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Hello, Elle!
That "kettle" is not in my old Chambers, but I have seen it used on the News several times, when police are confining demonstrators to prevent them marching.
Could be, I suppose, that it is only a Scottish term?
Is it not in your much newer Chambers?
I have looked up "tombola" in Chambers, and it states that winning tickets are drawn from a revolving drum, I think.
So, the clue looks fine?

Hello, Malone!
Yes, your "tombola" parse makes good sense.
I should have looked it up in the dictionary earlier!

I don't know the clue, but "kettling" was a controversial police tactic used against protests in London some years ago....

Rusty, glad you got the tombola sorted. 'Kettle' (as in forming a cordon) isn't in my 12th edition Chambers, but is in the revised 13th. It's not given as Scottish.

Update, Elle!
I have Chambers Dictionary on an app on my 'phone.
I looked up "kettle" and one definition is,
"an enclosed area created by cordons of police officers to control public protesters."

Rusty, isn't it good that language evolves to keep up with current events? I'm not a fan of all new words, of course, but it's interesting at times!

Hi malone
Yes, but I would make a distinction between words taking on new meanings, and words with different meanings becoming interchangeable. I find the latter so aggravating...

Hello, Malone!
Posts are crossing!
Yes, I like to see the language evolve.
I keep forgetting my Chambers app!
I got it several years ago from Google Play Store and it is very good.
I wonder how they came up with "kettle" for confinement?

ChrisE, you're ever so slightly aggravating with your aggravating! (The real meaning is and always has been known to me.)

I know, malone!

My greatest bete noire is "epicentre". It is used incorrectly by pretentious pr**s for whom the correct "centre" isn't polysyllabic enough. I once heard a BBC (!) report on an earthquake where the reporter said "the epicentre was 5 kilometres below the surface"!

Hi, Rusty!
I have just looked up "kettle"....
Now my "flawed" 13th edition of Chambers gives me exactly the same definition as does your tenth edition of Chambers.......
But interestingly , Brewers offers a totally new slant on the word!
Brewers says...
"As well as meaning the vessel used for boiling water and cooking, the word is old thieves' slang for a watch.
A tin kettle is a silver watch, a red kettle is a gold one"
Now I 'll bet you didn't know that?

I didn't know that a tombola involved a drum.......
My only experience with the word has been at school fairs where one buys a ticket in the "tombola" ( it is simply handed to you on receipt of the money) and then the number is matched to an item on the table!
Obviously a misnomer!