Scratch Team Snatches a Win

We were approached by the Rotary Club of Billericay Town to enter a team for a virtual quiz in aid of the local charity BOSP.  We wanted as a Club to support the quiz because they had supported us in subscribing to Global Giving for our Borewells project.  Indeed, if it had not been for them, we may not have won a $500 prize for the third most donors during the programme.

So, we quickly put together a scratch team of volunteers, which was Margaret Fowler, Les and Val Sheppard, Peter and Wendy Greene and Sue and myself.  What to call our team?  “Biden Our Time” was suggested by Les and endorsed by Margaret, and in view of recent events in DC, that was it.

It was all handled over Zoom which Billericay Town have clearly mastered for use in a quiz.

Marathon Rounds

We were asked to give after joining the meeting using a link similar to our club meetings. A total of 78 took part.  There were two marathon rounds of photos which were sent out in advance.

Once everybody was signed in, our host put us into “breakout rooms” and there were the seven of us able to talk freely without an adjacent table overhearing.  We tackled the marathons.  We managed to name every photo quite easily. The challenge was to find the links between them.  Many ideas, but no conclusion. 

The host ended the breakout rooms to get us into the quiz proper.  The format of each quiz round was for our host to read out the questions.  Then we were put back into our breakout rooms to answer them.  Then we got back into our big meeting when our host gave out the answers.  We scored ourselves.  Les sent the scores in using the “chat” facility on Zoom.  There were five rounds.  

Stretching Minds

After the first two rounds, we were given a music quiz for round three, to name the films in which various songs had appeared, and a short break to finalise answers to the marathon “pictures”.  It was a bit of an intellectual stretch, but we finally discerned that on the first marathon we were looking at people and objects who were named after fruit and vegetables.  We also got hold of the fact that all the people on the second marathon had appeared on “Have I Got News For You”.

At the end of round one we were joint second with three other teams.  We scored full marks in rounds two and three so that at that point we were in front.  We stayed there. 

The prizes were a small bar of chocolate for each team member, so we handed them back to be prizes at the next quiz they run.   We had colossal satisfaction at what had been a team effort.  I know six people who I will always want on my team if we get in another quiz.

Overall, Billericay Town raised over £780 for BOSP.  We were grateful for the opportunity to take part.  What a great job by Billericay Town, even if we were just “Biden Our Time”!
By Michael Ginn