In thirty-five clues the wordplay leads to the answer with an extra letter which is not entered in the grid. In clue order, these letters spell out thematic information. There are eight thematic clues (two sets of four). In one set clues consist of wordplay only, in the other set the definition leads to the answer and the wordplay to the grid entry. Numbers in brackets show the length of grid entries. Solvers should highlight two thematic words (eleven cells) in the completed grid. Apart from some proper names (in Collins), all answers are in Chambers.
ACROSS
1 Running aground where French surrendered (5)
5 Advance in hollows (from the East) (8)
11 Her cap's woolly ridge (5)
12 Rotate capital letter (7)
13 Very big Spanish gentleman married (5)
14 Entranced about getting Prince - sound trumpet (4)
16 That man's local greeting bridge partners (4)
18 Essay about a very young animal (6)
20 Star manoeuvred lariat (6)
21 Isolate withdrawing function with beer (6)
24 Angler's desperate to get to know (5)
25 Defends bloke regularly in vehicle (5)
27 Wandering visitor scopes unusually low position (13)
30 Suppress mischievous line editor's backed (5)
33 Astonish with new opener - no clear view through it (5)
34 SA liberal girl I've treated (6)
36 Hurried back with vet working around, my third (6)
39 Capital is invested in space people at university (6)
42 Question of sale not being completed - that could raise temperature! (4)
43 Coming back with no clothes on, a delightful girl! (4)
45 Crowd before ship (5)
46 Soubriquet for English, perhaps,about wild nookie (7)
47 High point - year I'm in Eastern Spain (5)
48 Identify English air (opera) reverberating (8)
49 King's grandchild, a learner (5)
DOWN
1 Good row upset a girl (5)
2 Be adequate grounds for heading off allowance (4)
3 Revolt - a naval officer showing cheek takes time (8)
4 Land estate for General tomorrow (6)
5 Republican on the up in sea craft (6)
6 Talk I caught leaving training (5)
7 Brought up true god (3)
8 Grandmother's hour with a port (4)
9 It emphatically crushed lefties (6)
10 Compact reduced governing body members (4)
15 Fish spoken about without love (4)
17 Average Irishman, say, won money (6)
19 Employee (man with record) (4)
22 Promise to transform chemical compound (6)
23 Redrafted lease otherwise (4)
24 Starts to like vacation in venerable Ukrainian city (4)
26 Instrument priest changes in Seychelles (8)
28 City prisoner hauled up after disturbance (not half!) (4)
29 Sending back silly or naive (6)
31 Name relinquished by spoilt single girl (4)
32 It's colourless, mostly unheated - awful! (6)
33 He takes card machine (6)
35 US bases for lady-killers? (5)
37 Support rest on railway (5)
38 Either neighbour of English pack member (4)
40 Drag raised smiles (4)
41 Haile follower gives up time for independent country group (4)
44 For God, river's ordinary (3)
To enter this competition
send your solution in list format, plus the 2 highlighted words, to
derekharrison@yahoo.com before the 8th April 2008. The winner, picked from
the hat will receive a copy of Chambers Book of Facts which has been
donated by the publishers.