NO-HEADLINE

Ed Baird is under full sail down wind in the Solent yesterday as the world No 1 progressed to the last eight of the Royal Lymington Cup. Failing to make the cut, however, was the 1994 world champion and 1995 America's Cup tactician, Bertrand Pace, while the minor upset of the opening rounds was also the failure of the Congressional Cup winner, Gavin Brady of New Zealand, to reach the quarter-final pairings, writes Stuart Alexander from Lymington.

Pace, the world No 4, looked out of sorts throughout the round-robin stage, lacking the bite and guile which can make him a formidable competitor. But, of the eight who go into today's quarter-finals, all the rest of the top seeds are included, with British hopes being carried by Chris Law.

Law beat the world No 2, Peter Gilmour of Australia, in his first race yesterday, losing out to New Zealand's America's Cup winning skipper, Russell Coutts. Law, however, is in determined mood and he came back to beat Markus Wieser, taking second place in Group A.

Stuart Childerley's win over Helena Strang was later overturned, because he was penalised for colliding with the Swedish women's champion.

While the steady easterly breeze promised good racing, the fast ebbing tide made the course one-sided. Thierry Peponnet, the defending champion, said: "The start is very important. In few races, perhaps only one in nine or 10, will you be able to come back from behind."

Results, Sporting Digest, page 31

Photograph: Peter Jay