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Barker wins Swedish Match Cup

Barker's ranks sixth on the overall Swedish Match Tour

MARSTRAND, Sweden -- Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker has defeated his former boss Russell Coutts to win the Swedish Match Cup in Marstrand.

Barker beat Coutts, skipper of the Swiss Alinghi America's Cup Challenge, 3-0 in the finals.

"It was one of those days when you just needed to trust yourself," said Barker.

"When you get a little bit of a lead in these conditions its tough for your opponent to catch up. Luckily, things went our way and we were able to protect our leads."

This is Barker's second win in Marstrand in the last three years and puts him in sixth place in the Swedish Match Tour rankings for 2001/2.

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His crew of Hamish Pepper, Tony Rae, James Dagg and Chris Ward win $15,000 of the $200,000 total purse for the year.

In the sail off for third place American Ed Baird won a gruelling five match final over Bertrand Pace, the top French match racing helmsman who was recruited by Team New Zealand for the 2003 America's Cup.

In the Women's Class, Marie Björling of Sweden beat the reigning champion Dorte Jensen from Denmark.

The nine event 2002/3 Swedish Match Tour, the world's premier professional match racing sailing series, starts with the Trofeo Challenge Roberto Trombini in Ravenna, Italy on July 9.

Swedish Match Cup, Marstrand Final Standings

2001/2002 Swedish Match Tour Final Standings