CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Gander here discovered in modern dock (12) 8 Perhaps dish colonist queen’s backing (7) 9 Tracks sheep beginning to wade into river (7) 11 Republican fool’s in plot with old fellows, fed up (7,3) 12 Plant reeds primarily in low-lying land (4) 14 Rabble repeated phrase with airmen following (8) 16 What some used to do if all but first of harvest failed? (6) 17 Supplied information to bank (3) 19 Seal hoard with last of cement (6) 21 Learned leader diced with limits of law (4-4) 24 Song told a story (4) 25 Chairman’s thrown out old liqueur (10) 27 Distance on course, say, a cart reverses (7) 28 Sign first letter (7) 29 He’s out working at the back, having come from Kent? (12)

DOWN

1 School falling short, excluding girls? Certainly (3,4) 2 Part of vehicle screwed in incorrectly, note (10) 3 Sides at Lord’s switch positions (2,3,3) 4 Fill in number provided in Tony’s case (6) 5 Secretly reveal opening (4) 6 Approach crossing over Wye — time for resolution (3,4) 7 How brutes behave in two pubs I visit by end of day (12) 10 Kind of American dandy bet on draw (6,6) 13 Sort of talc, one found in country’s cave structure (10) 15 Scarcely any iron next to tungsten (3) 18 Old coin is under a potty (8) 20 What’s said when leaving majority of cheese and port? (7) 22 Omission of sound that rises around middle of clip (7) 23 Bloke, say, getting start in equestrianism here (6) 26 Final item used by cobbler (4)