Trickery in the land of tavern trivia

The world of pub quizzes was shaken in Britain recently when a team at The Barking Dog pub in Manchester was kicked out for cheating. Although disputes may occasionally occur in such quizzes it doesn't usually come down to such strong disciplinary action. However the team involved was believed to be clearly in breach of trivia etiquette.

- Roger Crutchley

Participants at the weekly quiz began to notice that one team seemed to triumph nearly every week. Initially it was thought that this team just happened to be more intelligent than the others. However suspicions were aroused when the group still came up with the correct answers to really difficult questions.

So one week the landlord kept a close eye on this team and discovered that they were discreetly whispering the questions into their smart watches which were giving immediate answers. Actually I am surprised that doesn’t happen more often, or perhaps it does. The team has now been banned from participating although their identity has not been revealed.

No doubt many Bangkok Post readers have taken part in pub quizzes in Thailand. Such nefarious goings on couldn't possibly happen here could they?

Pub quizzes have been a part of the English culture since the 1970s. Some take them far too seriously but the majority participate just for fun and an excuse to spend an evening in a pub. This is reflected in the team names which are invariably laden with painful puns.

Among a few that caught the eye are Quizzard of Oz, No Eye Dear, Smarty Pints and I'm Just Here For The Chips. However the team that I could relate to most was And In Last Place...

Question time

I have rarely indulged in pub quizzes, but some years ago was dragged into in a Bangkok Post quiz team. We actually did quite well though it was no thanks to me. Fortunately there were some smart teammates who saved the day.