A carpet sure to excite enthusiasts (8)
I believe the answer is:
amateurs
'enthusiasts' is the definition.
'a carpet sure to excite' is the wordplay.
'carpet' becomes 'mat' (I've seen this before).
'to excite' is an anagram indicator.
'sure' anagrammed gives 'eurs'.
'a'+'mat'+'eurs'='AMATEURS'
(Other definitions for amateurs that I've seen before include "Dilettantes" , "They're enthusiastic" , "Tamer USA (anag.)" , "Non-professionals" , "inept lot?" .)