CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1 Managed to get an entry for the marathon, eventually (2,3,4,3) 8 Did an ignorant chap pester the church for money? (5) 9 Would sponsor promise to underwrite contract? (9) 11 Head off home right away, at first, to deal with a code of silence (6) 12 Was a mat left out one person in a houseshare? (8) 14 Small theatre company takes offence over substitutes (10) 15 Lots more started off at a US city, in short (4) 18 To leave a trace could spoil Kelvin (4) 19 Did a Briton lie about emancipation? (10) 21 Told a story about an island in the west to a little boy (8) 23 Saint led a new church into position (6) 25 Transferred a group of players, at last, with some emotion (9) 26 Found some building plots in the opposite side of the park (5) 27 Leaves one’s property for an isolated area in the main (6,6)

DOWN 1 Popular new warden taking over local establishment (3-6) 2 With formal agreements, attempts to take it all in (8) 3 Some of the landed gentry had a clear advantage (4) 4 Will a planter have to arrange delivery without much effort? (2,1,7) 5 The old lady, at times, had to rely on handouts (6) 6 Extremist can be caught in the usual trap (5) 7 Stays, with suspensions in some recesses (12) 10 A full complement, on the other hand, could mean other people in total (8,4) 13 About to impose a penalty on workers, having little time for improvement (10) 16 May need a tail to become detached (9) 17 Endless caprice by one in front of a musical composition (8) 20 Posed with one about to appear in burlesque (6) 22 The final competitor in the Home Counties. It’s a wash-out (5) 24 Is ready to turn up with some pick-up trucks down under (4)