Cryptic crossword clue
Not out at close of play — might even win 2,2,3,6

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 2 plus 3 plus 6 letter word IN AT THE FINISH

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
I
N
A
T
T
H
E
F
I
N
I
S
H

More clues leading to the result IN AT THE FINISH

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.

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