Was the captain of the Hambledon team (3)

I believe the answer is:

led

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

'was the captain' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'of the hambledon team' is the wordplay.
'of' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'LED' can be found hidden inside 'hambledon team'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for led that I've seen before include "Influenced" , "Conducted" , "Went at the head of others" , "Emitter of light" , "Was guiding" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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