SWEDEN SETS THE PACE IN THE OPENING LADIES' SQUAD

Helen Johnsson of Helsingborg, Sweden, one of the very best of Europe's talented bowlers, hit 1341 to set the target in the opening ladies' squad Monday afternoon.  The 29-year-old economics secretary now enjoys nearly a 70 pin buffer over second placed Bigi Manico of Switzerland with Squad B yet to play.

Johnsson is the top ranked bowler in Sweden and as such gets to represent Sweden in  the World Cup, a position she enjoyed last year in Singapore, where she lost in the first match of the quarterfinals. Her ranking points came from competition in eleven major Swedish tournaments. Swedish coach Magnus Johnson, the WBW Outstanding International Coach awardee this year, said: "Johnsson has been absolutely outstanding over the past two years."

Johnsson was third in the European Individual Championships in Germany this year. She has been on the Swedish national team since 2000 and has a silver medal from the World Championships in Malaysia two years ago.

Asked about her performance on the Gladiator lanes this afternoon, she commented: "I feel very confident. You have  to stay really focused here, play a simple game without a lot of hook. I used the same ball all through the six games but moved from the outside to the 10-11 boards as the games progressed. I finished in the 5-8 bracket in Singapore and am determined to do better than that this time."

STRONG MALAYSIAN CHALLENGE

But for the only game less than 200 in her six-game set, it would have been the name of Wendy Chai of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the top of the leader board at the completion of the first set of qualifying games for the ladies.
Chai was in the enviable position of being in ninth place with one game to bowl as the end of the squad neared, but lost her line in the final game and finished in second place, just 18 pins off first place.

The 28-year-old credit control officer is having a great year, being the runner-up in the World Ranking Masters earlier in the year, second in the ABF Tour in Hong Kong and clinching the Sinai Open title. This is her second appearance in the World Cup, having placed fifth in Riga, Latvia in 2002.

"I'm not too disappointed about not beating Johnsson's score," she said after the squad. "I think I bowled well and my coach Chris Batson helped a lot with very fast changes of equipment and lines."

STANDINGS AFTER LADIES SQUADS A & B - FIRST 6 OF 24 QUALIFYING GAMES: