Quiz Ball

I wonder how many people remember Quiz Ball. It was screened on BBC TV between 1966 and 1972, in the early evening, around 6.30 to 7.00 if my memory is correct. The original presenter (referee) was David Vine. Stuart Hall took over later. I thought Alan Weeks was also involved, though research does not bear this out. I have vivid recollections of watching this programme, and getting upset when the 'wrong team' won !! The format was pretty simple. Football clubs were represented by three players/officials plus a guest supporter. Each week was a new match with the winners going forward to the next round. There were four ways to score a goal : 1) answer four easy questions correctly 2) answer three medium questions 3) two difficult , or 4) one really hard one. The opposition could stop you by answering your question. If they were correct they gained possession of the ball. But if they were wrong............goal to the team whose question it was. No tackle could be made on a route 1 (hard) question. The electronic scoreboard (shown in picture behind David Vine) lit up to show which route was being taken, and every goal was greeted with immense jubilation.

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For the record, the Finals were as follows : 1966-1967 Arsenal 7 Dunfermline Athletic 3 1967-1968 Nottingham Forest 1 West Bromwich Albion 2 1969-1970 Celtic 3 Hearts 1 1970 (Champions Series) Celtic 7 Everton 5 1970-1971 Derby County 4 Crystal Palace 2 1971-1972 Dunfermline Athletic 3 Leicester City 1

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Guest supporters included Jimmy Young (Arsenal 1966 & 1967), Ted Moult (Nottingham Forest 1966 & 1967 when Ted scored 8 goals in 3 games including all five in the First Round victory over Celtic - little wonder he went on to get that lucrative double glazing ad contract!!), Tommy Trinder (Fulham 1967), John Arlott (Southampton 1966), Percy Thrower (West Bromwich Albion 1966), Brian Close (Leeds 1966), Sam Kydd (Chelsea 1966), Leonard Sachs (Sheff Weds in 1966 then, suspiciously, Leeds in 1970 - who did he really support?), Gordon Jackson (Dunfermline Ath 1966), Pete Murray (Fulham 1966), Brian Moore (Tottenham 1967), Sam Leitch (Leicester City 1967), Magnus Magnusson (Kilmarnock 1967), Harry Carpenter (Fulham 1967), Mike Smith (Coventry City 1967), Kenneth Cope (Everton 1967 - ghosting in at the far post no doubt), Alfie Bass (Crystal Palace 1967), James Bolam (Sunderland 1969), John Laurie (doomed to failure with Dundee in 1969 as they lost 3-1 to Arsenal), Lance Percival (Chelsea 1970), Ed Stewart (Everton 1970), Kenny Lynch (Manchester City 1970), Peter Cook (Tottenham 1970), Richard Wattis (Crystal Palace 1970), Nicholas Parsons (Leicester City 1971), Hugh Lloyd (Chelsea 1971), Roy Kinnear (Colchester 1971), Jimmy Logan (Dunfermline Ath 1971) and Jon Pertwee (Dunfermline Ath in the 1971 Final).

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Alex Ferguson played for Falkirk in 1970, scoring in the 1-0 win over Huddersfield. He found the net again in the semi final but lost 2-1 to Everton (Brian Labone 2)!! In 1969 Arsenal were represented by Bertie Mee, Bob Wilson and Terry Neill, Ian Ure appeared in earlier seasons. Tottenham in 1971 played Alan Mullery, Martin Chivers and Joe Kinnear. What fantastic memories.