More Than Just a Quiz?
For most of the time, St Mary’s Church Hall sits quietly behind its closed curtains, faintly musty and undisturbed, a place that has weathered decades of cubs, WI meetings, yoga classes and the occasional battle with a temperamental sound system.
But twice a year, on Sandbach & District u3a Quiz Nights, the old hall bursts into a very different kind of life.
By seven o’clock, when I arrive, regular teams are already gathering outside. Once the doors open, familiar routines take over: tables are claimed, chairs are dragged into formation, and the evening’s first unspoken contest begins. While some teams settle for a single, modest packet of ready-salted crisps, others roll out cheese boards, fig jam and artisanal breads.
Polite one-upmanship? Perhaps.
Keeping Score
Current organiser Kevin Dean runs the evening. The quiz itself was founded by Bill Dowell, whose efforts established what has become a popular fixture in the Sandbach & District u3a calendar.
Kevin’s own involvement sprang from pure impatience. Wanting to see the scores develop through the evening rather than waiting for the final reckoning, he wrote software that projects live totals onto the wall. In the process, he discovered he could still play along between updates.
Behind the scenes, Kevin handles everything from booking the hall to matching solo arrivals with spare seats, ensuring nothing needs to be sorted at the door.
Yet, he notes:
“The most challenging part of the event is persuading someone in each team to shout their score loudly enough to be heard.”
It is one of the evening’s enduring contradictions. Everyone is quietly competing, but no one wants to appear boastful. Scores must be declared across the room with sufficient volume to reach the scorer, yet delivered in a strictly neutral tone, devoid of both triumph and despair.
The Quizmaster’s Chair
The questions are set by quizmaster Julie, who stepped into the role five years ago. She succeeded Keith Pointon, whose years behind the microphone made him a familiar figure to regular quizzers and who became legendary for always sneaking in a Coronation Street question.
Julie brings formidable credentials. A lifelong quizzer, she was once selected to take part in the television quiz Eggheads alongside her husband Ian and Kevin. The teamwork they displayed then still helps the quiz night run smoothly today.
As Julie explains:
“We come as a team: myself, Kevin and my husband Ian. The quiz night only works well because we all play our parts.”
“You can never predict the overall depth of knowledge of each team”, Juile says. Some teams are fiercely competitive; others simply want a pleasant evening with friends. As the night progresses and the tables fill with snacks and refreshments, things become, in Julie’s words, a little “lively”.
Each quiz features themed rounds, general knowledge, a picture round and a Joker card that doubles a team’s score on a round of its choice. Julie collects questions throughout the year, so planning for the next quiz begins almost as soon as the current one ends.
More Than Winning
Not everyone arrives expecting victory. As Kevin points out, some teams know perfectly well that first place is unlikely and set their sights on a more realistic ambition: avoiding last place.
Staying clear of the wooden spoon counts as success enough.
For a few hours twice a year, St Mary’s becomes a place where people compete, argue good-naturedly over answers and renew friendships.
And if you’re worried that everyone already knows everyone else, don’t be.
As I discovered, there is always a team willing to welcome a newcomer. Just let Kevin know beforehand and he’ll make sure you have a seat.