1-across – Spinner sets up this caught and bowled – old boy we brought in : COBWEB

4-across – A container so appropriate for plant : ACANTHUS

9-across – In firm I serve a money-grubber : MISER

10-across – Sandy area – call for skimpy attire : GEESTRING

11-across – Beastly noise and smell accompanying old city resident nearby : NEIGHBOUR

12-across – Medieval official to pass through a narrow opening : REEVE

13-across – A message those in education may come to terms with : BACKTOSCHOOL

17-across – Our quiet man’s in trouble from the beginning : TERMINUSAQUO

20-across – Part of Commonwealth using old books in the past : OTAGO

21-across – Restore what sounds like rule, say : REINSTATE

23-across – Guest band playing in parliament : BUNDESTAG

24-across – A non-medical doctor, one held to be a sucker : APHID

25-across – After party, Harry holds container for giving to charity : DONATING

26-across – Parish officer who’d be about to cause trouble on TV : BEADLE

1-down – Finding a succession of oriental rulers in Northants town – not right! : COMINGBY

2-down – Tree or shrub that English NCO’s planted in soil : BESMIRCH

3-down – What about expertise in the land? : EARTH

5-down – Unclouded reasoning exposes Conservative man peddling nonsense, weak leader : CLEARTHINKING

6-down – Number to rampage endlessly with America having a bad name : NOTORIOUS

7-down – The man confronting one female – leading lady seen as a cow : HEIFER

8-down – A number of soldiers turned up to make an impression : SIGNET

10-down – Go to a man’s aid, possibly crossing road initially – as he might have? : GOODSAMARITAN

14-down – Explosive individual in explosive situation off the coast : THESOLENT

15-down – The woman in the group may be humiliated : SQUASHED

16-down – Second-rate individual – one loved, they say, doing absolutely nothing? : BONEIDLE

18-down – Not being on the side of the angels? That’s prohibited : FORBAD

19-down – Act of deception in which girl’s got shot at table : CANNON

22-down – Part of suit that is found in the garden : SPADE

1-across – Tasteless lines fabricated in this : STAINLESSSTEEL

8-across – Support expert capturing cheat : ADOPT

9-across – Publicist arranged more port : PROMOTER

11-across – Recluse formerly without issue : EREMITE

12-across – Contrive to hide shrew in pigeonhole : FINAGLE

13-across – Foreign money keeps children in paint : OCHRE

15-across – Semite in the desert is attached to oriental dance : SARABANDE

17-across – Game girl meets Ian dancing in romantic place : RURITANIA

20-across – Accomplished tenor appearing in public : OVERT

21-across – The highest ambition of woman remains : EVEREST

23-across – Dodgy American parking in camp : SUSPECT

25-across – A state of panic dogs Spike : TAILSPIN

26-across – Drink keeps soldier alert : AGILE

27-across – King manipulated heart-felt rage about Germany : ALFREDTHEGREAT

1-down – Ray the lodger’s a sportsman : SKATEBOARDER

2-down – Appease a tenor : ATONE

3-down – Three people tucking into fruit for sustenance : NUTRIMENT

4-down – Train for show : EXPRESS

5-down – One ridicules small chest : SCOFFER

6-down – Old character is a nuisance : THORN

7-down – Development in Greece men vandalised : EMERGENCE

10-down – Soldier takes time touring chap’s plant in London : REGENTSTREET

14-down – Weed or plant during bad weather : HORSETAIL

16-down – Succeed with jargon term for tree creeper? : BOOMSLANG

18-down – Father has well-known case of writer’s block : NOTEPAD

19-down – Ban this fermented drink : ABSINTH

22-down – Grease monkey said to be a mathematician : EULER

24-down – Quarrel over English aristocracy : ELITE

9-across – Plant at awkward angle with part of fork : EGLANTINE

10-across – Place for bingo : HOUSE

11-across – Bush dense here, stupid : THICKET

12-across – Little flower with dull centre held by pin : RIVULET

13-across – Laugh at Archimedes’ fourth eureka : HAHA

14-across – Undesirable result of constitutional breakdown in the end? : FLATULENCE

16-across – About to become bachelors, blow it! : BASSOON

17-across – Pacific character of a drug, amphetamine, being reversed : DEEPSEA

19-across – This compiler’s game, which is not virtuous? : IMPATIENCE

22-across – Two thirds weak reversed to get brawn : BEEF

24-across – March sunny? Not entirely – diabolical : DEMONIC

25-across – See 15 : HOTSPUR

26-across – Lady Diana manipulated? : NADIA

27-across – To arrange willy-nilly, which Mandelson and Ayling did, is accepted : RANDOMISE

1-down – See 2 : LEFTTHEBUILDING

2-down – It’s all over in Nashville: deft hit G.I. Blues – All Shook Up! : ELVISHAS

3-down – Japanese drink, about a quarter, making one legless : SNAKE

4-down – Two events in one for cycle, sites of 2004 and 1948 Olympics half-completed : BIATHLON

5-down – Worry about the Queen’s nose : FERRET

6-down – Brave soldier shunned amid shout of encouragement for knight : CHEVALIER

7-down – Rising duck problem becomes material : MUSLIN

8-down – Country landowner making life arrangement, but married, not I! : GENTLEMANFARMER

15-down – At Portsmouth, then another team : TOTTENHAM

17-down – All of the pack and then some seaman : DECKHAND

18-down – Ticks off after this run-through? : SHEEPDIP

20-down – Author eating nutty, smelly stuff : POMADE

21-down – Sounds like a company car : ESCORT

23-down – Paddy finds last of beer in bar : STROP