CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

9 Retired WI batsman eats very little grub (5) 10 English drunkard, Heather, collected items of mysterious nature (9)

11 A group of soldiers housed in brand-new tower (7)

12 Our good Parisian backing British member of royal family (7)

13 Best people yell when leader is got rid of (5) 14 Quiet person taking things easy, keeping near church member (9) 16 Becoming popular again? That wouldn’t affect Abba (6,1,8) 19 Bitter scorn — our aunt’s beginning to be horrible (9) 21 Cleric I had written about, footballing cheat (5)

23 Fuss in horses’ accommodation — lead the horses out to these? (7)

25 Trick needed to cross slope — something climber uses (7) 27 See rhino moving around lake, where land and water meet (9) 28 See 17

DOWN 1 Fruit in shapeless mass page brought forward (4) 2 Female organised church in the country (6) 3 Marriage possibly over in US city (10) 4 Pound to dine in revolutionary inn (4,2) 5 Thus doctor hugs US brother in hat (8) 6 Fellows given superior list of options (4) 7 American agents sound sheepish eating dry doughy stuff (8) 8 Uncle is lowly man with no money ending in gutter (10) 13 Old male caught in embrace brings dishonour (10) 15 Something on meal table, a crude base that’s rickety (5,5) 17 & 28 Legal stitch-up in which you suppose some might get jumpy? (8,5)

18 A firm has us twitching — is it good if we can hear? (8) 20 Catholic head of school with a set of beliefs exuding love (6) 22 Mist, very limited, above a stream (6)

24 Sign of more than one female losing head (4) 26 Do for one! (4)