I particularly liked 24ac, 32ac, 52ac and the very cute 2dn. Any favourites from the floor?
ACROSS
1 Supporters, British, stopping Polish players (5,4)
BRASS BAND – BRAS [supporters] + B “stopping” SAND [polish]
6 Minor injury certainly no handicap (7)
SCRATCH – a double def, where the second definition is something to do with a good walk being spoiled.
10 Elm in court outside a hotel (5)
WAHOO – WOO [court] outside A H. This strangely-named tree is found in the southern USA, apparently…
13 Poor parrots: they’ve no more fun! (3,6,4)0
THE PARTY’S OVER – (PARROTS THEY’VE*)
14 Mole dwells across river bank (5,4)
LIVER SPOT – LIVES [dwells] “across” R + POT [bank]
15 Recalled church matter being out of place (7)
ECTOPIC – reversed CE + TOPIC [matter]
16 Ring to cancel film (7)
ANNULET – ANNUL E.T. [to cancel | film]
17 Ball game, I sense, doing massive harm (7)
RUINOUS – R.U. I NOUS [ball game | I | sense]
18 New arrangement for writers bears fruit (12)
STRAWBERRIES – (WRITERS BEARS*)
20 Meeting-place in New Zealand at first overused, sadly (10)
RENDEZVOUS – (NZ OVERUSED*)
23 Secret miscreant kept from head (5)
INNER – {s}INNER
24 Hours in science laboratory being oddly ignored put out Soviet leader (9)
CHERNENKO – H in CERN [science laboratory] + {b}E{i}N{g} + K.O. [put out]
25 Share personal perspective on what’s expected (7)
PARTAKE – TAKE [personal perspective] on PAR [what’s expected (in a good walk spoiled)]
26 We cancel short journey to find convenience store (3-4,4)
ONE-STOP SHOP – or ONE STOPS HOP [we cancel short journey]
28 In a way, uproar something we can learn from (11)
INSTRUCTION – IN ST RUCTION [in | a way | uproar]
30 Follower of popular opinion, note, Strasbourg politician with letter (11)
TIMEPLEASER – TI M.E.P. LEASER [note | Strasbourg politician | letter]
32 Salesman sulks, cross, turning to see waiting journalist? (11)
DOORSTEPPER – reverse all of REP PETS ROOD [salesman | sulks | cross]
34 Place for young and old train staff: Home Counties line? (7)
NURSERY – NUR SE RY [old train staff | Home Counties | line]. NUR as in National Union of Railwaymen (dissolved 1990).
36 Recovering, if diminished: lampoon them endlessly (2,3,4)
ON THE MEND – hidden in {lampo}ON THEM END{lessly}
38 Shackles press with these (5)
IRONS – double def
39 One predicting a storm, perhaps, if indeed listened to (7,3)
WEATHER EYE – homophone of WHETHER AYE
41 Win big game following exclusive article (5,3,4)
SCOOP THE POOL – POOL [game] following SCOOP THE [exclusive | article]
45 Appropriate company to tour capitals presenting opera (7)
NABUCCO – NAB CO [appropriate | company] “touring” UC [capitals, as in Upper Case]. A Verdi opera based on the books of Jeremiah and Daniel and probably well worth remembering for trivia!
46 Cunning US president with backing of forty on the left (7)
FOXLIKE – IKE [US president (Eisenhower)], with reversed OF + XL [forty] to the left of it
47 Moslem doctrine to be poorly interpreted at first (7)
ISMAILI – ISM AIL [doctrine | to be poorly] + I{nterpreted}
49 Lasting mark left by short old Greek composer (9)
SCARLATTI – SCAR L ATTI{c} [lasting mark | left | “short” old Greek]
50 In this selection process keen that woman should block top illustrator? (13)
CHERRYPICKING – CRY [keen] “blocked” by HER [that woman] + PIC KING [top illustrator?]
52 Wed, perhaps, without dread, vacuous PA (5)
DADDY – DAY [Wed, perhaps], “without” D{rea}D. Nice piece of misleading capitalisation!
53 City, close to championship, continue to be relaxed? (7)
PRESTON – {championshi}P + REST ON [continue to be relaxed?]
54 Henry abused his power to punish severely (9)
HORSEWHIP – H + (HIS POWER*)
DOWN
1 Prepares for fried dish or buffets (7)
BATTERS – double def
2 Leaves stripper to run after a lowdown female (5,6)
AGENT ORANGE – TO R, after A GEN [lowdown], + ANGE [female, somewhat familiarly!]
3 Maidenhead maybe wanted in exchange for Slough (5)
SWAMP – M{aidenhead} in SWAP [exchange]. Some will hate this, but the “maybe” exonerates it.
4 A Conservative out to break with EU prompt! (7)
AUTOCUE – (A C OUT + EU*) [“break”]
5 Some French boy (3)
DES – double def
6 A number spotted, happening to be paying visit (9)
SEVENTEEN – SEEN [spotted], “paid a visit” by EVENT [happening]
7 Hardly ever is gran’s meat lean (6)
RARELY – {g}RA{n} + RELY [lean]
8 An age to cultivate some neat approach in (4,3,4,4,4)
TILL THE COWS COME HOME – TILL [to cultivate] + THE COWS [some neat] + COME IN [approach | home]
9 Hung around with over-edacious hosts (7)
HOVERED – “hosted” by {wit}H OVER-ED{acious}
10 With place for page, it’s a sound organ or piano! (9)
WURLITZER – W + URL [place for page] + homophone of IT’S A
11 3 lovers of trendy music and books in need of foreign friend (11)
HIPPOPOTAMI – HIP POP O.T. AMI [trendy | music | books | foreign friend]. 3 lovers cross references 3d, so “swamp lovers”.
12 Grass is overheard identifying conspirator (5)
OATES – homophone of OATS. Titus Oates of Popish Plot infamy.
16 Book is bio my foster-father and I twice reworked (1,5,7,2,4)
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME – (BIO MY FOSTER-FATHER I I*)
19 Monitor calls on regulator to support women’s group (7)
WIRETAP – RE TAP [on | regulator] supporting W.I.
21 It’s something in S Africa to catch wild bears with nets (9)
STEENBRAS – (BEARS + NETS*). South African fish.
22 Way of paying complete with pen and pad, finally (2,4)
IN KIND – INK IN [complete with pen] + {pa}D
23 Pass papers on, and empty textbook, immediately (1,4,4)
I DON’T KNOW – I.D. ON + T{extboo}K NOW
24 Like some metal to get hold of annually? (7)
COPPERY – COP [to get hold of] + PER Y{ear}
25 Put out of pub, ancient one associated with The Sun’s top journalist (7)
PHRASED – PH RA’S ED [pub | ancient one associated with the sun’s | top journalist]
27 Potentially even state celebration should involve one (6)
PARITY – PARTY [celebrating] should “involve” I
29 Shift from English — earlier try to abandon science (7)
CHEMISE – E, after CHEMIS{try}
31 Middle-of-the-road leader on the right dismissed hawk (6,5)
MORTAR BOARD – M.O.R. + {s}TARBOARD. “A small square board with a handle underneath, used for carrying wet plaster or mortar”, not to be confused with a handsaw.
33 Still to determine its outcome? (5,6)
PHOTO FINISH – cryptic def, the still in question being photographic.
35 European city hall condemned, rightly (9)
ETHICALLY – E + (CITY HALL*)
37 A mathematician’s large audience excited (9)
EUCLIDEAN – (L + AUDIENCE*)
40 Wretched uprising, frequently coming in place of protest? (7)
ROOFTOP – reversed POOR, OFT “coming in”.
42 Excursionist, one setting off? (7)
TRIPPER – double def
43 Confined to bed — but no more stories? (5,2)
LYING UP – or if one’s LYING is UP there are no more stories
44 Missile briefly guided northwards, and across France (6)
EXOCET – reversed COXE{d}, plus ET [and, across France]
45 Edged forward and picked up bouquet? (5)
NOSED – double def
48 Exam’s ending with long, hard paper (5)
MACHE – {exa}M + ACHE [long]
49 Cheer swift runner coming up — not quite to the echo (3)
RAH – reverssed HAR{e} [swift runner]
Edited at 2020-02-22 09:33 am (UTC)
Other than that my only problems were a few missed parsings e.g. ONE STOPS HOP, PIC KING and the UC in NABUCCO.
Edited at 2020-02-22 08:27 am (UTC)
Perhaps I ought to start looking at the Cryptic Jumbo more carefully.
David