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I have just about completed the grid and grouped the extra words. However, it says that the initial letters of the groups in clue order should spell a phrase. But my sequence begins OTCS...

the first word of phrase is TEL??

That makes a lot of sense, leon, and thanks. Clearly I don't understand the instructions. It says that in clue order the initial letter of each group spells a phrase. Starting with 1a, my group is Only Connect (paired with 12d), so that gives me an O to begin with. And yet it's T?

1a's extra is Connect. Only is from 13d. Since the O is the first letter, "clue order" means 13d, not 1a.

Connect is not the initial letter of any group so the C is just ignored.