I found this one very easy indeed, as attested by the solving time.

Solving time: 10 mins

* = anagram < = reversal

ACROSS

1 C(H)ANCER crab = sign of the Zodiac

9 SMOKE AND MIRRORS (Mass or Monk I’d err)* Two other Indy setters.

10 AMBLE Hidden - if you run the placenames together.

11 CON DE (NS) ER Deer = does

15 S (CI) ON

16 TES TIMON Y disappointment = setback = tes<      Timon of Athens (Shakespeare) = misanthrope.

21 CO RFU (Rugby Football Union)

23 TARWEED (Watered)*

24 L ANTE RN (Royal Navy) main = sea

DOWN

1 W ASSAIL

2 LOOK BACK IN ANGER A crossword favourite with 15 letters and reading as a piece of wordplay with indications of containment and reversal. Here it’s a cryptic definition, though not too cryptic, I’d say.

4 TON (100) IC (99)

5 CO (MA) NCHES

7 CROSS OF LORRAINE     Symbol of French Resistance.    Cross (on for Ariel)*

8 RE SORTS      Had some doubts about the definition ‘holiday accommodation’  as a resort would be the place itself, I thought.

13 I(N (THE MIN) D    Favourite clue.  n onset of neurosis = first letter (then I’m)* in id!

14 PRINCE TON   not<

17 YOU’RE ON    (Rooney U)*   U = United.   Wayne Rooney being a Manchester United player, as some may know.

19 MATTE(r)

20 LEG A L   Leg = on (side of cricket field)

The usual mix from Rufus today - some excellent, some not quite so good.

Solving time - a little under 8 minutes

ACROSS

1 MA(CAB)RE

5 STOKER - shame the setter didn’t find a way of linking MACABRE and BRAM STOKER?

10 BOARDS - very good

12 JULIUS CAESAR - an excellent cryptic definition!

15 BIRTH-RIGHT - liked this one too

20 ASTRINGENT - (strain)*-GENT

22 DISAGREEMENT - D-(meetings are)*

26 LEAD ON - another good ‘un

29 INNINGS - I can see what Rufus is trying to do, but this is just too much like a straightforward definition - the first thing that popped into my head was sport, and not the theatre, so INNINGS was the first word that came immediately to mind.

DOWN

2 (<=AC)-IN - nice surface

3 B(OR)OUGHS

4 ENNUI - (nun i.e.)*

6 THOR-A-X

7 KERBSTONES - another example of a good CD

8 RES(TRAIN)TS - one for the grammarians - Can “reserve”=RESTRAINT be pluralised?

11 ESTHER - (there’s)*

13 EBB AND FLOW - like 29ac, I just don’t think this is cryptic enough

14 BRIDESMAID - whereas this one was excellent

18 IN UNISON - IN (unions)* - I’m not sure that “agreement” and “in unison” are synonymous, the former being a noun and the latter an adverb

21 IGNORE - (region)* - a nice, albeit simple, anagram

23 MAORI - (Moira)* - followed by another