This week saw the final of the inaugural House General Knowledge Competition. Across the previous six weeks, teams of four, comprising boys from different year groups within twinned houses, had competed against each other in a series of rounds which culminated in a hard-fought final between Paulo Pontine and St Peter’s on Wednesday lunchtime, within the imposing surroundings of the Memorial Hall.
Loosely based on University Challenge, boys were asked a series of starter questions followed by three bonuses, with much excitement generated around the electric buzzer system involved. Mr Sam Baldock, Vice Master, was the question master with Miss Emily Bassaly scoring and providing updates on progress throughout.
In Wednesday’s final, Paulo took an early lead which saw them ahead by 200 points to St Peter’s 100 after the first round. This was achieved despite not knowing who the murder victim in an episcopicide would be (the answer, of course, is a bishop) but aided by team captain, Murray Silk’s knowledge of Latin, which correctly translated ‘uxoricide’ as murder of one’s wife.
Round two saw Paulo’s lead extended to 320 versus 120 with some taxing questions such as “Who was the brother of Martha in the New Testament?” (Lazarus) and “Which sport is a flea flicker associated with?” (American Football). Boys across both teams buzzed in and tried their luck and the competition hotted up with a final surge from St Peter’s after their correct pronunciation of ‘Quinoa’. However, it was too late to catch the victorious Paulo Pontine, who emerged as the winners with a final score of 380 to St Peter’s 190.
Mr Michael Cassell (St Peter’s Housemaster) was quick to congratulate the Paulo team, praising the overall competition as well. Mrs Fiona Whiteman (Paulo Pontine Housemaster) agreed, saying “It’s wonderful to see a contest such as this appealing to a different group of boys. I’m very proud of Paulo for winning in the inaugural year – a fantastic performance boys!”
Congratulations in particular go to the winning team of Murray Silk, captain (Upper Sixth), Fred Dickson (Fifth Form), Benjie Roberts (Remove Form) and Josh Lincoln (Fourth Form). We look forward to their future appearances on University Challenge!
