Caught hooligan showing influence (5)
I believe the answer is:
clout
'influence' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'caught hooligan' is the wordplay.
'caught' becomes 'c' (cricket abbreviation).
'hooligan' becomes 'lout' (both can mean an aggressive person).
'c'+'lout'='CLOUT'
'showing' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for clout that I've seen before include "Lay one on" , "Influence; heavy blow" , "authority" , "A blow; powerful influence" , "weight" .)