A grand end to quiz season

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The inaugural Craft Quiz Nights Garden Route Trivia League wrapped up recently with a grand final held at the Social Eatery at Knysna Hollow on Welbedacht Lane.

In the final, which took place on Saturday 5 November, the top 12 teams from across the Garden Route met for a final quiz to decide which town and team would be the first ever champions of the league.

With a total prize pool comprising cash and prizes valued in excess of R20 000 there was a lot to play for, and the tension was palpable as all participants were quietly confident yet nervous.

The prizes were provided by Craft Quiz Nights, as well as the quiz night hosts and other sponsors.

Over the season, which commenced in April, 92 different teams and more than

300 individuals attended quiz nights and scored points towards their league to qualify for the final.

Craft Quiz Nights were created by Jonathan Perry, for the purpose of hosting weekly events that allow Garden Route citizens and visitors of all ages to socialise over a pub quiz.

The quizzes comprise a wide variety of general knowledge questions as well as fun picture quiz rounds and a music round of hits from today to the 60s, with music from the 80s and 90s proving to be most popular.

With the hotly contested qualification stage having officially ended, the dust could hardly settle before the top 12 teams came together for the grand final. They were faced with 75 questions, and it was a very tight affair. Second place, the Garden Route Royals. From left: Anna Kemp, Gordon Bosma, Nichola Graham-Parker (captain) and Ian Graham-Parker.

The top three teams were each from a different town and the top two teams were separated by only one point.

The Goodie-2-Shoes from Plettenberg Bay, made up of Nicole Lin, Russell Katzenberg, Paul Taylor, Adam Shields Blake Taylor and Lisa Taylor, took home the spoils. "We loved participating in Craft Quiz Nights," said Lisa, captain of the Goodie-2-Shoes.

Quizz Cats who fiished third. From left: Johan Grobler, Pam Booth (captain), Gerhard Rosenmann, Kate Southey, Joclyn Marshall and Cara Lu Graham."In the beginning, it was a way for our family to spend a fabulous evening together. Then, when James left for Malta, and Ryan for London, we filled their spaces over the weeks and found a great mix with Adam and Russell. We still cannot believe we actually won!"

Craft Quiz Nights is a league of pub quiz nights held across the Garden Route.

In its first season, quiz nights were held over 25 weeks and four craft breweries - Barrington's in Plettenberg Bay, Red Bridge Brewing Company in Knysna, Knysna Gin and Distillery in Knysna and Sedgefield Craft Brewery in Sedgefield.

The Sweet Baby Canteloups won the Spirit Award. From left: Alex Vincent, Kyla de Wet (captain), Heidi Oliver, Joe Oliver and Inneke Streicher. Michaela Jonker was absent for the final.