Weekend Quick Cryptic 93 - solution

My fellow TimesforTheTimes contributors Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce Quick Cryptic crosswords to fill the gap left by the Saturday Times not having one. The plan is for us to take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Sawbill's turn. 

You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below. Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on TfTT. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

Before looking at the answers, if you would like some additional help, click the label below.

Hints and tips...

Some hints and tips:

• In 12A "not left" indicates removing a specific letter
• In 18A think of fails as in dwindles
• 1D is a cryptic definition.

And click on this label to get the solution.

Solution and explanation of the answers...

Definitions  underlined in bold italics , ( Abc )* indicating anagram of Abc,  {deletions} and [] other indicators.

Across
1 Native is a natural at sea (10)
AUSTRALIAN – (Is a natural)* [at sea].
8 Try to win this game? (5)
RUGBY – Cryptic definition.
9 Woman laid out on carpet (7)
MATILDA – MAT (carpet) (laid)* [out].
10 Mixing tofu and pesto? Not together! (3,2,4)
OUT OF STEP – [Mixing] (tofu pesto)*.
12 Make watertight? Not left in large area of water (3)
SEA – SEA{l} (make watertight) without the L [not left].
13 Row about grandchild's first cat (5)
TIGER – TIER (row) about  first letter of Grandchild.
15 State of mind I accept within (5)
INDIA – Hidden within mIND I Accept.
17 Bath, say, at home having left Spain (3)
SPA – SPA{in} without the IN (at home).
18 Fails to take on County? (9)
WILTSHIRE – WILTS (fails as in dwindles) HIRE (take on).
20 Part of international trade in old wines (7)
EXPORTS – EX (old) PORTS (wines).
21 Possesses time, energy ... and speed? (5)
HASTE – HAS (possesses) T (time) E (energy).
22 Stupidly enters camp leading to steep ridge (10)
ESCARPMENT – [Stupidly] (enters camp)*.
 
Down
1 They serve at a high level? (3,9)
AIR HOSTESSES – Cryptic definition.
2 Sense of place picked up (5)
SIGHT – SIGHT sounds like, [picked  up], SITE (place).
3 Artist requiring bit of yellow for sunbeam (3)
RAY – RA (Royal Academician; artist) and first letter, [bit of], Yellow.
4 Controls boundaries (6)
LIMITS – Double definition.
5 Stiff examinations (9)
AUTOPSIES – Cryptic definition.
6 Hot and humid needing door initially to be shut (6)
CLOSED – CLOSE (hot and humid) Door [initially].
7 Surprisingly areas trashed in large part of North Africa (6,6)
SAHARA DESERT – (areas trashed)* [surprisingly].
11 Rockets, perhaps, let go over factory (9)
FIREWORKS – FIRE (let go) WORKS (factory).
14 Gets hold of good tools (6)
GRASPS – G (good) RASPS (tools).
16 Anchorage here, sadly, ends in Black Sea (6)
ALASKA – ALAS (sadly) and last letters, [ends in], of BlacK SeA
19 Problem child (5)
ISSUE – Double definition.
21 Short flight heading home over Portugal (3)
HOP – First letter of [heading] Home O (over)  P (ISO designation for Portugal).