Twenty tables of locals and their visitors competed in the Birchip Tennis and Cricket Club quiz night on Friday at the Birchip Community Leisure Centre.

As usual, the questions ranged from local general knowledge to worldwide politics, movies, sport, geography, art, and music and it is always surprising to see who knows what, and who can recall it when needed. 

The generous donations from the local traders and businesses ensured there were lots of prizes to be won throughout the night, with six in-between rounds including “Who am I?”, “What town am I?”, and “Name the Song and Artist”.

Six attendees were delighted to take home their mystery prizes donated by Mallee Shearing Shed, Birchip Newsagency, Birchip IGA, SARE, Birchip Hardware, YBS, Mallee Branded, Birchip Post Office, and Bowen’s Sports Store.

Stellar Form

The return of Boyd Pickering and Kim Stewart to the “Late Mail” team with regular team members Stephanie Coffey, Georgina Warne, Tim Coffey, and Kellie Matthews saw them in stellar form, only missing out on six correct answers from eighty questions. Their impressive total of 84 out of 90 earned them the first prize meal vouchers donated by the Birchip Hotel.

Whilst the “Late Mail” team never looked like being headed, it was close for second between “Putin My Mouth” and “Anthony’s on His Albows and Kneesies”, who also had impressive results, scoring 10s on multiple occasions. Eventually, it was the “Putin” team who finished second to win the pizza vouchers donated by the Birchip Café, with 77 points.

Table Warmer

The two tables made up of BCG staff also did well, and regular quizzers on the “Not Much Has Changed” table were also thereabouts adding to the intrigue on the night.

The table warmers, with quizzes on famous faces, advertising slogans, big tourist attractions, and collective names for animals, were a little easier this year, with most tables scoring high twenties or low thirties out of a total of forty.

The winners with 32 were the “Whirly Wise Guys” (Kellianne and Jim Sheahan, Paul and Cathy Lowry, and Danny and Julie Lowry), and they won coffee and cake vouchers donated by Olive Joy Café. Not to be outdone, Tadgh Lowry’s table won the cash pool in the “Poor List” competition, where representatives from the tables had to name as many streets, roads, crescents, or avenues in Birchip as they could.

Student Tables

It was great to see several student tables competing on the night and scoring higher than several of the adult tables. “Danny Crabb”, with Allie Knights, Tylah Haslam, Imogen Boyle, Austin Dean, Eva Coffey, and Keira Lowry, won the six bakery vouchers for best junior table donated by Sharp’s Bakery. 

One of the highlights of the evening was the much-anticipated raffle draw, where several lucky winners took home incredible prizes valued at over $2000. These were won by Stephanie Coffey (a $600 Katana 4-Piece Power Tool Kit donated by O’Connors), Zoe Wilson (pot belly stove donated by Nutrien Ag), Tess Lee (a sports pack donated by Bicknell’s Intersports), and Kate Gifford (grinder donated by Mallee Steel).

Jim Sheahan earned himself around $200 in the $2 coin drop and had the good fortune of peeling all the stickers off his prize pool. The winner of the best table name was “Tess Tickles”, earning Tess Lee’s team members all a box of chocolates donated by WMA Accounting.

The generosity of the sponsors plays a significant role in making the evening enjoyable and rewarding for all attendees and the tennis and cricket clubs are incredibly grateful.

A big thank is also extended to everyone who participated and contributed to the Quiz Night. Your enthusiasm and support made the event a fun night and a successful fundraiser for the two clubs.