CCCWC Christmas Special 2017 competition results
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40 clues entered. 35 votes cast (29 competitors, 6 others).
ARCHER (Printer’s Devilry)
A final flourish to a fine year for Steve Randall with victory in the Christmas Printer's Devilry challenge! This was his 3rd win of the year as part of his 7 top 5 finishes – superb consistency and well done Steve!
Paul Coulter snatched 2nd spot with his first podium place for a good while – unlucky Paul, just 3 points adrift with a clue that incorporated topicality!
John Tozer also plumped for some topicality and was rewarded with his 6th podium of the year in 3rd place – another excellent year for JT!
The PD challenge often throws some different names into the mix and Nick Smith makes his first appearance since 2008 (more topicality!) – congratulations Nick!
Michael Kindred squeezed out the last mention of the year with his 3rd top 5 finish in 5th place – well done Michael!
ANNUAL COMPETITION
That 1st place cemented the top spot for Steve Randall in this year's annual honours list. Hearty congratulations to Steve for an excellent year of cluemanship. He's your man to beat in 2018!
John Tozer ensured he hung on to 2nd place for yet another year of solid performance – well done John!
David McKie and Toby Robertson shared 3rd place. Toby was second overall last year so really good effort to maintain this level, whilst David has risen from the ranks – can he improve further in 2018?
Colin Thomas and Satyen Nabar complete the Annual podium places – Colin repeats his excellent showing of 2016, Satyen makes a debut appearance in the upper echelons
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Steve Randall | Contented tourists return from a fishing trip | Contented tourists return from afar, cherishing trip | 49 | 4 | 1 |
| 2 | 31 | Paul Coulter | Protest Ms. May's top initiative! | Protest marchers may stop initiative | 46 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | 23 | John Tozer | Macron promises brighten ‘me generation’ of France | Macron promises bright En Marche regeneration of France; name of M’s party | 34 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | 12 | Nick Smith | For Trump, the patriotic impulses dominate | For Trump the patriarch, erotic impulses dominate | 32.5 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | 16 | Michael Kindred | In this exclusive club, boots are forbidden. | In this exclusive club bar, cheroots are forbidden. | 25.5 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | 36 | Toby Robertson | 'Stoic', read the headline describing one side's performance in the Ashes | 'Starc heroic', read the headline describing one side's performance in the Ashes [ref. Eng (devilled) / Aus (undevilled). Mitchell Starc is Aus top wicket-taker.] | 25 | 5 | 4 |
| 7 | 29 | Peter Cargill | Peace not wished for all mankind? | Peace not war cherished for all mankind | 24 | 5 | 3 |
| 8 | 1 | Luciano Ward | A classicist is familiar with Pluto’s Persephone, Zeus' Hera, etc. | A classicist is familiar with Plutarch, Eros, Persephone, Zeus, Hera, etc. (by sheer luck…EROS is example of ARCHER) | 21.5 | 4 | 5 |
| 9 | 6 | Rod Beards | Boot from non-smoking establishment | Bar cheroot from non-smoking establishment | 20.5 | 1 | 4 |
| 10 | 38 | Barry Solomons | What troubles us is Russia's bitter cold, wishing warmer times to come soon. | What troubles U.S. is Russia's bitter cold war, cherishing warmer times to come soon………(w/ar cher/ishing) | 20 | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | 34 | So fries are outselling grapes | So far cherries are outselling grapes | 17.5 | 3 | 3 | |
| 12 | 35 | Soldiers fighting along trench wished that they'd had a Christmas ceasefire | Soldiers fighting a long trench war cherished that they'd had a Christmas ceasefire | 16 | 2 | 4 | |
| 13 | 39 | Who are themselves protesting against Santa's exploitation? | Who are the marchers? Elves protesting against Santa's exploitation! (them/selves) | 14 | 1 | 5 | |
| 14 | 7 | Colour Rapunzel's Tower your favourite shade of red (6) | Colour Rapunzel's to wear? Cherry, our favourite shade of red | 13.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 15 | 2 | A disgraced MP's drinking at the Boot and Bottle, not far away. | Undevilled version: A disgraced MP's drinking at the bar, cheroot and bottle not far away. [Any resemblance to Jeffrey Archer is wholly coincidental.] | 12.5 | 4 | 3 | |
| 16 | 3 | Aims to protest between Edinburgh and London | A1 mARCHERs to protest between Edinburgh and London. The A1 road links those cities. | 12 | 2 | 5 | |
| 16 | 25 | Nice superman offers to get rid of pain | Nice supermarche ran offers to get rid of pain. Nice, supermarche, pain, all in French (no, really?) | 12 | 1 | 1 | |
| 18 | 20 | Lively Aussie, stoic in swingers bar scoring | Lively Aussie Starc! Heroic inswingers bar scoring | 11 | 2 | 2 | |
| 19 | 32 | School nativity play's tubby donkey in manger | SCHOOL NATIVITY PLAY ST/AR: CHER/UB BY DONKEY IN MANGER | 9.5 | 3 | 2 | |
| 20 | 24 | Miss, hot below the waist! | Undeviled version: Marcher is shot below the waist! M(archer)is shot… | 8 | 1 | 6 | |
| 21 | 13 | Grumpy soldiers who don't like to wish happy times with their families | Grumpy soldiers who don't like to war, cherish happy times with their families | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| 21 | 21 | Love from a fish? It's lowly. | Love from afar, cherish it slowly. | 7 | 3 | 2 | |
| 23 | 15 | I love watching movies like these, set in familiar American locations | I love watching movies like 'The Searchers', 'E.T.', in familiar American locations | 6.5 | 1 | 4 | |
| 24 | 5 | An ointment (oil) softens lightly. | A narc hero in T-men toils, often slightly. (T-men are US law enforcement agents. Eliot Ness was one.) slightly = subtly | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 25 | 14 | Here's the strand boy left behind. | Here's the starch errand-boy left behind. | 4 | 2 | 4 | |
| 26 | 18 | It's surprising how fries need to be cut back each winter | It's surprising how far cherries need to be cut back each winter | 3.5 | 5 | 2 | |
| 26 | 30 | People in for fish bridie | "People in Forf/ar cher/ish bridie". Reference to the Forfar bridie, a dish similar to a pasty. | 3.5 | 1 | 6 | |
| 28 | 10 | Disregarding the laws of evolution might be wrong (6) | Disregarding the law so fAR ,CHE, Revolution might be wrong | 2.5 | 1 | 5 | |
| 28 | 28 | Patriotically studying the early career of the First Lady. | Patriarch erotically studying the early career of the First Lady. | 2.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 30 | 9 | Cooking haute cuisine? Better the devil you know! | Cooking haute cuisine? Better the dear chervil, you know? | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 30 | 19 | Jeffrey! If you pay, the doll can be stopped from singing (6) | Jeffrey! If you pay the doll(ar Cher) can be stopped from singing (6) ref Jeffrey Archer and his libel and perjury trials etc specifically the prostitute whom he paid but denied having done so. Ie put $1 in the jukebox to get a different song if you particularly dislike Cher. | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 30 | 26 | Notice them swill down playground covered in mud | Notice the marchers will downplay ground covered in mud | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 30 | 37 | Those who go to wish the queen | Those who go to w/ar cher/ish the queen | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 34 | 11 | Fanatic patriotically aroused supporters (6) | Undevilled version: Fanatic patriARCH ERotically aroused supporters. | 1.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 34 | 40 | You can buy me a drink, if you like, Pom. Ace! | You can buy marc here – a drink, if you like pomace. (Marc is a form of brandy made from the detritus of wine-making or "pomace".) | 1.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 36 | 17 | Isn't Mitch stoic in Thea's; he's clearly the top. Stake a bowman. | Isn't Mitch Starc heroic in the Ashes. Clearly the tops: take a bow, man! (Starc: leading Australian wicket-taker in current Ashes series. Gratuitous defn.) | 0.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 37 | 4 | An ace raced Ryan dash are all in Sherwood. | An acer, a cedar, cherry and ash are all in Sherwood. | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 37 | 22 | Ma, guaranteed success in the Edinburgh tattoo | M(ARCHER)a guaranteed success in the Edinburgh tattoo | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 37 | 27 | Padres essay touchscreen devices developed to complement radio system Bowman. | Pad reseARCHERs say touchscreen devices developed to complement radio system Bowman. Def. Bowman, the Armed Forces are finding this system inadequate. | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 37 | 33 | Segovia cathedral is epic | Search, ergo, via cathedral is epic | 0 | 0 | 5 |