On February 12th, six Young Members answered the battle call, banding together to brave the intellectual onslaught as nineteen teams battled for glory (and charity) in the annual Inter-Livery Quiz.

The arena for this scholastic showdown was the magnificent Merchant Taylors’ Hall, the perfect venue for an evening replete with fine food and drink to forge bonds and nurse wounded prides.

The team fought valiantly in the first round with David Knights coming in clutch for many a numerical calculation and Nicolas Markantonis nobly defending the team’s score when it was mis-tallied. I finally had the opportunity to put middle school humanities to use with a ‘Copernicus’ name drop, securing another crucial point for the team. The music round was another worthy challenge, but we rallied with a respectable performance, identifying a variety of musical talents from Taio Cruz and Doja Cat to The Beatles and Carl Douglas.

Worn and weary, a break to enjoy a rather formal pizza dinner replenished the team’s spirits. Dominic McClaran then nailed the interactive round with an artistic feat like no other, managing to draw a scene on a paper plate atop his own head!  Meanwhile, amidst mounting pressure and a ticking clock, in a show of mad persistence and heroism, Charlotte Scott solved the following 13 letter anagram:  C O V E R T P R I E S T E

When it came to wordsmithing tube stations on the District line, Hollis Johnson utterly vanquished the crossword clue nemeses, facing the most difficult foe first!  Can you name the stop associated with “rhymes with a container for chilling and a sauce from the Indian subcontinent”?

Alas, the team was left with the bitter taste of defeat when the Tallow Chandlers claimed top prize for the second year in a row. Then again, with their clever team name alone, “Tallow Be Thy Name”, we can all agree it was well deserved. The WCoSP’s own Special Forces’ sterling effort was rewarded with a tie for nineth. Before you chuckle with trivia superiority, let us see if you can answer any of the below questions which proved too mighty a challenge:

1) From what plant does saffron come? 
2) Before 2023, what year did the UK last host Eurovision, and what was the name of the artist and song whose victory led to the UK hosting?
3) In the book Spare, in what county and behind which pub did Harry lose his virginity? [The team does not apologize for not knowing this answer.]
4) Which character in the show Friends had the most scenes at the coffee shop (besides Gunther)?
5) Rank the following dating apps from oldest to newest:  Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, Ok Cupid

If you managed to correctly answer any of the above and you are under the age of 41, we are expecting you to join the ranks for next year’s competition! Until then, I would like to thank my fellow teammates for their courage and comradeship without whom I would not have survived the trenches of this esteemed quiz. We are eagerly looking forward to next year’s competition with top priority being a new team name!

Written by Devon A. Johnson, Trustee and Deputy Chair of the YMC

Answers: 
Retrospective      
Putney Bridge
1) Crocus
2) 1998, Katrina and the Waves with “Love Shine A Light”
3) Wiltshire, The Prince’s Mount
4) Phoebe
5) Ok Cupid, Grindr, Tinder, Bumble