BBC SPORT | Other Sports | Sailing | Law outpaces Cup sailors

British skipper Chris Law beat a host of America's Cup sailors to win the Swedish Match UBS Challenge match-racing regatta in Newport, Rhode Island.

Law's four-strong Team Outlaws crew defeated American Ed Baird 2-1 in the final to pocket the $35,000 first prize.

The 50-year-old Law recently came out of retirement having been passed over for a role in Peter Harrison's GBR Challenge America's Cup campaign.

The skipper of Britain's last America's Cup challenger, White Crusader, in Fremantle in 1986, admitted that he was "hurt a lot" by his omission, seen by many as a chance to usher in a new guard of British sailors.

The America's Cup contenders had pressure on them to win this regatta

Chris Law

But with GBR Challenge's Andy Green finishing only sixth in Newport, Law still feels he has something to offer.

"Even now, if I was asked to help I would," he told The Times.

Law's crew beat Paolo Cian's Team Mascalzone Latino in the semi-final after finishing the round-robin stage top of group B.

Baird, meanwhile, defeated OneWorld Challenge boss Peter Gilmour in his semi-final.

"It seemed as though I came to the natural end of may career, but I missed the special things this sport offers, especially the competition and camaraderie, so I started racing again," Law told the UBS Challenge website.

He added: "The America's Cup contenders had pressure on them to win this regatta, but we took things in stride and found ourselves in a win-win situation."

Green, meanwhile, along with GBR Challenge tactician Adrian Stead and crew Jim Turner and Chris Main, fought back to fourth in group B with six straight wins after propping up the table for the first two days.

But he missed out on the knockout stages after being docked a point for a collision in his race with Law.

"I've got mixed emotions with the way things went," Green told the UBS Challenge website.

GBR Challenge skipper Ian Walker
Walker has yet to reveal his starting crew

"We battled back from a disappointing start to the regatta but to lose out on a chance to advance because of a point deduction is disappointing, but the event has to protect the boats and that's that," he said.

GBR Challenge skipper Ian Walker has yet to announce his first-choice crew for the Louis Vuitton Cup but Green and Stead are likely to feature in the onboard decision-making team or "brains trust".

Green is expected to helm for the pre-start with Walker taking over once the boat has crossed the line.

The UBS Challenge, part of the Swedish Match Tour, was sailed in 16 identical 35ft J/105s.

It is likely to be the last chance for America's Cup crews to race each other before the challengers' series begins in Auckland on 1 October.


	Links to more Sailing stories