I selected those I hoped would turn out to be my smartest friends and arrived at the Queen Victoria pub on Sukhumvit Soi 23 to experience my first quiz night with the Bangkok St Georges Society.

The “Queen Vic” to the unenlightened, is a large, airy, modern, bar, decorated to emulate a good old-fashioned, tudor-beamed, pub. Numerous screens for sports' viewing span the walls, Kilkenny, Heineken and Singha flow on tap and v. comfortable seating abounds.

Food was ordered from an extensive menu including lots of British favorites (fish and chips, chicken tikka masala etc) and we headed upstairs to “bag” our seats.

It wasn’t long before most of the surrounding tables were occupied, raffle tickets, raising money for charity, had been touted, food consumed and the quiz began.

If memory serves correctly there were 8 rounds in all, including 1 picture round, 1 music round, 1 Thai round, 1 British round and the inevitable sports and film questions. 

The mood was light-hearted, the banter good-humoured and plentiful, and before we had even finished debating the real number of provinces in Thailand (76) the quiz was over and our answers passed to a nearby table for the mercy of the opposition. Some debate ensued over the correct answers to one or two of the questions and negotiations followed. Answer sheets were handed in for double-checking and the results announced.

It may be hard to believe, though perhaps the fact that I have been designated to write this article provides a clue, but yes, our team (The Mushy Peas) won! With or without my input I feel obliged to add.

See you at the next one!