Defending champion Robert Vallis and medallist Blake Marshall, both Mid Ocean Club members, remained on track for a final showdown in the Bermuda Match Play Championships yesterday.

But victories in the second round of the championship flight came in contrasting style on their home course.

Marshall proved too strong for Port Royal Club's Graham Strange, easing to an eight and seven victory, while Vallis didn't have everything his own way in a three and two win over Allan De Silva, who plays out of Riddell's Bay.

Of the overseas contingent in this year's tournament, only Gray Yancey, from the Henderson Country Club in North Carolina, has made it through to today's quarter-finals.

Yancey got past Bermuda's Chris Brough three and two.

Teenager Jarryd Dillas fell at the second hurdle when he was comprehensively beaten by Port Royal's David Allison four and three, while former winner Tim Carr was dismissed by youngster Nick Dunkle three and two.

Another product of Bermuda Junior Golf Association, Fraser Hunt, scored one of the biggest wins of the day as he crushed American Glenn Kelley seven and six.

In this morning's quarter-finals Vallis meets Dunkle while Marshall comes up against Yancey.

Hunt takes on Nick Mansell, a narrow one-up winner over visitor Cy Kilgore yesterday, while in the remaining match, Derek Holland, also a one-up winner over former finalist Bill Jenks, will play David Allison.

Following this morning's matches, the two semi-finals will begin at 1 p.m. with the 36-hole final scheduled for tomorrow.

Among a small ladies' field, tomorrow's final has already been determined with Jenny Chattock pitted against Nikki Boyce.

Yesterday's semi-finals saw Chattock upset medallist Susan Vallis five and three while Boyce defeated Susie Elton two up.

Scores and today's times

see Scoreboard