Quiz League looks forward to Anniversary

Reporter: Jan Harwood
Date online: 12/09/2006

The Rochdale and District Quiz League will celebrate its 21st Anniversary this coming season, and in doing so will become one of the most established quiz leagues in the country. League organiser Mark Preston has been involved with the league since 1992 and took over sole organising duties four years ago. He is now determined that the league enjoys a successful anniversary and is doing all he can to publicise the celebrations.

He told Rochdale Online: "The Rochdale amp; District quiz league is one of the most established in the country. It’s not the biggest but there are not many that have been going for 21 years. I don’t want to push the boat out that much and I wasn’t sure how to celebrate at first but then I realised this isn’t something many quiz leagues achieve so I want to celebrate the achievement and try and publicise the league as much as possible."

The league began in 1986 when organisers Peter Knott and Barry Stevens decided on an official set of league rules and regulations for the eight or nine Castleton pubs that had already began to do regular, but informal, quizzes.

Two years later, Simon Roberts took over the organisation and his twelve years in charge saw the league flourish. At one stage in the early nineties there were 42 teams competing, the most the league as ever accomplished.

There are now twenty teams competing in the league which runs from September to April on Wednesday nights. This season the league commences on the 27 September with the AGM falling two weeks prior to that on 13 September. The AGM will begin at 9pm at Spotland Reform club and any new teams who wish to enrol should turn up on the night for a discussion about the league.

New teams are always made welcome but playing regularly in a quiz league takes a lot of commitment. Mark said: "It takes a lot to make sure you are there with 6 players every Wednesday for 6 months in Winter. Sometimes it’s difficult for new teams, it’s a massive commitment."

The league takes on the format of a traditional quiz. A set of fixtures is released before the season begins. At any one pub on a Wednesday night there are two teams and a quizmaster. Before the night gets underway, Mark travels to each of the home team’s pubs and hands in the questions for the coming evening – the questions that go to each pub are exactly the same, so all teams throughout the league are answering the same questions on the night.

Each fixture consists of 8 rounds, with 8 questions in each with league points awarded for winning the fixture or in the unlikely event of a tie. The questions provide a tough test for the teams and cover a wide range of subjects; Mark has written questions for TV shows such as 15 to 1, Eggheads and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, so he certainly knows the ropes when it comes to setting quiz league questions.

In addition to the bread and butter of the league there is a cup knockout competition, as well as doubles and singles competitions. The league’s main celebration falls at the end of the season, with a big night at Sudden Social club. The night takes the form of a handicap quiz, so it’s fun for everyone that turns up.

Anyone who wishes to enter a team this season, or wants to know more about the League should contact Mark Preston, on 0161 633 5696, or attend the AGM on Wednesday 13 September at Spotland Reform club, 9pm start.