The unlikely trio are here to see him for their weekly dose of Ballarat trivia

Scores of students and workers are visiting local watering holes to test their general knowledge over a pint and parma

Larger venues such as The Mallow, Irish Murphy’s, Seymours, Blue Bell and the Black Hill Hotel make up the local trivia scene, with whispers of other pubs looking to join the circuit

We can thank them for reminding us that Vegemite was invented in 1922 and Greg Williams was the first AFL player from a non- Victorian team to win a Brownlow Medal in 1986

But knowing any of these quirky facts wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for Spud

The trivia master is partly responsible for reviving Ballarat’s dire pub-trivia scene about 21⁄2 years ago

‘‘The publicans of The Mallow [Sophie and Dallas Robb] are the ones who started it all,’’ he said

‘‘It took a lot of courage to bring a Prahran pub to Ballarat.’’ The pair later asked Spud to host The Mallow’s weekly Wednesday trivia nights

‘‘My job involves welcoming people to the pub,’’ he said

‘‘People then make up their mind about the venue and whether they’ll be coming back. I need to remember the people who are there and welcome the new teams.’’ The English teacher also writes his own trivia questions, instead of sourcing from a Melbourne-based trivia company

This skill has propelled him to the status of trivia master, instead of host

Teams are quizzed on five general knowledge rounds, including movies, sport, science, media and visual and audio

Spud then tailors the night’s questions to the crowd

‘‘It’s like teaching a class, you assess the age and the experience of the class,’’ he said

‘‘We get university students, radiologists, tradies and medical people from the hospital . . .we can get a mix of people

‘‘I want to know what the team is about, what they do for a job, what songs they listen to and the TV shows they watch,’’ he said

On a busy night about 25 teams pack into The Mallow. Last Wednesday, about 200 people attended

It was a similar story at the Peter Lalor Hotel on Tuesday nights, before the venue closed in early January

Host Greg Orchard’s Twisted Trivia averaged five teams each week

‘‘There were three teams that were there every week,’’ he said

‘‘There were another four that would rotate through and a few blow-ins.’’ Mr Orchard said Ballarat’s new trivia scene only began after The Mallow took a chance in 2012

‘‘I think there were a couple of attempts earlier on from some of the smaller pubs,’’ he said

‘‘When it didn’t do well for them, the bigger venues thought that if the smaller venues didn’t get a decent crowd, why would they? ‘‘Once The Mallow[had proven] it was possible and financially viable, then everyone got on board.’’ Trivia buff Anne Fithall-Jones was part of a trivia team at the Lalor

She started attending trivia nights to make new friends about 18 months ago

‘‘It is about taking part and having fun,’’ Ms Fithall-Jones said

‘‘For someone in her late 40s, it’s a lot of fun, you get to go out and meet new people.’’ The competitive Ms Fithall-Jones says she’s also learnt new things since attending

James Acocks was another Twisted Trivia regular

After two years of attending trivia nights in Ballarat, Mr Acocks decided to try his hand at hosting

‘‘I attended the Peter Lalor trivia night nearly every single Tuesday,’’ he said

‘‘One of my mates, Greg Orchard, was the host and I told him I’d love to try hosting.’’ Mr Acocks later stumbled across an advertisement for a trivia host position in the newspaper in mid- 2014

He went on to host the Black Hill Hotel’s Thursday night trivia

‘‘I ended up working for a company before starting to write my own questions,’’ he said

‘‘The company sent me questions, but they were not based in Ballarat.’’ But Mr Acocks wanted to make his trivia relevant for Ballarat audiences

‘‘I had a night where I only asked questions (about topics) the crowd had suggested,’’ he said

‘‘Before the night finished I grabbed three categories that the people had picked. I think it was Star Wars, Disney and football.’’ On some nights Mr Acocks’ trivia can attract crowds of about 50 people

‘‘You have to be out there and you can’t be scared to talk to a crowd,’’ he said

‘‘I worked in a call centre beforehand and I spoke to 200 people a day.’’ Mr Acocks said he enjoyed being a part of Ballarat’s trivia scene

‘‘I like to see the crowd’s interaction,’’ he said. ‘‘I have to entertain a crowd . . . that’s my job.’’ Mr Orchard shares a similar passion for the stage

‘‘I love how everyone gets into it; we have teams joining in and yelling,’’ he said

‘‘We get a build-up of social interaction. It’s a good way to make friends and expand.’’ He said the most successful trivia nights involved a variety of questions and difficulty levels

‘‘Nobody wants to go to trivia and not know anything,’’ he said

Mr Orchard considers himself more of a trivia player than host. He is taking a break following the closure of the Peter Lalor Hotel in January

‘‘At the moment I am enjoying being a player,’’ he said

‘‘I’ve been going to the Irish, Blue Bell and was going to the Black Hill on Thursdays.’’ However Mr Orchard has not hung up his mic for good

‘‘The old entertainment manager at the Lalor said there could be an opportunity to go back to hosting,’’ he said

‘‘I did enjoy it, but I think that’s because it was my pub. I might have a tighter leash if I go somewhere else.’’ Spud is also enjoying being back behind the microphone

He is now the face of Irish Murphy’s Monday night trivia, after leaving The Mallow in March 2014

‘‘Ballarat is laid-back. People come along for a good time, good drinks and good food,’’ he said

‘‘They want to do well in trivia and want to win.’’