Quizzing in 2014

Compared to last year, which involved 3 broadcast quiz recordings, attending several GP events and going to as many quizzes as physically possible, 2014 has been something of a quiet year quiz wise for me. I have taken a lot to setting, and have written thousands and thousands of questions this year for various projects which has increased my knowledge in all sorts of areas and I have still been building my knowledge base but in terms of competitive quizzing I decided to take a year off the GP scene whilst I moved home and got settled in sunny South Shields.

One of the highlights of the year was again the CIU regional heats. Last year we managed to make it to the grand final, coming a respectable third but this time we missed out in the heats. We play in a hotly contested regional heat and with Mastermind winner Clive Dunning heading a team from Middlesbrough, as well as the usual qualifiers The Gosforth Empire and a team from Newbottle in Sunderland we missed out by a mere point. Still the quiz was as enjoyable as ever.

Sad news followed as I learnt Dave Cornish had passed away. Dave has set the questions for the CIU in the past few years and when I met him he was very supportive encouraging and an all round nice bloke.

Although my episodes of Only Connect aired this year, I have not recorded anything or been part of any broadcast quizzes. My application to Mastermind fell on deaf ears last year and with the hustle and bustle of moving I will wait until at least next year before reapplying. That remains a major aim for me quiz wise. I have applied to some other shows which are pending including Two Tribes and Pointless so we will see what happens. I would hope to make any broadcast appearance next year.


The Sunderland League continues to be very enjoyable. The standard seems to rise ever year and the Mastermind winner and Runner Up from 2014 joined our ranks this year (playing for the same team!) which is a good sign for the league going forward. Again, I had to miss a few games due to a variety of factors but as well as playing, I have written a number of sets for the league which went down really well and I found the setting to be enjoyable indeed.

As mentioned in a post a few weeks ago my competitive urges have been satisfied by the online quizzing leagues and events I now play in. This has proven to be an unexpectedly addictive aspect of my quizzing in 2014 and one I intend to continue.

Speaking of setting I was happy with the reaction to my second quiz book which was released on Kindle this year and have continued to write for various apps, the QLL and a range of sources.

So although in terms of competitive quizzing its been a quiet year, it has been a productive one.

Lets see what 2015 brings.