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Thanks. I still don't see it. I assume No 1 is the famous one whose surname starts with G and so No 4 is of his time and the overlap with No 3 suggests his name begins with S.

Yes, no 4 is AS. He was also a C19 player, not very well cited nowadays, but undoubtedly one of the outstanding players. If looking online for confirmation, add the sport in order to reduce ambiguity...

I have no access to ODQ. If this is a poem, could someone give a hint as to it's title? E.g. world lengths...

Hindu creator after Fittipaldi

Meursault, I don't agree with your analysis of the overlaps. It would be poor in my opinion to have such inconsistency, including an overlap of four letters. It's difficult to specify a linear numerical sequence because the names do not form such. This is what I have, starting with a central pair, then three others in a clockwise loop:
Each name overlaps a predecessor by one letter in this sequence, where there is a break after 2 - 1,2 break, 1,3,4,5. 4 and 5 also overlap others.

There are other ways of detailing it, depending on the sequence of highlighting, but I don't see how one name overlaps another by four letters in any analysis. That leaves two unexplained cells in the tally of 22.

This was one of those puzzles that took me about 90 minutes to fill most of the grid, then another 90 to work out some of misprints/extra letters to get a coherent message and solve the remaining few clues. Indirect definitions made getting some of the letters quite tricky.

Do you agree that there is an overlap of 2 between 4 & 5 ?
If so, then not all your overlaps are 1.

As to whether you start 3 within 2, or to his left, is a matter of choice. The result is the same. My interpretation is more elegant though, since it allows for an unbroken pencil line.

The last 2 cells are accounted for if you allow for an endless loop, moving after 4&5 back to 3.

Still can't identify that final character. There's one WI one that overlaps 4 by one letter but that only leaves 19 cells

Aspria, from the bottom of the line, turning left and going up again to the left of the line, there is the transition from no 3 (one player of that name was WI) to no 4, the old English player with initials AS. His name turns and crosses the line. No 5 has 2 letters from the last name then another 3, going down on the right of the line. This last name is shared by an enigmatic composer and its last letter is the transition back to no 3.

Meursault, there is probably not much to be gained by further analysis since we have clearly both approached the process differently. I have simply highlighted the names as required by the preamble; I didn't attempt an unbroken pencil line since we are not asked to draw an outline, especially one that has a line running down the centre of the business end of the equipment.

In the light of your reply I can see your process now. Our numbering is different. In my description I listed a chain of five names in which the end of one starts the next one. I didn't present it s a continuous loop. I made it clear that thee were other shared letters. In my sequence 4 (a pop singer) crosses 2, and 5 (a metal) crosses 1 and joins 3 (the composer).

I hope between us we haven't thoroughly confused anyone who hasn't finished.

As you say, Dryden, highlighting is required.