The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 8 plus 3 letter word NON STRIKERS END
N
O
N
S
T
R
I
K
E
R
S
E
N
D
Buddy explains!
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.