Spectator # 2500

[Matakari]

A pleasant Easter Sunday! Thought I had this one covered,
but am flummoxed by the following:
ACROSS:
37 Spill the beans and drink (7): TE????L
39 Caveman will identify guilty person, we’re told (6): ??NGAL ( FINGAL )
44 Hostile couple: we had to arrest one (9): ?LL???LED
DOWN:
17 Remainder of month with variety act (6): ?TDU?A
18 Kind, dashing new team (9): ?ELL?N?N? ( Thought GALLANTRY at first.)
30 Team caught player to take on all – that’s banned! (7): IN????T

[JJ109]

44 Illwilled
Ill x 2 = hostile "couple"
+ We'd around/arrested one "ill"

[Neveracrossword]

37 Tell All
39 Yes, Fingal
44 Ill-Willed
18 Well-Meant

Your letters aren't correct for 17.

[JJ109]

44 - Oh this is the crossword that L isn't included in the parsing, isn't it?

Therefore I + I are the couple with We'd around one "I", and ill-willed is the hostile!!!!!

[Neveracrossword]

Yes, there's a very thematic element to this puzzle- major help was given on that. Mind you, there's been so many requests for help, we're maybe all losing track!

[JJ109]

30 Illicit
II = eleven = team, around LL (not included in parsing) + C(aught) + IT (player in tag) = Illicit = that's banned

[Neveracrossword]

Matakari, I know you've been doing the Spectator puzzles for over 10 years, but maybe this one is just not for you? There seems to have been very little fun in it for you, and a great deal of difficulty.