Results

FCEK kept their unbeaten sequence going with a comfortable win over the Electric Pigs (though Damian assures me that the Pigs were in it right up to the wire).  Next week the Big One - FF v FCEK at Fortress Griffin.

X-Pats beat Ethel Rodin in a close encounter at The Sun.

History Men lost to Fifth Finger in a high-scoring, top of the table clash at the Red

Snoopy's Friends edged it over a 3-piece St Caths at Hough End

Albert overcame the Opsimaths in a game that threatened to be a 6-rounder until the serendipitous arrival of Albert Park's Richard at the Fletcher Moss.  Richard scuttled home and was able to retrieve copies of the last 3 pages from his computer and return to the FM just in time.

The Paper

This week the paper came from Albert Park.  By and large correspondents have voted this a cracker.  Plenty of variety, good piccies and some well worked themes that helped, rather than hindered, the process of tracking the answers down.  John from X-Pats writes:

General consensus was that this was the quiz of the year so far. Excellent spread of topics with only 5 unanswered questions.  No real outstanding quessie.  We liked the 3 surname pair - but my favourite was the Canadian rock band named after a 95 cent coffee. If you didn't know their songs or albums (which I didn't) you could work out the answer from that clue.  A valiant effort from Roddy was close but no cigar, and this triggered me to say "of course, it must be......"  A fine night's entertainment - well done Park!

and Kieran's verdict from the Fingers:

Absolutely cracking.  Thanks, Albert Park.

though Tony from Snoopy's (perhaps a little bruised from last week?) sounded a dissenting voice:

I don't wish to criticise the quiz at all even though the world of Canadian pop music is to me rather arcane.  I doubt if every quiz player can tell us anything about the Kingdom of Kush and Colchis, or is able to remember that David Beckham also played for Preston and thus was a fellow team member of one Moyes who currently manages Everton which is still in the Premier League.  Carping about questions and demanding a certain style or content of question is likely to deter others from joining in our Wednesday night frivolities.  Please ask that inebriated Irish prelate not to assume that everyone who plays on our team sets the questions.  I, too, have never read the Dark Trilogy, but it has been a best seller over the past 2 years and millions have.  Millions may know that Shirley Manson is a lead singer with some pop group or other but countless millions do not, that does not make him a bad person or the question a bad one.

.....and here's a postscript on last week's paper courtesy of Snoopy's Eric.....

The question about "how many current managers in the premier league have played in the same team as David Beckham" was perfectly valid and most non Man U supporters would have recognised that. Stop whinging and study the question properly before commenting!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

The vote this week (cast by Fifth Finger) goes to the "cards-themed" Round 2 Q2:

Name the singer/songwriter who had a number one hit in 1988 with She's Leaving Home, and who was first played on BBC radio in 1983 when, on hearing John Peel mention on-air that he was hungry, rushed to the BBC with a mushroom biryani and was rewarded by Peel playing a track from his first album.

Click here to see the answers to this and the rest of the week's questions and answers.

         Fr Megson

           No 'F' Words This Week

A Chairde,

Following last week's definitive deconstruction of the 'E' word Fr. Megson had hoped to proceed in an orderly fashion this week by giving the F word a damned good seeing to.  He ran the idea past his line manager this morning.  Purely a formality, he thought as he eagerly anticipated yet another hefty cheque by return of post.  The bishop however ,despite his many saintly qualities, can best be described as a liverish auld tosspot and the tone of his reply seems to suggest that he leapt out of the wrong side of bed this morning with his dictaphone in one hand and Occam's razor in the other.

Top of the morning, Father, he ranted,

Mike here, the Bishop of Bath no less.  As you know, I dropped the Wells bit recently.  Sure there's no way a man of my age could be expected to manage two flocks a week.  No siree.  One flock a week and a wee snooze after breakfast - that's my new credo.

Having carefully considered your mealy-mouthed and ball-achingly obsequious request, I regret to inform you that there will be no feckin' F words on my website.  Not now.  Not ever.  Away and frig yerself in a boghole, ye weasel-faced gombeen.

You have, of course, the right to appeal against my decision.  As I said only last Sunday, democracy is a many-splendoured thing and well worth dying for if that's the sort of thing that stirs your porridge.  In this instance though, I would warmly counsel against an appeal as a kick in the groin often leads to premature impotence. Or worse.

I greatly appreciate all the good work I have asked you to do for my website over the years and I feel confident that you will eventually get round to doing some.  In the meantime please feel free to look upon me as a sort of icon; the sort of icon that sits on your desktop 24/7 ready and willing to leap into action at the merest touch of your mouse.  I like to think I am never more than one click away from all my dear priests.  But don't press your luck, baby. I normally go to bed at half past nine and I am well aware that most of your requests for rather bizarre websites don't start traipsing in until well past midnight.

Clean up your act, Father or you'll find yourself adopting a missionary position in Collyhurst. 

In Saecula Saeculorum,

Michaelus Bathensis (Ms)

Post scriptum:

........omne animal triste est.....(sorry couldn't resist a little episcopal humour there - I used to have them rocking in the aisles when I was a young bishop on the stand-up circuit)

Thank you so much for your kind invitation to go fly fishing next Sunday.  Alas I have already committed myself to a spot of dogging immediately after matins.  "iI you can't beat the fornicators, join 'em" as Cardinal Randy Newman once said.  Wise words indeed and words that have a particular resonance in the Didsbury of today, I feel.

Rest assured, though, that the thoughts of you and your flies shall be close to my heart as I trudge my weary way from car park to car park.  I feel sure that one of us is bound to catch something.