The question was ‘What is THE THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY(-)NINTH PRIME NUMBER’ (7A/10/22/40/16/31/32/28)? The answer is 2521, the number of the puzzle, which solvers were to shade. First prize Trevor Evans, Drulingen, France Runners-up Jo Anson, Birmingham; Ian Shiels, Bramley, Leeds
The unclued lights are the names of the six principal presenters of COUNTDOWN (hence 5 4 3 2 1 as the title). The pairs are 16/33, 22/1A, 24/13, 37/34. First prize Marian Small, Harrow, Middlesex Runners-up Bill Ellison, Caversham, Reading; Jeffrey Frankland, Storth, Milnthorpe, Cumbria
The unclued lights can all be preceded by OLD which is the clued solution at 49 Across. ‘Crocks’ at 5 Across was also acceptable. First prize George Walker, Stockport Runners-up Andrew Harris, Hopesay, Shropshire; Sue Pounder, Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside
As suggested by 11A, other unclued lights were all anagrams of ducks: 12A drake; 16A teal; 28A redhead; 31A smew; 39A widgeon; 40A poker; 10D scoter; 20D shoveller. First prize Tom Shaw, Clevedon, Somerset Runners-up Sebastian Robinson, Glasgow, John Pugh, Ely, Cardiff
The unclued lights are the eleven England footballers who LINED UP at the kick-off of the Euro FINAL on 11 July. The shaded squares from top to bottom reveal the manager, GARETH SOUTHGATE. First prize James Dowson, Throwley, Kent Runners-up Steve Reszetniak, Margate, Kent; Helen Walton, Romsey, Hampshire
The unclued lights are the nouns from the opening sentence of The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter. TAFFETA was extracted from (T)ISSUE, TULIP(A), (F)AILS, (F)REEST, EQUIP(E)S and NO(TA)TION. First prize Robert Stephens, Bearsted, Kent Runners-up R. Dickinson, Lewes, East Sussex; Alan Norman, Impington, Cambridge
The name was Margaret, whose various versions are suggested by THE SPECTATOR (1: Mag), BARN OWL (10/36: Madge), LEAD HAMMER (14/34: Madge), MAGPIE (19A: Madge or Maggie), CRICKET STUMP (48: Peg), HALFPENNY (2: Mag or Meg), TURTLE HARPOON (9: Peg), PIN (16: Peg) and TEASE (Mag). MARGARET (22/23) was to be shaded. Title: cf. pearl,
Unclued lights were stories in The Return of Sherlock Holmes. (The Adventures of the: EMPTY (41) HOUSE (2), DANCING MEN (12), PRIORY (31) SCHOOL (1A), ABBEY (9) GRANGE (45), SECOND (1D) STAIN (42), and of BLACK (26) PETER (5). First prize Jonathan Dollin, Droitwich, Worcs Runners-up Ben Stephenson, London SW12; Mrs L. Miller, Vale, Guernsey
The announcement reads: ‘Fifty years ago, on July the third, Jac’s first crossword in this series was published.’ The shaded squares (from top to bottom) can be arranged to reveal SMURF, SARAH (Hayes, aka La Jerezana) MR MAGOO, MASS, COLUMBA, DOC, PABULUM, MARK (Kelmanson, aka CheeseCracker), ASCOT, RICHARD (Browne, aka Fieldfare) and JAMES (Brydon, aka
CHERRY, NETTLE, SMOKE, PLUM-PUDDING, BEES, EGG, SUNBEAM and WIND are the perimetric answers to riddles posed by NUTKIN in The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter. Nutkin’s brother is called TWINKLEBERRY (19/11) and Nutkin is a SCIURUS VULGARIS (33/35A) (red squirrel). Shaded squares give the letters of POTTER. First prize Mark Griffiths, Winsford, Cheshire
The unclued lights form pairs of anagrams, one word in each pair being a place-name: 1A/6A, 1D/21, 6D/13, 11/38, 19/30 and 22/26A. First prize David Danskin, Yaldley Hastings, Northants Runners-up Kenneth Robb, Bo’ness, West Lothian; Dennis Cotterell, Carlisle
Twelve symmetrically disposed unclued entries comprise three pairs of Spoonerisms (an anagram of the title): POURING RAIN/ROARING PAIN, FRYING PAN/PRYING FAN and COTTON REEL/ROTTEN KEEL. First prize John Kitchen, Breachwood Green, Herts Runners-up Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham; Justin Koprowski, High Wycombe, Bucks
The perimeter quote is from ‘Ode to the West Wind’. The remaining unclued lights were the east wind (24A), south wind (30A), north wind (37A), and west wind (17A) which was to be highlighted. First prize Sarah Drury, Devizes, Wiltshire Runners-up Len Coumbe, Benfleet, Essex; Stephen Billyeald, Pangbourne, Berkshire
The unclued lights (including the pair at 24/28) are CHEESES. First prize Rhidian Llewellyn, London SW14 Runners-up H. Sarson, Guernsey, Jim Dewes, Hartley Wintney, Hants
The unclued lights are characters and places associated with King Arthur. First prize Belinda Bridgen, London NW8 Runners-up John Samson, Edinburgh; Danuta Rosendorff, Coogee, NSW, Australia
The unclued lights are ferns: RUSTY-BACK (26/5A), WALL RUE (48/7A), MAIDENHAIR (1D/11), OSMUNDA (18), BIRD’S-NEST (20/45) and POLYPODY (24). PTERIDOMANIA (diagonally from 10) could have induced this puzzle and was to be shaded. Title: cf. Adder’s-tongue. First prize Lyndsay Ashley, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex Runners-up Peter Taylor-Mansfield, Worcester; Rhiannon Hales, Ilfracombe, Devon
The unclued lights are the final headwords for B, D, E, F, S, T, U, W, as listed in Chambers. First prize Peter Summerton, Southampton Runners-up Mrs D. King, Leeds; Neville Twickel, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire
Unclued lights are nuts, as suggested in the perimetrical rhyme. First prize Adrian George, Barton under Needwood, Staffs Runners-up Willie Hamilton, Exeter; Svava Davies, Farndon, Newark
The traditional county towns were Chester (misprinted as CHEATER: 27), Durham (DERHAM: 21), Derby (DERRY: 32), Lewes (LENES: 36), Reading (RENDING: 28) and York (WORK: 8). The correct letters could give SUBWAY (26), examples of which are UNDERGROUND (1A), TUNNEL (17) and METRO (22A). Title: ‘Appleby’ misprinted. First prize Julie Sanders, Bishops Waltham, Hants Runners-up
The unclued lights are HORSES. First prize Bob Toland, Ramsey, CambsRunners-up Gareth Davies, Langstone, Gwent; Catherine Knox, London SW4
