Cryptic crossword clue
Earls hadn’t abandoned central territory 10

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word HEARTLANDS

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
H
E
A
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T
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S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "central territory" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case central territory = heartlands.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does HEARTLANDS mean?

HEARTLANDS noun
  1. The central part of a region defined by geographical or non-geographical criteria, such as support for a political party, faith or similar.
  2. The part of a region considered essential to the viability and survival of the whole.

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