The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word OSBORNE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
O
S
B
O
R
N
E
More clues leading to the result OSBORNE
- Playwright’s very large book, one gripping queen
- Borneo's revolutionary playwright
- Ball's carried for English playmaker
- Playmaker’s rating sustained
- Elevated thus, stood for chancellor once
- One leaves agitated Boris to be carried by single ex-minister
- Angry young man rings most of island
- Ex-Chancellor is one: robs poor to make investment
- Dramatist carried on like this, looking back
- Lost heart over sustained 24 opponent
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "24 opponent /24 opponent" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case 24 opponent /24 opponent = osborne.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.