AmericaOne skipper Paul Cayard tricked Italy's Prada Challenge into a crucial error to win the fifth race of the America's Cup eliminator series off Auckland yesterday and narrow the Italians' lead to just one point.

Prada had led 3-1 after a mistake by Cayard and his crew near the finishing line cost the Americans victory in the previous race of the Louis Vuitton Cup. But the experienced Cayard turned the tables on Francesco de Angelis to narrow the gap to 3-2. The first boat to win five races will go on to challenge holders New Zealand in the America's Cup from February 19th.

Cayard had won an aggressive tactical battle in pre-start manoeuvres to open a lead of 32 seconds by the first mark.

Cayard lured the Italians into the mistake as Prada closed to within two boat lengths in a gripping race on the Hauraki Gulf. His crew feinted a change of direction under spinnaker, forcing Prada to match AmericaOne's apparent gybe to stick close to the US boat's stern.

But Cayard then suddenly ordered his crew to hold course and the Italians tangled their spinnaker as they tried frantically to pull out of their gybe and adjust their position.

The dummy move saw the Italian boat broach and stall as they tried to untangle their huge white sail. Prada lost more than 140 metres, a margin from which it never recovered.

De Angelis said later he was hit by the boom as his boat wallowed. "I stopped it with my head and then had a moment of darkness, " said the skipper, who was not hurt.

AmericaOne went on to win by 34 seconds after leading at each of the five marks on the six-leg course.