| REPECHAGE | A sporting contest in which the best-placed of those who failed to win heats compete for a place in the final (9) |
| BIATHLON | Sporting contest in which skiers with rifles shoot at targets along a 20km course (8) |
| ELDESTHAND | The best placed card player from Athens led off with diamonds |
| SIMPHIWE | Khonco: South African IBO champ, who failed to win the WBC strawweight. (8) |
| LOSER | One who failed to win new roles |
| LOWBALL | Poker variety in which the best hand is called a wheel |
| CHAMPIONSHIPS | Competitions in which the best vessels take part? (13) |
| EPEE | Event in which the best competitors are untouchable? |
| NBA | The Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat compete in the _. (1,1,1) |
| CHERRY | Small stone fruit of which the best in the world is said to be of the Picota variety from Extremadura in western Spain; in spring, trees that bear this fruit colour many parts of Mallorca with pink bl |
| DEBBIEREYNOLDS | Actress who failed to land a role said to be based on herself in the film Postcards from the Edge |
| SOSA | Player who failed to lead the league in all three seasons in which he hit 60+ home runs |
| PASCOE | Alan ___, British athlete who failed to clear any hurdles on his lap of honour following his victory in the 400m hurdles at the 1974 Commonwealth Games |
| FALCON | Bird of prey of which the best-known species on Mallorca is a summer visitor called Eleanora's (6) |
| LIBERTYX | Group formed by the finalists who failed to make it into the winning group Hear'Say on Popstars in 2001 (7,1) |
| CLIFFHANGER | A contest in which the result is in doubt till the very end (11) |
| BENEDICTARNOLD | General in the American Revolution who failed in his calamitous attempt to capture Quebec City in 1775: 2 wds. |
| FISH | BBC weather forecaster who failed to warn of a major storm in October 1987. (4) |
| BEE | Contest in which the rules must be followed to the letter? |
| PANCAKERACE | Contest in which the toss takes place after the start? (7, 4) |
