CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Expression of surprise with English poet’s CFL team (8) 6 Mountainous region involved in security role (5) 9 Victory: just defeat for one football team (8)

10 Judge confined by extraterrestrial (5)

12 Cats pass and run while behind one (7)

13 Playing in sleet, able to be drawn out (7)

14 King vexes romantic poet (5) 16 Front line report about Cup’s central place for a BC team (9) 18 Country singer’s changing tag: “I’m Mr. C& W ”(3,6)

20 Show indifference, and stop talking with runner, perhaps (5) 21 Buzz ran, taken down a peg (7) 23 Foremost of westerners are hosting distant conflict (7) 25 Stick for a magician with a woman’s name (5)

26 Men do not upset CFL team (8) 27 Offensive name on a pen (5) 28 Football team ran motel badly (8)

Last Weekend’s Puzzle Solved

DOWN

2 Impressing a player along the side (5)

3 Disregards troubled regions (7) 4 Roast veep, sporting masks, in a way (5,4) 5 Approaching time for dark (5) 6 Football team running to back of hill (7)

7 Dog always following

Terri snarled (9)

8 Regally order new Cup donor (4,4,4)

11 Bit of truth in small question hurt tired-looking football team (12) 15 Creative pursuits involving mother and guys’ weapons (9) 17 Reporter saw me now, wandering north (9)

19 Football team’s call about lowlife? (7) 20 Society member’s black eye conveying end of encounter (7) 22 Imagine five hundred and twenty quires (5)

24 One sort of tomato’s essence (5)