Catch tense boy round north in important region (9)
I believe the answer is:
heartland
'north in important region' is the definition.
'heartland' can be an answer for 'region' (I have seen 'Central region ' mean 'heartland' so perhaps 'region' could also mean 'heartland'). I am not certain of the 'north in important' bit.
'catch tense boy round' is the wordplay.
'catch' becomes 'hear' (I've seen this before).
'tense' becomes 't' (abbreviation used in many dictionaries).
'boy round' becomes 'land' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'hear'+'t'+'land'='HEARTLAND'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for heartland that I've seen before include "Central part of a country or area" , "A most vital area" , "Central region of a country" , "Vitally important area" , "central zone" .)