Merseyside Quiz Leagues

The World's Largest Independent Quiz Leagues

Welcome to the Diamond Jubilee Season

The Merseyside Quiz Leagues, the home of team quizzing here on Merseyside, were founded in 1959 and are the largest independent quiz leagues in the world. In 2019 we therefore celebrated our our Diamond Jubilee!

In the 2019/20 season there will be over 100 teams competing in one of five Leagues. Teams will usually take part in their own local league, so that travelling distances are kept to a minimum. There are, however, opportunities to enter Merseyside-wide competitions at either team or league representative levels.

If you are interested in finding out a little more about team quizzing on Merseyside, why not drop into a venue and watch a game taking place. During the September to March season most games are played on Monday or Tuesday nights starting at 8.45pm. The tab 'Leagues' will allow you to select your local area from where you can find a team playing near you. You will be guaranteed a warm welcome and if you wish, a chance to take part in a friendly game after the main match. If you need any advice please contact us.

News

online quizzing

Over the next few weeks your Area Secretary will be enquiring if you might wish to take part in a temporary online competition while regular quizzing is unavailable. Many will have played quizzes online using apps such as Zoom, Team and Meet, but some have no experience at all. You can watch 5 minutes of a match from the Online Quiz League (OQL) below.

It features four players that you may recognise from the MQL (Liverpool, Ormskirk and Warrington). In this particular competition they are playing old MQL rules (ie only one attempt per side) and in this match one of the players is visually handicapped so there is some description allowed. You are watching Round 7 and unfortunately one player has had to drop out.
[MQL wishes to thank the OQL and the players themselves for allowing us to use this extract]

Posted by briathom59@gmail.com 01/07/20

2020 Annual General Meeting

Notice is given that the postponed AGM of the Merseyside Quiz Leagues will now take place on line on Sunday 26th July at 7.30pm using the Zoom video conferencing platform. Papers and joining instructions to follow.

Any proposals should be submitted by your team through your Area Secretary and received by 7pm on Sunday 28 June 2020.

Posted by briathom59@gmail.com 21/06/20

Update (June 2020)

The MQL Council hopes that all players and their families are keeping safe and well as this extraordinary period continues. Many of you have embraced ingenious alternative techniques to keep on quizzing during the lockdown. These include using the telephone, emails and shared documents to video conference platforms such as Meet and Zoom, with the quizzes themselves ranging from nationally organised Leagues to informal gatherings. Whatever you are doing we hope that you are satisfying your ‘quiz needs’!!

We are all obviously looking forward to meeting up and getting back to face to face quizzing as soon as we can. However, regardless of the schedule for the easing of the regulations on assemblies and the opening of pubs and clubs, there are issues that the MQL must consider before a return to any form of normal quiz league activity. Most importantly it is vital that teams and officials are safe in getting to and from venues and also that once there, they have the space to enable social distancing. But also the venues themselves may be struggling to re-open and if they do, can they afford to be as accommodating to quiz matches on Mondays and Tuesdays as they were?

The MQL Council will continue meeting once a month to consider how the latest developments will impact on the Quiz Leagues, however, at the time of writing it is likely that the traditional September start to the new season will be delayed. So with that in mind, Area Secretaries have been asked to contact their teams to find out how much interest there might be in some sort of temporary MQL run on-line quiz league. It is anticipated that this would fill the gap until normal Quiz League activity can recommence. It is appreciated that this will unfortunately exclude those without access to the necessary technology, but it is stressed that this is just a short term solution to a problem that will hopefully be resolved as soon as possible.

We look forward to hearing any thoughts and ideas you might have through your Area Secretaries.

Posted by briathom59@gmail.com 05/06/20

coronavirus

In response to the increasing effects of the Coronavirus outbreak the MQL make the following statement;

From 16 March 2020

1. Any remaining individual matches in the Leagues may be completed by the mutual agreement of the teams involved taking into consideration the teams, the venue, the proximity of seating, etc.

2. No team is under any obligation to play a match. Should a team wish to withdraw they may do so without reproach. They should inform their League Secretary, their opposition and if necessary, their venue. If a trophy, title, promotion or relegation depends upon the outcome of the match then it may be postponed until after the current situation is resolved, otherwise the match may be declared a draw. Teams will all be asked to keep the question sets secure.

3. Feeny / Rendon Cups to be postponed.

4. A decision about the Liverpool/Wirral Riley Cup (due to start on Monday 30 March) to be made by Sunday 22 March (Advisory).

5. The Merseyside Mimir heats (Wednesday 18 March) to be postponed.

6. The MQL Finals and Presentation Evening (Wednesday 13 May) to be postponed as should any League Presentations and end of season events.

7. The holding of the MQL AGM (Sunday 5 April) to be suspended until a time when a conventional face to face meeting may be held. In the meantime the President, Chairman, General Secretary, Assistant General Secretary and Treasurer will consult in order to make such plans that are necessary for setting up the 2020-21 Season.

These decisions have been made bearing in mind that at all times the health of players (and their families) is paramount.

Posted by briathom59@gmail.com 13/03/20

DAVE RAINFORD

The Merseyside Quiz Leagues would like to extend their condolences to the family and friends of Dave Rainford who sadly passed away last week. Although most well known as part of the 'Eggheads' team on BBC2, Dave was also very familiar to many players in the MQL for his warm and generous nature and his sense of humour. A supporter of quiz events all around the country, Dave was a regular setter for the Mersey Summer Quiz and his Rochdale team were Plate Finalists at last year's MQL Buzzer Tournament. His death is a real loss to the quizzing community.
His friend and colleague, Pat Gibson writes;
"Tremendous Knowledge" Dave was a marvellous work colleague and a dear, dear friend. A huge, warm, sociable personality, he simply loved meeting with and chatting to people even if "chatting with people" grossly understates his force of nature friendliness and geniality - his ability to make other people happy. He relished quizzing with particular expertise in areas like pop and sport. In recent times, his energy and enterprise in dealing with serious health issues was inspiring. Invariably considerate, funny and generous, he will be deeply missed.

Posted by briathom59@gmail.com 09/03/20