Last year's finalists were among 179 men's pairs combinations to progress through qualifying after the second day of the national championships at Christchurch yesterday.
Colder conditions mixed with some heavy rain did not affect 2002-03 champions Petar Sain and Wally Marsic from the Carlton club.
They advanced, along with the duo they
vanquished for the title at Wellington in January, Canterbury's Gary Lawson and Andrew Curtain.
Most of the fancied pairings progressed safely in four or five rounds, although Dunedin brothers Jim and Terry Scott needed a sixth round to reach the finish line of four wins.
Also, young Takapuna combination Justin Goodwin and Neven Grgicevich performed a heroic escape act, winning all three of their matches yesterday to scrape into the knockout draw.
Two hundred and fifty-one teams were eliminated, with the knockout stage resuming tomorrow.
Three of the six women's pairs qualifying matches were played yesterday, featuring 202 combinations. Like the men, teams with four wins or more will progress to the knockout draw.
Unbeaten with three wins are a number of all-international pairs.
Sharon Sims has teamed up again with former Northern team-mate Mary Campbell, last year's runners- up Marlene Castle and Onehunga colleague Lisa Dickson are back together and so too are United's Jo Edwards and Val Smith.
Much attention is focused on sisters Marina and Jan Khan after the death this year of mother Millie. They, too, were unbeaten yesterday.
Teams on two wins included the Auckland-Counties pairing of Diane Harris and Linda Ralph and Far North's Johanna Hood with Linda Pedro.
With just one win, there can be no more slips for defending champions Norma Stewart and Janis Scott.
The Auckland mother and daughter combination lost twice and need an unbeaten day tomorrow to progress.
The same is required by former international Patsy Jorgensen with Judy Stevenson, and New Zealand representatives Wendy Jensen with Jessie Ann Law.
Both lost twice and need to win all three rounds on day two.
Today will see the second day of women's pairs and the qualifying day in men's singles, as 23-year-old Ali Forsyth from Nelson looks to defend the title he won in Wellington a year ago.
The unseeded draw has kept the men's big names well spaced for the early exchanges.
- NZPA
