, where they succumbed 72-60 to hosts the Hatchet. The latter now have their destiny in their own hands but will still have to withstand the challenge from the Green Road Club after they battered FFTMC ‘B’ 80-38.

There were also wins for the King’s Arms (Wheatley) over the Bell (Lower Heyford), 72-63, and the Gardener’s Arms (North Parade) against the Black Swan (East Oxford), 78-51.

James Carr quiz answers: Tiger; Jereboam; Caudal; Stephen Fry