Cryptic crossword No 1,834

Thanks for the puzzle, Umpire! My favorites were 1D, 21D, 10A, and 17A (imagine me liking an "on the contrary" clue!)

Surprised to find few comments on this super puzzle, MP. It deservedly went down well on CS and there are some lovely clues scattered throughout a commendably succinct crossword. Faves inc 14a, 15a, 20a, 29a, 2d, 3d8d, 17d, 19d and 24d. Thanks. PM

Thanks Umpire. I agree with PM that this is a collection of some gems. I didn’t see it on CS, but it presented me with a good stretch of the mental muscles over lunchtime and once I had a way in, all eventually fell in that eternal contest. I particularly enjoyed and admired 19a, 20a, 24a, 28a, 4d, 13d, 21d among others. A few peripheral comments in reply, spoilers…

Lovely puzzle, thanks Umpire. Lots of very neat constructions and misdirection. My picks were 1a, 15a, 22a, 4d, 7d, 13d and 21d.