In all but one respect this is a straightforward Mephisto of no more than average difficulty. The one potential exception is the inclusion of the name of a sportsman who is I suspect little known outside the narrow confines of the cricketing world.
There are sports personalities who rise above their sport and become household names. One thinks of Ali,Beckham, and from the modern world of cricket, Botham. This chap is simply not in that league and it is difficult to see how those who do not follow the game can solve this clue other than by guesswork plus Google. As it happens there are only two unchecked letters and one knows them from the anagram fodder but it leaves me feeling a tad uneasy.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | MORESQUE – MO(RE)SQUE – on=RE; Moorish artwork as seen in The Alhambra; |
| 7 | CAPI – C(riminal) A(ctivity) P(erhaps) I(talian); plural of “capo” a Mafia boss such as Al Capone; |
| 10 | ANANA – (b)ANANA(s); nuts=mad=bananas; pineapple; |
| 11 | UPROLLS – UP-ROLLS; ref Rolls Royce; |
| 13 | SPELUNKER – (keen + plurals – a=advanced and l=Latin)*; chamber=cave; US term for potholer; |
| 14 | RIOTER – (w)RI(O)TER; on=O; |
| 16 | SNOT – TONS reversed; |
| 17 | NOULDE – N-OULD-E; Irish for old=OULD; to refuse – see nill in C; |
| 18 | ENDOMETRIAL – END-(h)OME-TRIAL; in=home then “hospital wanting”=remove “h”; inner lining of mammalian womb; |
| 20 | TRESCOTHICK – (host + cricket)*; bats=anagind; Marcus Trescothick, English opening batsman; |
| 23 | TORTEN – NET-ROT all reversed; rhubarb=ROT (slang); Gateau St Honore, perhaps; |
| 25 | SARS – S(t)ARS; temperature=t; a virus based disease Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome; |
| 27 | ISHTAR – ISH-TAR; liberty of going out in Caledonian Court=ISH; Assyrian goddess of fertility, love, war and sex – quite a girl!; |
| 29 | RETIREDLY – RE(TIRED)LY; tire=attire=ready; |
| 30 | MADRASA – MADRAS-A; from (as in Thomas A Becket)=A; |
| 31 | EYRIR – (bribery – b=bishop twice)*; 1/100th of Icelandic Krona – about what the creditors will get eventually?; |
| 32 | SHES – SHE(d)-S; succeeded=S; |
| 33 | MALTREAT – MAL-TREAT; Malaysia=MAL; |
| Down | |
| 1 | MAIR – MA(nd)IR; Hindu temple=mandir then remove nd=no date; more in Montrose; |
| 2 | ON-LINER – ON(e)-LINER; crack=joke; |
| 3 | RATOONERS – (sorrento + a=area)*; a plant such as sugar cane; |
| 4 | SAPEGO – S(A-PEG)O; accepted=A; target=PEG (cricket stump); very=SO; see serpigo in C – a skin disease; |
| 5 | QUERIMONIES – QUER(I-MON)IES; Indo-Chinese person=MON; formal complaints; |
| 6 | ERUV – (V-URE all reversed); see=V; operation=URE; Jewish enclosure that facilitates doing the mundane on the Sabbath; |
| 7 | CONCUR – CON-CUR; |
| 8 | PLEAD – PL-(r)EAD(y); place=PL; inclined=ready; ry=railway; |
| 9 | ISRAELIS – (airs lies)*; |
| 12 | PLANETOIDAL – PLAN-ET(O-ID)AL; design=PLAN; the rest=ET AL; |
| 15 | PLICATURE – (up article)*; origami; |
| 16 | SET,TERMS – SETTER(M)S; |
| 19 | AKRASIA – A(ARK reversed)SIA; acting against personal better judgement – classic Socrates v Aristotle battle ground; |
| 21 | STAIRS – ST(A)IRS; A=head of A(irline); |
| 22 | HASLET – HA(S)LE-T; song at first=S; strong=HALE; tenor=T; Lincolnshire pork meatloaf; |
| 24 | OBEAH – OBE-A-H; accepted=A; henry=H; see obi-1 in C; WI fetish derived from Voodoo; |
| 26 | BRAM – hidden B(o)R(e) A(r)M(s); contraction of Abraham (see names section at back of C); |
| 28 | RORT – RO(R)T; roger=received=R; joke=ROT (slang); a party in Perth (see rorty in C); |
I wondered about TRESCOTHICK, partly because he’s not particularly famous and partly because he’s still alive. I assume the rule in the daily puzzle doesn’t apply. I’d share your misgivings but as TRESIOTHCCK is pretty unlikely I’m inclined to indulge our esteemed setter, who I assume is a fan!
I’m guessing Tim is a cricket fan – can’t see the name even occurring to anybody who isn’t!!
Thanks for explaining the wordplay in NOULDE, that one was escaping me.