Monday 19th January 2015
Set by Ormskirk

Round 1
1a Who painted Girl with a Pearl Earring in 1665?    
JOHANNES VERMEER
1b Which footballer has played for Arsenal, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, West Brom, Real Madrid, Paris St Germain, Fenerbahce and Juventus?    
NICOLAS ANELKA
2a Who appeared on the £10 note between February 1975 and May 1994?    
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
2b In which English County would you find the following district councils — Amber Valley and Erewash?
DERBYSHIRE
3a What was the name of the Gulf of Mexico oil rig which exploded and sank in April 2010 causing an environmental disaster?    
DEEPWATER HORIZON
3b Which mythical creature had a woman's head and the body of a bird?    
HARPY
4a The name of pop group MKS is made up of the initial letters of the first names of the 3 members, these 3 were the original members of which other successful group?    
SUGARBABES
4b Who plays the part of Nessa in the sitcom Gavin and Stacey?    
RUTH JONES

Round 2
1a What relation was Queen Victoria to her predecessor William IV?    
NIECE
1b Which company makes the Air Multiplier bladeless fan?    
DYSON
2a Give a year in the life of the landscape gardener — Lancelot "Capability" Brown.    
1716-1783
2b Which comic actress, who lived from 1942 to 1999, starred in many comedy films by Mel Brooks including Blazing Saddles?    
MADELINE KAHN
3a Name the Trinidad-born rapper who released the album Pink Friday in 2010.    
NICKI MENAJ
3b In which TV comedy series of the 1970s were the criminal Piranha Brothers relentlessly pursued by a giant hedgehog called Norman?    
MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS (accept MONTY PYTHON)
4a In what year was the Battle of the Nile, fought between the British and French fleets?    
1798
4b The name of which Indian subcontinent meal is derived from the Persian for "hot oil"?    
ROGAN JOSH

Round 3
1a  What is the name given to thin wispy cloud above 18 000 feet?    
CIRRUS
1b In which county would you find the National Trust properties Wallington and Cragside?
NORTHUMBERLAND
2a Who became the new Children's Laureate in June 2013?    
MALORIE BLACKMAN
2b  Which city hosted the Olympic Games in 1912?    
STOCKHOLM
3a Crime writer Philip Kerr sets his novels predominantly in which country?    
GERMANY
3b What misfortune befell champion jockey Frankie Dettori at Longchamp in December 2012?    
HE TESTED POSITIVE (FOR COCAINE)
4a Tricia Marwick is the current holder of which post in the Scottish Parliament, equivalent to Speaker in the House, of Commons?
PRESIDING OFFICER
4b Which Irish city lies on the River Foyle?    
LONDONDERRY (accept DERRY)

Round 4
1a On 1990 which American musician was invited by Vaclav Havel to become the Cultural Ambassador of Czechoslovakia, but wasstopped after pressure from the US government?    
FRANK ZAPPA
1b Who directed the 2006 film This is England?    
SHANE MEADOWS
2a Who was the youngest US president to hold office, sworn in at the age of 42 in 1901?    
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
2b Which biomolecule allows plants to absorb energy from light?    
CHLOROPHYLL
3a In computing, what does the second T in HITP stand for?    
TRANSFER (HYPERTEXT TRANSFER PROTOCOL)
3b Bujumbura is the capital of which African country?    
BURUNDI
4a Madresfield Court, a moated house near to the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, was the real-life inspiration for the setting of which novel first published in 1945?    
BRIDESHEAD RE'VIStlED
4b How many dominoes are there in a "double six" set?    
28

Round 5
1a Which American actor was made a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2008 for his political activism, particularly relating to Darfur?    
GEORGE CLOONEY
1b Who directed the 1994 Elm Four Weddings and a Funeral?    
MIKE NEWELL
2a Who preceded John F Kennedy as President of the USA?    
DWIGHT D EISENHOWER
2b In which substance in the human body can you find amylase, an enzyme which breaks down starch into sugars?    
SALIVA
3a What was the title of Eminem's single in 1999 which featured the voice of British singer Dido?    
STAN
3b In a Monty Python sketch featuring a football match between Greeks and Germans, what was the occupation of all the players?
PHILOSOPHERS
4a Who commanded the British forces at the 1898 Battle of Omdurman?    
(HORATIO HERBERT) KITCHENER
4b What does the Indonesian meal 'Nasi Goreng" literally mean?    
FRIED RICE

Round 6
1a Which English monarch reigned for 56 years in the 13th century (with a brief interruption by Simon de Montfort's parliament?)
HENRY III
1b Which company makes the Galaxy range of mobile phones?    
SAMSUNG
2a Give a year in the life of the painter George Stubbs.    
1724-1806
2b Which actress, with first name Madeleine, played opposite Bruce Willis in the 1995 film 12 Monkeys?
MADELEINE STOWE
3a The artist Sir Sidney Nolan produced a series of paintings, including The First-Class Marksman and The Trial centring on which historical figure?
NED KELLY
3b Floyd Landis won which major sporting event in July 2006, only to be stripped of his title after a positive drugs test?    
TOUR DE FRANCE
4a What title is given to the Leader of the Welsh Government?    
FIRST MINISTER (OF WALES)
4b Which Irish city lies on the River Corrib?    
GALWAY

Round 7  
1a What is the name given to dense towering vertical clouds associated with thunderstorms?
CLIMULONIMBUS
1b In which county would you find the English Heritage properties of Castle Acre Priory and Castle Rising?
NORFOLK
2a Which Scot is Professor of Contemporary Poetry and Creative Director of the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University?    
CAROL ANN DUFFY
2b Which city hosted the summer Olympics in 1928?    
AMSTERDAM
3a In computing, what does the M in XMI, stand for?    
MARKUP (EXTENSIBLE MARKUP LANGUAGE)
3b Porto-Novo is the capital of which African country?    
BENIN
4a Top Withens, a ruined farmhouse in West Yorkshire is reputed to be the inspiration for which 19th century novel?    
WUTHERING HEIGHTS
4b In a knockout tournament with 32 teams involved, how many matches are there?    
31

Round 8
1a Who painted a series of five paintings The Card Players in the 1890s?    
PAUL CEZANNE
1b Which footballer played for Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Everton, Manchester United, Southampton, Barcelona and Bayern Munich?    
MARK HUGHES
2a Who appeared on the £20 note between June 1991 and February 2001?
MICHAEL FARADAY
2b In which English County would you find the following district councils — Broxboume and Dacorum?
HERTFORDSHIRE
3a What is the name of the Japanese Nuclear Power Plant damaged by tsunami in March 2011?
FUKUSHIMA
3b Who, in legend was the friend and adviser to Odysseus?    
MENTOR
4a Which singer-songwriter won the 2013 Mercury Music Prize for his album Overgrown?
JAMES BLAKE
4b Which sitcom about a family includes a mother and son played by Claire Skinner and Tyger Drew-Honey?
OUTNUMBERED

Spare Questions
1 In what US state is Princeton University?    
NEW JERSEY
2 In Milton's epic Paradise Lost what is the capital of Hell?    
PANDEMONIUM
3 Which famous author, who played for MCC, took only one first class wicket, that of W G Grace ?
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.