Caught also-ran, not so far away (6)
I believe the answer is:
closer
'not so far away' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'caught also-ran' is the wordplay.
'caught' becomes 'c' (cricket abbreviation).
'also-ran' becomes 'loser' (synonyms).
'c'+'loser'='CLOSER'
(Other definitions for closer that I've seen before include "more reticent" , "One winds up" , "within a shorter distance" , "one concludes" , "not so remote" .)