ACROSS
8. Difficult territory to track, but outstanding performance (4, 3, 2, 6)
9. Drug horses to produce ova (4)
10. This wall doesn’t hold up a thing (10)
11. Appeal for promotion before new year (6)
13. Aesthetically pleasing to see it sit back in gentle curve (8)
14. Cleverness evident in Kiwis’ dominance (6)
15. Shrewd to keep odd assets up tree (6)
18. Extraordinary intuition leads head of espionage then whole spy organisation to Labour leader (8)
20. Sixties style tops international festival on final day, for change (6)
22. Tropical fern needs lock after appearing in public for the first time (10)
23. Treatment from doctor with huge heart (4)
24. Kingly pope fears revolutionary movement set on success (7, 3, 5)
DOWN
1. Dead end leads to wrath and peril (6)
2. Uneven chances? (4)
3. Car noise ruined the situation, in brief (8)
4. In the Sinai, note the retreat, old boy (7)
5. Alter when disturbing fact takes up half of life (6)
6. Technique for scanning extreme right? (10)
7. Some in or out when night is bathed in light (8)
12. Crazy-eyed satyrs have ‘lighted fools the way to dusty death’ (10)
14. Cleans up well: used to be top handyman and competent (8)
16. Hat raised or get serious first (8)
17. Two Hitchcocks have a lucerne crop (7)
19. Part of the game was shown at inn in Gettysburg (6)
21. Shabby beginnings of flu roughen up my poor yodelling (6)
23. Carries out two deer (4)
ANSWERS
ACROSS
8 HARD ACT TO FOLLOW | 9 EGGS | 10 NONBEARING | 11 PRAYER | 13 ARTISTIC | 14 WISDOM | 15 ASTUTE | 18 ESPECIAL | 20 MODIFY | 22 MAIDENHAIR | 23 DRUG | 24 PLAYING FOR KEEPS.
DOWN
1 DANGER | 2 ODDS | 3 SCENARIO | 4 ETONIAN | 5 AFFECT | 6 ULTRASOUND | 7 MOONRISE | 12 YESTERDAYS | 14 WASHABLE | 16 SOMBRERO | 17 ALFALFA | 19 INNING | 21 FRUMPY | 23 DOES.