Given a match; he's supple and athletic (5)
I believe the answer is:
lithe
'athletic' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'given a match he's supple' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'he' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'lit' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'and' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lithe that I've seen before include "flex with no difficulty" , "Slim and supple" , "Slim, graceful" , "showing great athletic ability" , "Physically supple, agile" .)