Elsewhere on day ten…

POWERLIFTING

Micky Yule took to the platform at the Clyde Auditorium in the heavyweight category of the Para-Sport Powerlifting competition. A member of the British Army, Yule was injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) whilst serving in Afghanistan in 2010, an injury that required more than 40 operations and left him a double amputee. Competing in Powerlifting competitions for the Army since 2007, Yule took a year to recover from his accident before getting back into the gym in 2011 and competing for Great Britain in Para-Sport Powerlifting.
“After I was injured, I struggled to find out if I could continue the sport and if it would be possible for me”, the Musselburgh man said. “When I found out I had the opportunity to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, I was confident of doing it because I just needed to get over the accident mentally.”
“I had more than forty operations after the accident, and it was hard to get back into training. Once I started training, and began hitting the numbers that I needed to get, it took a bit of the pressure off that I had built up.”
Up against some strong opposition, Micky lifted 172.9kg to finish in 4th place. With Para-Sport Powerlifting making its debut in Glasgow, Yule is the first Powerlifter to represent Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.

DIVING

Despite not having had the best preparation going into the event, Grace Reid finished a very creditable 9th in the final of the 3m Springboard at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh. Her score of 297.50 was a big improvement on the morning’s heats and close to her personal best. Gold went to Esther Qin of Australia, Silver to Jennifer Abel of Canada and England’s Hannah Starling picked up Bronze.

Having suffered a shoulder subluxation back in April, Reid only managed to start training for the event in May and has not been able to prepare or practice as much as she would have liked on the 3m board. However, she put in a solid set of five dives, in particular her Front 2½ Somersault 1 Twist, Piked and her Reverse 2½ Somersault, Tucked dives, where she scored 63.00 and 60.20 points respectively.

Edging ever closer to her personal best Reid was satisfied with the result, saying: “I’m super chuffed with that, I really wasn’t sure how I’d go, having been injured. The past four years I’ve been up and down with bad performances, my confidence had taken a knock and I was at a low in this event. But I’ve managed to come out here and I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed every single performance I’ve done, and that to me was the biggest goal I could have set myself and achieved.

“I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, the crowd have been wonderful. I was breathing so heavily before my last dive but the crowd just lifted me and put me at ease, which really helped me feel at home.”

The Diving programme concluded today.

Photo Credit: Jeff Holmes

Scotland’s Darren Burnett completed a golden day for Team Scotland after beating Canada’s Ryan Bester 21-9 to win the Men’s Singles Lawn Bowls. Earlier in the day Alex Marshall, Paul Foster, David Peacock and Neil Speirs beat England 16-8 in the Fours final, meaning that Scotland have taken Gold in all bar one of the Men’s disciplines at the Games.

Combined with Marshall and Foster’s Pairs Gold and the Para-Sport Mixed Pairs Silver, Scotland’s Lawn Bowls medal haul from the Glasgow Games is an above expected four. “It feels great to have won this title,” said Burnett. “It’s been a whirlwind year after winning the indoor championship too. It’s not sunk in yet. Sure I know I’ve won the Gold medal but after winning the World Championships and then coming here and leaving with the Singles Golds medal it’s hard to take in, it’s a great feeling.”

Burnett had to fight back after Bester took a 3-0 lead. He pulled back in the fourth end, before a four in the fifth and a three in the next put him in control. At 14-7 down Bester won two shots but Burnett took three in the sixteenth before completing the win with four shots in the last three ends.
Burnett was feeling the pressure of trying to follow in the footsteps of his Gold medal winning team-mates: “They got a great win and it adds to the pressure, coming behind them, to try to double up the Golds but it was great, the crowd were obviously on a high from the Fours win and they kept the atmosphere going for my game.
“Hopefully it’s done a lot for Bowls, you know to get three medals in the gents disciplines, three Gold medals is incredible. That’s what we tried to do when we came here, hopefully that’s inspired a few others who aren’t bowlers that have come and watched this.”
In the Men’s Fours Scotland had been quick to establish the lead. After the third end the hosts were up 4-1 before England produced a four to edge ahead. Scotland responded by bringing the score level to 5-5 and, with the momentum now firmly on its side, extended the margin with every end. Knowing it was impossible to bridge the gap England declared after the fourteenth end.

“It’s a fantastic feeling, especially to do it with such great friendships,” said Paul Foster who with Marshall won the Pairs final last weekend. Before the game started we were all excited about it and we were sometimes trying too hard because we wanted to do so well. But to come away with a medal in the home Games is phenomenal. Fortunately Alex and I came away with two but today is all about the four guys, and to do it in front of this crowd is fantastic. I’m really pleased for David and Neil who have played fantastic through the whole tournament.”

An intensive training programme, led by Head Coach David Gourlay to ensure the team was the best prepared ever, played a huge part in the team’s success. “We’ve had a few (training) trips away due to the efforts of David Gourlay and we’ve blended together as a team very well,” said Marshall. “We’re a fantastic team and we get on well together, that’s why we are Commonwealth Gold medallists.”

Another significant factor in the team’s success was the support of the home crowd. “I said after the Pairs this crowd is worth one or two shots extra for us and they certainly played a part today,” said Foster. “All four of us thank them very much. We could now have asked for more.”

Photo Credit: Jeff Holmes

Josh Taylor (64kg) and Charlie Flynn (60kg) booked a place in the finals of the Boxing competition at the XX Commonwealth Games with spectacular performances at the SECC.

Josh – a Silver medallist in Delhi four years ago – looked composed as he took the first two rounds against England’s Sam Maxwell. Josh knew he’d done enough and saw out the fight to get the unanimous decision. He now goes on to fight Junias Jonas in the final tomorrow.

Josh said: “I knew I had the first round and that I’d maybe just edged the second. We’ve been on the GB programme together for years so we know how we fight and I knew what I had to do. I knew what he’d be looking for with me so I worked hard to counter that. Tomorrow will be incredible and I’m set on Gold.”

Charlie, facing a top class fighter in Joe Cordina from Wales, lost the first round but came out spectacularly to take the second and third to book a place in the Gold-Silver bout against Northern Irishman Joe Fitzpatrick tomorrow afternoon.

After the fight Charlie said: “I wanted to get the first round because I knew if I did I’d get the second and third. Losing the first meant I knew I had to get the second and the third. I knew he was a fit boy but he doesn’t like it rough. He’s a classy operator and he likes his own space, but I was roughing him up on the inside and he didn’t like it. Wait until the Hydro comes – it’s going to be something special.”

Following a fantastic Commonwealth Games, Reece McFadden (52kg) will finish with the Bronze medal in the Flyweight category after losing out on a split decision to Andrew Moloney of Australia. In a tight contest, it looked like Reece had done enough, but the 19 year old will still take home the Bronze tomorrow afternoon.

Heavyweight, Stephen Lavelle (91kg) faced David Light of New Zealand in the final semi-final bout of the competition. In a tough bout, Stephen battled well but will come away with the Bronze medal.

The Boxing finals take place in front of over 10,000 fans at the SSE Hydro tomorrow.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Elsewhere on day nine for Team Scotland…
DIVING
Grace Reid smashed her personal best and was less than ten points off a medal in the final of the 1m Springboard at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh.
She showed power and control throughout her dive programme and improved enormously on one of her favoured dives, the Front 1½ Somersault 2 Twists, Piked where she scored 58.50, a leap of 13 points from this morning. Finishing 5th overall with 269.40 points Reid said: “Someone’s just told me that I was up and down that leader board like a yo-yo, but I had no idea. I shut myself away in my little bubble as I like to call it with my headphones on full blast.”
Asked if she was disappointed that she didn’t medal, having been in the Silver medal position going into the final round, Reid commented: “No way! I came into this wanting to get a PB. I’ve surpassed that and got a blooming good PB, so I’m very pleased. Knowing that I was up and down the leader board it doesn’t really matter. I take each dive on its own and I will take a lot of experience and knowledge away from this and know that there are still things that me and my coach Jen (Leeming) need to work on.”
When asked if she needs to increase her degree of difficulty on her last dive, the Back 1½ Somersault, Piked (DD 2.3) she said, “It’s just the way my list works out that I finish with an easier dive. If I start to feel nervous going into the final round I can relax into the dive. If I went for anything harder then I might not get on so well and get the result I got there.”
Reid returns tomorrow to compete in the 3m Springboard Preliminaries.

BADMINTON
Day nine continued on a high with Kirsty Gilmore (Women’s Singles) and Imogen Bankier and Robert Blair (Mixed Doubles) making it through to the semi-finals of the Glasgow 2014 competition.
Gilmore showed excellent skill and determination to beat the sixth seed Michelle Chan of New Zealand 21-9 21-10. Mixed Doubles pair Bankier and Blair also beat the Canadian duo Derrick Ng and Phyllis Chan 21-11 21-7, taking them through to tomorrow’s semi-finals.
Commenting on the game Imogen Bankier said: “We did get off to a better start, which was a bit more comfortable. It was less tense for us and probably for all the spectators as well. Altogether pleased with the way we played, I think we were quite convincing and just looking forward now, we’re in the stage of the tournament where we really wanted to be. Now come the big games so just focussing on getting prepared for them tomorrow.
“I think to get through the first two and again come out today and perform convincingly, it gives us a bit of confidence. We are where we want to be, putting over the kind of performances that are going to matter.”
The pair will now go on to play English husband and wife, Chris and Gabby Adcock, a match Blair says will be tough but they are confident they can win: “Obviously it’s a hard game, they’ve had a good year or eighteen months together and had some good results but the one time we’ve played them, we beat them so that gives us confidence, we know their game plan and hopefully that will weigh on their minds a bit, throw a few doubts into their heads for the game. In a semi-final, when you’re playing for medals in front of a big crowd, it’ll come down to who’s going to perform best, control their emotions, control their performance”
Scotland top Men’s Singles player Kieran Merrilees was put out of the competition by his GB training partner Rajiv Ouseph. In the Men’s Doubles Paul Van Rietvelde and Robert Blair went out against Danny Chrisnanta and Chayut Triyachart from Singapore in a 8-21 16-21 defeat.
Tomorrow Bankier and Blair will be first on court for the Mixed Doubles semi-finals followed by Kirsty Gilmore in the Women’s Singles.

SQUASH
It was Scotland against Australia in the Squash Men’s Doubles quarter-finals tonight with both Scottish pairings facing Aussie opponents. And there were mixed emotions as the No.4 ranked Scottish pairing of Alan Clyne and Harry Leitch booked their place in the semi-finals whilst the curtain came down on the Commonwealth Games for eighth seeds Greg Lobban and Stuart Crawford.
Clyne and Leitch saw off seventh seeds Ryan Cuskelly & Matthew Karwalski 11-7, 11-5 in an impressive encounter in the glass walled show court at Scotstoun Sports Campus. With Leitch and Clyne in great shape, the latter showing no effects from three matches the day before, they quickly turned around an early four shot lead for the Australians, notching up eight points without reply.
Karwalski required treatment for a cut during the break and the Scottish duo soon cut through their opponents to close out the match, Leitch showing great power whilst Clyne’s finesse caught out the Australians on more than one occasion. “We got off to a terrible start,” said Leitch. “But even at 5-1 down, I don’t think we were worried as we knew if we kept to our game plan we would get back in it and that’s what happened. From then on in it was just a matter of doing what we’ve rehearsed over and over again. The crowd were unbelievable and when we got that run of points in the second game, we just wanted to keep on going.”
“There were a lot of long rallies and we said to each other that we needed to keep solid,” added Clyne. “We got the run of points after that, which was at a crucial time. I think we won the mental battle today, we’re happy with that.”
Before them, Lobban and Crawford put in a battling performance against the No.2 ranked David Palmer and hard-hitting Cameron Pilley. There was little to separate the sides in the first game, Scotland four times ahead before the Australians clawed their way back in, eventually taking the game 11-9, despite a series of Lobban shots which drew gasps of excitement from the crowds. Pilley not only hits hard, but has the height and reach to pick the ball out of the furthest corner and in the end, the second match just escaped the Scots’ grasp, going down 11-5.
Crawford said: “We got to the quarter-finals which is where we were seeded, but we desperately wanted to go further and pick up a medal. To be honest, that’s the best game of doubles we’ve put together in a year and a half. Once we take time to reflect, I’m not sure we’ll find that many things where we went wrong. We’re disappointed, but we couldn’t really have asked to perform any better on the day.”
Lobban, competing in his first Commonwealth Games, added: “The atmosphere was just amazing. When we won points the crowd were stomping their feet and between points the Mexican Wave was going, it’s nothing that I have ever experienced before. I think the most pleasing thing for me and Stuart was that we actually enjoyed our time on court. We were smiling away knowing we have a good relationship that is getting the best out of each other.”
The Men’s Doubles Semi-Finals take place tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon where Leitch and Clyne will look to better their fourth-place finish in Delhi, but face a tough test against the No.1 seed from England.

HOCKEY
Team Scotland finished sixth in the Women’s Hockey competition following a 2-1 defeat to India at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre
Nikki Kidd had equalised for the Scots midway through the second-half after Anupa Barla had given India the lead shortly beforehand, but a well taken strike by Poonam Rani sealed the win, leaving the Scots in sixth position.
A dejected Scotland Head Coach Gordon Shepherd said, “Totally gutted. Sad for the players, we prepared well this summer for the target of the top four, which we believe was a realistic target we thought we could achieve. We know playing at this high international level that it’s small margins that make the difference, but sadly they went against us.
“The last two games were hard to take, the players against England were amazing and today they ran their hearts out, to just be on the wrong side of the one goal in the last two games was pretty tough. The players ran, they created plenty of opportunities but at this level the half chances are the ones that win your games and we didn’t take them, even though we had plenty of them.”
Scotland captain Linda Clement, who announced her international retirement after the match, summarised, “I feel quite flat after that, we were disappointed with our result against England the other day and after that game we needed to bounce back and finish on a high but we didn’t take our chances so it is a disappointing to end like this. It is very special to play at a home Games. When I reflect on it, it will be a very special experience playing in front of a home crowd. Glasgow has done a fantastic job but right now I feel disappointed but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”
Meanwhile, Team Scotland rounded off their participation in the Men’s Hockey competition against Malaysia tonight, losing 2-1 in their classification match to finish 8th overall.
Scotland captain Chris Grassick had given the home side a twelfth minute lead, only to be 2-1 down at the half-time interval thanks to goals from Malaysia’s Muhammad Shahril Saabah and Kazamirul Ahmad Nasruddin. Despite a valiant second half performance, the Scots couldn’t quite find the back of the net.
Following the match skipper Chris Grassick said, “Disappointed with the result, proud of how we played today and our last four games. We couldn’t have put in any more effort and couldn’t have tried harder, just disappointed where we have finished. We’re happy with the progress we have made, we had a respectable score line against Australia, we ran South Africa very close just losing 2-0 in the last seconds, we competed with India and beat Wales in that crunch game and delivered when it mattered. We have played to our ranking but we believe we can do better than that, disappointed with the result but as I say proud of the effort we put in today.
“The Games have been incredible I just don’t want it to end, for all of us it’s been the best week of our lives to play in front of a home crowd.”

Photo Ctredit: Getty Images

Daniel Purvis took inspiration from team-mate Daniel Keatings’ landmark Gold medal winning performance yesterday to claim a Gold of his own in today’s Parallel Bars final.
Purvis struck Gold in the second Individual Apparatus Final of the day, the Parallel Bars an apparatus both he and team mate Frank Baines were confident of medalling on. After outstanding performances by GB team mates Max Whitlock and Nile Wilson, Frank Baines delivered an excellent routine with double pike dismount to score 14.866, putting him into the medal positions with three gymnasts to go. Purvis was the last competitor to compete on this apparatus and knew that only a score higher than Baines would see him take his place on the podium. Daniel upped his difficulty to a 6.5 start value and it paid off, he delivered his routine with aplomb scoring a massive 15.533 to win the Gold medal.
“I am just over the moon to be honest,” said Purvis after his win. “Coming in today I didn’t expect to get Gold, just to get another medal in front of a home crowd would be fantastic, I am absolutely over the moon. Daniel Keatings done fantastic, I tried to repeat that today. He told me yesterday he just went for everything and that’s what I tried to do today. It was a strong final, I am just really happy.
“It has just been great all round for the sport and gymnastics and for people watching, everyone is just pushing each other, there’s so many people that could have won a medal in this competition and I think that is just great for the sport. To do it in front of a home crowd, so proud to do it for my family, the crowd has been absolutely fantastic and to finish off with a Gold medal has just been as fantastic as the Olympics.”
This was Scotland’s 5th and final Gymnastics medal, with 19 year old Baines coming closest to adding to this tally with two 4th places and a 5th.
In the day’s opening event, the Vault, Adam Cox was the first to compete for Scotland. He executed his first vault well and his second vault, with a lower difficulty value, was executed with even greater success. He nailed the landing, giving him a score of 13.274 and ensuring he ended the competition, and his career, with a smile on his face.
“I finished the first vault and I was pleased I landed, said Cox. “Then I thought to myself, ‘take your time, soak it all in and do a nice vault you know that you can land and make the most of it.’ The final for me was also a massive bonus. I loved being up there. It was always going to be my job, as one of the more experienced athletes, to go out, be first on the apparatus and set the routine, put in a solid performance and relax the competitors that followed, so that they could go out there and get great results. With the number of medals we have won and finals we have reached I feel like I have done my job.
“What an experience Glasgow 2014 has been. I came out retirement for exactly that reason, for a great experience, to be part of this team, which has been a real honour and to win medals, which was unbelievable.
Frank Baines was next to go, opting for a Tsukahara with two and a half twists, but had an unfortunate fall on landing. Not distracted by his fall, Baines went for higher difficulty on his second vault and delivered it exceptionally well, a slight step out on landing leaving him with a total score of 14.016. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough for a podium finish, finishing in 5th place.
The High Bar Apparatus final was to bring to a close the Artistic Gymnastics with Daniel Keatings and Frank Baines aiming to end with a podium finish. Keatings was looking to replicate the performance he delivered in qualification but unfortunately there was no additional success as a fall meant he scored 13.366. Baines brought down the curtain on Team Scotland’s Gymnastics involvement at Glasgow 2014, delivering a solid routine with a textbook stuck landing to score 14.566 putting him into a Silver medal position with three gymnasts to go. The next competitor Kristian Thomas of England delivered an exceptional routine to push Frank into Bronze position with two gymnasts to go, where he stayed until the final competitor of the event, Canada’s Kevin Lytwyn, delivered a score of 14.866 to knock him into Fourth position.
The High Bar concluded the Artistic Gymnastics at Glasgow 2014 and Team Scotland Gymnasts’ most successful Commonwealth Games to date. Scotland finished with a total of five medals; Team Silver; Two Individual Gold Medals on Pommel Horse and Parallel Bars; an Individual All Around Silver medal and an Individual Bronze on Rings.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Lynsey Sharp went from the hospital to the podium in little more than 12 hours on an unbelievable Hampden night. The European champion claimed 800m Silver with a superb late surge to pip Uganda’s Winnie Nanyondo.

It came only hours after she had felt sick and attended the polyclinic in the Athletes’ Village with Team Scotland head coach, Stephen Maguire. “It does not feel real,” said an emotional Lynsey, who clocked 2.01.34 behind winner, World Champion Eunice Sum. “The past year has been a nightmare for me with injuries and illnesses and I wasn’t at all well through the night. But it just came down to me having one shot at it – for two minutes. And I’ve made it onto the podium for a silver medal.”

Scotland’s 4 x 400m were Hampden heroes as they claimed a National Record, which had stood since 1990, as they qualified for the final on Saturday. The quartet of Kris Robertson, Jamie Bowie, Greg Louden and Grant Plenderleith took third place, just behind England and Jamaica, with a great run of 3.03.94. That was a Native Record and a National Record, with the latter having been set in Auckland in 1990 when Scotland won Commonwealth Silver with the likes of Tom McKean and Brian Whittle in the team.

Bowie said: “The guys who held this record won Silver medals in Auckland 24 years ago. So it means a lot to take that and it is more than two seconds quicker than we did to qualify (for the Games) – so that shows how we are stepping up. We’d England and Jamaica but actually that was helpful. Now we are in a final and just have to run our very best and see if something happens which we can capitalise on.”

Jax Thoirs came close to a pole vault medal but had to settle for fourth place and a Native Record at 5.45m, agonisingly losing out on count-back to Canada’s Shawnacy Barber. Thoirs went close at 5.55m – with only two Englishmen making it over that height. Jax said: ‘It was cruel, probably the worst way to end. But it was amazing out there. I was worried whether the crowd was going to help or hinder me but it helped me. I just got unlucky at the end. I was going for the win so I’m disappointed but what an experience.”

The Women’s 4 x400m team set a Native Record but were squeezed out of the final which would have afforded Eilidh Child another Hampden appearance. Kirsten McAslan, Diane Ramsay, Gemma Nicol and Zoey Clark ran 3.33.91 – to obliterate the previous Native Record of 3.41.45 set back in 2001.

Aberdeen youngster Zoey Clark said: “That was an unbelievable experience. To hear people roaring like that for you spurs you on. If we’ve managed a Native Record then that is great because we are a young team and hopefully there is something there for the future.”

In the men’s 10,000m, Andrew Lemoncello was best-placed of the three Scots with his 12th place finish at 28.36.63 for a Season’s Best. There was a PB for Luke Caldwell at 14th with 28.47.39 and Callum Hawkins finished 20th in 29.12.52.
Kirsty Law was 11th in the discus final with 52.33; Jayne Nisbet finished 10th equal with her best clearance 1.78 in the high jump final and Stephen Lisgo was 8th in the 3000m steeplechase final in 9.05.13.

In the 1500m heats, there was progress for Chris O’Hare but Jake Wightman and David Bishop missed out on final places. Chris ran 3.40.80 to qualify automatically from his heat and said: “It is good to get through. I want to have fun in the final. Of course it will be hard work but if I can’t enjoy this kind of thing with that crowd then what will you enjoy? Sometimes when you are a ‘professional’ you forget about these things but I just loved seeing the smiles on people’s faces out there. I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

Scotland now have four track and field medals – the best haul since the 1990 Games in Auckland – heading into the final day of Athletics action at Hampden tomorrow.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Eilidh Child claimed Silver at the Commonwealth Games for the second time and savoured the love of the Hampden crowd. It was a third Athletics medal for Team Scotland, the best tally at a Games since five were won in Auckland in 1990.

Child lost out on Gold to Jamaican Kaliese Spencer, the pre-race favourite, but was more than content with second place after taking on a huge burden of expectation as one of the poster girls of the Games. Spencer won it in 54.10 with Child at 55.02 and Jamaican Janieve Russell taking the bronze in 55.64.

“I will cherish this Silver medal because I’m happy with the way I performed,” said Eilidh. “It wasn’t the fastest race I’ve run but there was a lot of expectation and I’ve coped with that. I always said I can’t control what other people can do – that’s the reality in sport. I tried to shut out the crowd a bit beforehand and concentrate on what I had to do. Afterwards it was amazing and the lap of honour was something very special.”

The Silver came after a sixth place finish, and best of British placing, for Guy Learmonth in the 800m final – where Amos shocked David Rudisha to claim gold. Learmonth recorded a PB of 1.46.69, and a late surge took him to sixth in a field of nine men, with British champion Michael Rimmer edged out by the Scot.

Guy said: “It has been a great learning curve for me. I have held my own in some very good company and proved I can compete at this level. I’m thrilled to have represented Scotland at Hampden and I want to thank family, coaches and friends for all the support over the years. I believe I can get faster and this can be a platform for me.”

There were fifth and seventh place finishes in the T54 1500m final for Sammi Kinghorn and Meggan Dawson-Farrell respectively. Sammi said: “I was ranked sixth on times and finished fifth so I’m delighted with that – I’ve beaten someone who was faster than me. The crowd was absolutely amazing and it has been wonderful being part of Team Scotland at a Commonwealth Games. I tried so hard to get fourth but there was nothing left in the tank by then. But they cheered me anyway – thanks!”

Meggan said: “It was just like Grangemouth on a wet training night – apart from 44,000 people bawling their heads off! The crowd pulled me along a bit and it helped. I didn’t look to see where I was ranked in terms of the times – I knew I would not win and I knew I wouldn’t be last so I am happy with seventh. The Games has been a wonderful experience.”

In the 800m semis, there was relief for Lynsey Sharp at progress to the final with 2.02.28 but Emily Dudgeon was pipped late in the second race to agonisingly miss out on an automatic place.
Angus McInroy was ranked at 12th for the discus final and that’s where he finished with 54.12m his best in the opening three throws.

Kirsty Law finished eighth in discus qualifying and is through to Friday’s final. The Inverness Harrier threw 54.68m with her second throw and said: “That was pretty amazing because Eilidh’s race was happening right next to me just before we competed. Then they put on The Proclaimers and I was loving it. I’m delighted to be in the Commonwealth final and anything can happen.”

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Alex Gladkov collected Team Scotland’s second Wrestling Bronze medal in epic fashion then dedicated the result to his Grandad.

The 28-year-old overcame controversial calls, and a mid-match knee injury, to defeat Sri Lankan opponent Chamara Perera and win the 65kg Bronze medal, Scotland’s second Wrestling Bronze following Viorel Etko in the 61kg event last night.

Alex had lost his opening encounter of the day against London 2012 Olympic Bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt, but with the Indian going all the way to win the Gold, Alex was given a reprieve in the Bronze medal repechage.

There, he faced team-mate Gareth Jones, the 20-year-old from Old Kilpatrick, who also lost to Dutt after an impressive round of 16 win over Timea Kitiona of Kiribati. Alex used his experience to overcome his Team Scotland compatriot and set up the showpiece medal match.

Coached by his father, Volodymyr, Alex surged into an early 8-1 lead and flipped his opponent four times in what looked like the match-ending result. Instead, following a video replay, he was adjudged to have touched his shoulders on the mat and the match continued.

Rattled by the decision, Alex soon found himself ahead by just a single point and worse was to come as, twenty seconds before the end of the first round, he jarred his knee, requiring an extended medical stop whilst the medical team bandaged him up. Showing incredible inner strength, Alex returned to his feet and went the full six minutes to claim the Bronze.

“Amazing, I can barely speak,” said Alex, who was born in Ukraine. “I don’t have any energy left, my knee is agony, but I feel fantastic. It was one of the best fights I’ve ever had. It was pretty spectacular. I was trying to finish it early, but the referees gave three points to my opponent and so I had to go the full six minutes. During the break my dad just said ‘hold on and you can win it’. I didn’t really believe it at that moment, but I got it together and the next two minutes the crowd was so supportive and I don’t know where all the pain went.

“I’m happy that my Dad got the result that he wanted. And my Mum asked me to bring a medal back for my Grandad who is currently in Russia as he left Ukraine a week ago because of the bombing and shooting. I’m going to send them the pictures from tonight and hopefully they can share in the happiness as he hasn’t had much in the last few months.

“I’m so happy and I’m really grateful for the crowd. I could feel the support and it helped me along. As one of my friends said to me, Ukraine is the country which I am from, but Glasgow and Scotland is my home.”

Earlier in the night, Kathryn Marsh narrowly lost out in the Women’s 55kg Bronze medal match to England’s Louisa Porogovska, who had defeated gifted young prospect Chelsea Murphy in the quarter-final that morning.

Also in the morning rounds, Lewis Waddell and Luigi Bianco exited the 86kg category at the quarter-finals. Having benefited from a bye into the final eight, Lewis was unable to contain the challenge of South African Armando Hietbrink. Luigi defeated Cameroon’s Alie Zamdam in the round of 16 before succumbing to eventual Bronze medallist Pawan Kumar of India.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Lee

On day eight of the Games, thousands of cheering supporters lined the streets of Glasgow and the surrounding areas to watch the Commonwealth’s finest cyclists take to the Time Trial course. Team Scotland’s female competitors Katie Archibald, Lucy Coldwell and Anna Turvey and Scotland’s only Male Time Trial rider, David Millar, all finished in the top nine.
All 31 Women and 60 Men were spurred on by screaming fans right the way round the course, waving flags and holding banners. The first Scot of the day to take to the start line was Lucy Coldwell, setting off 20th, closely followed by Anna Turvey, and finally Katie Archibald.
Caldwell crossed the line with a time of 44.03.40, putting her in the Charles Rennie Mackintosh inspired top three ‘hot seats’ at the time, where Anna Turvey came to join her with a very respectable time of 44.08.62. Archibald then crossed the line with a time of 43.30.01, also putting her into the top three at that point in the competition. The final hot seat places were taken by New Zealand’s Linda Villumsen, who won Gold, Silver went to England’s Emma Pooley and Bronze went to Australia’s Katrin Garfoot, putting Archibald in 5th, Coldwell in 8th and Turvey in 9th, in what was a World Class field.
Taking about the race, World Team Pursuit Champion Katiesaid: “I actually feel really good, I had far too much left at the end there. It’s a really long finishing straight and I suddenly realised, ‘Good God, look how fast a bike can go!’ I enjoyed the middle section with the lumps and the twists, that’s really what I love to ride and I just lost it in those long drags. I’ve been in time trials before where I’ve got the distance wrong and hit the wall and it’s kind of a good thing to do because you can see how to get through that but if that finishing straight had been a kilometre further I could have properly just emptied myself and I’m annoyed that I’ve not done that.
“The amazing thing was the number of people who recognised it was me and not just any punter on a bike. there was obviously a lot of ‘Go Scotland’ but it’s nice when you think that people have actually come out for the support have been watching your progress and things and actually makes you think it’s worth it, like ‘God these people care, time to put the boot down. Sunday is going to be the mad one”
2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games Gold medallist David Millar finished in 8th Position with a time of 49.56.23. England’s Alex Dowsett crossed line with a time of 47.41.78 to take the Gold, Australian Rohan Dennis Silver and Welsh rider Geraint Thomas Bronze.
Commenting on his performance Millar said: “I was pretty realistic about how I am at Time Trialling these days so I’m just looking forward to Sunday. I know where my fortes now lie and it’s not in Time Trialling in my old age, so the road race on Sunday should be my thing.
“It was like a Tour de France stage, it really was. The amount of people out there and Scottish flags and your name being cheered, I’ve never experienced anything like it and I think it’s going to be more of the same on Sunday, which would be amazing. I think having a home crowd on Sunday is going to make a big difference.”
The final Cycling event of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Road Race, will take place, on Sunday 3rd August in the centre of Glasgow.

Photo Credit: Rob Hardie

Team Scotland is guaranteed at least two medals in tomorrow’s Lawn Bowls finals after a superb day at Kelvingrove.
The Men’s Fours team of Paul Foster, Alex Marshall, Neil Spiers and David Peacock progressed to the final against England, guaranteeing themselves at least a Silver medal, after defeating Australia 15-10 in today’s semi-finals. In tricky, wet conditions the Scots won out and Men’s Doubles Gold medallist Marshall praised his team’s resilience: “It was only in the last three ends that the rain came in. The guys adapted fantastically.” Australian rival Matt Flapper also commended Team Scotland’s play saying: “They were too good for us, absolutely. Just too good for us. In those conditions, they were too consistent.”
Of the victory Foster said: “Sensational. The four of us were absolutely brilliant from the word go to the finish. You can’t ask for more than that.” Team-mate Neil Spiers added, “Since they picked the team, the four of us have got on great and it makes for a good team.”
There was also good news in the morning matches when Scotland’s Men’s Singles competitor, Darren Burnett staged a comeback in the quarter-finals to beat Northern Ireland’s Martin McHugh 21-20. Burnett, who in the same round last week was part of the Scottish Triples team which lost to Northern Ireland, had been 16-20 down today, with the winner being the first to reach 21.
“I got off to a bad start,” Burnett admitted afterwards. “Martin played well and dominated the early stages. But most folk know me in Singles and I’m renowned for battling away and never giving up. Towards the end when he got to 20 and I was still on 16, I did begin to worry because he only had to play one big bowl to win the game. But I battled on and to get there was superb.”
Burnett followed up by beating Australia’s Aron Sherriff 21-15 in the afternoon’s semi-final. “It was a great game against arguably one of the best players in the world,” said Burnett. “I knew it was going to be a really tough game and I’m quite glad his quarter-final was a long one with the Malaysian as well. We both went into it having two draining games and, right up to about 13 or 15 shots, there was nothing in the game. But I managed to find an extra gear and played a couple of good ends. I’m absolutely delighted.”
Burnett will face Canada’s Ryan Bester in the Gold medal match at 5.45pm tomorrow (Friday 1 August).
Scotland narrowly missed out on the Para Open Triples B6/B7/B8 Bronze medal, after England made an impressive comeback to win at Kelvingrove today.
The Scots – Billy Allan, Michael Simpson and Kevin Wallace – had been competing for the Lawn Bowls team’s third medal of the Glasgow Games. And, after what Scotland’s Michael Simpson described as ‘”nip and tuck” start, the Scots led 12-8, holding a two shot lead from mid-way through to the fourteenth end.
But England clawed back to 12-12 after the fifteenth end and, in the decider, produced the decisive blow by pushing the jack into the ditch. Scotland’s Kevin Wallace was unable to provide the solution to a very difficult problem and his final bowl joined the jack in the ditch.
“We were four up with two to play and we didn’t play bad; it was just the English skip played some absolutely cracking bowls,” said Michael Simpson afterwards. “We kept asking questions and England kept coming up with the answers. Every time we put them under pressure they kept delivering. We were unlucky in the end but all credit to England who played really well.”
Asked to describe what happened on the final two bowls of the game, when England took out the jack, he replied: “The England boy had played the same shot a few times before and it just so happened he played it well. It was an absolute cracker. That’s game over. If Kevin’s bowl had have sat I fancy we might have been lying, but he was actually looking to catch their bowl more solid.
“But he just got half the bowl unfortunately. If he’d have got a solid he’d have been putting their bowl in the ditch and we’d have laid the shot, but it fell in. It was very unlucky, but a very good effort on his last bowl. It was a very hard shot to play.”

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