Pub Quizzes in Balham

[Dave Cross]

I like a good pub quiz and in Balham, there are currently plenty to choose from. Here are the ones I've tried. Entry to all of these is £2 per person and they all have a limit of six people to a team (although at most of them, teams over that number are allowed but you lose a point for each extra person). They all start at 8:00pm.

The Regent

Sunday night

Slightly unusual as this is the only quiz on my list which isn't run by Question One (although the format seems heavily influenced by Question One's quizzes). The questions are a bit easier than the other quizzes in the area and there's an interesting music round. It's a popular quiz and the easier questions mean that scores are high and winning is a bit of lottery.

Prize is £50 cash.

The Grove

Sunday night

Very popular quiz night. The pub is often packed. Harder questions than The Regent, but scores are still high. Harder to win than The Regent.

Prize is the money collected. This is usually about £150 but can be a lot higher. One night last year, we won almost £600.

The Devonshire

Monday Night

Perhaps not quite as busy as The Grove (maybe because it's on a school night) and I don't think the scores are quite as high so it's a little easier to win.

Prize is the money collected (but that's usually less than The Grove). There's often a second prize which used to be a cut of the money collected, but recently has been a bottle of wine.

The Exhibit

Monday Night

Of all of the Balham quizzes, this probably has the smallest turn-out and the lowest scores. Which means it's the easiest to win. But the prize is the worst of all the prizes too. Swings and roundabouts.

Prize is £50. But it's a bar tab, so it has to be spent at the Exhibit. And it has to all be spent in a single night. So you can't celebrate your win with a drink and save the rest for a blow-out later in the week.

The Balham Bowls Club

Tuesday Night

This used to get really crowded. But last time we went, it had been moved into a bigger room which eased the situation somewhat. There are a couple of really strong teams there, so it can be hard to win.

Prize is £50 cash and there's a second prize of a bottle of wine.

 

As far as I know, that's all the quizzes that are currently running in Balham pubs. There used to be one in the Bedford on a Wednesday, but I think it's stopped. Am I missing any? What are your experiences of pub quizzes in Balham?