DEFENDING champions David Button and Jeff Matters know going back-to-back in this week’s $13,000 Chris Gryllis Real Estate Golden Eagle Pairs Classic will be tough, as history is against them.

The 42nd instalment of the pairs event starts at Orange City Bowling Club today and 42 duos will be out to win the coveted Golden Eagle.

Only two pairings - Clive Thompson and Bill Atkinson (1975-76) and Mark Parella and Rob Parella (1997-98) - have successfully defended their title in the event’s history and no pairing has won the event three times.

Button and Matters also took out the Golden Eagle in 2006 and becoming the first to win a third classic and just the third pairing to win back-to-back is a big goal for the Forbes duo.

“Jeff and I, we’d really love to win this one and if we are lucky enough to fluke it, that would stand as a record for quite some time,” Button said.

The reigning champions enter the event on the back of some good form together as they have enjoyed success on a national level.

However, they know they have their work cut out for them just progressing to the quarter-finals as they will face the likes of Bob Hamilton and Orange’s George Ford in sectional play.

“Jeff and I, we’ve just come through the RSL National Championships in Hobart and NSW won that. The form is pretty good but we’ve got a very, very hard draw this year,” Button said.

Games start this morning, with the opening two rounds of sectional play taking place today at Orange City Bowling Club.

The 42 pairings have been separated into seven sections and the six pairs in each will play each other once before the top duo from each section and the second-placed pair with the best record progress to the quarter-finals on Wednesday afternoon.

The semi-finals and final will be played on Thursday.