Times 25111 – for leather!

Solving time : 10:51, so on the easier side, though I groaned at the cryptic definitions and shook my head at a few others. Bit of a mixed bag this one, which may mean there’s something for everyone, right? I was surprised to see the device L used for a Roman numeral in two places (leading to three L’s indicated as numbers) in the grid.

There’s even a triple-dose of cricket hiding in here.

Away we go!

Across
1 I’m going to get the across omission out of the way early
5 BOSOMY: SO(thus),M(maiden, cricket reference #1) in BOY. Reuben always reminds me of the sketch from “Not Only, But Also”
8 ROC: first letters of Republic Of China
9 REV,ELATION
10 TREASURY: TRY around (A,RUSE)*
11 BONBON: NB(nota bene – be attentive) in BOON
12 GUYS: I think this is a reference to Guy Fawkes and Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital?
14 PORT ENDING
17 MARVELLOUS: O between Andrew MARVELL and US
20 PILL: P(ounding) then ILL
23 B,ARROW
24 SHEIKDOM: (HOME,KIDS)
25 MAIDEN,HOOD: the MAIDEN is a good over and our cricket reference #2
26 ADD: The thousand could be 500+500, so D,D Edit: I messed this up in writing the first version and had LL instead of DD
27 ADONIS: take the first letters away from sAD,sON,hIS
28 SNOWFALL: NOW in S,FALL(baseball playoffs are also known as the “fall classic”)
 
Down
1 STRATAGEM: (START,GAME)*
2 ARCHERY: Cricket #3 – the new ball in cricket is called A CHERRY, so move one of the R’s to the top
3 HERE’S,Y: Y being the end of conformitY
4 LIVERPOOL: R in a game of LIVE POOL
5 B,RAMBLE
6 SKINNY-DIP: cryptic definition
7 M,ON(playing),SOON
13 SOVEREIGN: take IT from SOVIET REIGN
15 TOUCH(just a little),DOWN(depressed)
16 let’s leave this out of the downs
18 A,L,ARMED: another Roman numeral making an appearance in L
19 (f)LAWLESS
21 INDIANA: DIANA is the female hunter succeeding IN
22 WINDOW: N in WIDOW(partner, after loss)

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