Who dares wins

Each team, whether a quiet couple or a raucous seminar group of seven students, would compete against each other for prizes, ranging from free beer to a meat platter, and even a trip to Amsterdam (Rose & Crown, Lawrence Street, circa 1997).

But now things have changed, and some might argue for the worse.

Today, when you confidently stride into a pub, select your seat and order your quiz sheet, you could be taking on more than the combined minds of the opposing teams.

You could be facing the combined minds of the teams, their friends and families sitting at home (often with encyclopaedia access), the capabilities of their WAP phones (WAP - Winning At Pubs) and even the power of the Internet, as accessed from a laptop.

Yes, it has happened. A laptop has been brought in, turned on and used at the aforementioned Rose & Crown to assist one particularly keen quiz enthusiast in his quest for the correct answers and the eight-pint prize.

The booming voice of the quizmaster is being punctuated by the beep of mobile phones receiving text messages.

The constant babble of students arguing over which Teletubby is purple has now been replaced by the cacophony of artificial sounds created by the reception of correct answers from librarian friends and knowledgeable mothers back at home.

The full range of phones are represented, Nokia, Motorola, Siemens - you name it, they have all helped with an answer.

Texting seems to be the cheat's favourite weapon, with phone calls remaining rare - although one contestant was heard to ring his father, who happened to be in the bath at the time, to find out who presides over the House of Lords.

Rose And Crown quizmaster Robin Dixon, isn't overly disturbed by the phenomenon.

"It is something you have to accept in this day and age," he said. "Some questions require a bit of guesswork, so even texting out won't help you."

And it's not necessarily the case that the winner takes it all, as the Rose & Crown awards its prizes in an unusual manner.

Winning the quiz, aside from the kudos and respect from your peers, nets you eight pints of beer or lager.

Being the closest to guessing the date of a famous event in history - often one which is difficult to get the exact date right, for example "when did work start on the Channel Tunnel" - nets you a £10 Rose And Crown platter, a food extravaganza.

But the best prize, and a cash one at that, is not dependent on right answers.

Each week, a random number is pulled out of the hat, and if it matches your score, you walk away with the hard cash in your hand.

You could get most of the questions wrong and still win. You could even break your mobile phone and still take the spoils.

Some pubs have banned mobile phones from quizzes, some pubs have banned mobile phones period.

But pub quizzes, like everything else in life, evolve over time, and if people want to spend £4 on text messages to win a couple of pints, then that is up to them.

To celebrate the world of quiz cheating, Bar Talk and the Rose & Crown are giving away prizes.

Winning entries will win one of three Rose & Crown £10 Platters.

Question 1: What is the capital of Peru?

Question 2: What is the man on the pump clip of Theakston's Old Peculier doing?

Question 3: Which Beatles star died this week?

The Rose & Crown quiz takes place at 9.30pm on Tuesdays at Lawrence Street.

- NOW here's a pub that hasn't had a mention for a while.

While the Bar Talk mobile was passing through Snaith the other day, our eyes were diverted by a sign outside the Brewers Arms.

Looking for a quick lunch, we thought a pub meal may take too long to prepare, but were enticed by the appeal of the hot counter.

The Old Mill Brewery's restaurant offered a choice of shepherd's pie, scampi, roast chicken and lasagne.

Manager Craig Hunter explains: "We offer a carvery on a Sunday, so we decided we would then plump for offering instant hot meals during the week. Every day we guarantee a wide range of hot meals, ready instantly and we change the dishes regularly."

Available Monday to Friday for £4.50, the hot counter offers high-quality pub food very quickly indeed.

Although it must lead to some wastage, it seemed to be popular and was a welcome sight on a brief lunch break.

And as the Brewers Arms also sells beer brewed around the back, it's well worth a visit.