Swedish Match Cup

Group A completes RR at Swedish Match Cup (07/07/03)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

Karol Jablonski, the Polish skipper who believes winning round robins at match-race regattas is a bad omen, won the Group A round robin today at the Swedish Match Cup with a 5-2 record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the final event on the Swedish Match Tour 2003-’04.

While Jablonski advanced to Stage 3, Mattias Rahm (SWE), Chris Law (GBR), Gavin Brady (NZL), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Jesper Bank (DEN) and Johnie Berntsson (DEN) advanced to Stage 2, scheduled for Friday. Michael Dunstan (AUS), winless in seven matches, was eliminated from competition.

The format of the Swedish Match Cup splits the 16 skippers into two groups of eight. Each group sails a single round robin, with the two winners advancing to Stage 3, the quarterfinals, scheduled for Saturday. The last-placed team is eliminated.

The six crews placing 2nd through 7th in each group advance to Stage 2, which is a knock-out series with the first to three points winning. Stage 2 is scheduled for Friday.

While Group A completed its initial round robin today, Group B is scheduled to sail its first round robin tomorrow. Group B skippers feature Ed Baird (USA), Russell Coutts (NZL), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Bjorn Hansen (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Staffan Lindberg (FIN), Lars Nordbjerg (SWE) and Luc Pillot (FRA).

Group A Final

1. Karol Jablonski (POL, Toscana Challenge), 5-2
2. Mattias Rahm (SWE), 5-2
3. Chris Law (GBR), 5-2
4. Gavin Brady (NZL, BMW Oracle Racing), 4-3
5. Magnus Holmberg (SWE), 4-3
6. Jesper Bank (DEN), 3-4
7. Johnie Berntsson (SWE), 2-5
-------------
8. Michael Dunstan (AUS, OzBoyz Challenge), 0-7

Group A Results

Flight 5 : Johnie Berntsson def. Michael Dunstan - Karol Jablonski def. Gavin Brady - Chris Law def. Magnus Holmberg - Mattias Rahm d. Jesper Bank

Flight 6 : Gavin Brady def. Michael Dunstan - Mattias Rahm def. Magnus Holmberg - Karol Jablonski def. Johnie Berntsson - Chris Law def. Jesper Bank

Flight 7 : Magnus Holmberg def. Karol Jablonski - Johnie Berntsson def. Mattias Rahm - Jesper Bank def. Michael Dunstan - Chris Law def. Gavin Brady

Four open the SM Cup with 3-1 records (07/06/03)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

The Open Regatta at the Swedish Match Cup commenced today, and four of the eight skippers in Group A opened the event by posting 3-1 records on a sparkling day of racing.

With westerly winds blowing 18 to 24 knots, Karol Jablonski, Mattias Rahm, Gavin Brady and Magnus Holmberg won three of four races and stand tied atop the leaderboard. Chris Law and Jesper Bank are one win behind at 2-2. Michael Dunstan and Johnie Berntsson are 0-4.
The Swedish Match Cup features 16 teams competing in the Open Regatta. The crews have been split into two groups of eight. There’s also a Women’s Regatta being run concurrently.

The Open Regatta schedule has Group A finishing its first round robin by noon tomorrow. Group B is scheduled to begin racing Thursday.

Group B skippers feature Ed Baird (USA), Russell Coutts (NZL), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Bjorn Hansen (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Staffan Lindberg (FIN), Lars Nordbjerg (SWE) and Luc Pillot (FRA).

Group A leaderboard

1. Karol Jablonski (POL, Toscana Challenge), 3-1
= Mattias Rahm(SW), 3-1
= Gavin Brady (NZL, BMW Oracle Racing), 3-1
= Magnus Holmberg (SWE), 3-1
5. Chris Law (GBR), 2-2
= Jesper Bank(DEN), 2-2
7. Michael Dunstan (AUS, Ozboyz Challenge), 0-4
= Johnie Berntsson (SWE), 0-4

Group A Results

Flight 1 - Jesper Bank def. Karol Jablonski - Chris Law def. Johnie Berntsson -
Mattias Rahm def. Gavin Brady - Magnus Holmberg def. Michael Dunstan

Flight 2 : Gavin Brady def. Jesper Bank - Chris Law def. Michael Dunstan - Karol Jablonski def. Mattias Rahm - Magnus Holmberg def. Johnie Berntsson

Flight 3 : Karol Jablonski def. Chris Law - Mattias Rahm def. Michael Dunstan - Gavin Brady def. Magnus Holmberg - Jesper Bank def. Johnie Berntsson

Flight 4 : Mattias Rahm def. Chris Law - Magnus Holmberg def. Jesper Bank - Gavin Brady def. Johnie Berntsson - Karol Jablonski def. Michael Dunstan

Swedish Match Cup lies ahead to wrap Tour (06/28/04)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

The Swedish Match Tour is aiming for the eighth and final event of the 2003-’04 season, the Swedish Match Cup on the picturesque island of Marstrand, Sweden.

As one of the most popular events on the Swedish Match Tour, this year’s lineup includes five of the top eight on the Tour Championship leaderboard, and 11 of the 25 who have scored points on the current tour.

Five-time victor Peter Gilmour (1994, ’95, ’97, ’98 and ’99) of Australia and the Pizza-La Sailing Team (Rod Dawson, Mike Mottl, Kazuhiko Sofuku and Yasuhiro Yaji) were among the first to accept their invitation. Although Gilmour and crew have already clinched the Tour championship, a first or second in Marstrand will give them all firsts and seconds in their final scoreline, an unequalled feat in Tour history.

Last year’s winner of the Swedish Match Cup, British veteran Chris Law, has also accepted an invitation to compete. Law hasn’t been active on the Tour this year, but will have last year’s crew of Swedes, including Daniel Bjorndahl, Anders Dahlsjo, Oscar Angervall and Henrik Valderyd, to help defend their title.

New Zealander Gavin Brady from the BMW Oracle Racing syndicate, No. 2 on the Tour Leaderboard, and Sweden’s most accomplished match-racer Magnus Holmberg, No. 3 on the leaderboard, have a score to settle. A scant 6 points separate these skippers.

Last year’s runner up in the Swedish Match Cup and the world No. 1-ranked match-racer, Karol Jablonski from Poland, Denmark’s Jesper Bank, a co-helmsman with Holmberg in the Victory Challenge for America’s Cup 2003, and Frenchman Luc Pillot, 9th on the Tour leaderboard, have accepted invitations.

The reigning match-racing world champion Ed Baird of the U.S. will skipper the SKF Racing team. The No. 11-ranked match-racer, Björn Hansen from the Royal Swedish Yacht Club, will be on hand, along with Finn Staffan Lindberg from the Åland Islands between Sweden and Finland, and Sweden's Johnie Berntson.

Switzerland’s America’s Cup champion Team Alinghi will be in Marstrand, led by new helmsman Peter Holmberg of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Holmberg was Tour champion in 2002. New Zealander Russell Coutts, who has won the America’s Cup three times and the Swedish Match Cup in 2001, has also said he’ll attend.

Kiwi Dean Barker withdrew from the lineup to concentrate on his Finn campaign for the Olympics, and Michael Dunstan from the OzBoyz Challenge took his place. The Australian will be sailing in his third Swedish Match Tour event, after placing 10th and 11th in Germany and Italy, respectively.

The two final entries were determined at a qualifier regatta, the Öresund Match Race in Malmö, Sweden, 10 days ago. Swede Mattias Rahm, 17th on the Tour leaderboard, and Dane Lars Nordbjärg placed first and second, and won the invites for the Swedish Match Cup.

The Swedish Match Cup is the eighth and final event on the 2003-’04 Tour. The 2004-’05 Swedish Match Tour begins the last week of July with the Portugal Match Cup (July 27-31) in Cascais, Portugal. Event No. 2 is scheduled 10 days later in Skovshoved, Denmark (Aug. 10-15).