FIQL Facts
Things you might want to know about Farnham’s Local Quiz League
What is FIQL?
Farnham Independent Quiz League is an inter-pub quiz league open to all pubs and clubs in Farnham, Surrey, and any others within very easy travelling distance. Up to three divisions compete each season, which runs roughly October to March each year (depending on exact numbers), with a generous break around Christmas. Each team of four plays all others in their division twice, on a home-and-away basis, and as such each establishment can field up to two teams. Ties are played on Monday nights, and light refreshments are usually provided by the host.
Questions are professionally set and the format is spoken question / response against the clock, and unlike write-‘em-down quizzes this is far more fun to play and certainly produces a good few nail-biters. Each week there is also an informal short written Beer Round, with the losing team buying a round for the winners but which any spectators can also join in for fun.
At the end of the season, Trophies and Certificates are awarded at the Big Friendly Quiz and presentation, then we all sit around bored on Monday evenings until the next season begins.
History: Quality Quizzing since 1991
The
Farnham Independent Quiz League was the brainchild of Martin Billett, a member
of the Waverley Arms team playing in the Courage League. Martin was tired of
driving miles to play quiz on Monday evenings so he wrote to around 40 pubs in
the Farnham area and, following a meeting in early September 1991, 16 pubs
raised 23 teams and a two-division local Farnham League was born. The rest, as
they say, is history.
Soon
after this however, the pressures of establishing his own business forced
Martin to give up his part in running FIQL and Mo Stokes, who had been voted
League Secretary at the inaugural meeting, took over. Mo continued with the
able assistance of Mark Price (1991-94) and Andy Bayliss of the Sandrock
(1994-2002) as Results Officers, to whom the quiz results were ‘phoned each
Monday. When Andy left the area in 2002, the modern wonder that is the Mobile
Phone allowed Russ Eaton to take over the results role despite also being the
Queen’s Head team captain.
Sadly,
Mo had to resign in June 2004 due to illness (from which she now seems to have
recovered completely), with Russ taking over the organiser’s reins for the
upcoming season. The short notice, combined with Mo’s indisposition, made it
look a bit touch-and-go right up to the start of the 2004-5 season but it all
went ahead OK in the end. Well, apart from the Website that is. Since you are
reading this however it means Russ has now learned to write websites and all
should be rosy in the future!
The Big Friendly Quiz
At the end of each season the winner of one of the divisions hosts the annual prize-giving ceremony, accompanied by an informal quiz during which grudges against teams from the previous year are sometimes settled. This was instigated many years ago a way of saying thank-you to the Landlords, without whose support the league would not exist, by filling at least one pub a year with dozens of beer-hungry quiz freaks. Only one pub has ever declined to host this event, and that was simply because the pub was far too tiny for the numbers involved! Currently the Div.1 winners host the BFQ in even-numbered years.
FIQL Roll of Honour
Below are listed all the winners of the various FIQL divisions since we started. As you can see, there was for a period a third division to accommodate the thirty-odd teams competing during the Golden Age of Farnham local quizzing!
Season
|
Div. 1
|
Div. 2
|
Div. 3
|
|
2009-10 |
Wheatsheaf A |
Bat & Ball B |
|
|
2008-9 |
Cherry Tree B |
Fox Inn B |
|
|
2007-8 |
Cherry Tree B |
Golden Fleece |
|
|
2006-7 |
Bat & Ball A |
Ball & Wicket A |
|
|
2005-6 |
Queen’s Head |
Halfway House |
|
|
2004-5 |
Lamb A |
Holly Bush A |
|
|
2003-4 |
Halfway House |
Shepherd & Flock |
|
|
2002-3 |
Lamb A |
Queen’s Head |
|
|
2001-2 |
Cherry Tree A |
Cherry Tree B |
Cricketers (B. Lea) |
|
2000-1 |
Waverly Arms |
Six Bells |
Royal Oak |
|
1999-00 |
Waverly Arms |
Halfway House |
Lamb B |
|
1998-9 |
Waverly Arms |
Shepherd & Flock B |
Prince Alfred |
|
1997-8 |
Waverly Arms |
Bat & Ball B |
Shepherd & Flock |
|
1996-7 |
Waverly Arms |
Holly Bush B |
Hare & Hounds |
|
1995-6 |
Sandrock A |
Queen’s Head |
|
|
1994-5 |
Eldon Hotel |
The Crown |
|
|
1993-2 |
Cricketers (Bourne) |
Duke of Cambridge |
|
|
1992-1 |
Cherry Tree A |
Blue Boy |
|
|
1991-2 |
Cherry Tree A |
Waverly B |
|
Sadly, a number of the pubs which have competed in the past are no longer with us. Ex-champions The Eldon Hotel and The Cricketers (Bourne) were long ago demolished for development, as was the Black Prince more recently, while the Bricklayer’s Arms, Duke of Cambridge (Farnham) and Cricketers (Wrecclesham) are now restaurants. Some pubs also now concentrate on food and don’t welcome quizzes.
Other past competitors, who would of course be most welcome to rejoin, include the Albion Tavern, Running Stream, Imperial Arms, Prince Alfred, Elm Tree, Seven Stars, William Cobbett, Crown Inn, Exchange (was Blue Boy), Shepherd & Flock, Wellingtons, Sandrock, Halfway House, Royal Oak and five-times champions the Waverly Arms.
Halfway through the 2006-7 season my team and reigning champions the Queen’s Head were obliged to abandon their erstwhile home and moved to the Wheatsheaf.
How can I join FIQL?
FIQL is open to any Pub or Licensed Club in Farnham and up to around 7 miles away from the town centre. All you need is a team of four, a Questionmaster and a quiet corner of the pub on a Monday night. If you are interested in entering a team, please contact the Organiser for further details.
If you already frequent one of the competing Pubs, you could always offer your services to the Quiz team - most would be very grateful for a willing stand-in on occasion. There may even be enough interest to consider forming a second team if there is not one already.
© Farnham Independent Quiz League 2005-10