Apex Competition Winners and Clues 

1971 JACK-A-LENT N C Dexter   Bowl one fast, Dolly
C Allen Baker   Falstaff, familiarly a fast old boy

1972  COMEDIES Mrs N Jarman   ' The Frogs'etc, issue croaks

OLEASTER    PD clue    Azed   Spaceman found wh/o I'd buried on moon

1973  RE-EDIT/WRINGS  R & L clue
Mrs N Jarman   Dicky grins, and Watergate's leading character twists censor again, destroying dire ends of tape

ORIBI   PD clue  Cdr H L Dickson   With a strong min/d a weak heart

1974  DERRICK MACNUTT C J & R S Morse  Giant towering over the bores - man cut out to take on Torquemada's lead
ANTEDATE  PD clue   J B Sweeting   Will the Tories still be led by their m/aster ?

1975 AZED BOOK OF CROSSWORDS C O Butcher   This concoction needs a clear head: surprisingly crowds of boozers do ask for it

ARID  PD clue J C Brash   Some comedians consider a vic/e alas, a butt for their humour

1976 LEONARD BERNSTEIN D V Harry   A most successful composer's dinner Les ran - to be recollected with excitement

ASTER  PD clue M D Laws    To save resources we had, w/e cycled whenever possible

1977 FACE   PD clue C O Butcher   Since Christmas the pounds manifested again o/n torso

1978 ASCERTAIN  DLM clue in form of New Year's Resolution
Brian Head   To keep away from my sweetheart in case my wife should find out

1979 STRENGTH   Composite Anagram clue  
Bert Franco   Tights rent doing the twist !  lacking this it might appear

1980 MONEY(redundant word) BEAST Double clue
F Stubbs Fat English tucking into a lot of Scotch broth lay about like swine

E Newlove My one shot makes rhino blink - brute opens bleary eye and sits tight

1981 CARD-CAS(T)LE/T(R)ANSVERSAL  Double LL clue & misprint in CARD-CASTLE
Brian Greer Crook steals van, going across multi-storey park for vehicle left in deserted position

1982 COLLABORATORS
Don Manley   Company returning clue, people skilled with words

1983 SPLIT PERSONALITIES
Jeff Aronson   Ill patients or spies ?  Could be

1984 THE ART OF THE CROSSWORD
Adam Sobey   Tract for hordes who set enigmatically

1985  OMERS/RIANT
Reg Mostyn  Botham's in right lively form in Somerset: may make for Bath

1986  GALLIMAUFRY
Paul Henderson  Gulp! DLM and Playfair intertwined?  That makes for a complex __________ , with PD (PL) as well

1987 (ST)ANDARD-BEARER
Alfreda Blanchard  Branded a rare crackpot, he might pass with flying colours

1988 INSPECTOR MORSE
Roger Hooper   Tec with no Mrs, so ripe for entanglement

1989 CRAFTSMANSHIP
Jonathan Crowther   E.g. good cabinet-making - has PM's in fact deteriorated ?

1990 SEPTUAGENARIAN
Alfreda Blanchard  First world war baby now unravelling parentage in USA

1991  ANNIVERSARY
Will Scotland  After one starts to be forgotten, wives carry on improperly

1992 COLIN DEXTER
Colin Dexter   Enter two from Oxford CID - and start of literary career for me

1993 JONATHAN CROWTHER
Will Scotland   Judge on whom rather neat bit of clueing is wasted ? (That's me binned !)

1994 TENONER
Derek Harrison  Non fattening spread might get you fitter

1995 PORTRAITURE
Colin Dexter   It's truer with top RA, I fancy

1996 TOURNAMENT  
Mick Freeman   In which knight and mount tear endlessly

1997 DIVERTISSEMENT
Jonathan Crowther  I've found penetrating devious setter's mind an enjoyable distraction

1998 ALFRED EDWARD HOUSMAN DLM clue in form of rhyming couplet
Away to Ludlow farmers head
And there in verse my thoughts were led
David Dare-Plumpton

1999 MY FAVOURITE POEM Anne Boyes
Work to fair move me? Yup!

2000 Anagram of "WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER NOW FOR THIRTY YEARS, AND…." plus up to any six letters from "YEARS OF CLUING"
Every one's been - what's the only word for it? - Great!(Anag + LOS)
Joyce Cansfield

2001 ROBERT BROWNING Anne Boyes
To be in Britain now? G-r-r .,. that's not quite how I put it!

2002 ERIC CHALKLEY Kevin McDermid
New year, check list, blimey, no end of joy: it's _____ _____ MBE!

In 2002 Apex retired from running the Xmas puzzles and Phi took over the task.

2003: LABYRINTHINE:  With Blair in the wrong about Kelly’s end, Hutton’s conclusion is perplexing  (y in anag. inc. n; Jeff Aronson)

2004: HOGMANAY: New Year’s Eve may start with moderation, but ends with a good many drunk  (ho + anag. inc. g; Richard Morse)

2005: FREUDIAN SLIP: Frail undies come undone with a bit of pulling, revealing boob (anag. + p; Richard Heald)

2006: MEMORIAL: Middle East foolishness has left in its wake a reminder of war’s victims (ME moria l; Jonathan Crowther)

2007: misprint clue to BUTLER: Man responsible for battery, vicious brute receiving term in jail (l in anag; buttery; Richard Heald)

2008: PRECIPITATE: Hail Eric’s endless appetite for puzzling (anag. – e; Richard Morse)

2009: SERAPHIM (with a latent letter): Order foremost in heavenly praise (SERAPHI(M); anag. & lit; Colin Gumbrell)

2010: ROADSHOW: Rash Woods getting end away badly hit performances on tour (anag. – s; Tim Moorey)

2011: GHOSTWRITTEN: The worst thing about leaving husband is going out under a different name (anag. – h; John Tozer)

2012: Clue to one of (TEN)SILE, AN(TEN)NA or SHOR(TEN)ED - define long word, cryptic indication to shorter one:
Thematic answers are entered thus, otherwise parts discarded  (Roger Phillips)

2013: ARTHUR WYNNE: New York World’s first – and rather “fun” – puzzle? Fellow recalled for such   (Richard Heald)

2014: ENTROPY:  Greece’s latest new left backed end to austerity and measure of disorder?  (Philip Marlow)