| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | APPLICANTS | |
| Captains at sea holding place for candidates (10) | Anagram of CAPTAINS outside PL | |
| 6 | HELP | |
| Come to the aid of young dog without lead (4) | (w)HELP | |
| 9 | SLOOP | |
| Sailing vessel joins forces heading west (5) | POOLS reversed | |
| 10 | DAREDEVIL | |
| US lawyer embarrassed immoral hothead (9) | DA + RED + EVIL | |
| 12 | FINANCIERS | |
| Enthusiasts taking in investors (10) | FANCIERS outside IN | |
| 13 | LOT | |
| Share half of red wine (3) | mer(LOT) | |
| 15 | ON-SITE | |
| One ringing model located at a particular place (2-4) | ONE outside SIT | |
| 16 | COME UPON | |
| Find the writer in possession of voucher (4,4) | ME inside COUPON | |
| 18 | SETSCREW | |
| Stitch around edges of tailored crest with groovy metal fastener (8) | SEW outside anagram of CREST | |
| 20 | SPICES | |
| Special treats popular on a hot day – they’re full of flavour (6) | SP + ICES | |
| 23 | OWN | |
| Keep formal dresses with no sleeves? (3) | g)OWN(s | |
| 24 | BASKET CASE | |
| Nervous wreck’s set-back treated as routine ultimately (6,4) | Anagram of SETBACK + AS + routin(E) | |
| 26 | PRIME RATE | |
| Banking figure is a little explosive at start of engagement (5,4) | PRIMER + AT + (E)ngagement | |
| 27 | FRILL | |
| Gathering crowd assembled on banks of river (5) | FILL outside R | |
| 28 | RAGE | |
| Right time of life to party (4) | R + AGE | |
| 29 | PESTILENCE | |
| Upright member in British capital is a morally harmful influence (10) | STILE inside PENCE | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | APSE | |
| Area of church collapsed partly (4) | collAPSEd | |
| 2 | PROFITS | |
| Expert attacks money made in business (7) | PRO + FITS | |
| 3 | IMPRACTICABLE | |
| Useless right in effect, one on line (13) | R inside IMPACT + I + CABLE | |
| 4 | ADDICT | |
| Part of a play, staged outside, did upset aficionado (6) | ACT outside anagram of DID | |
| 5 | TURNED ON | |
| Rugby union back, restricted by ruptured tendon, is tripped (6,2) | (RU reversed) inside anagram of TENDON | |
| 7 | ENVELOP | |
| New edition of novel slipped inside record cover (7) | Anagram of NOVEL inside EP | |
| 8 | POLITENESS | |
| Poet’s lines translated with refinement (10) | Anagram of POETS LINES | |
| 11 | DISRESPECTFUL | |
| Purists feel CD with a typical arrangement is fresh? (13) | Anagram of PURISTS FEEL CD | |
| 14 | GOBSTOPPER | |
| Retired salesperson plants marshy area with sucker (10) | (REP + POTS + BOG) reversed | |
| 17 | MESSMATE | |
| One who joins a friend to eat gum? (8) | Double definition of sorts | |
| 19 | TINTING | |
| Two cans with green’s primary colouring (7) | TIN + TIN + (G)reen | |
| 21 | CUSHION | |
| Copper replaced his working shock absorber (7) | CU + anagram of HIS + ON | |
| 22 | DESERT | |
| Leave high and dry place of solitude (6) | Double Definition | |
| 25 | FLEE | |
| Leave head of logistics in charge (4) | (L)ogistics inside FEE |
