17 March 2009 - We may have missed out on the varsity cup this year, but thankfully five of Trent’s finest stepped up to the plate to prove that we’ve still got game when it comes to who the quizmasters really are.On a green-fingered St Patrick’s Day evening the team behind, Buzz! the Nation - Clash of the Unis, heaved a couple of expensive TVs, two PS3s, a collection of buzzers and a rather sparkly hostess onto Glo Bar’s beer-sodden boards. They were here to entice the crowds that had come down for the usual bit of socialising and a refreshing drink, to step forward, risk adamant embarrassment and make their way to the brightly lit Buzz! Quiz TV set up, for the chance to win copies of Buzz! Quiz TV, PSPs, cash prizes (in hand!) and the opportunity to defend Trent’s honour against Staffordshire Uni.
Each game consisted of three rounds, each on a specific topic. ‘Stop The Clock’ had teams using their single buzzer to select one of four answers, with more points being awarded for faster answers. ‘All That Apply’ involved carefully selecting one or a number of correct choices for the individual questions. And ‘High Stakes’ (the round that allowed even losing teams to take home the gold) saw each team bet points before answering questions. Getting a question right added the amount of points they’d bet to their existing score, while getting it wrong deceased it by the same amount.
Following several free-for-all team games against groups of people in the bar, not to mention one or two unfortunate technical hitches - one of which forced a drinking contest to decide the winning team of one bout, five knowledge-busting contestants - Adam Gilliland, Luke Westwood, Jamie Kitson, Joseph Walls and Eden Stead - were rewarded with £200 prize money and brand new PSPs. The celebration only lasted so long though. At 10.30 we were uplinked to Staff and the battle for quiz supremacy truly began.
Elated from their local barroom success the boys were swept up into the first round of the quiz contest almost unawares, but they held they’re own. Three rounds in the same format as before was all that stood between them and university-beating-triumph. Securing an early lead by navigating some tough questions on extreme sports, the boys were in high spirits, but Staff weren’t about to give up soon. During round two’s flexible questions on the world of sport, Staff came back – they were now just 300 points behind our bohemian quizsters. Going into the final round the scores were almost neck-n’-neck, with Staff on 2379 and Trent on 2692 points.
Determined not to given in the boys steeled themselves as Staff choose videogames to be the topic of the High Stakes round. Tensions rose another notch as both teams bet 500 points, question after question. Despite some worrying advances from Staff, our boys kept us in the game, answering all of their questions correctly. One final button press on the shoot-‘em-up title ‘Syphon Filter’ won them the game, achieving another impressive win for Trent. For their efforts the boys got the chance to add a generous bar tab to their winnings and close out St Patrick’s Day with boisterous cheer. Well done, lads. Chalk up another one for Trent Army.
For more on this event logon to www.buzzthenation.com or see Buzz!
Aaron Lee
