CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

Across

1. Indifference shown by southern groups of troops (11)

9. Remaining group I have contracted is ill at ease (7)

10. Celebrated atmosphere with backing for Spanish drink (7)

11. Pretence in part of a play (3)

12. Oppose small thing used in board games (7)

13. A short form of retirement? (3-4)

14. Progressive rock band getting positive response (3)

15. Brief to bring back clock, say (5)

17. Approaches Tyneside drinking haunts lacking frontage (5)

18. Walk heavily and halt having

taken minute (5)

20. Poor useless plant deadheaded in new yard (5)

22. Complete part of chosen dissertation (3)

24. Classify again number on car mistakenly read (7)

25. Greyish mammal sped around cricket club and pool essentially (7)

26. Vegetable and fruit companion ignored (3)

27. Old Conservative companion into mixed gin and Italian food (7)

28. Abandoned narrow channel marginally expanded (7)

29. Prison, I hear, troubled a resident in a church district (11)

Down

1. Recording by American possibly using poor set giving views (10,5)

2. Journalist lately writes about destructive event in the U.S. (7)

3. Part of spectacle arranged? That’s evident (5)

4. Some title devised for a parasitic plant (9)

5. Older relative enthusiastic to get yellowish cloth (7)

6. One making a delivery for another? (9,6)

7. Difficult set of cards followed by unknown character (6)

8. Searches around area much visited places (6)

16. First person tucks into specimen cooked as seasonal fare (5,4)

18. Rex amid first of such embraces expresses doubts (6)

19. Reindeer, one moving in a showy way? (7)

21. Your chart regularly has a northern Mexican peninsula (7)

23. Strip study due for renovation (6)

25. Artist starts to draw illustrations indicating bones (5)