Daily Telegraph Vintage No 28
This is a cracking Sunday Prize Puzzle from November 2009. It’s brilliant and I do urge you to have a go at it (or perhaps you can even remember it). Compare and contrast it with today’s Prize Puzzle (but don’t include any answers from today’s puzzle!).
Big Dave’s blog began earlier that year and here are Big Dave’s hints on the day for ST 2512 including the comments:
<https://bigdave44.com/2009/11/29/st-2512-hints/>
Here is Peter Biddlecombe’s full review of the puzzle:
<https://bigdave44.com/2009/12/04/st-2512/>
I’ve only attempted a couple of the vintage cryptics. I enjoyed this but preferred today’s Sunday prize one.
I thought 3d with the lurker which read both ways and the hidden chemical in 26d quite refreshing. 16d was my favourite.
I was surprised on reading the original comments on this that there were very few of the commentators still commenting.
Unlike Peter Biddlecombe, I found this one quite tough. Although I’ve been solving the Telegraph on and off for 40 years, I’m a relative newcomer to the Sunday cryptic (last ten years perhaps?), so I don’t remember this one.
I thought 26d was a very clever clue and reading the blog for the original puzzle, I fell into the trap of Barnacle Bill!
I’ve been looking through some of the older blogs and there’s a lot of names no longer with us, not least Big Dave, of course. The blog had a different feel to it back then.
Thanks Gazza for posting the links.
Another fine vintage puzzle, I don’t recall this one exactly but it is certainly a crossword style I recognise. I miss “Sunsetter” but Dada has been a fine replacement.
Some fine comments from much missed friends too.
Thanks to Gazza and BG of course.
Many thanks for the heads up on this one Gazza. I haven’t attempted too many of the series thus far (how long do they continue for?) but of the ones I have this would be my favourite. Must say I found parts of it a good bit trickier than either Peter B or BD evidently did (quelle surprise) or that matter either of today’s 2 prize puzzles. Needless to say the chemical compound in barnacle passed me by & probably not for the first time either.
A host of ticks – 9,10,12,20,23&27a + 4,13&21d. Tough to pick a fav but 20a just gets the vote ahead of 21d & 12a.
Only two more left, Huntsman, both of which we should have blogged (unless they do a reverse ferret and go back in time).
Such a pleasure to solve a puzzle from Virgilius/Brian Greer after all these years. We remember looking forward to his puzzles every Sunday. This one is an absolute cracker.