GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Across

10. K QQ XY Q Q Z cover for a vinyl record (6)

11. Flowering, aromatic shrubs in the verbena family with spikes or clusters of tubular

[ YK

12. Captain of England’s Test cricket team from 2017-2022 (4)

13. Technique that uses a

Q Q XY Z image of inside the body (3)

14. Royal Navy expression (16th to 19th Century) for a powerful warship (3,2,3)

15. Golf club which can have a loft of 48-56 degrees (5)

16. Roman emperor, AD 54-68, who killed himself after being declared a public enemy by the senate (4)

17. Insects kept by an apiarist (4)

18. X Q [ \ grown African species, more disease-resistant than arabica but of lower quality (7)

20. Beetle which bores into grain, nuts, fruit and bark (6)

21. Exoskeleton of a marine mollusc (8)

23. Plastic or metal covering over the end of a shoelace to

prevent it from fraying (5)

24. __ No More: 2009 debut album by British rock band Mumford & Sons which included the hit singles The Cave and Little Lion Man (4)

26. " KXY and a female tiger (5)

27. Description of goods or services built for a particular individual or business (7)

29. Head, Shoulders, ___ and Toes, children’s song (5)

31. Series of ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War and later sold to client states (4)

33. Element of the zodiac signs Libra, Aquarius and Gemini (3)

40. Traditional Fijian wood and straw hut (4)

41. Legal term meaning to help or assist in a crime (4)

42. A commotion, an uproar (3-2)

44. Place of recreation which is likely to have a machine known, regardless of manufacture, as a $ ) !

45. Horse-drawn wagon for hay or other agricultural produce (4)

# 46. Song released by New

$ )  !

47. A dedicated computer for KQ Y K XY KK email (6)

Down

1. *& YKQ Q %^KQY to become Prime Minister of Australia (8)

2. Oranges and ___, traditional English nursery rhyme (6)

3. Person who develops business/professional contacts through informal social meetings (9)

4. Coach pulled by Thomas the Tank Engine (8)

5. __ leopard: endangered feline of upland Central Asia (4)

6. * KX YQ YKQ X \ in 1917 in Germany, whose indoor version has been in the Olympics since 1972 (8)

35. La ___, seaport on the 7. Scottish inventor, chemist Bay of Biscay, the only deep and engineer, 1736-1819, water port on the French best known for his work on Atlantic coast (8) steam engines (5,4)

38. ( K& QK Y K K 8. Person who is currently etc. (6) 17th in line to the British

39. Short simple songs (7) throne (8,4)

9. Hunting, especially of hares, with greyhounds or lurchers, using sight rather than scent (8)

19. Variety of Siamese and other cat breeds, with a pale body and dark face, ears, feet and tail (4,5)

21. Colourful jacket and helmet cover worn by a jockey (5)

22. Sport in which the Netherlands has won 133 Olympic medals (5,7)

25. “He bites his tongue who speaks in ___”: proverb (5)

28. ___ House, Sydney residence of Australia’s Prime Minister (10)

30. Treatise for instruction in the principles of Christian religion (9)

32. Plain-weave cotton fabric, typically light blue (8)

34. A feature of shoes produced by French fashion designer Christian Louboutin (3,5)

36. Ivory Coast and India are the two largest producers of these nuts, from the tree Anacardium occidentale (7)

37. Brightly coloured parrot of Australia whose most widespread variety is the Rainbow (8)

40. Richard ___, actor who played Tom Good in the 1970s series The Good Life and Hector in Monarch of the Glen (2000-2005) (6)

43. Horizontal passage that runs into a mine for the purposes of access or drainage (4)

THE Silver Ferns are in a real fight to avoid missing out on a medal for the second successive Commonwealth Games.

They were no match for Jamaica and star shooter Jhaniele Fowler in their semifinal in Birmingham last night, going down 67-51 – their heaviest loss since the same stage four years ago.

That consigned them to a bronze medal playoff match early tomorrow morning (NZ time) against the losers of the second semifinal between hosts and defending champions England and Australia.

In front of a packed and noisy crowd of 9500, the Silver Ferns were second-best from the opening whistle as Fowler, a former standout with the Southern Steel, netted all 54 of her shots.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, New Zealand were hammered 65-44 by Australia in the semifinals and lost to Jamaica in the bronze medal playoff. The disappointing campaign brought about the end of Janine Southby’s time as coach.

‘‘We had some simple errors – defensive contacts, missed shots, throwing away the ball on attack and Jamaica are a team that are hard to get the ball off anyway,’’ NZ skipper Gina Crampton said. ‘‘I don’t think we came out flat – I think it was just silly little errors, and I guess that’s individual responsibility.’’

A combination of injuries and unavailability saw New Zealand enter the tournament with a team short of top-drawer talent and light on experience at big events.

Last night, they began with a starting line up of Maia Wilson and Te Paea Selby-Rickit in the attacking circle. But they made a nervous start when Wilson missed her first shot from close range and the team soon fell behind the Sunshine Girls, who were playing with confidence after upsetting Australia.

Jamaica ended the quarter with a huge 18-9 lead and increased that advantage in the second quarter before coach Dame Noeline Taurua replaced goal keep Sulu Fitzpatrick with Kelly Jury to try and counter Fowler’s impact.

Kayla Johnson also came off the bench in place of Kate Heffernan but when Jamaica swept the length of the court to score just before the halftime break, the game was as good as over at 36-22.

‘‘We can’t be putting ourselves that may goals down at the start, it’s just too hard,’’ Crampton said.

Grace Nweke replaced Wilson after the major break and she gave the World Cup-winners a stronger target in the circle and seems a likely starter in the quest for bronze.

‘‘It hurts a lot,’’ Crampton said of the crushing defeat.

‘‘I thought everything we had done was right – all the progress we’ve made over the past couple of weeks to get us to this point.

‘‘Not showing what we’re capable of is really disappointing.’’