The Guardian – Cryptic crossword No 27,464 – Mar 23 2018

Clues	Answers
A bit like Snowball, short of energy with running	WHIT
An American writer describes brief WI music disaster	APOCALYPSE
Call in agent, getting ruffled?	FRINGED
Contest opens very tense council	SOVIET
Emperor shows his dissent, seizing a stick	NAPOLEON
European Union abandoning work worried complex	ELABORATE
Fan mail distributed by branch for 7’s 23 across	ANIMAL
Fellow member retired during programme	COMRADE
Finish off incredible eastern story	TALE
Fodder is tossed, then left to mature	SILAGE
Handle staff rises by end of June	NAME
Heated dry nuts, finally parched, desiccated	DEHYDRATED
Hybrid bulbel the Spanish introduced	BLUEBELL
Let’s stand back to front	LEASE
Munch nosh all up, out eating good pub fare	PLOUGHMANSLUNCH

Clues	Answers
Obliged school to enrol representative English learners	COMPELLED
Officer carried over short distance with soldier	COMMANDANT
Old container brought round before getting pig out	OVEREAT
Order people filling in survey to start again	RECOMMENCE
Popular chestnut fencing timber	LARCH
Pound nut holding a large stone	PALPITATE
Quietly back complaint in plant	PLUMBAGO
Rope in Spanish mare at Ascot boxes	REATA
See 20	FARM
Short work made of some material star collected	NOVELLA
Statesman, say, circulated paper I submitted	GEORGIAN
Suffolk river or its source?	ORWELL
Tasteful priest delivered clothing	SAPID
Wee hit	NUMBERONE