Keep fellow bridge player in at two (8)
I believe the answer is:
maintain
'keep' is the definition.
(I know that keep can be written as maintain)
'fellow bridge player in at two' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'in' is within the answer.
'at' could be 'in' (synonymous in some cases - eg at school, in school) and 'in' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'mata' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for maintain that I've seen before include "Take the view or keep up repairs" , "Preserve or insist" , "Keep up - carry on" , "Keep in a certain state" , "Keep (at the same level)" .)