Maiden Leads LPBT Tournament After Qualifying Round in Anaheim

Jeanne Maiden of Solon, Ohio, maintained a 49-pin lead over Robin Romeo of Van Nuys at the end of qualifying Wednesday in the $30,000 Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour Brunswick L.A. Open, the fifth event in the six-week $250,000 Dewey Stevens fall tour at Anaheim’s Wonder Bowl.

Maiden, trying for her fourth title of the year, averaged 214 to finish with an 18-game total of 3,869 pins. Romeo finished at 3,820.

Lorrie Nichols of Algonquin, Ill., with 3,819 pins, finished third to qualify for match-play finals and set an all-time women’s professional bowling record. Nichols has qualified among the top 24 finalists in her last 49 tournaments, breaking the all-time record of 48 consecutive match-play finals set by Pat Costello of Merritt Island, Fla., in 1983.

Betty Morris of Stockton was fourth at 3,816, followed by Carol Norman of Ardmore, Okla., at 3,748 and 18-year-old rookie Wendy Macpherson of San Diego at 3,743.

The top five bowlers will compete in Saturday’s nationally televised finals on ESPN. Lisa Wagner of Palmetto, Fla., the tour’s leading money winner with $29,800 and tied with Maiden in the 1986 Woman Bowler of the Year race with three titles, qualified for the finals in 21st place at 3,526. She may be unable to continue, however, because of an ailing back.

“I hurt my back two weeks ago,” Wagner said. “I’ll see how it is tomorrow, but I have no problem withdrawing if it isn’t better. I wanted to get a check this week. It was very painful today.”

If Wagner withdraws, she will be replaced in the match-play finals by Becky Hart of Columbus, Ohio, who qualified in 25th place.