Team New Zealand draw first blood in final

Team New Zealand secured first blood in the final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy yachting regatta, winning the opening race of their best-of-five showdown with Italians Mascalzone Latino by 12sec today.

Having earlier secured the decisive third and final race of their semifinal match against another Italian boat, Azzurra, by 27sec, skipper Dean Barker's crew completed a superb penultimate day of the regatta with a clinical victory to begin the final. They need two more wins tomorrow when a maximum of four races will be completed.

Barker controlled the pre-start well, helping Team NZ to a one-length lead off the start line after forcing opposition skipper and compatriot Gavin Brady to circle back from the committee boat end.

Team NZ tactician Ray Davies said the start was pleasing in the flukey 10-12 knots of breeze.

"We had a very good pre-start, and basically the plan was to protect the right hand side of the course and sail to our own beat," Davies told TVNZ.

"We got initial control but it was one of those days where it was pretty hard to have standard match race cover, tack for tack."

The hosts were up by 12 seconds at the first mark but ceded the lead narrowly on the first downwind run.

The Italians headed right and New Zealand tacked left early in the third leg and Davies said his crew were delighted to find superior upwind conditions.

"We always saw more pressure on the left and when he (Brady) didn't come with us quite soon after, we felt better and better about it. We got a good lift on that side of the course and took control."

New Zealand protected their lead better on the final downwind leg to hold on for a relatively comfortable win.

Earlier, Team NZ and Azzurra began the day tied at 1-1 after the host crew had won race two by a mere 2sec late yesterday to stay alive.

Mascalzone beat Sweden's Artemis 2-1 yesterday in their semifinal.

- NZPA