Skittles record I held in Northern pubs (8)
I believe the answer is:
ninepins
'skittles' is the definition.
('ninepin' can be a synonym of 'skittle')
'record i held in northern pubs' is the wordplay.
'record' becomes 'ep'.
'held in' is an insertion indicator.
'northern' becomes 'n' (abbreviation e.g. N. Ireland).
'pubs' becomes 'inns' (I've seen this before).
'ep'+'i'='epi'
'n'+'inns'='ninns'
'epi' placed into 'ninns' is 'NINEPINS'.
(Other definitions for ninepins that I've seen before include "Skittles, IX objects to be knocked down" , "Form of skittles" , "Bowling game" , "Bowling targets" , "Skittles (IX, not V)" .)