PORTUGAL Match Cup 2004

OFFICIAL WEBSITES

FINAL STANDINGS

1. ED BAIRD
1. (USA)
2. RUSSELL COUTTS
1. (NZL)
3. PETER HOLMBERG
1. (USVI, Alinghi)
4. JESPER RADICH
1. (DEN)
5. PETER GILMOUR
1. (AUS)
6. PHILIPPE PRESTI
1. (FRA, Le Défi Français)
7. STAFFAN LINDBERG
1. (FIN)
8. BERTRAND PACE
1. (FRA, BMW Oracle Racing)
9. CHRIS LAW
1. (GBR)
10. MICHAEL DUNSTAN
1. (AUS, Ozboyz Challenge)
11. GEOFF MEEK
1. (RSA, Shosholoza Challenge)
12. FRANCISCO NETO
1. (POR)

Ed Baird claims the first Portugal Match Cup (07/31/04)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

The sixth Swedish Match Tour has just begun, and if the remaining eight events bear any resemblance to the Portugal Match Cup it’s going to be an exciting season.

Ed Baird and Russell Coutts put on a thrilling final series, one featuring numerous lead changes, seven penalties and enough match-race strategy to make a chess grand master envious.

The two were the best performing skippers all week. Coutts entered the final undefeated in 11 races. Baird had lost only two in 13 starts. But in the end Baird defeated Coutts, 3-0.

Baird won his second Swedish Match Tour event of the year (he won the Congressional Cup last April) one week after winning his third match-racing world championship.

Earlier in July Baird and Team Musto finished fifth at the Swedish Match Cup. With the victory, Baird scores 25 points towards the Swedish Match Tour championship and takes pole position in the race for the BMW 545i Touring that will be awarded to the champion next July in Sweden.

Baird and Team Musto made it to the final after beating Radich and his Team Denmark crew (Jann Neergaard, Chresten Plinius, Pete Poulsen, Rasmus Winston) 3-1 in the semifinals. Coutts and his Danish crew defeated Peter Holmberg and the Team Alinghi crew (Rodney Ardern, Murray Jones, Lorenzo Mazza and Pete Van Nieuwenhuyzen) 3-0 to make the final.

In the Petit Final, featuring two skippers who have been out of match-racing for awhile, Holmberg defeated Radich 2-0.

PETIT FINAL AND FINAL

Flight 1 : Peter Holmberg def. Jesper Radich (DEN) - Ed Baird (USA) def. Russell Coutts (NZL)

Flight 2 : Peter Holmberg (USVI) def. Jesper Radich (DEN) - Ed Baird (USA) def. Russell Coutts (NZL)

Flight 3 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Russell Coutts (NZL)

SEMIFINALS DAY 2

Flight 3 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Jesper Radich (DEN) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Peter Holmberg (USVI)

Flight 4 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Jesper Radich (DEN)

Finals loom at Portugal Portugal Match Cup (07/30/04)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

One semifinal pair stands at match point while the other is tied at 1-1 as stage one of the Swedish Match Tour 2004-’05, the inaugural Portugal Match Cup, nears its conclusion.

New Zealander Russell Coutts leads Peter Holmberg of the U.S. Virgin Islands 2-0 while American Ed Baird stands tied 1-1 with Jesper Radich of Denmark.

Coutts, the former skipper of Team Alinghi, built a two-race lead on Holmberg, Alinghi’s current helmsman, through bad timing on Holmberg’s part. Baird lost the first match to Radich in their pairing, and then won the second to square it up.

Coutts wound up in the semifinals due to a 3-0 victory over Staffan Lindberg (FIN) in the quarterfinals. Baird beat Philippe Presti (FRA) 3-1 in the quarters while Holmberg beat Peter Gilmour (AUS) 3-2 in an entertaining match.

In racing for fifth through eighth, Gilmour beat Presti for fifth and sixth, and Lindberg beat Pace for seventh and eighth.

SEMIFINALS DAY 1

Flight 1 : Jesper Radich (DEN) def. Ed Baird (USA) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Peter Holmberg (USVI)

Flight 2 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Jesper Radich (DEN) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Peter Holmberg (USVI)

QUARTERFINAL ROUND DAY 2

Flight 4 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Philippe Presti (FRA)

Flight 5 : Peter Holmberg (USVI) def. Peter Gilmour (AUS) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Staffan Lindberg (FIN)

Flight 6 : Peter Holmberg (USVI) def. Peter Gilmour (AUS) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Staffan Lindberg (FIN)

Flight 7 : Peter Gilmour (AUS) def. Peter Holmberg (USVI) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Staffan Lindberg (FIN)

Flight 8 : Peter Gilmour (AUS) def. Peter Holmberg (USVI)

Flight 9 : Peter Holmberg (USVI) def. Peter Gilmour (AUS)

Quarters on hold at Portugal Match Race (07/29/04)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

Denmark’s Jesper Radich advanced to the semifinals of Stage 1 of the Swedish Match Tour 2004-’05, the Portugal Match Cup, with a 3-0 quarterfinal victory over France’s Bertrand Pacé.

The Radich-Pacé match was the only one completed in the quarterfinal round. Ed Baird (USA) ended the day with a 2-1 lead over Philippe Presti (FRA). The pair was set to start what could’ve been the fourth and deciding flight when a large windshift and drop in pressure forced the race committee to abandon racing at 7:00 p.m.

Other quarterfinal matches feature Russell Coutts (NZL) against Staffan Lindberg (FIN) and Peter Gilmour (AUS) versus Peter Holmberg (USVI). Neither was started today, but both are scheduled for tomorrow.

Lindberg and Presti advanced to the quarters from the repechage round, which finished this afternoon. Lindberg won the five-flight series with a 5-0 record, while Presti finished second at 4-1.

Chris Law (GBR), Michael Dunstan (AUS), Geoff Meek (RSA) and Francisco Neto (POR) were all eliminated from competition after placing 3rd through 6th in the repechage round.

QUARTERFINAL ROUND DAY 1

Flight 1 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Philippe Presti (FRA) - Jesper Radich (DEN) def. Bertrand Pacé (FRA)

Flight 2 : Philippe Presti (FRA) def. Ed Baird (USA) - Jesper Radich (DEN) def. Bertrand Pacé (FRA)

Flight 3 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Philippe Presti (FRA) - Jesper Radich (DEN) def. Bertrand Pacé (FRA)

REPECHAGE ROUND DAY 2

Flight 4 : Michael Dunstan (AUS) def. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) - Francisco Neto (POR) def. Philippe Presti (FRA) - Geoff Meek (RSA) def. Chris Law (GBR)

Flight 5 - Michael Dunstan (AUS) def. Francisco Neto (POR) - Staffan Lindberg (FIN) def. Geoff Meek (RSA) - Philippe Presti (FRA) def. Chris Law (GBR)