Swedish national team member Helén Johnsson won her first career Super Six title in the Swedish Super Six Series when she defeated fellow countryman Christer Eklund in the title match of the Djurgardens Internordiska, 202-199. Johnsson received 40 000 SEK for accomplishing the feat (app. $6,700).

"It was nice to win since I have reached the semi-finals twice before. It also give me a strong inspiration for the upcoming Women's European Championships", said the reigning European Masters Champion.

However, Johnsson was almost kicked out in the quarterfinals, but a late run with a final game of 264 lifted her to the fourth to earn the final spot for the semis. She defeated top-seeded Tommy Wendel, 264-204, to advance to the title match.

In the other semifinal, Christer Eklund used a four-bagger in frames 6-9 to defeat Ulf Bolleby, 210-182.

In the title match, Helén Johnsson was forced to strike with her first ball in the tenth frame to win the title. She did that and felled nine pins with her next ball to secure the victory by three pins.

The second Super Six tournament of 2008 gathered record 291 participants. It used the PBA Cheetah oil pattern which seemed to create a lot of headache for many players. The field included great players such as Martin Larsen, Sweden; Osku Palermaa, Finland; Mads Sandbaekken, Norway; and Dominic Barrett, England. Of these top European players only Larsen made it to the finals and he finished 15th.

Swedish national team coach Tomas Leandersson said: "This oil pattern didn't support players who are used to play with a lot of revolutions, but it is a learning experience for our players. I hope the organizers of future Super Six tournaments will continue to use different PBA oil patterns, it is necessary for players to develop their versatility".

Championship round:
1. Helén Johnsson, Sweden, 40 000 SEK
2. Christer Eklund, Sweden, 25 000 SEK
3. Tommy Wendel, Sweden, 12 000 SEK
4. Ulf Bolleby, Sweden, 12 000 SEK
5. Hafthor Hardarsson, Iceland, 8 000 SEK
6. Rebecka Larsen, Sweden, 8 000 SEK
7. Lars Lindbäck, Sweden, 8 000 SEK
8. Juan Camilo Ramonde, Spain, 8 000 SEK

Play off Results: Semifinal Match 1: Eklund def. Bolleby, 210-182
Semifinal Match 2: Johnsson def. Wendel, 264-204
Title Match: Johnsson def. Eklund, 202-199

Photos: Jonas Brändström/Swebowl