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I sadly agree with every recent post.
As for 9a, the only 'convertible' word I found was 'threonine' (could give 'threoten' or 'threeten' if we consider that three-ten follows what sounds like three-o-nine), but neither is it defined in the clue nor does the wordplay lead to threoten or threeten. Plus, I'm fairly sure of the 'A' that 6d provides me...
Sigh

What's a 'case of beet' anyway? The letters b and t? Or a scientific name for what surrounds the beet?

Been toying with "tobago" as the crop in 9a - some sources give it as another spelling of "tobacco", and is does contain "bag" for "case". Thoughts?

Is the suggestion that TO(BAG)O would be entered as THR(BAG)EE? I think splitting the number would be unfair, but at this point who's to say?

Could 8D end in NONE which is inflated to SOME? Problem - can't find anything ending in NONE that makes any sense! Argh.

First post - I've been a long time lurker and it's time to give something back. I spent hours on this and although I think it's too early for direct spoilers, here are some hints.

If I've got this right, 9 across contains a synonym for the number to be modified, which is split. The contest is one which takes place between two universities every year and "case" here means "contents" (as in a case of wine, I suppose).

In post 22, Buzzybee has inadvertently hit on part of the answer to 17,14,8! This too contains a synonym (split) of a number to be modified as well as another more straightforward modification.

I'm loth to criticise Paul as he's one of my favourite setters, but can anyone approaching this in the spirit of Victor Borge really be expected to guess at split synonyms (and a reversal)?

Brilliant Loge! I don't think I would have got these given weeks. I must have had a subliminal moment in my post 22. I agree, very convoluted.

With Loge’s help with 9ac and 17, I think I’ve got them all except 4dn. Can someone point me in the right direction?

loge, you are a true genius! How you got - and how anyone is expected to get - the synonym and the split (most unfair, as you say) in 9 ... is beyond me. You have saved me from a month of torture - I can only hope you'll visit the site more often ...
4d is a quite large number involving 8 letters.

Thank you. Finished. Found that all a pit unsatisfying. Can’t work out the parsing of the wordplay for 17 for the life of me. Not the fairest clues.

lexawkward - 17 is a 4-letter word for caring (which I'd been trying to make work for ages) around impatience (initially). , The rest is part of the extensive anagram.

Brilliant parsing of a grossly unfair clue. There is nothing in the preamble to suggest that numbers can be split up. And, wouldn't the synonym for the number in 9a inflate to TRIO? You wouldn't speak of a "three of pigeons."