Cryptic crossword

ACROSS

1. Observation of a pile’s in the wrong order (6)

8. Striking effect of a hundred in late break-out (5)

9. Arrive holding a favourite to take part (7)

11. Finally arriving at it in a superior way (6,2)

12. Note a girl may find her reflection in it (5)

15. Fiddler who ousted one during blaze was about right (4)

16. A big apple is capitalised, though none is specified (3)

17. Roguish sort of principal (4)

19. Saw one’s years following Anno Domini (5)

21. One may be as cool as... a gherkin? (8)

24. A quandary for doctors was staged by Shaw (7)

25. Fish responsible for our upset when held by an abstainer (5)

26. Lower half side on average (6)

DOWN

2. Quietly placed in the earth to indulge a child (5)

3. I am to mail gold, though I’m not what I pretend (8)

4. Watertight seal for a stringed instrument in the old days (4)

5. Student doctor to start merriment with throw of dice (5)

6. The game’s up, so beat it! (4)

7. The point is, to a printer, not to go on (4)

10. Ten mistakenly fished with rods and got all wound up (9)

12. Medal may have a brazen sound to it (4)

13. Muse on a light picture show (private viewing) (8)

14. Sort of butter he gets in, for example turning up (4)

18. Beat a large number in building plot (5)

20. Aristotle’s third letter has rays of radiation (5)

21. Business area involved in illicit youth work (4)

22. Explorer who may have prepared his course (4)

23. Outside a cheese it starts running in northerly direction (4)