Cryptic crossword clue
Skilfully manoeuvred ball, made holes around start of round 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word DRIBBLED

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Skilfully manoeuvred ball" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case skilfully manoeuvred ball = dribbled.
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 DRIBBLED mean?

DRIBBLED verb
  1. (basketball, soccer) In various ball games, to move (with) the ball, controlling its path by kicking or bouncing it repeatedly
  2. To let saliva drip from the mouth, to drool
  3. To fall in drops or an unsteady stream, to trickle
  4. To let something fall in drips.
  5. To live or pass one's time in a trivial fashion.

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