CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

Give your brain a workout! To check if you’re right, see solutions.

ACROSS

1 Spooner will be round to join a comeback (7) 5 Festive pyrotechnics discharge pieces of art (9) 7 Embrace and fondle roughly (6) 8 I left pair with an average score (3) 10 Musical production opens on perfect evening right away (5) 11 Strike in white (3) 12 Fate conspired against Mike’s time (6) 15 Academic position for posers (9) 16 Meet Ian again at the afternoon show (7)

DOWN

1 Flier serviced weapon (5) 2 The shoeless fear boot-makers (8) 3 Cartoon explorer takes another road (4) 4 We may never know what happened to my tyres (7) 6 Glutton turned wine lover (9) 8 Spare man distributes Italian cheese (8) 9 Mao hops around to get hair clean (7) 13 Steer away from the abrupt and bad tempered (5) 14 Shape of racing guide emerges from chaos (4)