Independent Crossword 8291 by Raich (Saturday prize puzzle 11-05-2013)

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Well my most recent blog of the Independent was on Grand National day – now it’s cup final day – Maybe a cup final theme today?

Unlike my previous blog, my suspicions proved to be correct and provided no little amusement for me. If you’d ever wondered the origins of my pseudonym, try a little rearrangement of the letters. If you’ve got that far, know a little thing about football rivalry and worked out the theme you may see a little irony in the blogging rotor.

If the previous paragraph is completely cryptic, then let me explain the theme:

It relates to events on 5th May 1973  – one of the most memorable FA cup finals I’ve ever witnessed. The mighty Leeds United (virtually invincible) turned up to play 2nd division, mid table Sunderland at Wembley. No one gave the Sunderland team a chance (other than perhaps a few very optimistic Sunderland fans) – but at least it would be a good day out.

It turned into a very good day out for them (1ac) fans with Ian 13ac/17ac scoring the only goal of the game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c97GEb44I0) against 20ac United. Sunderland were  captained by Bobby 6ac, with Dave 25ac in defence and the hero of the day (for his remarkable double save http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZmFoo4payA) Jimmy 32ac. The manager Bob Stokoe gets a mention in the clue for 15ac. and of course the centrally placed 22ac is the competition.

It was a fantastic game and even as a Newcastle supporter – it was a marvellous match to watch. And before you ask – I am glad they won it. There was a regional development agency aptly called “One North East” – there is only one north east and it happens to be the only place in England I would ever live.

Many thanks Raich.

PS. Some nice clues too.

Key:

Rev. Reverse, * Anagram, DD Double definition, Underline – definition

ACROSS

1 Winners of forty years back break apart, come down to earth (10)

Sunder (break apart) + land (come down to earth) = SUNDERLAND

6 Actress Deborah, looker romantic (to some extent) (4)

Hidden looKER Romantic = KERR

10 Soldiers compete until wine’s produced (7)

OR (Soldiers) + vie (compete) + to (until) = ORVIETO

11 PM from left needing to stick around (7)

cement (stick) around l (left) = CLEMENT as in Attlee

12 Bank needs unlimited help? Nonsense (8)

Dogger (bank) + el (unlimited h-el-p) = DOGGEREL

13 Composer’s dark ale (6)

DD PORTER (Cole Porter)

14 Vestment Oblate’s written about (3)

rev. hidden oBLAte = ALB

15 Stokoe originally genial at heart abroad, somewhere in Italy (5)

S (Stokoe originally) + (enia)* = SIENA

17 Life altering day in Flodden?

(life)* + d (day) = FIELD (Flodden field – famous battlefield in Northumberland where the English and Scots fought)

20 22 runners-up in castle (5)

DD LEEDS

22 Fellow almost expert at university competition (2,3)

F (fellow) + ace – e (almost expert) + up (at university) = FA CUP

24 Drug Bill (3)

DD TAB

25 Sidekick‘s question about TV schedule husband ignored (6)

what’s on (question about TV schedule) – h(husband) = WATSON

27 Get off as Inspector’s beginning to measure old nut needing adjustment (8)

DI’s (Inspector) + m (beginning to measure) + o (old) + (nut)* = DISMOUNT

29 Weapon used by ultimately arrogant poetry expert from East (7)

T (ultimately arrogant) + Rev (Ode (poetry) + Pro (expert)) = TORPEDO

30 Part of pub male went around showing prize possession (3,4)

Rev. hidden puB MALE WEnt = EWE LAMB

31 Reportedly cure Greek’s weak point (4)

Homonym heal (cure) = HEEL (as in Achilles)

32 Old soldier’s memory good not failing (10)

(memory g not)* = MONTGOMERY

DOWN

1 Swimmer‘s promise at end of heat to get involved in water trip (9)

word (promise) + t (end of heat) in sail (water trip) = SWORDTAIL

2 Safe to travel leaving bay briefly for a change (9)

(leaving + ba)* = NAVIGABLE

3 1ac 20 11, 11 (7)

DD Sunderland, Leeds = ELEVENS

4 A solo feel when playing such an album (5-4)

(a solo feel)* = LOOSE LEAF

5 Pleasant resort (4)

DD NICE

7 High jump say equally balanced, tense (5)

Even (equally balanced) + t (tense) = EVENT

9 Try out door regularly, it revolves (5)

tRy OuT dOoR = ROTOR

16 Caught their act lively professional (9)

(c + their act)* = ARCHITECT

18 Swapping ends of court inspire followers (9)

Encourage (inspire) swapping c for t (ends of court) = ENTOURAGE

19 call it with skill? Perhaps not (9)

Dub(call) + it + ably 9with skill) = DUBITABLY

21 Cricket statistician – e.g. 13 17 for 1A (6)

DD SCORER (Porterfield for Sunderland)

23 Bring up Gold record chart current in Argentina (7)

Rev (or(gold)+ep (record)+ map(chart))  = PAMPERO

25 Engineer not finishing check in period of duty (5)

Watt (engineer) – t(not finishing) + ch (check) =  WATCH

26 Cardinal’s article covering religious education(5)

The (article) around re (religious education) = THREE

28 Interpol officer hides traveller (4)

Hidden IntePOL Officer = POLO (as in Marco) – subtle reference to Marco Gabbiadini?

17 comments on “Independent Crossword 8291 by Raich (Saturday prize puzzle 11-05-2013)”

  1. I found this quite difficult because of the football theme which was totally beyond my comprehension (never heard of any of those players, of course) but I solved it in the end with aid and quite a lot of use of the “check” button. I liked 18d & 23d and my favourites were LET OFF & WATSON.

    I was unable to parse 29a, 25d, 10a, 12a, 21d & 3d.

    New words for me were ewe-lamb, swordtail and alb (last in).

    Thanks for the blog, twencelas. What was the “clement, clement” doing in 3d?

  2. Well, since Raich and I are the twin pillars of support for the red-and-white stripes on 225, I am going to be liking this, aren’t I?

    I chunter on about themes sometimes, but this was of course right up my street (and made the inevitable references a write-in). But there was some excellent clueing elsewhere: I especially liked ORVIETO, ENTOURAGE, DUBITABLY and DOGGEREL. EWE-LAMB was the only unknown word to me.

    I think Raich, a bit like Orlando in Another Place, is a bit of an understated setter (and I’m not saying that because we’re both Sunderland fans). There’s always plenty to enjoy without it being too fiendish.

    As for the game itself … Tueart takes the corner, Watson gets up far post, knocks it down and Porterfield absolutely buries it past Harvey. Half the stadium and the entire population of Sunderland and surrounds goes absolutely mental. Monty’s double save? Can’t see it enough times. Stokoe running on the pitch at the end? Tears every time. Just like it happened yesterday (although we’ve won nowt since …)

    Thank you to Raich and to our closet Toon Army blogger (I agree with you about the NE, btw).

  3. Thanks, twencelas – especially for the elucidation of the origin of your pseudonym!

    I beg to differ on PAMPERO, which is a wind in Argentina, thus current. The construction is OR EP MAP all reversed.

    Michelle @1, Raich’s misled you nicely – look at the numbers… 😉

  5. My brother is the football fan in our family and appears to have the same allegiance as our blogger. You’d think that growing up in the north east and living in Leeds in 1973, I’d remember the 1973 cup final, but I was probably too busy preparing for my finals at the time. I do recall a reference to Sunderland in the final series of I’m Sorry I’ll Read that Again, later that year. My first parsing of 21dn was that both Porter and Field were composers so scorers in that sense.

    I confidently entered DUBITABLE for 19dn and then spent the rest of the day unable to get 32ac, the only answer I was unable to fill in. Only now do I see I’d misread the clue at 19dn

  6. NeilW@3
    please explain, as I mentioned I have a total blind spot when it comes to football. I have no idea what you are talking about….

  7. Michelle, the answer to 3d is ELEVENS. Do you really still think that 11,11 is “clement, clement”. You don’t need to know anything about football.

  8. Thanks Raich & Twencelas. I rarely comment on the Indy puzzles (some day when I have more time perhaps), but this time nostalgia forces me to have my say. I know almost as little as Michelle does about football, or at least what contributors here call football, and I have no idea who is playing in the FA Cup this year and frankly don’t care. But it just so happens that 40 years ago I was at university and while I had a lot better things to do than watch TV, especially a round-ball game that I didn’t understand, I did watch that final. I was living on campus at International House and several of my new friends were abuzz with the fairy tale presence of a second division (huh?) team playing one of the powerhouse teams and convened a F*** All Cup party. Memory being what it is, I remember the two team names, the result and even the score even though I haven’t thought of that night (for night it was in Melbourne), for 40 years. The players’ names and the rest of the references were lost on me but the main clues went straight in. For a trip down memory lane, thank you very much to blogger and setter, and K’s D for the colour commentary.

  9. We seem to have had a few puzzles themed around the round ball lately; time to think about the oval one – or the Oval (or Lord’s or Trent Bridge) one maybe?

    That being said, this wasn’t too difficult once I got 4dn which led to 22ac and meant 1ac had to end in LAND.

    For those to whom EWE-LAMB was new, the reference is Biblical – see 2 Samuel chapter 12, v3.

    Thanks, Raich and Twencelas.

  10. Michelle, we are being a bit cruel to you. If you know nothing about football, then I will explain. The clue refers to Sunderland and Leeds, the two football teams that contested the final 40 years ago. And since there are eleven players in a football team, they are often referred to as an ‘eleven’. So ’11, 11′ is ELEVENS.

    There’ll be a cricket-themed puzzle for you soon …

  11. Great crossword, but brought back mixed memories of the day. The Cup final result almost ruined my engagement party in Leeds, where my fiance was an avid Leeds supporter

  12. Many thanks, twencelas, for the excellent blog and happy that it was confirmed in the last week or so that Tyne-Wear derbies (not for the faint-hearted!) will continue in the Premier League for at least another season. Puzzle was designed to be solvable by the average solver who had no interest whatsoever in football. So I thought it would be unfair to put (“the Messiah”) STOKOE (as a rather unusual name) in the grid but he had to be referred to in some way because of his role in the triumph. Hence his appearance in a clue. He is the only former Newcastle player who has a statue of him at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.

    Sadly both he and Ian Porterfield have passed on, but will never be forgotten.

    Speaking of pseudonyms (and I’d not realised the significance of your own till you explained it now) Bobby Kerr (6 across) was the second Sunderland captain to lift the FA Cup. The first in 1937 (digits reversed) was Raich Carter when, Sunderland, already six times League champions, finally broke their FA Cup hoodoo. If you look closely at pictures of that FA Cup finally arriving in the North East with Raich on the top of a double-decker bus, you’ll see those pictures were taken in Newcastle.

    Many thanks also to all those who commented.

  13. HKColin@7 and KsDad@10
    Thanks for the explanation about 11, 11. I think it proves that when there is a clue involving anything to do with football, my brain goes into sleep mode.

    I’d be very happy to do a cricket-themed puzzle! Although I never played cricket myself I enjoyed watching many Test matches at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground).

  15. Raich@14
    Thanks for the information about your cricket-themed puzzle. I wish I had done it but I hadn’t started doing the Independent puzzles then, and I don’t think that the Independent archives its puzzles online, unfortunately.

    Although I didn’t understand any of the football references in this puzzle, I did enjoy it and was able to finish it, so thank you, Raich.

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