Ground earth to be removed from border fortress (not Italy's first) (9)
I believe the answer is:
edgbaston
'ground' is the definition.
(cricket ground)
'earth to be removed from border fortress not italy's first' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'earth' could be 'e' and 'e' is found within the answer.
'to' is within the answer.
'first' could be 'a' and 'a' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
(Other definitions for edgbaston that I've seen before include "cricket ground" , "Made smooth by rubbing" , "Home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club" .)