Times Championship day, when the puzzle (it always seems to me) is extra-hard just to rattle the competitors before the main event. For a change, not wanting to be rattled, and because I was driving to London rather than taking the train, I left this till later, solving it in the hotel room before going down to breakfast the next day - and as predicted, it was pretty tough. Probably not as tough as the puzzles in the Final, but it took me about 25 minutes, and I still don't understand 1ac.
| Across |
| 1 | One who might have left in two different ways (8) |
| TESTATOR - definition's obvious, but I don't understand the wordplay. |
| 5 | Decline seconds, not ready? (6) |
| SUNSET - S(econds) + UNSET (not ready). |
| 10 | Quietly, otter sheds its first coat (5) |
| PARKA - P (quietly) + TARKA (Henry Williamson's otter) minus the first letter. |
| 11 | Animal disturbed gorilla (not good) eating bananas (9) |
| ARMADILLO - (orilla)* around MAD (bananas). |
| 12 | Stand for now by religious teaching (9) |
| REPRESENT - PRESENT (now) next to R.E. (Religious Education). |
| 13 | Sailthis before we commission standard navy marines (5) |
| ROYAL - double definition, the second with an example of 5 words that can follow it. |
| 14 | You left deliveries outside, on top of step (7) |
| SOLVERS - L(eft) inside OVERS (deliveries), next to S(tep). |
| 16 | Improvevisit (4,2) |
| LOOK UP - double definition. |
| 18 | As one born in Lancashire town to the west (2,4) |
| EN BLOC - B(orn) inside COLNE (Lancashire town) reversed. |
| 20 | Reportedly read something into one with suspicion (7) |
| ASKANCE - SKAN (sounds like scan) inside ACE (one). |
| 22 | Sadly not allowed to complete doctor’s mission (5) |
| ALAMO - ALA(s) (sadly, minus the last letter) + M.O. (doctor). |
| 23 | He made press corporation go short, seizing billions (9) |
| GUTENBERG - GUT (corporation) + ENERG(y) (go, minus the last letter), around B(illions). |
| 25 | Dance from court, cross-examined after both sides quit (9) |
| QUADRILLE - QUAD (court) + (g)RILLE(d) (cross-examined, without the first and last letters). |
| 26 | Final blow — actors sacking a film-maker (5) |
| KORDA - KO (final blow) + RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, actors), minus an A. Hungarian-born film director Alexander Korda. |
| 27 | Goal remains — the shorter version (2,4) |
| EN DASH - END (goal) + ASH (remains). |
| 28 | Scriptures worthily translated (4,4) |
| HOLY WRIT - (worthily)*. |
| Down |
| 1 | Better money for authority (3,5) |
| TOP BRASS - TOP (better) + BRASS (money). |
| 2 | Bad mood? Drinks to be served up (5) |
| STROP - PORTS (drinks) reversed. |
| 3 | Work inspired by Venus de Milo? (1,8,2,4) |
| A FAREWELL TO ARMS - cryptic definition. First thing I thought of when I saw the enumeration, so this was my first one in before I'd even read any of the clues! |
| 4 | Where man must go for executives, the asses (7) |
| ONAGERS - "MAN" goes on "AGERS" to get executives. |
| 6 | Short of hairpiece, yanked off and nicked? (5,4,3,3) |
| UNDER LOCK AND KEY - UNDER (short of) + LOCK (hairpiece, i.e. piece of hair) + (yanked)*. |
| 7 | Son left with runny guts having scoffed friend’s cake (5,4) |
| SALLY LUNN - S(on) + L(eft) + (r)UNN(y), around ALLY (friend). A sweet bun originally from Bath. |
| 8 | Travel at leisure: device saving time and energy (6) |
| TOOTLE - TOOL (device) around T(ime), + E(nergy). |
| 9 | Scream at Oliver, hiding explosive substance (6) |
| AMATOL - hidden in "scream at Oliver". A high explosive composed of ammonium nitrate and trinitrotoluene. Never heard of it, but the wordplay made it easy. |
| 15 | Help Handel and Brahms and Liszt (4,1,4) |
| LEND A HAND - (Handel and)*. |
| 17 | Big star treading clumsily (3,5) |
| RED GIANT - (treading)*. |
| 19 | Stone an old king without gawping heartlessly (6) |
| COGGLE - COLE (an old king) around G(awpin)G. Another new word for me, but again the wordplay allowed me to enter it with confidence. |
| 20 | Little boy, a month old, showing a certain style (3,4) |
| ART DECO - ART (little boy, i.e. short for Arthur) + DEC (month) + O(ld). |
| 21 | Nothing wanting in flamboyant ship (6) |
| BARQUE - BAROQUE (flamboyant) without the O (nothing wanting). I'm sure I saw another clue somewhere last week which had wordplay of O in BARQUE to get BAROQUE. |
| 24 | Wear armour regularly, or slip (5) |
| ERROR - alternate letters of "wear armour". |