No 2628, Sunday 03 Apr 11

Congratulations to MSD and his men on lifting the World Cup.
Tough one, with some vague clues today.
ACROSS
1   - A doctor tucked into mother's curry (6) - {M{A}{DR}A'S}

SEE THIS CARTOON

4   - Worry beads, article held inside chapel (8) - {BE{THE}SDA*}
9   - Parish priest, the old cartoon character (6) - {POPE}{YE}
10 - A bishop's treatise, hard to understand (8) - {A}{B'S}{TRACT}
11 - Second lecture's about old SE Canadian city (5,3) - {MO}{O}{SE} {JAW}
13 - Gloomy king embraced by loved one (5) - {D{R}EAR}
14 - Phone foreign singer about British drug (14) - {PHENO*}{BAR{B}ITONE}
18 - Trooper understanding who's paying for treatment? (7,7) - {PRIVATE} {PATIENT}
19 - Circles vowel in error (5) - {LAPS}{E} My COD
21 - Small bill sent to one by food company (8) - {WEE}{TAB}{I}X Origin of X not known (See comments)
24 - Really popular result (2,6) - {IN} {EFFECT}
25 - Against one girl having to travel west for capital (6) - {VIE}{NNA<-} (Addendum - {V}{I}{ENNA<-} - See comments)
26 - Common central spot in fish (8) - {GREEN}{EYE}

27 - Trainspotter, a girl, close to track (6) - {A}{NORA}{K}
DOWN
1   - Daughter falling off bike makes one be miserable (4) - MOPEd
2   - An alcoholic declines nothing (5) - {DIPS}{O}
3   - Country once hell in one area (9) - {ABYSS}{IN}{I}{A}

5   - Joint requiring oil and hard rubbing (5,6) - {ELBOW} {GREASE}
6   - Loathed bowler, say, on journalist (5) - {HAT}{ED}
7   - Shiver, unhappy in makeshift bed (9) - {SHAKE}{DOWN}
8   - Ratty, one criminal lawyer (8) - ATTORNEY*
12 - BBC wary - joke misguided in nonsense verse (11) - JABBERWOCKY*
15 - Brutus, for example, portrayed in a musical, work of art (9) - {HAIR}{PIECE}
16 - Check, having lost top copy (9) - lIMITATION
17 - Orthography, it's what witch is good at? (8) - SPELLING [DD]
20 - Petite female caught by rising river (5) - {EL{F}IN<-}
22 - Private meal lacking starter (5) - dINNER
23 - Highly disagreeable row (4) - RANK [DD]

GRID