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Agree Smithsax - 5-0, 4-1,3-2 would all technically fit the bill ... but as we are both old hands - I'm sure you read it as I did ... an either/or ... one of those 'give the setter a break' I think ...

Indeed. My primary purpose in posting was not to criticise KevGar. I thought the crossword clever, challenging and entertaining. One of the better puzzles in a very good year.
I do worry though that ambiguities may lead solvers to be marked incorrect unfairly. I no longer submit puzzles but I remember that when I did how important a correct run could seem to be.
So my posts in this instance are intended to point out to Listener markers (who might possibly read this forum) that there are different ways to interpret the preamble and perhaps there is more than one correct solution.

No problem ... To clarify ... I understood the point you were making and did not take it as a criticism of the crossword ... equally I was not criticising your post ... I also no longer submit but was just making the point that 5-0 for the former was the best solution that could never be marked wrong ...

Mine went off in Monday's post with 5:0. No alternative solution occurred to mt. Still doesn't.

Will37, do you think KevGar put the alternative five there just so you should ignore them? Maybe he/she/they wanted you to recognise them and use the message to demonstrate that they weren’t the ones required?

crates - I think it’s interesting that there’s two very clear and different viewpoints here and both sets of people think their answer is the obvious one

For me the issue with 5:0 is that you didn’t even have to spot the second set or understand much or any of the message to just highlight those.

Anyway, in situations like this it seems harsh for one adamant set of people to be marked wrong as clearly the puzzle, in practice, has been ambiguous

Yes - agree latter 5 are superfluous ... just clever to get them in there,

In my case, with title, whilst filling the grid spotted these (as more prominent) and thought I know where this is going...

Once I revealed the phrase , I thought ,,,ah! a red herring ... very clever...

So had no thought of the ambiguity ... (the name of former 5 was new to me) ...

Fwiw, I highlighted 5:4.4 . But I don't send them in, so I don't worry much about it.

(The amount of help available here and elsewhere seems to me to make the competition more like a raffle. But the internet is what it is.)