Like last week, I found this harder than usual from Quixote, not that the clues were more difficult but some of the words were less familiar. Enjoyable solve as always, solving time, 30 mins
* = anagram
ACROSS
1 BASE BALL
5 CO ST
8 S (1 CI) LY CI = Channel Islands
9 BIN ARIES My last answer – binary stars and Aries (Sign of the Zodiac)
10 DEMONS T RATION
12 CAR ROT
13 P(o)EM BROKE I think both Oxford and Cambridge have Pembroke Colleges
15 WELL WELL
17 DEL(P)HI
19 LITERARY AGENT (yarn get retail)* & lit
20 MAKEOVER (Vera OK me)*
22 D(R)O P IN(t)
23 VER(it)Y
24 STOTINKA (NATO kits)* Bulgarian money
DOWN
1 BLIND DATE (lad in debt)*
2 SHI (MM) ER
3 BEYOND THE GRAVE (Bogy death never)*
4 LOB(o) lobo = timber wolf, from US
5 Jacques CAR TI(g)ER 16th century French explorer esp associated with Canada
6 Isaac STERN
7 ONE-ARMED BANDIT (Braindead men to)*
11 TIPP(L)ER
14 KSHATRIY A (Arty Sikh)* Hindu caste
15 LOT TE(a)RY
18 LIE DOWN
19 LEAVE Hidden
21 iRATe