SPORTING DIGEST: SAILING

SPORTING DIGEST: SAILING

Team New Zealand were pushed harder than expected when beating Italy's Prada challenge in the 1999 Road to America's Cup final in Auckland yesterday. Having won the first race by 32sec, they lost the second in the best of three by 1min 37sec. Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth were on top again in the third when on the final leg, TNZ's spinnaker shredded and the crew had to move into overdrive to set a replacement. Francesco de Angelis closed right up but still saw his rivals take the race and the series by just one second.