Having tasted success in the first Tabletop of the current season, the Plough (Wolvercote) added to their rather brimful trophy cabinet with the capture of the literature quiz last Thursday evening.

Their skipper Vince was in excellent form as usual – as were the rest of his charges – and their prodigious knowledge assured another gong was secured with a score of 156 and a margin of five points.

The leaderboard was dominated in fact by Premiership sides with the Royal Blenheim (Oxford City) finishing in the runner-up spot, seven clear of the Ploughman’s Bunch! (also Wolvercote), in third.

An unusual experience this for the Bunch! to occupy a position outside of the top two but their night was nevertheless distinguished by their perhaps surprisingly in-depth knowledge of that seminal work by E.L.James, Fifty Shades of Grey, displayed by the male members of their outfit!

The White Hart (Eynsham), for whom the league campaign thus far has proved a touch miserable, performed best of all the Division One challengers in taking fourth, albeit 10 points adrift of the Bunch!

The home team, the Green Road Club (Kidlington), shorn of the services of Diddly Dee who was kindly asking the questions, but led admirably in his place by Kate, wound up joint fourth with the Royal Sun (Begbroke), a point ahead of Captain Conway and his motley crew from the Black Swan (East Oxford).

After that brief interlude, this week witnesses the return to league action. Captain Conway will lead his charges into battle against the Plough but only the most optimistic observer would predict they will open their winning account for the campaign here.

The Bunch! have a bye so it’s a good opportunity for the Royal Blenheim to close the gap when they visit the Seacourt Bridge (Botley) who, themselves, may still be seeking their first victory once that contest has been completed.

The tie of the day has to be at Begbroke where the unbeaten Royal Sun entertains the Green Road Club.

Second-placed in Section One, the Bletchingdon Nomads travel to Summertown to take on the North Oxford Conservative Club and any slip-up on their part could be capitalised on by the Gardener’s Arms (North Parade) who will be hoping to extend their splendid run of form at the expense of their hosts, the White Hart.

The one other match of the round sees both newbies to the Summer Leagues pitted against one another with the Bell welcoming the Blue Boar (Chipping Norton) to Lower Heyford. Previous results indicate a close encounter.

JAMES CARR'S QUESTIONS

1. What was the title of actor James Doohan’s 1996 autobiography?

2. Which book was published in 1865, three years after Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and the Reverend Robinson Duckworth rowed in a boat, on July 4,1862, with the three young daughters of Henry Liddell?

3. Which Italian novel tells the story of Franciscan friar William of Baskerville and his novice Adso of Melk as they travel to a Benedictine monastery in Northern Italy to attend a theological disputation?

Answers: 1. Beam Me Up Scotty, 2. Alice in Wonderland/Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, 3. The Name of the Rose