What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.

Well christmas night it is a choice between watching yet another dancing competition or doing this, then my pencil will be sharpened!! Looks like a bit of a brain teaser chaps!!!

Please note the small change to the playing conditions:

"those who submit winning entries will be subjected to an intriguing tie-breaker".

Apologies to Barmy Kev for my forgetfulness regarding his bright idea for the tie-breaker.

These clues are so difficult as compiler of questions , with some Ged tweaking, I am struggling with some.

Barmy Kev
I'm only here for the tele

Several correct entries have already been submitted, I'm pleased to say, so the intriguing tie-breaker will certainly come into play.

However, the exact requirements of that tie-breaker will not be announced until the competition closes.

The usual MTWD playing conditions apply to this game - only one entry will be accepted from each competitor, but people can make subsequent replacement submissions if they wish. The last submission received from each entrant at the time the context closes will be that entrants one and only entry to the competition.

One person who has submitted to date made a careless error that will exclude him or her from the tie-breaker if that person's current entry is their last submission. I'll make no further hint!!

Barmy Kev don't be disheartened, I can't do cryptic crosswords at all. In fact I don't get any of the clues.

Kev's concern with himself stems from the fact that he is normally a bit of a whizz at cryptic crosswords and that in this instance he wrote the clues.

Although to be fair I have changed some of the clues beyond recognition. Clearly.

Worth persevering with this, MI, because I'm sure you will have heard of all of the players involved, so you simply need to pick up the knack of doing basic crptic crossword clues. Nothing too fancy in there, cluewise, I assure you.

There must be places on the netw here you can find a bit of instruction on cryptic crossword technique. When I was a lad the only available source of such knowledge was "yer own mum" who tended to be far more interested in doing the crossword herself than explaining what she was doing to a little whippersnapper who always asked too many questions at the wrong time.

Yes I have managed them all now, but there was a tweaking by Ged that fooled me for a while.

Anyway, is worth a go. If you manage one you can from remainimng letters get a hint of answer.

I learnt to do cryptics from getting Express and looking at answers from previous day and trying to work out how they arrived at answer. i now attempt the Times which is really fiendish.

Anyway have fun with this folks

Barmy Kev
I'm only here for the tele

In all the excitement, perhaps some intrepid MTWD people might not realise that the deadline for the crossword competition is approaching:

Noon on 12 January

We already have several good entries, so there will be a tie-breaker.

One person who has submitted has made a heart-breaking spelling mistake in one of their answers. If they switch in a correct entry before the deadline, they can have a go at the tie-breaker along with the others. Otherwise they will simply have to repent at leisure.

I am delighted to inform our readers that we have four five correct entries to the competition.

Those of you who worry about these things will be relieved to know that the contestant who made the heartbreaking spelling mistake saw the error of his ways in time and is therefore in the mix.

The four five contestants for the tie-breaker (or death-match if you prefer) are as follows:

Bluebadge
Comebackgatt
Janet Davis
JC67
Wickham

Many congratulations to all four five of you for getting the crossword right. All four five of you might chose to wear garlands in your hair in celebration, but you'll have to provide your own garlands.

The tie breaker (courtesy of Barmy Kev) is both simple and fiendish. Please construct a cryptic crossword clue for the name Mark Ramprakash. The clue which, in the opinion of the judges, is the most amusing/fiendish/interesting will win the coveted (yet miniscule) prize.

The judges for this competition are Ged Ladd and Barmy Kev and the judges decision will be final.

Please send your entries by PM to me or by e-mail to 'gedladd@hotmail.co.uk'

Best of luck to all four five of you.

See posting of 7:00 a.m. ish 13 December for explanation of correction.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2009:01:13:07:08:31 by Ged.

The deadline for tie-breaker responses will be 22:00 on Tuesday 20 January. All tie-breaker responses and the answers to the crossword will be published shortly after that.

Have they all been notified?

Naturally, Botham. We're super efficient around here.

One further overnight thought.

Anyone may enter the tie-breaker competition - the best of the "non-tie-breaker" entries will receive honourable mentions. Further, if, in the opinion of the judges, one of the other entries is exceptionally good, the judges might even award an additional miniscule prize.

Having just described myself as super efficient, I now realise that I missed one of the winning entries from the list - none other than Auntie Janet.

My only excuse for this error is that the JPG of her entry would not print out on my machine and I never got round to jotting a note on one of the other entries to remind me to go back to her e-mail and try to read the JPG upstide down off the screen.

Having now remembered this matter and having read said JPG upside down off my screen, I can safely state that Janet Davis is one of 5 winners contesting the tie-breaker.

I shall edit last night's posting in a few moments to add her name in order to minimise confusion.

Can't get the staff, final warning, blah blah.

And apologies to Janet.

Just to remind everyone that the deadline for submitting cryptic crossword clues for the name Mark Ramprakash expires at 22:00 on Tuesday 20 January.

Remember that anyone can have a go at this question, although the main point is to tie-break the crossword competition winners, one of whom will be awarded a miniscule prize.

But we might choose to award an additional miniscule prize if someone else submits a truly brilliant cryptic crossword clue for that name.

The criteria are for the clue to be amusing, fiendish and interesting.

So far three of the five tie-break contestants have submitted entries.

Just to update everyone,all five tie-breaker candidates submitted an entry. No-one else did.

I have sent the entries to Barmy Kev for co-judgement. For reasons too tedious to explain, Kev has very limited access at the moment (yes, you are all nodding, it seemed very quiet from his corner) so it might take a little while for the puff of white smoke to emerge.

I considered taking executive action and simply determining the game myself, but I decided against, as I feel that the decision should be a joint one. I wouldn't want it to be even faintly valid to describe me as ruthless or dominating around here.

So I am sure you all agree it is worth the wait. Bait your breath collectively, folks.

ruthless and dominating Ged? perish the thought!!!!

Thanks to all for your generous comments.

Particular thanks to Ged and Kev for devising the competition - which certainly gave me a lot of fun.

Trying to come up with a clue for just one name brought home to me how challenging it must have been first to produce a set of names that would fit the grid and then to devise clues for as many as sixteen players.

So, the real congratulations - and thanks - should go to Ged and Kev.