Match of variable quality (5)

I believe the answer is:

equal

'match' is the definition.
(I know that match can be written as equal)

'of variable quality' is the wordplay.
'of' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'EQUAL' can be found hidden inside 'variable quality'.

(Other definitions for equal that I've seen before include "Identical, add up to" , "Alike" , "Uniform" , "Peer; rival" , "Evenly matched" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

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