Anyone catch tonight's thrilling - yes, thrilling - contest between Newcastle and Downing College, Cambridge? Things looked bad early doors for the Toon Team, trailed as coming from the party city etc. IE Thanks for turning up but you've drunk too much lager and eaten too many kebabs to be taken seriously.

Posh lads immediately raced away into a big lead with us stuck on minus five points. Only consolation was the surname of one of the Newcastle team, which meant every time he buzzed the announcer had to say: "Newcastle...Browne."

Then our brave boys steadily clawed their way back, and - incredibly - went into the lead as Paxo announced one minute left. Cambridge got the last starter question and were just five points behind and about to answer another five pointer when the gong went for the end of the show. Cue Party Sevens and pickled eggs all round.

Then Paxo interrupted the Toon's celebrations to announce he'd earlier accepted a wrong answer from them - and it happened to be a football related question. Paxo had said Dundee United was a correct answer by Newcastle, when the answer was, in fact, Dundee. (You had to be there) And Jeremy is usually so hot on Scottish football.

Newcastle deducted five points, scores tied. Sudden death question - with reminder that if you jumped in and got it wrong, the other side would win. One of our lads (who was actually from Cumbria, but never mind) pressed his buzzer..and paused...was he going to hand victory to Cambridge? Can't remember what the question was. But he answered: "Camp David."

All eyes on Paxo....."That's the right answer me bonny lad..." or words to that effect. Fantastic result. Made me - yet again - proud to be a Geordie.

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2001

Answers

A Pass is a pass...

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2001

And did you notice that the top bloke on the Newcastle team was a local lad grom Gatesheed!!

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2001

Yeah...a real man of the match.

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2001

'Specially when they started like some folks' idea of thick, drunken Geordies - '9th best for nights out' was the best wor Jer could come up with.

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2001

It's funny when you find yourself cheering on a load of students you've never met just because they are from Newcastle University! i did exactly the same. I even found myself rooting for some Geordie lad who was auditioning in that dreadful And and Dec 'Pop Idols' thing on Sunday for the same reason.

Clannish Geordies.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

That Geordie lad on pop idols was good though :)) he won't get much further cos he's an ugly looking sod but fair play to him anyway ;))

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Aye but did you notice that the Cambridge team interrupted a question and could not come up with an answer but were not penalised the normal five points for this. I was getting quite carried away. Never mind though, right result. JohnD

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

I was shouting score updates through to the missus who was fannying about in the kitchen, naturally she wasn't the least bit interested. I just knew that Dundee question was going to come back into the equation at the end - Jezza Pacman obviously knows nowt about Scottish footy.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001