Possible Clues:

• Where one must be to win it, one needing partner first
• At first blush
• In it with one compatriot at first
• How laser, for example, was put together at first
• First
• First of all, I'm not intending to idle about like last year. That's to begin with...
• First XI's carrying idiot partner
• At the start ... or how the first two letters of each starred clue relate to the answer?
• At the outset
• Trendy Italian, one person on the same side to begin with