1 Down(4-4)
Refs abused after boy band’s sporting feats (4-4)
Guardian Cryptic #29965 by Omnibus · View full puzzle

Progressive Hints

Definition: "sporting feats"
This uses a charade (joining word parts) combined with an anagram. A charade puts different elements together in sequence, while an anagram rearranges letters based on an indicator word.
Start with a boy band name that's also a number, then add an anagram of 'REFS' (look for the anagram indicator 'abused'). The boy band FIVE goes first, followed by the letters of REFS rearranged.
Answer: FIVEFERS | FIVE (the boy band) + anagram of REFS (indicated by 'abused') gives FIVE + FERS = FIVEFERS, which are cricket bowling achievements of taking five wickets.
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