HAMPSHIRE skipper Ian Walker’s dreams of victory in the Volvo Ocean Race were dealt another blow after they finished fifth in the latest leg.

Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing crew still lead the overall standings with two legs to go but they had to watch their advantage slip to just five points, writes WILL CARSON.

After nine days of racing from Newport, US, to Lisbon in Portugal, Abu Dhabi finished just two hours behind leg winners Team Brunel.

One place ahead of them was their arch rivals Dongfeng Race Team, their biggest threat to the title.

With two short legs remaining, the overall positions are left finely poised.

A spokesman for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing said: “The final hours of Leg 7 didn’t go exactly the way the ADOR crew had hoped and after losing out to Team Alvimedica in super light winds at the mouth of the Tagus River they had to settle for fifth place in the 10-day transatlantic leg from Newport.

“Better news for ADOR was that Alvimedica also passed their Azzam’s closest overall rival, Dongfeng Race Team, pushing them down to fourth - crucially for the overall standings just a single point ahead of the Abu Dhabi team.

“Now, with two legs of the Volvo Ocean Race to go, ADOR holds a five point advantage at the top of the overall leaderboard.”

The fleet will return to the water on June 6 for the Lisbon In-Port Race. Leg 8 to Lorient, a relative sprint at 647nm, begins a day later.

The race concludes on June 27 with the In-Port Race in Gothenburg after nine months and 38,739nm of sailing.