The Swan retain Addingham quiz crown in night of shocks
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The Addingham Village Quiz returned to the Memorial Hall on Saturday for its second year, with 12 teams battling through three hours of competition.
Defending champions The Swan retained their title, beating Addingham Civic Society 25-14 in the final. But Civic Society were arguably the story of the night.
Unseeded after a first-round exit in 2025, Civic Society beat The Co-Op before stunning last year's runners-up, Addingham Pantomime Group, 21-3 in the quarter-finals. They followed that with a 25-5 semi-final win over Addingham Scouts, before finally meeting their match against The Swan.
There was an amusing twist to Civic Society's run: having tracked down the original runners-up trophy from the quiz's earlier incarnation, they promptly became its new recipients.
The Swan, top seeds as reigning champions, beat Addingham Singers 19-11 in the quarter-finals and Addingham Village Social Club [AVSC] 27-15 in the semis before completing a second successive victory.
There were plenty of other highlights. Newcomers Addingham Singers knocked out Bowling Club and came closest to The Swan in the quarter-finals. Addingham Beer Festival scored 25 in the first round before narrowly losing to the Scouts, while AVSC reached the semi-finals after victories over St Peter's Church and the Drama Group.
For Panto Group, however, the evening was one to forget, with just three points against Civic Society.
The event also raised money for local causes. With the Beer Festival bar, pie and peas from the Lord Addingham and a charity raffle, more than £500 is expected to have been raised for the Beer Festival Charity Fund, beating last year's total.
Quiz host Mark Gregory, who revived the event in 2025 after a 20-year absence, said the evening had been a "fantastic night", praising Civic Society and The Swan and thanking everyone who contributed to the atmosphere.
The quiz originally ran from 1990, and Mark is still hoping to identify the winners from its original run. Anyone with information can contact markyouroccasion@gmail.com. He is also keen to hear from other villages or towns interested in running their own quiz.
With the event now firmly back on the village calendar, 2027 is already shaping up to be another big night.
