Report of the First Full Competition

The first full competition for "Brain of Grimsby" took place on
Monday 18th February 2008 at the R.A.F.A. Club.

The contestants were Andy Alcock and Pete Sinclair (R.A.F.A. Dipsos), Geoff Swanney (Swats), Ian Welham (Rasen), and Rod and Sue Mitchell (Imps). Invitations had been sent to all team captains, those listed above were the only ones who wanted to take part and were available on the night.

The event was organized by Andrew Hunter, who set all the questions and was the question master. The format was 2 preliminary games of 3 players each, with the top two from each of these games going through to the final.

Each game was of 6 rounds, with each player having 2 lives in a round. The whole thing took just over 2 hours and used about 200 questions.

RESULTS

Andy was the only person to get a bonus point for getting 5 right in a row.

AWH 18 Feb 08.

Editor's Note: Sadly, this event took place on a very foggy evening which may have accounted for the disappointlingly small turn out. Those who braved the elements had a really great time. 8-)

Grateful thanks to Andrew Hunter who did a sterling job of orginizing
the competition and compiling a cracking set of questions,
a lot of which had us laughing our heads off - as you will see.

Congratulations to Andy Alcock,
The First Brain of Grimsby!

A RICH SELECTION OF ANDREW'S QUESTIONS

To reveal the answers, run the mouse cursor over the box beside the question.

Questions

Answers

1. In Germany she is Fraulein Ming, in France Mademoiselle Rose. What is she in English ?

2. What came next in this sequence in the 1950s: 1/4, 1/2, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 ?

3. In 2002 Hull University acquired a lawnmower, the owner of which had been inspired to write the poem "The Mower" after running over a hedgehog. Who was he ?

4. Which religious leader is known as "Al Baba" in Arabic?

5. In an attempt to make them more anatomically correct, what were Barbie Dolls given for the first time in 2000?

6. Which English town lost 6 of its landmarks in 1987?

7. According to the Bible, who slaughtered one quarter of the world's population ?

8. Audie Murphy was America's most decorated soldier of World War 2. Who played him in the film of his life, "To Hell and Back?"

9. In 1910 Charles Stewart Rolls became the first Briton to die in what way ?

10. Which American president said "They say hard work never hurt anyone, but I figure why take the chance?"

11. What have Coronation Street and North Parade, Grantham got in common ?

12. What song by Johnny Cash did the makers of a haemorrhoids reliever want to use in their advert, although they were refused permission ?

13. The layout of which African city was based on the shape of the Union Flag ?

14. According to the commentary by Harry Carpenter, what did the wife of the Cambridge President do after the 1977 Boat Race?

15. To whom is attributed the saying "Show me a sane man, and I will cure him" ?

16. What number is both the Atomic Number of Vanadium and the number on David Beckhams LA Galaxy shirt and the number of camels once offered by an Arab for Diana Dors?

17. The U.S.S. Phoenix survived Pearl Harbour and became known as the luckiest ship in the US Navy. What eventually happened to her?

18. The Queen is alleged to have received a telegram which began "Dear Liz" and suggested that if she wanted to meet a real man, she should get in touch. Who is supposed to have sent it?

19. Performances of which of Shakespear's plays were banned between 1788 and 1820 ?

20. Her first husband was Edward, Lord Borough and her second John Neville, Lord Latimer, Who was her third?

21. What comes next in this sequence: James, Margaret, John, Anthony?

22. The Corkscrew at Alton Towers was the first roller-coaster to have what feature?

23. Who is the odd one out: James Dean, Jackson Pollock, Albert Camus, Marc Bolan?

24. Hungarian Horntail, Common Welsh Green and Chinese Fireball are all types of what?

25. What, in 2004, became the first symbol to be added to the Morse Code since the first World War?

26. Dr Who's Tardis was originally made as a prop for which other TV series ?

27. Which Chinese expression literally means "work together" and is used in English to denote mindless enthusiasm ?

28. Roberto de Jerez, in 1492, was the first European to do what - something which caused him to be imprisoned by the Inquisition?

29. In Christmas 2004 the Royal Mail misdirected all the post intended for which island to Paraguay?

30. What book of 1972 had sections "Starters:the basic ingredients", "Main Courses which everyone needs", and "Sauces and Pickles for Special Occasions" ?

Four players take part in each match, all playing against each other.

A match consists of six rounds played as follows:

Player 1 is asked a question. He has ten seconds to come up with the correct answer.

If Player 1 answers correctly, he is asked another question up to a total of five questions. His turn then ends and he scores 5 points plus 1 bonus point for a total of 6 points.

In the radio version, the other three players have a chance to buzz in and answer for 1 bonus point if the first answer is incorrect. We don't have a buzzer system, nor can we afford one, so Andrew came up with a neat alternative:

If Player 1 doesn't provide a correct answer, Player 2 gives his answer without any additional time for thought. If he fails, it goes to Player 3 to try, then Player 4.

Player 1 has then lost one life, but gets further questions (up to the maximum of five) until he fails to answer a second question, at which point his turn ends and the questioning goes on to Player 2.

If Player 2 gives a wrong answer, the chance to gain a bonus point goes to Player 3, then Player 4 and finally to Player 1. When all four players have had their chance of answering five questions, the round is concluded and scores read out.

There will be an interval between rounds 3 and 4. After the interval, the questions are asked in reverse direction, Player 4 being asked the first questions followed by Players 3, 2 and 1.

There is a write-up of the trial match here:

Harry's Page ~ Match Reports

and scroll about half way down.

If you're interested in taking part,
either as a contestant or question-setter,
please contact Andrew Hunter a.s.a.p.
His details are in the Fixtures Booklet. Thank you.

Please note that I do not put personal details on this site
as it can be viewed from anywhere around the world
and there are some funny people about...