| MIGHTS | Battles, like a barbel resisting capture (6) |
| UPHILL | Leaders understand present hostilities in local league, and that battles like this are hard-fought |
| BEARINGARMS | Ready for battle, like the other long Across answers? |
| BARBUS | Barbel (6,6) |
| STRONG | Powerful, like barbel (6) |
| FIGHT | A barbel puts up a good one (5) |
| SERRATED | Saw-like, as a barbel's dorsal fin spine (*retreads) (8) |
| BRYANS | His record 18lb 3oz River Nene barbel (Aug. 2016) was beaten a few weeks later (5,6) |
| BURBOT | Freshwater cod relative, with barbel on chin (6) |
| ADRIAN | ___ Eves, caught largest barbel of 2017/18 (*and air) (6) |
| BELUGA | White whale - hidden by barbel, Uganda (6) |
| WOCKEL | Barbel ...... , 1980 Olympics 200m gold medallist (6) |
| STUART | Classic barbel videos by_ Morgan and Guy Robb (6) |
| TENCH | Freshwater game fish with a dark greenish body and a barbel at each side of the mouth (5) |
| COD | Fish with a barbel on its chin |
| BLACKS | Yorks. team, won Ang. Trust Winter League Final 2025 (sly barbel snack!) (8,6) |
| BEARDS | Chin puffs, five-o'clock shadows, imperials, vandykes etc; or, awns of barley, barbels of fishes or gills of oysters, reminiscent of said ziffs (6) |
| NIGEL | His record 18lb 3oz River Nene barbel (Aug. 2016) was beaten a few weeks later (5,6) |
| GARLIC | Pungent herb loved by barbel, not vampires! (6) |
| EDAM | It's a top barbel bait in Holland - hard cheese! (4) |
