Across:
   1. Smother little creature; it's backward (6)
   5. With traditional marriage vow, married and tragically unmarried (7)
   9. Scrabble 'N' he improbably held, winning 1704 battle for Churchill (8)
  10. Crazy fellow accepts Indian capital for English (6)
  11. Australian basketballer and friend on circuit (4)
  12. Where he might bowl a ball will scare shaky tail-enders (5)
  13. Fair sex politely reserved (4)
  15. Spot Los Angeles turning into city after lowliest of beginnings (8)
  17. Penny rent to provide satisfaction (6)
  19,7dn. 1923 24 3's winning side, with dash working west and east, recovers after losing middle half (6 9)
  20. Perhaps ices up, sweating bullets? (8)
  21. Good side not looking so good! (4)
  23. How rat had held onto anger (5)
  24. It sounds like a fair, although perhaps inevitable, outcome (4)
  25. see 27
  26. Content in playing (half the time) without offending (8)
  27,25. 1923 24 3's losing side with terrible diet: human stew (4 3 6)
  28,20dn. Having smoked head off cannibis crop, I rest (outwardly), and I sound hesitant making new venue for "the White Horse 3" (6 7)
Down:
   2. With back of boot... oh! Pele! terrific long shot! (9)
   3. Match with firsts of firsts? It's nearly always last! (5)
   4. No, I travel East to West, losing real high (9)
   5,20dn. What 28 20 became as weeds immutably developed? (7 7)
   6. Put off by odd lady taking drug (5)
   7. see 19 across
   8. Just a bit of dangle... poor rising! (5)
  14. What the poor sometimes have to do, however limited (3)
  16. Pilau Tom ate solves retention and gets things moving smoothly (9)
  17. Where blackbird sat with Mandela's group, finally free with a bit of luck (9)
  18. Teens were corrupted for bribe (9)
  19. What the poor sometimes have to do: be good (3)
  20. see 5 down or 28 across
  22. Make fresh sausage up without one (5)
  23. Dimension with left and right? (5)
  24. France regularly get high for competition (1. 1. 3)