Crossword

Across

/ Compiled by Eric Linden / 1466 6 Equally fine on both sides of a horse (6)

7 See 14 across

10 Space behind the scope offering optical alleviation? (3,6)

11 Hidden inside a ripe avocado, it crops up in the field of pigeon shooting (3)

12 Retrievers briefly sent to scientific facilities (4)

14 & 7 across Use of a gun can reduce the speed of a sporting vehicle (8,5)

16 Kit for the field takes top place — that should help! (5,3)

17 The gun part provides instruction to dogs (4)

20 Me and you have a following in Mossberg country, initially (3)

21 A sound gun attachment for the debate host (9)

23 A retrieve that leads to a date (5)

24 How retrievers run rings round their handlers to keep in shape? (6)

Down

1 A crop from the east is in the clear, growing wild (6)

2 The choke component facilitates underground travel in London (4)

3 At a pub with the Queen on part of the Hebrides (5)

4 The Korthals breed puts itself right in the offing, surprisingly (7)

5 Bypass the queue for gun chequering (4-4)

8 Flying targets are elevated by the Hitchcock thriller (4,5) 9 Leave shot game dangling at the gallows? (4)

13 Crustacean attached to the goose (8)

15 The enduring characteristic of gundogs is to cause chaos in Tasmania, endlessly (7)

16 A big hit in cricket is a bore! (4)

18 Dr Lear makes a mess of the game storage spot (6) 19 Bring up the rear on the hunt (5)

22 Parasitic type of clock noise? (4)