There is a European Women’s Masters tournament debutante leader Friday evening as Birgit Poeppler, 25, from Dusseldorf, Germany truly took the event by the bootstraps to hit a six-game qualifying score of 1465.

At first it looked as though Dutch girl Nicole Sanders was going to take the honours but she was put in the shade when Poeppler rolled a perfect final game to bring her total 89 sticks ahead of Sanders.

Joline Persson-Planefors from Sweden, last year’s runner-up to Clara Guerrero, placed third on this squad with 1367.

“For a first-timer in the European Women’s Masters to lead the squad and the overall scores, you must be very pleased,” Birgit was asked. “Yes, I really am,” she promptly replied. “I bowled here in Barcelona once before, but not the Women’s Masters, so it is always nice to bowl here.

“I only bowl with Brunswick balls and was using the Wicked Siege, I really like that ball, even though it is my oldest one. I just kept moving left through the six games and that worked well for me.” It did, indeed, as Birgit rolled 215, 268 and 300 over her final three games.
“I want to see a lot more of Barcelona. I am staying until Wednesday so I can see a lot more of the city and have a small vacation.

“I bowl in the national league in Germany and on the German national team. I was on the team for the Women’s World Championships in Hong Kong last year and had a bronze medal in the team event and also got into the top eight for the Masters.”

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VIII EUROPEAN WOMEN'S MASTERS PRESIDENT SAMARANCH TROPH