Making
the first night of the season more memorable was a presentation by new
Chairman Rod to Graham Baker, who retired from the Chairmanship at the
end of last season.
Graham
is probably our longest serving member and has been Chairman for a
considerable part of that period. In 2014 the Exeter & District
league voted him Personality of the Year.
This was cancelled due to the low numbers of people able to attend.
The
black bags were out again for the tournament. Players formed two groups
for the round-robin stage, with the winners going on to the final.
;
It was a family affair as mum
Irene and son James won the final.
Runners
up Mo and Steve put on brave smiles as they posed for the camera.
Chairman Rod supervised the Secret Santa Sack so that everyone had a
present to take home - hopefully not the one they brought.
As the 19th century turned into the 20th, Robert Gascoyne Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, had three goes as Prime Minister. During one of them, he gave the job of Irish Secretary to his nephew, Arthur Balfour. This surprised many and some scholars attribute the saying 'Bob's your uncle' to this appointment. Arthur had a brother, Gerald, who fetched up in Sidmouth as the owner of Balfour Manor. 'Balfour' spread to street names and, finally getting to the point, to the Balfour Arms where our quiz was held.
None of the above really interesting facts were of any use during the quiz. The questions were devised by our favourite quizmaster Dave but he wasn't available on the night to read them out, so Mo bravely took on the job, keeping a firm grip on the proceedings. Its surprising what you find out at quizzes - Spool isn't a celebrity chef, it can be a style of shoe heel. Anyway, Mandie's Mob collected the wooden spoon (in practice a large eraser for rubbing out big mistakes). After a Stewards Enquiry and a recount, Sidford Mix were promoted to third but the undisputed winners were Five go Quizzing.
Raffle ticket trade was brisk among the crowd of 36 members and guests. At the end of the evening, Chairman Rod and Secretary Linda supervised the draw. The evening's proceeds go to club funds.
There was a good turnout for the last night of the season with about
twenty people present. Players were randomly paired off and there was no
handicap system. As with the Christmas tournament, two groups played a
round-robin stage, producing two pairs for the final.
Will and Rosie
won and were rewarded with Cadburys Easter eggs (other eggs are
available). Runners up were chairman Rod and Secretary Linda, also with
eggs, but of possibly smaller dimensions.
This will be held at the Exeter City Football Club's Paramount Suite.
This has been fixed for 4th June at the Volunteer pub, Temple Street, Sidmouth. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm. All members are invited to attend.
“The world is run by those who show up.”
― Donald Rumsfeld