No 2650, Sunday 04 Sep 11

ACROSS
1   - Under control of popular agency (2,4) - IN HAND {IN} {HAND}
5   - Acquire chain for a lifting device (5) - WINCH {WIN}{CH}
8   - The most outstanding athlete, boy, having drink after game (6,7) - VICTOR LUDORUM {VICTOR} {LUDO}{RUM}

10 - Type of burgundy produced by bishop, say, entertaining company (5) - MACON {MA{CO}N}
11 - Good luck symbol from Oxford, perhaps, taken by hack (9) - HORSESHOE {HORSE}{SHOE}
12 - Best clobber - one may drive in it (3,4) - TOP GEAR [DD]
13 - Back in a tick (6) - SECOND [DD]
15 - Go away round Italy (4,2) - BEAT IT {BEAT} {IT}
17 - Country girl's study (7) - PERUSAL {PERU}{SAL}
20 - Try game in Jacuzzi (9) - WHIRLPOOL {WHIRL}{POOL}
22 - Adult with endearing French accent (5) - ACUTE {A}{CUTE} Didn't get the french connection?
23 - Important - arm this police unit (7,6) - SPECIAL BRANCH {SPECIAL} {BRANCH}
24 - Composer eats out around one (5) - SATIE {SAT{I}E*}
25 - Sharp reminder (6) - PROMPT [DD]
DOWN
2   - Small number object to decision in boxing match (2,7) - NO CONTEST {NO} {CONTEST}
3   - A further part of Candida? No, The Rivals (7) - ANOTHER [T]
4   - Reads about my girl (7) - DOLORES ? (Addendum - {DO{LOR}ES} - See comments)
5   - The golf club to produce a slice? (5) - WEDGE [CD]
6   - A novel bridge partnership (5,3,5) - NORTH AND SOUTH [DD]
7   - Poor actor allowed in play (6) - HAMLET {HAM}{LET}
8   - Rockefeller, for example, isn't perceived differently (4,9) - VICE PRESIDENT*
9   - Leave out some heirloom I traced (4) - OMIT [T]
14 - Screen, at college, the beginning of a performance (7,2) - CURTAIN UP {CURTAIN} {UP}
16 - Tart novelist snubbed (7) - TROLLOP TROLLOPe
17 - Port? Friend's on more rum (7) - PALERMO {PAL}{ERMO*}
18 - Romantic song told a story (4) - LIED [DD]
19 - Cheats fools accepting seconds (6) - TWISTS {TWI{S}TS}
21 - River Indus, originally at heart of traditional teachings (5) - LOIRE {LO{I}RE}

GRID

No 10249, Saturday 03 Sep 11, Gridman

ACROSS

1   - It's set down at the meal table (5,3) - PLACE MAT [CD] I hadTable Mat first and was stuck forever!

6   - Country initially failed in judicious intervention (4) - FIJI {F}{I}{J}{I}

9   - Shops' delays? (6) - STALLS [DD]

10 - Puts in the roll (7) - ENLISTS [CD]

13 - Eggs or messages may be … (9) - SCRAMBLED [CD]

14 - Mineral in Karnataka for East Asian republic (5) - KOREA {K{ORE}A}

15 - Time to go after army officer's weapon (4) - COLT {COL}{T}

16 - One who is worshipped by stargazers (6,4) - SCREEN IDOL [CD]

19 - They are expected to be respected not just by person concerned (4,6) - ONES ELDERS [CD]

21 - National firm comes in the way (4) - SCOT {S{CO}T}

24 - “Check accounts of a university,” Parisian said (5) - AUDIT {A}{U}{DIT}

25 - In morning, speaker isn't fulfilling lover (9) - INAMORATO {IN}{AM}{ORATOr}

26 - Did a sound censoring? (7) - BLEEPED [CD]

27 - A detective I consulted initially is sour (6) - ACIDIC {A}{CID}{I}{C}

28 - Not the same eel swam around the edge of stream (4) - ELSE {EL{S}E*}

29 - Footballer drawing back cover over new animal (8) - ELEPHANT {ELEP<-}{HA{N}T}

DOWN

2   - Side rallies, after all, without female (7) - LATERAL AfTEARALL*

3   - Army officer's hesitation on new op-ed piece (6) -  COLUMN {COL}{UM}{N}

4   - Lost rare medals and pic (9) - MISPLACED*

5   - Way things are going, conclusion will be after a couple of trials (5) - TREND {TRials}{END}

7   - Covered by a policy (7) - INSURED [CD]

8   - Roguish stallion aint put in place (12) - INSTALLATION*

11 - Taste by passing the tongue over not a bit of cream (6) - LIKING LIcKING

12 - Shrink rap? (12) - PSYCHOBABBLE [CD]

17 - What you must do to become famous (4,1,4) - EARN A NAME [CD]

18 - Writer put up with being kept inside (4-2) - PENT-UP {PEN{T-UP<-}

20 - On and on — without an objective? (7) - ENDLESS [E]

22 - Instrument to a family going over a city (7) - CLARION {CLA{RIO}N}

23 - Short time with a good-looker in style (6) - MODISH {MO}{DISH}

25 - Kind of rock for one Pole to break down (5) - INDIE {I}{N}{DIE}

GRID