High drama at quiz final

IT WAS neck and neck at the last round for the two teams who last night battled it out at the final of the Thomas Crosbie Holdings All-Ireland Schools Quiz.

Rathgar’s High School pipped the win from Newbridge College after a tense 10 rounds at a score of 86 to 82.

The thrilling championship quiz in association with RTE 1 and Apple saw 208 schools compete this year. Newbridge College, which claimed first prize in 2005, took the lead in the opening round of the final this year. However, High School fought back and kept the lead in six of the ten rounds.

Though the teams were level as quizmaster Alf McCarthy led them into the final round, High School secured the win. “I want to pay tribute to both teams and acknowledge the fact that they have been great ambassadors for their schools,” said Anthony Dinan, TCH Group managing director.

“It could have been a tie-breaker. Questions are hard if you don’t know them and easy if you do,” added Mr Dinan.

Quiz champions Mark Horgan, Tom Roseingrave, Beth Kelly and Evan O’Callaghan won an Apple iCART Mobile classroom for their school. The runners-up: Ciaran O’Carroll, Ralph Hurley-O’Dwyer, Neil Diver and Daniel Diver secured an Apple iMAC computer for their school. Each finalist also received an Apple iPod Nano.

In all, 1,248 students competed in this year’s contest. The parents of Andrew Quinlan — captain of the winning 1996 Christian Brothers College Cork team who tragically died the same year in a car crash — presented the winners with the trophy which is named after their late son.