Clue-Writing Competition 2007
JANUARY 2007 - SUBNIVEAL (9)
1st...Ian Harper... Ivan's blue, shivering - typical of Russia in winter?
2nd...AJ Moore...Under snow, public transport reverts to an evil shambles
3rd...John Tozer...Sort of habitat that could become unviable after onset of spring?
4th...Mick Hodgkin...No good leaving - bus broken down, buried by snow
5th...Tim Moorey...Abuse in Oval ground after a ball dropped - sledging's tough at that level!
RUNNERS-UP
Dave Parfitt; Mike Warburton; Chris Jones; Richard Morse; Doug Peterson; Brian Douglas
FEBRUARY 2007 - EEJIT (5)
1st...Brian Douglas...Put back Chianti, Jeeves, and get out the Scotch, stupid person!
2nd...Richard Saunders...Jet that is out of order, getting O'Leary's goat?
3rd...Rod Harling...Glaswegian pot-head eyes joint oddly
4th...Luciano Ward...In the course of seven joints, this twit is regularly spaced out
5th...Joe O'Farrell...Father Dougal in Drumcree? Jittery!
RUNNERS-UP
Dave Parfitt; Margaret Irvine; Ken Horne; Paul Pendle; Don Manley; Chris Jones; Ian Williams
MARCH 2007 - WAITPERSON (10)
1st...Mike Warburton...American splitting tips with owner cooking?
2nd...Richard Saunders...Server with panties or otherwise?
3rd...Luciano Ward...Was e-porn I distributed blocked by closure of Internet server?
4th...Trevor Crowther...PC server
5th...Mark Wilson...Review I wrote pans restaurant staff
RUNNERS-UP
Jon Wilkinson.; Dave Parfitt; Joe O'Farrell; Ian Harper; Margaret Irvine
April 2007 - LEMONADE (8) Misprint Clue
1st...John Tozer...Ratty and Mole associated with riverside's ultimate fop
2nd...Richard Saunders...French daily holding a mop
3rd...Mark Goodliffe...Miser loaned me change
4th...Margaret Irvine...clue 26...Old seamen start off discordant element of shanty
5th...Don Manley...Frink's line? One dame for sculpting
RUNNERS-UP
Bob Hammond; Niall MacSweeney; Ken Horne; Luciano Ward; Dave Tilley; Tim Moorey
May 2007 - GAS (3)
1st...Margaret Irvine...He's one to give up
2nd...Luciano Ward...Guts, alas, if churning could cause one this flatus?
3rd...Chris Jones...Georgia's main problem with Russia?
4th...Bob Hammond...Gilbert and Sullivan's overtures are something quite delightful
5th...Ian Harper...He's a noble sort; the first to give, for instance
RUNNERS-UP
Nick Smith; Chris F.A. Johnson; Dave Parfitt; John Tozer;Brian Douglas...clue 16
June 2007 - CURVEBALL (9)
1st...Robin Gilbert...Valuable car's broken down, but no AA - it's not what I expect!
2nd...Richard Morse...Priest dancing round Vatican City? It's not what's expected!
3rd...Chris Jeremy...This pitch is virtually unplayable. Club are left very agitated
4th...Ian Harper...Breaking thereby leaving Babe Ruth cleverly beaten?
5th...Dave Williams...You won't expect this weird, truncated verbal clue
RUNNERS-UP
Mike Warburton; John Tozer; Pete Milne; Chris Jones; Peter Cargill
July 2007 - SALVO (5)
1st...Tim Moorey...With leaves spotted on line, sources in Virgin offer old excuse
2nd...Richard Saunders...Half-volley as bad as volley!
3rd...Luciano Ward...Erratic voltages might make you get this battery replaced?
4th...Dave Williams...Sustained volley starts to stretch Arantxa's lead to 5–0
5th...Bob Hammond... A round of shots is also drunk about five!
RUNNERS-UP
Pete Milne; Ken Dunn; Robin Gilbert; Gauri Shringarpure; Ian Harper
August 2007 - SURFING (7)
1st... Dave Williams...Sign of shark seen in swell cut short seaside sport
2nd...Richard Saunders...Sport exotic furs in glamorous debut
3rd...Ian Harper...Machine guns fire unceasingly, searching randomly for hits
4th...Tom Borland...First sign of shark in swell and this is curtailed!
=5th...Luciano Ward...Train runs, if gently at first, shuffling from station to station
=5th...Richard Morse...What propels aquatic types to get into a big wave, wanting a bit of excitement?
RUNNERS-UP
Trevor Crowther; Vinod Raman; Ken Horne; Ken Dunn; Don Manley; Roger Dickinson.
September 2007 - GREENGROCER (Letters Latent)
1st...Don Manley...Always getting back corner shot? My squash mustn't be bad!
2nd...Eddie Looby...King embraced by young hussy, one selling oranges?
3rd...John Tozer...Reflect predicament over English: er, do I write "banana's"?
4th...Ian Harper...Roger's cycling with unlimited energy - perhaps he needs a pulse counter?
=5th...Tim Moorey...Even given Fail in exam, one should avoid sour grapes
=5th...Luciano Ward...Retailer on corner's worried about emergence of E-shopping
RUNNERS-UP
Peter Cargill; Robin Gilbert; Andrew Varney; Mick Hodgkin.
October 2007 NAIL-BITER (9)
1st...Mick Hodgkin...Caught by one exposing lies, heads of BBC intervene to close contest
2nd...Tim Moorey...Close to conclusion, one real tight boxing scrap?
3rd...Niall MacSweeney...Close-run thing, as shattered Albion tire, losing ball
4th...Richard Saunders...It's hard to call Iran without new BT line that's been ordered
=5th...Don Manley...A nibbler losing extremity of thumb when troubled? One tense inside
=5th...Luciano Ward...Anxious sort? Get Ritalin and be free and easy
=5th...Ken Horne...Make fast snack recipe for anxious eater
RUNNERS-UP
Rod Harling; Les Lewis; Ken Dunn; John Tozer; Tom Borland; Robin Gilbert
December 2007 BAUBLE & TINSEL (Rhyming couplet; cryptic and DLM)
1st...Luciano Ward
This gaudy gift in Sellotape contains
A knick-knack that my tearful babe disdains
2nd...Tom Borland
In stellar light agleam, the Wise Men took
Fancy gold for One revealed in Holy Book
3rd...Brian Douglas
In ancient hill of Arab lands short lengths of glitter see
And on a table but one ball, to decorate the tree
4th...Ian Harper
A double-barrelled clue? For "decoration on a tree"
AND for "shiny strips of metal"? Sadly silent's what I'll be
5th...Margaret Irvine
What's on the tree? Can upset boy,
A fretful babe, have cuddly toy?
RUNNERS-UP Wil Ransome; Richard Morse; Ken Horne; Brian Dungate
Annual Results
1st...Richard Saunders...22pts
2nd...Luciano Ward...20pts
3rd...Ian Harper...16pts
4th...John Tozer...13pts
5th...Tim Moorey...11pts