A pub quiz team has been handed a permanent ban after the owners of a Greater Manchester establishment caught them cheating 'red-handed' during their weekly event.
The Discovery and Ban
Following this week's Wednesday quiz night, the proprietors of The Barking Dog on Higher Road in Urmston took to Facebook to announce they had finally secured concrete evidence against a team they had suspected of dishonesty for some time. The owners stated that the group has now been banned from the free, weekly quiz night, which is run in a traditional style using paper, with a strict no-phones policy.
The pub's statement expressed disappointment, revealing that the situation had already impacted their business. "There have been suspicions for a while but no concrete evidence," the statement read. "This unfortunately may have cost us some genuine custom. Last night we caught the team red handed and they have been banned."
Impact on the Community
The consequences of the cheating scandal extended beyond a single evening's results. The pub confirmed that the allegations, though previously unproven, had led to a loss of custom as other regular quiz participants had stopped attending, driven by their own suspicions about the team's conduct.
"Although some might think it's not that serious, we know other teams had stopped coming because of them," the Facebook post elaborated. The owners expressed hope that the decisive action would encourage genuine quizzers to return to the popular midweek event.
Public Reaction and Pub's Stance
The announcement sparked a significant reaction on social media, with the community largely supporting the pub's zero-tolerance policy. One commenter questioned, "How desperate do you have to be to cheat in a fun pub quiz?" while another made a humorous reference to the famous 'Wagatha Christie' case with: "And the team is... Rebecca Vardy!"
When quizzed on how the cheating was accomplished, given the paper-based format, the pub responded that it is "Very easy to cheat with traditional paper quizzes," adding, "We just hope that people are honest and genuine. Unfortunately there are a few bad apples out there." The method of detection, however, remains a closely guarded secret, with the pub declining to share its tactics when directly asked by a follower.
The pub has firmly stated that banning cheaters is now established policy, aiming to protect the integrity and enjoyment of the quiz for all participants.
