Mastermind 2017

President Craig once again came up with a fiendishly difficult set of questions for our annual mastermind quiz. There was much murmuring in the ranks throughout the meal as members delved into their distant memories to try to recall, amongst other things, those US presidents of yesteryear, identified on the question sheet only by their initials. In desperation, fictitious and ridiculous names were plucked out of thin air as the clock ticked on to time-up.

The great after-dinner reckoning determined the three top-scorers who were Jimmy Begg, John Scott, and one of our guests that evening – Howard Gibb of Hunterston Rotary Club. Each in turn was invited to take the hot seat and so, with beads of sweat dripping from worried brows, the contestants were put to the test by president Craig, doing a just-passable impression of John Humphries.

Jimmy Begg was the first to take the chair, amassing a highly creditable 12 points. Next was John Scott whose total of 6 points was a great effort for what was generally acknowledged to have been a significantly harder set of questions. Then, with the somewhat partisan members all holding their breaths throughout the final few questions, Howard Gibb stole the show (and the prize chair) with a score of 15 points. In his victory speech Howard redeemed himself to some extent in the eyes of the members by indicating his intention to auction the chair in aid of one of his own club’s favoured charities.

After complaining, in characteristically curmudgeonly manner, about the devilishly difficult questions, John Laughland thanked president Craig for all the work he had put into hosting a thoroughly entertaining evening.