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1a Attacks fail to stop cheats in football (4-5), 22a The Sound of Music lacks a vigorous quality (5), and 16d Old PC getting senior rand (9). I think the answers are dive bombs, oomph and commodore but can't parse them?

1 DIVES are cheating in football - falling over on purpose to try to get a penalty
22 OOMP(a)H

Oh, and BOMB is fail, metaphorically

COMMODORE was an early maker of PCs, but....I had a vague memory that a MODORE was a coin or rand, but it seems to be moidore.

The clue is “rank” not “rand” :-)

Thanks, chrise and jono, and sorry about my misleading typo of rand instead of rank - I didn't check my post well enough!

6a Subject this person to anti-discriminatory checks (5)
Must be topic = subject, can't parse it though.

10a English teacher's back in a panic, providing cover for head (7)
Earflap? E = English, flap = panic, but how does ‘ra’ mean teacher or teacher’s back? And do earflaps cover the head anyway?

8d Bard's trick, capturing a Trojan lover (9)
Caparison? If so, how does this mean bard? I can only find it meaning a sort of cloak for horse.

8. Bards and comparison are both terms for the ornamental coverings worn by war horses.
They work here as verbs I think, to bard and to comparison are to dress the horse thus

10. E (English) + R (teacheR’s back) inside A FLAP. I think the definition is ok

6a - This person is I being checked by TO PC (pc being anti-discriminatory)

10a- Teachers back is R, in A FLAP