Trophy hotly contested (5)
I believe the answer is:
ashes
'trophy' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ashes that I've seen before include "International competition" , "Embers" , "Remains from a cremation" , "Residue form fires" , "trees" .)