No 2804, Sunday 17 Aug 2014

ACROSS
1   Affording great opportunities, musical wealthy businessmen produced (3,4) FAT CATS {FAT} {CATS}
5   . . . we also back cowboy film (7) WESTERN {WE}{STERN}
9   Talk about conclusion to bizarre con (5) CHEAT {CH{E}AT}
10 Dark planet that is seen around noon (9) SATURNINE {SATURN}{I{N}E}
11 Play a ragtime piece (3,11) THE ENTERTAINER [DD]

13 Female film stars bringing agents (7) FACTORS {F}{ACTORS}
15 Distinguished conductor from Rome sat nervously (7) MAESTRO*
16 Reportedly catch a bacterial disease (7) CHOLERA (~collar){CHOLER}{A}
18 Article used in part exchange rated badly at one's place of business (5-2) TRADE-IN {RATED}*-{IN}
20 A second teaches differently, perhaps, depending on the particular circumstances (2,3,4,3,2) AS THE CASE MAY BE {A}{S} {THE CASE}* {MAY BE}
23 Strip of land shot in pale sun (9) PENINSULA*
24 Not together in a district (5) APART {A}{PART}
25 Actress, after having stitch in side, returned (3,4) MAE WEST {MAE {WES}T} <=
26 Land in Preston I acquired (7) ESTONIA [T]

DOWN
1   View of expert opposite (4,2,4) FACE TO FACE [DD]
2   Article on extremely miserable topic (5) THEME {THE}{MiserablE}
3   Against carrying on - old Shakespearean merchant (7) ANTONIO {ANT{ON}I}{O}
4   Where money may be held in cliffhanging tale? (8,7) SUSPENSE ACCOUNT [DD]
5   And the enemy bombed seaport sooner than expected (4,4,2,5) WITH TIME TO SPARE {WITH} {TIME} {TO SPARE}*
6   Short game fish (7) SARDINE SARDINEs

7   Repent wildly about glacier where maximum damage may occur (9) EPICENTRE {EP{ICE}NTRE*}
8   Born and died in poverty (4) NEED {NEE}{D}
12 House plant in a pot I set out (10) POINSETTIA*

14 Is working within to copy enamelware (9) CLOISONNE {CLO{IS}{ON}NE}

17 Add to first of eggs? Hen can, conceivably (7) ENHANCE {Egg}{HEN+CAN}*
19 Stinging insect moving many in painting (4,3) ARMY ANT {AR{MY AN}*T}

21 Long story about last in clubhouse (5) YEARN {Y{E}ARN}
22 Brought up plans for junk mail (4) SPAM <=