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Steinlager Cup victory for Oracle

Oracle Challenge

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Oracle America's Cup Challenge crew won a New Zealand regatta -- without having to sail.

A lack of wind for the final of the Steinlager Line 7 regatta in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour gave victory to Peter Holmberg's crew because of his results in earlier races.

Eight of the nine America's Cup syndicates, including the defending Team New Zealand, competed in the event, which ended on Sunday.

Holmberg had a tough semi-final match with Rod Davis of the Prada Challenge and was set to face Denmark's Jes Gram-Hansen in the final.

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When time finally ran out on Sunday with no wind in which to sail, the race was awarded to Holmberg under the countback system -- if no final, look back to the history of the two finalists and determine who beat the other.

Holmberg defeated Gram-Hansen in the original round robin series on Wednesday.

Upon winning, Holmberg said: "The rules are the rules, we're happy to go at it either way, if the conditions came good we were anxious to race.

"I'm pretty happy, the guys did a great job, we came through against Rod, which was a tough one, we're proud to have made it through there."

This is the second consecutive Swedish Match Tour event Holmberg has won, having picked up the Bermuda Gold Cup in October last year. He has now moved to the top of the Tour leader board.

He plans to compete in three more tour events this year -- the Congressional Cup in California next month, May's ACI Cup in Croatia, and the final event on this year's circuit, Marstrand's Swedish Match Cup.

Supporting Peter Holmberg, who is originally from the U.S. Virgin Islands, was a crew of New Zealanders, John Cutler, Robbie Naismith, Mike Sanderson and Brad Webb.

Gram-Hansen is the only non-America's Cup skipper to make the quarter-finals.

STEINLAGER LINE 7 CUP OVERALL RESULTS:

1. Peter Holmberg - U.S.A., Oracle Challenge

2. Jes Gram-Hansen - Denmark

3. Paolo Cian - Italy, Mascalzone Latino Challenge

4. Rod Davis - Italy, Prada Challenge

5. Gavin Brady - Italy, Prada Challenge

6. Ken Read - U.S.A., Team Dennis Conner

7. Magnus Holmberg - Sweden, Victory Challenge

8. Luc Pillot - France, Le Defi Areva

9. Dean Barker - New Zealand, Team New Zealand

10. Ed Baird - U.S.A.

11. Ian Walker - Britain, GBR Challenge

12. Andy Green - Britain, GBR Challenge