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I couldn't think of a hint (requested!) for that one.

Thanks malone and scarlett! Got 3d after the other two. Can't think why I couldn't see 1d! Had never heard that name for the writer in 8a!

Glad I could help. Re 1 D, we've all done it - got stuck on little/easy clues!

Still not finished with this one I'm afraid. Is 25d ' Sixers', and if so what does that make 24ac? I already have the clash. Clue for 25d is 'New Cub leaders when first son leaves could be foreigners'(6)

bigf:
I may be wrong but I took Cub leaders to mean tigers.
24a : three letters for stop+ three for support (golf) +r.

If you look around the cell with clash,you will see the 2018 winner.
You already know the winner so not hard to locate.

I do not know what 16 cells to highlight.

Sunray, my Cub leaders are Sixers. If you swap the first S, as per the clue, you'd get Nixers, foreigners (as in jobs done off the books).

The highlighting is basically a repudiation of the main theme of the song...

Sory, Bigf, I forgot that it was you who mentioned Sixers!

malone, thanks.
Found the 16 letters.

As Cubs Baseball fans say, there's always next year!

I'm probably being exceedingly dim here, but if Malone's 'nixers' is correct (and I have absolutely no reason to doubt it), I have ?anter for 24ac - the 't' becomes an 'n' after the clash. Despite combing Chambers for possibilities, I can find nothing leading me to 'one dieting'. Arrrgh!

Bigf, I had Sixers, Cub leaders (they could be foreigners if the first S went, changed) - that was the only way I could get 24 A to work. For that I had Faster, one dieting. I explained that (to myself!) as Fasten, support... stop = shorten it, so Faste and add 'r' (ultimately hinder). Hope this a) makes sense and b) is correct!