Tabs shamed in Varsity Quiz
Oxford.......................235
Cambridge................210
Pecca Fortiter: ‘To err boldly’, reads the motto of the Quiz Society. But there was no room for error as hosts Oxford clinched victory in a thrilling Varsity Quiz Match to retain their title. The Oxford Quiz Squad Patron, the celebrated Richard Dawkins had once famously declared that quizzing should take the place of A-levels as an entry criterion to Oxford.
While we may be far from achieving that end, Oxford can certainly lay claim to the most active quiz-culture for any university in the UK • even the Bodleian library has a professional quiz team. And this enthusiasm for trivia extends beyond the world of the “gown” to the “town” itself • any self-respecting pub in Oxford boasts a well-attended and proudly-hosted weekly quiz. This is perhaps only fitting in an ancient town steeped in history and the quest for knowledge.
No wonder then, that out of a total of 34 seasons of University Challenge, thirteen have been won by an Oxford college. What better way to be a geek, than to be a geek in a blaze of glory? The 2006 Varsity Match was the first in three years, and Cambridge had reportedly fielded one of their strongest teams ever.
However, despite reassurances from the Cambridge Quiz Society honorary President Stephen Fry that he loves them ‘desperately’, the Tabs were sent packing 235-210 in a match that had the audience at the very edge of their seats throughout. The Varsity Match is traditionally played in University Challenge format, with a total of 26 starters on the buzzer and 24 bonuses: whichever run out first. Players individually answer starter questions worth ten points by buzzing in without conferring.
If a team answers a starter correctly, they are awarded a set of thematically-linked bonus questions worth a total of fifteen points, and they are allowed to confer over these. The captain, who sits on the third seat from the end, is responsible for giving the final answer to the moderator. Players attract a five-point penalty for buzzing in incorrectly (‘negging’, in Quizzer-slang) before the question completes, and should this happen, the question is then offered to the opposing team.
The stage was set for the Varsity showdown, in which Oxford were represented by Andrew Wells (Merton), Michael Levy (Somerville), Peter Baker (Balliol) and their captain Ben Fletcher (St John’s). They had all been star-performers in the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Quiz tournament two weeks earlier, which saw Balliol Emerge winners and Merton runnersup.
With Well’s knowledge of computer programming and grammar it seemed Oxford would take advantage of an easy start, but things started to go horribly wrong and Cambridge star players Jacob Hupart and Daniel Nazarian began to blitz Oxford.
The Sound of Music, Austrian imperial struggles, and kidney units • Nazarian seemed to know them all; whilst Hupart produced expert and detailed knowledge of Iran, the Jazz-Age and Russian explorations to easily dispense with seasoned quizmaster Rob Linham’s questions. One third of the way through, Oxford were trailing by an unprecedented 140-05.
However, Michael Levy stepped into the breach and buzzed in with answers ranging from complex mathematics to Shakespeare and prosody to take Oxford into a slim lead. What followed was a roller-coaster ride, and it became difficult to keep track of who was ahead, with both teams contesting evenly and determined to fight to the finish.
Each team was trying to strike the balance between aggressive buzzing and caution • for in an evenly-balanced fixture, strategy and reflex play a role equally important as that of knowledge. The match wasn’t won until the very last starter though, and Baker’s affection for Formula One and horses helped him peg the very last question leading Oxford to a thrilling and dangerously close 235-210 victory. The top scorer for Cambridge was Hupart, and for Oxford, Levy took that honour.
And so the Trophy came home yet again • Cambridge were left dreaming of an honour they have never been able to call their own. All wasn’t over yet: the Quiz Society’s new committee faced the Cambridge team to lose 300-180 in a match that was dominated by Cambridge’s Nazarian. And after an afternoon of brain-taxing questions and raging nerves, the teams suitably shifted the scene to the Lamb and Flag to celebrate.
The Oxford Squad looks very strong indeed, and can look forward to some more success in the competitive quizzing that Oxford will see in the next few months, starting with the first ever Town Vs Gown match in third week of Trinity, and culminating in a celebrities’ match and an inter-university tournament in Michaelmas. It will take some hardwork and a lot of luck to displace Oxford’s position.
27th Apr 2006