Cuemasters by Tangram

Puzzle explanation

The letters omitted from answers posed the question “Which poem aged 100 featured a moonlit door?” The answer appears from 7 down as “The (L)isteners”, a poem by Walter de la Mare published in 1912. The latent L (entered in the central cell) can also complete the puzzle’s title as “Cluemasters”, an apt epithet for solvers of the Listener Crossword.

The puzzle’s title and some clues were misleading references to the 2012 World Snooker Championship, which began on the day of publication.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 (W)EL(W)ITSCHIA ELIT(e) + I(ndia) in (S + CHA)
7 T(H)ROE OT(t)ER *
10 MUN(I)CH MUN + C(zec)H
11 PINS(C)HERS PINS + HERS
12 CATC(H)INESS CATS around CINE + S
14 (P)UNGA UNGA(inly)
15 ACTI(O)NER ACT + IN + ER
16 ST(EE)RABL(E) (BLAST + R) *
19 LI(M)ACEL (ACE + L) after LI
21 T(A)RT(A)RUS (TOR − O) twice + U/S
24 (G)IVE EAR I + (VEER around A)
26 WINNOW(E)R WIN + WORN *
27 NEE(D)S SEEN <
29 AQUAMAN(I)LE MAN in (A + QUALE)
30 ASC(O)RBATE B in (AS + CRATE)
31 ARAG(O)N RAG in AN
32 DE(FF)LY LED < + Y
33 UNH(E)ARSING (AS URN NIGH) *
Down
1 EMPUS(A) EM + PUS
2 LU(TT)EN (f)LUEN(t)
3 INA(U)G(U)RAL (LARGE − E + ANI) <
4 SHADBE(RR)Y SHAH − H + D + BEY
5 HICAT(EE) (I + C) in HAT
6 IN(D)ICATION (IONIAN CITY − Y) *
7 (A)THEIST (HE + IS) in TT
8 (M)ORSEL LOSER *
9 (O)ESTRUS SURE < around (S(tock) T(ormenting))
13 TALLYW(O)MAN T + ALLY + W + MAN
17 (N)ERVULAR (A RULER + V) *
18 TREENAI(L) (b)E(ams) in TERN * + A1
19 LOW-PA(I)D LOW PAD
20 CEN(T)URY (N + CUE) * + R(onnie’s) Y(early)
22 BIASE(D) BASE around I
23 WR(O)ATH W + RATH
25 R(OO)SING R(angers) + SING
28 (R)EIGN (engin)E IGN(ition)
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