No 2847, Sunday 28 Jun 2015

Another toughie today, specially some of the definitions, like 11A.

ACROSS
1   Player's skill changed his aims in cup (12) MUSICIANSHIP*
9   Headdress and odd items from trip abroad (5) TIARA {TrIp AbRoAd}
10 Persistent soldier perhaps following royal female, ignoring public relations (9) INCESSANT {prINCESS}{ANT}
11 Ordinary article in house (7) VANILLA {V{AN}ILLA}
12 States Spain opposed (6) AVERSE {AVERS}{E}
14 Cross, missing northern resort (3) SPA SPAn
16 Supercilious in charge, having fresh food sent round (6-5) TOFFEE-NOSED {FOOD+SENT}* around {FEE}
17 Bit of wood used for mending fences? (5,6) OLIVE BRANCH [C&DD]
18 Vegetable from month back (3) YAM<=

20 Songbird is able to change, leaving out verse (6) CANARY {CAN}{vARY}

21 Lines about entering into legal actions (7) CREASES {C{RE}ASES}
24 Promise prize, late in being arranged (9) POTENTIAL {POT}{ENTIAL*}
25 Scene caused by saint breaking through (5) VISTA {VI{ST}A}
26 Fashion in a sense is tragic (5-7) HEART-RENDING {HEAR{T-REND}ING}

DOWN
1   Doctor with obligations guarding against inducements (7) MOTIVES {MO}{TI{V}ES}
2   Produce small puppet (5) SPAWN {S}{PAWN}
3   Novelist's plan involving group on river and volcano mostly written up (9,6) CHARLOTTE BRONTE {CHAR{LOT}T}{E BRO}{aNTE<=}
4   Revised main warning about force in allegory (6,4) ANIMAL FARM {MAIN*}{AL {F}ARM}
5   Dry time for religious group (4) SECT {SEC}{T}
6   Rapturous vein then has to be modified to keep calm (2,7,6) IN SEVENTH HEAVEN {VEIN+THEN+HAS}* around {EVEN}
7   Room in church designed as crypt is lacking power (8) SACRISTY {AS+CRYpT+IS}*
8   Escort at first in touch with purpose (6) ATTEND {AT}{Touch}{END}
13 Unravel oddly absorbing account, ending in your everyday language (10) VERNACULAR {VERN{AC}ULA*}{youR}}
15 Lose support of knight, put away after a deception (8) ALIENATE {A}{LIE}{N}{ATE}
17 Interest people hold (6) OCCUPY [DD]
19 Insect problem upset horse (7) MUSTANG {MUS}{TANG}<=

22 Japanese food coming in pleases us highly (5) SUSHI [T]
23 Support lord in speech (4) PIER (~peer)

GRID