Another no-show by the scheduled blogger so my second outing today. For that reason there is only an analysis of the clues.
Across
1 Make waves after senator’s first stint (6)
SCRIMP – S[enator] (senator’s first) CRIMP (make waves)
4 Sadly it’s cheap and imitative in style (8)
PASTICHE – an anagram (sadly) of IT’S CHEAP
9 Problem possibly caused by theologian in anger (6)
RIDDLE – DD (theologian) in RILE (anger)
10 Iron / sink (8)
DECREASE – double def.
11 Control oppressively on account of earlier budgetary excess (8)
OVERRIDE – double def.
13 Nationalist leader absent from German city’s assembly (6)
MUSTER – MU[n]STER (Nationalist leader absent from German city)
15 Shift in compassion causing second thoughts (6,2,5)
CHANGE OF HEART – double def.
18 Extremely reticent about Penny continuing to appear youthful (4-9)
WELL-PRESERVED – WELL (extremely) RESERVED (reticent) around (about) P (penny)
22 Fellow concerned with protecting old wound (6)
LESION – LES (fellow) IN (concerned with) around (protecting) O (old)
24 Container for Jack to carry rum in space (8)
JERRYCAN – J (Jack) plus an anagram (rum) of CARRY in EN (space)
26 How W G Grace was sometimes photographed for example (8)
INSTANCE – IN STANCE (how W G Grace was sometimes photographed)
27 More astute of Huw ultimately to remain in Ireland (6)
WILIER – [hu]W (Huw ultimately) plus LIE (remain) in IR (Ireland)
28 Policeman getting information on weapon discovered in the centre of Bordeaux (8)
GENDARME – GEN (information) plus ARM (weapon) in (discovered in) [bor]DE[aux] (centre of Bordeaux)
29 Extremely silly to stop around Yemen’s capital city (6)
SYDNEY – S[ill]Y (extremely silly) END (stop) reversed (around) Y[emen] (Yemen’s capital)
Down
1 Rather kind about Italian playwright (4,2)
SORT OF – SORT (kind) FO (Italian playwright) reversed (about) – Dario Fo
2 On reflection the German writer is correct (3-6)
RED-PENCIL – DER (the German) reversed (on reflection) PENCIL (writer)
3 Girl riddled with the French disease (7)
MALARIA – MARIA (girl) around (riddled with) LA (the French)
5 Worries about abandoning God (4)
ARES – [c]ARES (worries about abandoning)
6 Finished / without a break (7)
THROUGH – double def.
7 Henry, choking, is unable to sing (5)
CHANT – H (Henry) in (choking) CAN’T (is unable to)
8 Detest being without energy to box (8)
EXECRATE – EX (without) E (energy) CRATE (box)
12 Australian girl getting good at German (6)
DIGGER – DI (girl) G (good) GER (German)
14 Stick with officer in command at this point (6)
COHERE – CO (officer in command) HERE (at this point)
16 Lawyer coming up with choice of words indicating compulsive behaviour (9)
ADDICTION – DA (lawyer) reversed (coming up) DICTION (choice of words)
17 House earliest of detainees somewhere in London (8)
DWELLING – D[etainees] (earliest of detainees) WELLING (somewhere in London)
19 Professional artist beginning to tutor amateur in proportion (3,4)
PRO RATA – PRO (professional) RA (artist) T[utor] (beginning to tutor) A (amateur)
20 Check over last of manuscripts revealing what poets do (7)
VERSIFY – VERIFY (check) around (over) [manuscript]S (last of manuscripts)
21 Forcefulness shown by transformed Green Party finally (6)
ENERGY – an anagram (transformed) of GREEN [part]Y
23 Hospital admitting American girl (5)
SUSAN – SAN (hospital) around (admitting) US (American)
25 Fraud squad’s head about to get married (4)
SCAM – S[quad] (squad’s head) CA (about) M (married)
Thanks Gaufrid. I’ve never heard of the Italian playwright in 1d – with a surname like that, you’d think he’d be a regular in cryptics.
Enjoyable stuff and, for me, a crossie of two halves with the south falling easily, but the north putting up some heavy resistance before I prevailed. No particular fave today so my honours go to the nice mixture of easy and somewhat harder clues making an interesting solve. Thanks to Poins for the puzzle and to Gaufrid for stepping in to cover the blog.