Crossword Genius

Was as good as the others at retaining personal possessions? (4,4,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

held ones own

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'was as good as the others' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I cannot tell whether this works.

'at retaining personal possessions?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'at' could be 'on' (location) and 'on' is found in the answer.
'personal' could be 'own' (eg one's own possessions are personal possessions) and 'own' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.