The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word TAILENDER
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
T
A
I
L
E
N
D
E
R
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "one making late arrival on the square" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one making late arrival on the square = tailender.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.
What does TAILENDER mean?
TAILENDER noun- One of the last four or five batsmen in the batting order, normally bowlers with limited batting ability; a member of the tail.