The Scotsman

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

- HUGH JOHNSON

ACROSS 1 Search a top team, involved in 21 across (6) 4 Diversifie­d, but only when things are under control (8) 9 Did a young woman join a graduate at a retreat? (6) 10 Have the final say with a clincher (4,4) 12 Was allowed, at one time, to rent out something (3,2) 13 Damage the area below ground by a bomb (9) 14 Tried out new model of a powerful weapons system (7) 15 Had to record over the story line (4) 19 Lewisman, united or divided, in key (4) 21 Struggles to wrestle at second contests (7) 24 Basle team forced to work with copper, tin, zinc, etc (4,5) 26 In fact, even nuisances can suffer boredom (5) 27 Filled up grandee left out of sorts (8) 28 Leading songwriter working at a musical compositio­n (6) 29 Harasses workers in the wrong section, initially (8) 30 Meeting Sean at church, trying to make contact (6)

DOWN 1 Poem, etc, on line, written up when finished (8) 2 Manage to preserve supply to keep going (8) 3 Show vigilance by being prepared, up to a point (9) 5 Designed dustpan to be erect (5,2) 6 Be in the open, with little hesitation, at the limit of the target area (5) 7 Very hot issue had little resistance (6) 8 Fair ride dropped 9 across, in short, right after a baseball star (6) 11 Broke a piece of sculpture. That’s out of order (4) 16 He told one off for being unemployed (2,3,4) 17 Devise a strategy, thanks to a new type of banana plant (8) 18 Head off best friend over one evaluation (8) 20 Appeal to others to get into the health centre, at once (7) 21 Notice a statement of account, on schedule (4) 22 Challenge the thing itself, in fact (6) 23 Groom from East Germany led the French resistance (6) 25 In addition, included the first step in code (5)

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