Ev 1192

[hankir]

I am assuming that this is about some English football team.
(The words 'goal scored by the XI' rule out cricket.)
I may be wrong.
I know nothing about football. I tried to search for names of English teams but have not found a site where each year's International team is listed.
Can someone give me a hint on how to find teams?

BTW, I am finding it easier to remove two extra letters than adding two.
I am struggling in the SW corner.

Thanks in advance.

[EV_Solver]

Definitely not about football! The theme involves two groups which have a total of eleven members between them. The two groups are thematically linked - the key word there being "thematically"...

[hankir]

Thanks, EV_Solver.
I am not sure what the two thematically groups could be.
Total of 11 between them means 5 and 6, or not.

But at least, I will stop wasting my time on Football teams.
Olympics is the next thing to think about.

[hankir]

I think I found 6.
Three of them fit on the left side of the grid.
Now to find the remaining 5.

I have 2 left. 7A and 30D.
I think 7 is where you add 2 letters and 30 is where you take out 2. But right now I am stumped.

[DocHH]

Hello hankir,
I would suggest you forget anything sporty! As a hint, what else gets "scored"? In my opinion 7a is a removal, and definitely both 30a and 30d are normal. Your assumption regarding a 5 and 6 split of the members of each group is correct. Some grid staring on that basis might help, it certainly did for me!

Off to cook dinner now! Actually,that is a euphemism for getting dinner using Sunday left-overs!

[devadolly]

Hello All. Trundling along in the rear as ever, but am so happy to hear it is not footy, but what? Now there's the thing, grid scanning and brain racking will commence soonest.
Ginger Mog has gone off on a quest of his own so is no help at the moment but will consult him when he returns!!

[hankir]

Thanks DocHH.
I have the 11 members.
I have 30D.
I have the word to be written under the grid.
Now to figure out 7A and the 13 letters.
For 7A, I did think about removing two letters from the second word and a phrase of first two words will provide a solution that could fit 7A. I have x?yz.
? can only be a vowel.
Not sure about Anglo-Saxon houses.
13 letters with 4 words cannot be about the nationality or profession.
So staring will begin after I come back from an errand.
Tomorrow, I may ask for the starting square.

[hankir]

7A was so easy, I should have gotten it as soon as I read the clue. Sometimes I am looking for complications in a clue where none exist.

I think I have 2 of the 4 words. Gives me 8 letters. Now to find two more.

[hankir]

I meant two words add up to 7 letters. 6 remain. May be 3 and 3.

[hankir]

Oops again. I looked up the two groups and it is clear as can be. Found all 13 letters.

Good puzzle. Enjoyed it a lot.

Had never heard of many of the 11.