While we're waiting for the teams to be announced, here's a little diversion for those desperate to kill some time.

Below is a list of ten cryptic clues that relate to the surname of players who have been on our list since the year 2000.

For those unsure of how cryptics work, each clue is a little puzzle and is not intended to be taken literally.

An example of a cryptic clue would be "Drawback".  This would refer to Daniel Ward (draw spelled backwards).

At this stage there's a limit of two correct answers per poster.

All answers in a PM please!

 

===============================================================

 

1.     Battle scar     WARNOCK

2.     Seal stag     LOCKHART

3.     Grasp a wing     SEECAMP

4.     A real mongrel    CROSS

5.     Make fast garden     MOORCROFT

6.     Fritz Bomber     LANGDON

7.     Jack Watts       JOHNSTONE

8.     Dismal points     GRIMES     

9.     Moo moo's ma's ma     HEFFERNAN

10.    Current weight     NEWTON

Edited July 11, 2024Jul 11 by Demonstone
answers added

Congratulations are in order for @reynolds46 who has has submitted two correct answers.

9.    Chris Heffernan (moo moo is a cow or heifer whose ma's ma is her nan).

10.   Michael or Ben Newton (current = new plus weight = ton)

No surprise that @Timothy Reddan-A'Blew has picked a winner.

1.  Matthew Warnock (battle = war plus scar = nock)

edit:  He's also managed to decipher another

7.  Travis Johnstone (Jack = John plus [Charlie] Watts =[Rolling] Stone

Edited July 11, 2024Jul 11 by Demonstone

We have a new player and winner.  Well done to @Bingo for snaffling his first cryptic.

2.  Jay Lockhart (seal = lock plus stag = hart)

It's a big shout out to another new player @Hawk the Demon who has snared an answer.

8.   Jack Grimes  (dismal = grim plus points = e and s for east and south: points on the compass)

edit:  HtD is on fire!   Consider no. 5 also solved.

5.  Gary Moorcroft (moor = make fast plus croft = a small garden, esp. in Scotland)

Edited July 11, 2024Jul 11 by Demonstone

Three to go, thrillseekers - numbers 3, 4 and 6 still to be solved.

@Timothy Reddan-A'Blew got 3 and 6 but had already fulfilled his quota of two correct answers per poster.

Still haven't heard from regulars like @Lucifers Hero, @WalkingCivilWar, @Jumping Jack Clennett or @Mazer Rackham

Okay @Demonstoneemonstone, I'm going on the counterattack. These are deliberately nonsensical just to try to hurt you and some follow the same rules as above, while others obviously don't. This is what you get for upsetting me. AGAIN.

Rolling attack of the French!

Is it wide enough for a wooden horse to cross? Troy Broadbridge.

Fish out of water.

Can't run or even walk, but isn't evil.  Hopgood.

Or leave et.

Increase the weight.  Morton

Stupid name for a state. It's not even an actual islnad.

Little red truck.

Edited July 11, 2024Jul 11 by Little Goffy

1 hour ago, Demonstone said:

Three to go, thrillseekers - numbers 3, 4 and 6 still to be solved.

@Timothy Reddan-A'Blew got 3 and 6 but had already fulfilled his quota of two correct answers per poster.

Still haven't heard from regulars like @Lucifers Hero, @WalkingCivilWar, @Jumping Jack Clennett or @Mazer Rackham

Clearly I'm late to the party!

But you did release it at around mid-day when I was lunching at a favourite eatery (True South) in Black Rock.  No, I haven't been eating and drinking all day, just busy.

Anyway, at a glance I can't see any obvious answers to your clues.  But reckon I solved one from the list Little Goffy put up.

Demonstone knocked off Hopgood and Morton and Lucifer's Hero picked up Broadbridge.

I'll be curious to see if anyone else thinks in the same strange loops I have for the others!

3 minutes ago, Little Goffy said:

Demonstone knocked off Hopgood and Morton and Lucifer's Hero picked up Broadbridge.

I'll be curious to see if anyone else thinks in the same strange loops I have for the others!

Are you saying Mr D and I think in 'strange loops'  😁😉

A little clue for my remaining three?  All started their career at other clubs.

Another clue:  one of the three is a current player.

The clues have helped!  Although previously solved by @Timothy Reddan-A'Blew, the official kudos goes to @Lucifers Hero who supplied the correct answer just one minute before @buck_nekkid also cracked it.

 

6.  Ed Langdon (Fritz Lang, legendary film director/producer plus Bomber = don)

The remaining clues (3 and 4) have both been solved by @Timothy Reddan-A'Blew who is officially crowned Cryptic Champion of The Colony.

I'll leave the quiz up overnight and reveal the last two answers in the morning if there are no further takers.

Some more suggestions have been received, but none correct unfortunately.

The other answers are as follows:

3.  Marcus Seecamp.  This was rather tricky and a little obtuse.  "Grasp" in this case has the meaning of see (eg. I see, I understand) and "Wing" refers to a group of people (eg. "I'm in the Rolling Stones camp, not The Beatles" or "He's in the conservative camp when it comes to politics")

4.  Daniel Cross.  A bit more straightforward.  Mongrel is another word for a mixed breed or a crossbreed.

 

Thanks to all who participated or just read the thread.

There are still a few of @Little Goffy's posers to be solved.

16 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

Thanks to all who participated or just read the thread.

There are still a few of @Little Goffy's posers to be solved.

Thanks for all the work you put in Mr D.

 I solved Little Goffy's 'fish out of water' last night but he has yet to give me public credit ... 🙄🙃  But his PM credit was quite impressive. 

57 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Thanks for all the work you put in Mr D.

 I solved Little Goffy's 'fish out of water' last night but he has yet to give me public credit ... 🙄🙃  But his PM credit was quite impressive. 

Could you do a morning update of your answers, please, @Little Goffy? I need to apply my remaining Little Grey cells sparingly!

Forgot to thank @Little Goffy for his fine list of brain twisters!

Wish I had more time to solve a few others. 

Stupid name for a state. It's not even an actual islnad.

I've worked this out and messaged LG.

2 hours ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Thanks for all the work you put in Mr D.

 I solved Little Goffy's 'fish out of water' last night but he has yet to give me public credit ... 🙄🙃  But his PM credit was quite impressive. 

 

1 hour ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

Could you do a morning update of your answers, please, @Little Goffy? I need to apply my remaining Little Grey cells sparingly!

 

20 minutes ago, mo64 said:

Stupid name for a state. It's not even an actual islnad.

I've worked this out and messaged LG.

Having trouble editing my post with the given answers,

Lucifers' Hero got ' fish out of water' as GARLAND

Mo64 got 'stupid name for a state' with Peter ROHDE

23 hours ago, Demonstone said:

A real mongrel 

Special mention to @buck_nekkid who went with Brent Moloney for this one as a match for Bitzer Maloney from the Hairy Maclary series of books.  It deserves its own virtual prize.

1 hour ago, Little Goffy said:

 

 

Having trouble editing my post with the given answers,

Lucifers' Hero got ' fish out of water' as GARLAND

Mo64 got 'stupid name for a state' with Peter ROHDE

So the remaining ones are:

* Rolling attack of the French!

* Or leave et. (Is this fully correct?)

* Little red truck.

And, as per the OP, they're all on our list since 2000?

4 hours ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

So the remaining ones are:

* Rolling attack of the French!

* Or leave et. (Is this fully correct?)

* Little red truck.

And, as per the OP, they're all on our list since 2000?

Forgive me, I'm new at this and generally terrible at solving them myself. My clues may actually be terrible, too.

All typos are deliberate. (E.g. the islnad for Peter Rohde not being Rhode)

Hmm, in an oversight, I didn't confine it quite to the 2000+, one of the remaining is from the Northey-Balme era. (As was Rohde, for that matter!)

One is a much respected Daniher stalwart and another is currently playing.

 

 

25 minutes ago, Little Goffy said:

Forgive me, I'm new at this and generally terrible at solving them myself. My clues may actually be terrible, too.

All typos are deliberate. (E.g. the islnad for Peter Rohde not being Rhode)

Hmm, in an oversight, I didn't confine it quite to the 2000+, one of the remaining is from the Northey-Balme era. (As was Rohde, for that matter!)

One is a much respected Daniher stalwart and another is currently playing.

 

 

Could you go as far as saying which of the three - 'Northey-Balme era', 'Daniher stalwart', and 'currently playing' - applies to which of the three clues?

No apologies necessary. It's all fun!

* Rolling attack of the French!       Daniher era

* Or leave et.                                   Northey-Balme almost precisely

* Little red truck.                             Current young player