29a has me stumped too. Is that your last clue ? I'm just wondering if all the letters are definitely right.
I have tried each meaning of season and can't see anything that comes close.
Maybe the top player is seed
Yes, I thought of the N from N season but the definition usually comes at the end or start- it would work better if the clue ended "the season heavy".
But I'm no expert either- I just dip in sometimes
Yes, I got the answer originally from Big Daves Blog whilst attempting the Telegraph crossword and until you pointed it out I was still reading it as season heavy.