Crossword
A prize of £15 in book tokens will be awarded for the first correct solution opened. Solutions must reach Crossword No 4530, Country Life, Pinehurst II, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF, by Tuesday, May 29. UK entrants only.
ACROSS 1 runner finally catches robber
round back of hotel (8) 5 State showing some
organiser bias (6) 9 Element for a type of blonde?
(8) 10 Headgear made of good
French mesh (6) 11 Quails badly, entering points
to even score (8) 12 old Testament youth
sculpted in lead? (6) 14 Senior cleric’s chief mistake
before work (10) 18 Touring large beach? It’s subject to a fee (10) 22 Dainty morsel songbird pecked? (6) 23 European statesman initially received by public-school type (8) 24 Travel pass? Give it the mark of approval, say (6) 25 Ten years—not quite as many obligations (8) 26 Dairy product? It’s what photographers’ models might say (6) 27 Crew member’s two sets of cards (4-4)
DOWN 1 Great setting for quiet meal!
(6) 2 Distant planet you discover
at last over a rising sun (6) 3 Persistently question introduction of extra metal framework (6) 4 rider’s expedition in English
rain, unfortunately (10) 6 For example, Arab with
a morbid self-centredness (8) 7 rolls around, possibly, at
such a noisy tea party? (3, 5) 8 run away after insect gets gazelle, possibly (8) 13 Woman on northern river, say—an uncultivated type (10) 15 City district still in raptures (8) 16 A little matter in pressman’s first feature (8) 17 Unattractive look of awful slugs in east (8) 19 Male bird swallowing extremely pale russian coin (6) 20 Smallest possible amounts mother placed under skirt (6) 21 Not accustomed to being without employment? (6)