The Azed 2,750 Lunch
On May 3rd I attended the lunch in Oxford to celebrate the publication of Azed 2,750, a most extraordinary landmark. The event, superbly organized by Richard Heald and Will Drever, started off with a drinks reception in the grounds of Wolfson College, where I met Azed for the very first time and was able to thank him on behalf of myself and solvers old and new for the pleasure that he has given us. Those who haven’t had the chance to meet him will not be surprised to hear that he is a true gentleman, with just a hint of the absent-minded professor.
The assembled throng then moved inside the college for lunch, an excellent meal which I found difficult to eat because it meant that I had to stop talking for whole seconds on end. After the strawberry pavlova (for which I was happy to stop talking!), we were treated to some Azed-themed poetry (including a ‘Clerihaiku’) from two of the guests, followed by a wonderfully diverse collection of speakers. The first of these was Azed’s young grandson, whose short address went down well with the audience. He told us that Azed was known to him as ‘Gongy’ [a childhood nickname of JC’s] and something that sounded like ‘Dumper’, although I’m going to wait for the transcript before I risk addressing Azed by that name myself. He was followed by Martyn Sloman, a long-time Azed solver, who described his 40 years of clue-writing competition entries in terms that spoke volumes for his pertinacity, which has sadly not so far been matched by his results. A four-time candidate for election to Parliament, he told us how the only thing that stopped him becoming an MP ‘was the electorate’.
Then came the Times/Sunday Times puzzles editor, and multiple Azed cup winner, Mick Hodgkin, reminiscing about his copy of The Azed Book of Crosswords (“Fiendish puzzles for the crossword fiend”), and Alan Connor, among other things Guardian crossword editor, current setter of the Everyman puzzle, and ‘puzzle consultant’ for the TV show Ludwig. Next up was the lady whose job it is to get the Azed puzzle into the Observer every week, Caitlin O’Kane, decked out for the occasion in a most striking crossword-themed dress, with fingernails to match. Finally it was time for the great man to say a few words, which he duly did to considerable acclaim, before he was presented with a huge bunch of flowers to give to his wife, Alison.
We were then invited to Azed’s home, within easy walking distance. Instructions were given regarding a short cut, which involved passing through what appeared to be someone’s garage, but several of the party went seriously off-piste, having understandably ‘refused’ at the entrance to the garage, and were seen striding purposefully through a neighbour’s garden, something which tends to be viewed unfavourably in North Oxford. The Crowther family (with help from the Manleys) provided a sumptuous spread, to which I tried heroically to do justice, despite having on my smartest trousers, which have strictly limited expansion room.
It was great to meet many Azed aficionados, some veterans and some more recent converts. The conversation throughout the day was hugely entertaining, and the setter Leo’s description of his near miss with Listener puzzle 2,566 (Lip Service, the last one to receive no correct entries), and his subsequent attempt to validate the solution (the inscription on the Blarney Stone) in the face of adverse weather conditions, was nothing short of hilarious. The whole event was joyous from start to finish.
I would very much welcome any corrections, objections, additions, anecdotes or thoughts. Please add comments to this post, or email me.
The pictures below are reproduced by kind permission of Dave Carter and the organizers
Azed and Don Manley
Azed and Alan Connor
The youngest speaker, pictured with co-organizer Will Drever
Martyn Sloman, the epitome of persistence in the face of cruciverbal adversity
Mick Hodgkin reveals next month’s competition word, to Azed’s obvious surprise
Caitlin, with wonderfully apposite dress…and nails
Flowers for Mrs Azed
Chez the Azeds
The team responsible for getting Azed into the Observer every week – Caitlin O’Kane, Azed, Alan Connor and John Grimshaw
It was a wonderful event – lovely to meet you and Azed and so many other friendly crossworders! I’m very glad I was there to hear Leo’s Blarney Stone story – and the one about the library book, the name of which I’m struggling to recall…?
Hi Maitresse, and welcome to the blog
Lovely to meet you too. Such a friendly and joyful event. The book that proved so troublesome to find was The Ingoldsby Legends, written by ‘Thomas Ingoldsby Esq’, aka clergyman and novelist Richard Barham.
I meant to go, and should have, but “let things slip”, a phenomenon increasingly a part of life. But I did manage to get to a similar celebration – the 1000th Ximenes dinner at the Café Royale in ?1966. That, and seeing today that I was drawn a winner for Listener 4864 (Monopoly), will have to do.
Thanks for the account, I enjoyed it, and the chez photo was so wonderfully characteristic of afternoons in North Oxford.
How wonderful to hear from someone who was at the X1000 dinner, in March 1968 (I gather from the acknowledgement that you supplied the menu, seating plan etc to Derek Harrison, posted at http://www.crossword.org.uk/X1000.html)
I see that at table H were one J. Crowther, alongside Dr J. Crowther (his father), and that although Alec Robins and Dorothy Taylor had by that time assumed pseudonyms (L.F. Leason and Mrs. B. Lewis) in order that they could continue to enter the Ximenes comps while setting puzzles for The Observer, they appeared at the top table under their real names (I believe that their true identities were an open secret). By all accounts it sounds as though it was a splendid affair.
Congratulations on that Listener win…and on achieving an HC in AZ comp 2746, which would seem to be more than 61 years after your first HC, in X comp 782 – is that correct?
Great article and photos, thank you. I’m glad the weather was kind and everyone had a good time.
Re ‘Gongy’, you probably know ‘Gong’ was JC’s pseudonym for his Listener puzzles. I can’t help you with ‘Dumpy’, sorry! Presumably nothing to do with ‘Dumpynose’ (anagram of pseudonym), the Spectator setter and multiple Azed competition winner, Christopher Brougham. [That’s enough facts – Ed]
Thanks, CG. I have a feeling that ‘Gong’ was the very young Jonathan’s early attempt at pronouncing his own name, but I might have made that up. It’s conceivable that ‘Dumper’ was in fact ‘Grampa’ or some variation thereon (should have gone to Specsavers Audiologists…)
Incidentally, after the lunch, JC was presented with a folder containing the sixteen Gong puzzles published in the Listener magazine between June 1965 and February 1972 (along with a couple of early Azeds).