Wanderers, the Five Towns Quiz League's most
successful team by some way, won the Knockout Cup Final, but not until after surviving a major scare from mid-table team Railwaymen,
who had led at the halfway point in the final quiz. Featherstone Hotel Phoenix lifted the Plate Knockout trophy to
add to their Division Two Championship title, but again after a competitive match against Golden Lion Dudes of Ferrybridge.
The Knockout Final started with Wanderers playing with only three players as major
stalwart Diane Hallagan was struck down with illness on the day of the Final, but Wanderers proved that they had the
class to survive this setback by winning with three players, who included of course the indomitable Barry Simmons, television
Egghead and major national quiz player. Railwaymen won two and drew one of the first five rounds, to take a 35-32 lead
into the halftime break and Wanderers were placed in the unusual situation, for them, of being the team with the choice to
swap A & B questions for the second half (which they declined). But Railwaymen then had two disastrous rounds at
Rounds 7 and 9, losing both 10-4 and that proved to be the difference, with Wanderers running out winners 77-66 in the end.
In the Plate Knockout Final, Division Two Champions took on Golden Lion Dudes and although this match was also competitive,
Phoenix were never behind in the match, winning five and losing only three of the ten rounds, finishing the match as winners
by 72 points to 60. Dudes could claim one moral victory though in that they won both the two individual rounds.
The two finals were followed by refreshments and then presentations for the season's
quizzing, with Flanagan's Masons picking up the Division One Championship as they have broken a ten-year run of Wanderers
and Top House duopolising that competition, Featherstone Phoenix were presented with the Division Two shield and Plate trophy,
Wanderers the Knockout Cup and Ted Winter of Featherstone Phoenix the Division Two individual tray (which he shared with Steve
Clarke of G-Fivers, who was unable to be present on the night) and the Division One winner Diane Hallagan was of course as
previously indisposed with illness too. The Spirit of the Game Award, now in its fifth year, which is voted for by all
registered players of the league was won by and presented to the RAFA Vulcan Club of Pontefract, on whose behalf it was collected
by Captain Jean Kelly and team member Peter Topham.
The last
matter of the evening was the 'Members' Draw', which is a free raffle for all present league players and this
was won by the Fallen Angels team (ticket held by Roy Wood) and the prize for that is a free season's league fees for
next season.