North East Quiz Nights - Willow Farm, Cramlington

 

Venue: Willow Farm, Cramlington

Time/Date: Tuesdays at 8.30pm

 

 

This is the first in a series of posts that focuses on Pub Quiz nights in the North East area. I have often found it frustrating trying to hunt down new quizzes, turning up only to find that they have been cancelled and getting any sort of information about the quiz itself. So over the next few months I am aiming to attend several quizzes in the region and post up reviews and information on the quizzes in region.

 

 

For the past three Tuesdays I have been attending the quiz night at the Willow Farm Pub in Cramlington. The first week we attended the quiz was a "Back to School" theme so I hesitated in posting up a review at that point as I wasn't sure it was representative of the quiz.

 

 

In all of the quiz nights I have attended recently in the North East, this is one of the best attended with regularly twenty teams or more. It is a rather large pub so there is always room for everybody and plenty of prizes are given away. It is a mixed crowd with students, families and what I would call "Typical Quiz Folk".

 

The format of the quiz involves a Picture Round, 10 Current Affairs, Music Round and an Alphabet Round of General Knowledge, There is also a round where pictures are stuck to the bar (logos etc) and you have to get up and identify them and a "Who am I?" round with increasingly easy clues with up to 10 point available if you hand it in early enough! My favourite round is the formation round of 10 questions where the quiz master tells you the weekly formation (e.g. 4,4,1,1) and then the questions are worth that many points. So the first questions if 4 points, second question 4 points etc etc. It all moves along at a rapid pace with marking done by bar staff so you are never left sitting!

 

 

Between each round there are also games including Darts, Spin the Wheel and a Pointless round. Not my cup of tea, other than the Pointless round, but they go down very well and there are plenty of prizes to be won.

 

When I come to devise a list of top ten North East Quiz Nights, unfortunately, this won't feature. In truth, the only reason I attend this quiz is due to a) its proximity to my partners house and b) the fact my partner enjoys this more than the straight up GK styles of quizzes.

 

The main problems are that the quiz is very easy meaning that there is very little to get your teeth into. Most questions are either chestnuts, £500 WWTBAM level or obscure. The news round often includes minute details of news stories (this weeks was the number of dogs put down in 2016! - to the nearest 5). I learn the odd thing or too, largely about new movies which he tends to cover a lot but generally, there is very little to really make you think.

 

 

But, who am I to judge, the quiz is always packed, people clearly enjoy it and there is a lot of prizes to be won. If you are looking for a fast paced, active quiz night mixed with games and the chance to win lots of prizes including Beer, Meal vouchers and TV's, then this is ideal for you. If you want a test of General Knowledge, good questions and a more straight up quiz, then this is perhaps best avoided.