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2d, 22d - PHIL RICE - He is a world renown musician who, and this is just a guess, I presume "sports" at leas 20 hits.

Top Up = FILL , reportedly (another homophone) = PHIL

Oriental Staple = RICE

I think that's about all I can get, I hope I was of some help and you and your mum manage to finish it.

I noted that you said you are both new to cryptic crosswords and I'm amazed you chose what, in my opinion, is a really difficult one. especially as there's a note saying "a few answers relating to 8 are only partly clued".

If you continue to enjoy doing cryptic crosswords, can I suggest you try the Everyman that appears online every Sunday. It's free and can be accessed by clicking on:-

https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/series/everyman

It's quite a bit easier than this and by and large is good fun. You will also have access to all previous Everyman crosswords.

I wonder if 3d might be one of those that is only partly clued. I say this because the letter count given is (4,5) and the letters already known are...

I?R? M?O?E

I can't find any word that fits the I?R? pattern so wonder if it's in someway related to 13a and is something to with Romeo and Juliet - eg.

IN ROME O?E ('Ome', 'Ode', 'One' etc.)

Of course it could just be the name of a person like in 5a - Either that or I'm seriously lacking sleep and getting delirious:-)

Hi Ratty and Mum,

When convenient, do you think you might let me know the answers to those couple of clues i was unable to solve.

Thank you,

Brendan

Could you give the remaining clues please? That link won't work for me :(

Hi Jo, if you copy and paste the link as they have it then it won't work because they left a space after the www. when there should be none. Try it without the space as I've written it below

www.ibb.co/LxBw6Jy

Hi again Jo,

Just in case the https: is also needed, I think it's better if I just send you the copy and pasted address direct from the site:-


https://ibb.co/LxBw6Jy

Could you let me know if it works, Jo?

Thanks.

Hi Brendan, many thanks. Unfortunately, whilst I can access the site now, the page won't load for me. (I have tried 3 different browsers) :(

Hi Jo,

I use Chrome, both on my laptop and phone and the (self taken) photo of the crossword appears in both.

If you continue to have no luck and still want to access it i can try, later today, to download the photo and send it to you as an email attachment.

Bren.

Ps. Or i could just send you the clues :-)

Hi again Jo,

The unsolved clues with known letter pattern are:-

3d Shambles home or 'ome shambles (4,5) - I?R? M?O?E

12d Favourite bird in eastern church (4,6) - ?E?E ???R?E

Also, as I mentioned earlier, there is also the following message:-

"A few answers relating to 8 are only partly clued"

I don't really understand this message. If it is referring to 8 clues then why say "a few answers" and if it refers to the single clue with a number 8, then, again, why mention "a few answers"

8d Specific lift, precious we hear (3,7) - Answered by Ratty and Mum as THE JACKDAW (See note below)

The heading above the crossword begins with the phrase:-

"The old Jackdaw always featured a fiendishly difficult crossword......"