Bowls: Delany and Scott to battle it out for title

Danny Delany (right) defeated seven-time national champion Rowan Brassey in the semi-finals at the national champs yesterday. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Former Black Jack Danny Delany is back in the limelight after defeating seven-time national champion Rowan Brassey 21-13 in the semifinals of the men's singles at the national champs in New Plymouth yesterday.

The Onehunga bowler will meet 2011 men's champion Shaun Scott (North East Valley) in the final today at Paritutu Bowling Club.

Delany's quest for a finals berth kicked off with a 21-17 win over Kevin Robinson (Tokoroa) in the round of 16, and was followed by a sublime defeat of Alan Dickson (Castlecliff), 21-16, after coming back from a 4-11 deficit in the quarter-finals.

The 34-year-old then came up against Brassey, who had bested fellow legend Peter Belliss (Aramoho) in the quarter-finals, 21-9.

On an adjacent rink, Scott strolled past Shannon McIlroy (Stoke) 21-9 in the semis.

Mandy and Angela Boyd are back in the pairs final and the sisters are looking in fierce form to clinch the title. Standing in their way tomorrow afternoon at the Paritutu Bowling Club will be the Dunsandel duo of multiple national title holder Sandra Keith and former New Zealand representative Serena Matthews.

Last year's tournament in Auckland saw the Boyd women lose the final to former Black Jacks Genevieve Baildon and Jan Shirley. A year on the pair are hoping to go one better.

Mandy recently returned from a successful Black Jacks campaign at the world bowls championships in Adelaide where she won a silver in the triples, while elder sister Angela is also part of the New Zealand talent development squad.

Sandra Keith, who earlier in the week lost the chance to defend her singles title, skipped her side past Mere Fryer's Northern team in the quarter-final, before being too good for Tauranga South's Mary Campbell and Robyn Davis in the semifinal.

"I was disappointed to miss out on the singles, but it's great to make it through with Serena in the pairs," Keith said. "Me and Mandy have played together quite a lot and we're all just going to go out there and give it our best."