◀  No. 119414 May 1995 Clue list No. 1203  ▶

AZED CROSSWORD 1200

Nine letter word (C and T latent)

1.  N. C. Dexter: Hutton-follower in Oval’s delirious! (VOL(C)ANIS(T); anag.; see Vulcanist in C.; ref. L. Hutton’s record-breaking innings of 364 at the Oval in 1938).

2.  T. J. Moorey: So Imran gets hitched – influence of white lady or LSD? (NAR(C)O(T)ISM; anag.; ref. Imran Khan’s recent marriage to Goldsmith heiress).

3.  C. A. Clarke: Ray upset about gripe – Atherton’s position no longer tenable ((C)AP(T)AINRY; pain in anag.; ref. R. Illingworth, England team manager).

VHC

C. J. Brougham: Possibly Atherton should bag 500 against West Indies – who can stop his pull shots? (MID-WI(C)KE(T); D + WI in Mike).

R. M. S. Cork: He might put energy into a haymaker ((C)RICKE(T)ER; E in ricker, & lit.).

D. B. Cross: I deceive Lara, happed by a Chinaman ((C)HARLA(T)AN; anag. in Han).

E. Cross: I run one out, one who’s scored 100 ((C)EN(T)URION; anag.).

R. A. England: In early, bats with resolution ((C)ER(T)AINLY; anag.).

C. J. Feetenby: Lancashire’s middle orders dismissed in Battle of Roses? Yorks ones would be pleased! (SELE(CT)ORS; L, e in anag.).

H. Freeman: Get measure of Lara and Bishop? That is tricky ((C)ALIBRA(T)E; anag. incl. B, i.e.).

C. R. Gumbrell: The leading part in England’s lies on Illy (SELE(CT)ION; anag. incl. E, & lit.; ref. R. Illingworth, nicknamed Illy).

A. J. Guy: Help for spinners made 500 out of the question: the game’s over! ((C)HECKMA(T)E; heck + ma(D)e).

E. M. Holroyd: Batting a very long time, changing ends – cricket can be restricted here (INSE(CT)ARY; in + years changing ends).

R. Hope-Jones: Player puts energy into a haymaker ((C)RICKE(T)ER; e in ricker).

C. Hopkins: Atherton’s role at the crease is to take apart one commonly spoken of as fast ((C)AP(T)AINCY; in in a pacy).

Mrs D. B. Jenkinson: One visually challenged in faint light plays on gamely (NY(CT)ALOPS; anag.).

R. E. Kimmons: Bat carefully? A single’s no good – swiping is the answer (PO(C)KE(T)ING; poke I ng).

J. Pearce: Outwit veteran Sobers with one that turns ((C)ROSSBI(T)E; anag. incl. I).

Mrs V. M. Riley: Wide and one’s given out? (BROAD(C)AS(T); broad a’s).

R. Rogan: Bat’s one not out: then comes pitcher on a length … (NO(CT)URNAL; n.o. + urn + a l).

D. A. Simmons: W. G.’s achievement – opener at the forefront of England (DO(CT)ORATE; door at E; ref. Dr W. G. Grace).

D. H. Tompsett: Unhappy choice as night-watchman – plays on googly (NY(CT)ALOPS; anag.).

R. J. Whale: Flat green playing surface? Lara’d be rampant! ((C)ARD-(T)ABLE; anag.).

G. H. Willett: In dominant style England’s openers regain the initiative ((C)EN(T)RALLY; En + rally).

S. Woods: It’s festival time – I smash runs all over the place ((C)HRIS(T)MAS; anag. incl. r).

HC

W. Anderson, F. D. H. Atkinson, A. Barker, M. Barley, I. Barr, M. J. Bath, R. C. Bell, Mrs K. Bissett, J. M. Brown, B. Burton, D. A. Campbell, I. Carr, G. P. Conway, K. W. Crawford, P. Crozier, M. Cutter, D. J. Dare-Plumpton, Dr I. S. Fletcher, E. Forbes, R. P. C. Forman, M. Freeman, N. C. Goddard, H. J. Godwin, P. F. Henderson, S. Hewitt, A. Hodgson, L. M. Keet, J. P. Lester, R. K. Lumsdon, W. F. Main, L. K. Maltby, D. F. Manley, H. Margolis, H. W. Massingham, J. R. C. Michie, E. Miller, G. Perry, A. E. Renwick, G. Robinson, C. Robson, M. Sanderson, W. J. M. Scotland, J. M. Sharman, N. E. Sharp, T. Shaw, B. Solomons, R. Stocks, P. L. Stone, R. C. Teuton, C. Watson, Ms S. Whittall, M. A. L. Willey, D. Williamson, W. Woodruff, A. J. Young, Dr E. Young, R. F. Zobel.
 

ANNUAL HONOURS LIST (13 COMPETITIONS)
1. C. R. Gumbrell (3 prizes, 9 VHCs); 2. T.J. Moorey (3, 5); 3 (equal). C.J. Brougham (1, 8), N. C. Dexter (3, 4), P. F. Henderson (3, 4), C. J. Morse (1, 8). 7. D. F. Manley (1, 7); 8. R. C. Teuton (0, 7); 9 (equal). M. Barley (1, 4), C. A. Clarke (1,4), H. W. Massingham (0, 6), G. H. Wilett (1, 4); 13 (equal). E.J. Burge (0, 5), V. Dixon (1, 3), E. Dawid (1, 3), P. D. Gaffey (1, 3), R.J. Palmer (1, 3); 18 (equal). D. Appleton (0, 4), D. R. Robinson (1, 2), D. H. Tornpsett (0, 4), A. J. Wardrop (1, 2), R. J. Whale (1, 2), D. Williamson (0, 4). Consolation prizes R. C. Teuton, H. W. Massingham, E. J. Burge, D. Appleton, F. R. Palmer, D. H. Tompsett, D. Williamson.

 
Comments
 
262 entries, with no mistakes in the diagram. (A few chose words to clue of the wrong length or involving the wrong abbreviation.) I was rather disappointed at the low turn-out, but it was clearly a hard puzzle, perhaps too hard for such a milestone event. I apologize for the theme to those who detest or are bored by cricket, but could think of no better way of marking the occasion. As many of you recalled Ximenes No. 1200 was entitled ‘Legsin Cricotas’ and was a single acrostic, the initial letters of the across answers forming an anagram of Marylebone Cricket Club. Lord’s Cricket Ground was also worked into the puzzle, and all the clues (with amazing wit and economy) were worded with reference to cricket. For his last puzzle it was a tour de force. (By the way, for the surprising number who were foxed by my title, ‘Cricket-mad Turn’ is an anagram of Derrick Macnutt.) Anyway my thanks for all the kind remarks about my reaching the MCC mark. I look forward very much to celebrating No. 1250 with many of you next year.
 
I suppose giving you a free hand to pick your own word to clue made the competition more of a lottery than usual, but it also made an interesting change. (One computer-literate regular reckoned it gave you about 3700 words to choose from!) Most popular by far was CRICKETER (understandably), followed by MID-WICKET, the former proving more difficult to clue in convincing cricket-speak than the latter. Ultimately that was the real test (sorry!), to produce a sound and witty clue that at the same time read like a genuine bit of writing about cricket. Many clues submitted were just a bit too forced in this respect – another reason I let you choose your own word. Another common fault was over-complexity. Letters Latent clues should if anything be more straightforwardly cryptic than average, I feel, since the full answer does not appear and can only be inferred from the definition part. Given these strictures the three prize-winners here succeed triumphantly.
 
I was asked for my views on ‘linking words’ in LL-type clues, i.e. words like ‘for’ and ‘in’ linking the cryptic indication (of the treated form) with the definition (of the untreated form). Strictly speaking – and my ideas on such matters have tended to become more strictly purist with the passing years – I think they should be avoided, because the two parts of the clue are not to the same form and therefore the one cannot truly be said to produce (‘for’, etc) or represent (‘in’, etc) the other. Also, quite simply, the absence of linking words usually produces a neater clue overall, whatever the clue type.
 
Congratulations to all those featured in the Honours List, and especially to our new champion, who only began competing regularly about three years ago, on his rapid rise to stardom. And my thanks as usual to Mr Ron Dearden for his stalwart work as scorer!
 

 

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