Turner heads English hurdles 1-2-3

Andy Turner led an England clean-sweep in the Commonwealth Games men's 110m hurdles final.

European champion Turner won the race in a time of 13.38 seconds, with Will Sharman second and Lawrence Clarke dipping on the line to take bronze.

England also took two medals in the hammer with Alex Smith winning silver and Mike Floyd collecting bronze.

Scotland's Stephanie Twell took bronze in the women's 1500m and England's Martin Brockman won decathlon bronze.

"After winning gold at the Europeans, I just wanted to do the double," said 30-year-old Turner, from Nottingham.

Turner delighted to add to medal haul

It was a remarkable end to the decathlon with Brockman needing to finish 16 seconds ahead of team-mate Kevin Sempers in the final event, then 1500m.

Kent's Brockman stayed at the front throughout the race and finished more than 20 seconds ahead of Sempers.

The event was won by Canada's Jamie Adjetey-Nelson with 8,070 points, New Zealand's Brent Newdick took silver after scoring 7,899 points and Brockman scored 7,712.

"It's unbelievable," said 22-year-old Brockman, of the Medway and Maidstone club.

"I scraped into the team at the last minute. I had to give it my best shot and came out with a medal."

England's Brockman takes bronze in decathlon

Earlier, Englishmen Sharman and Clarke revealed after the 110m hurdles final that they were not 100% fit for the race.

"It has been quite an ordeal," said 26-year-old Sharman from Corby, who ran 13.50 secs.

"I think I picked up a virus at the holding camp in Qatar, but it came into full effect yesterday. It was touch and go. I had to go on drip as soon as I finished the heat. You can't plan for these things."

Clarke, 20-year-old European junior champion, added: "I didn't do a warm-up because I tore my hip flex. I've had hip flex injuries all year. I can't believe I've got a medal."

Both Turner and Sharman looked comfortable for gold and silver after negotiating the final hurdle, but Clarke was forced to dip on the line to take bronze in 13.70.

In the women's 1500m, Olympic champion Nancy Langat took gold in a Games record of four minutes 05.26 seconds. Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand was second in 4:05.97 and Twell third in 4:06.15.

England throwers have to settle for silver & bronze

"I stayed relaxed after one of the Kenya runners put a block on me," said 21-year-old Twell, of the Aldershot, Farnham and District club.

"I kept driving and driving during the race but felt I was going lower to the ground. All the encouragement I got from coach Mick Woods in the training sessions helped me.

"The Commonwealths is a big stage - it's not a lesser competition. I'm going to use this as a springboard."

England's Hannah England produced a strong finish to come home in fourth.

"I'm gutted to miss out on a medal," said 23-year-old England from Oxford.

Twell earns surprise 1500m bronze

The men's hammer was a close affair, with South Africa's Chris Harmse throwing out to 73.15m with his final attempt to deny Hull's Smith (72.95m).

In the women's 400m final, Scotland's Lee McConnell finished fifth with Amantle Monsho winning Botswana's first Commonwealth gold in a Games-record time of 50.10 secs.

"I didn't go out hard enough," said 31-year-old McConnell, who won silver at Manchester 2002.

"I began in lane nine and made it hard for myself."

India won their first track medal since Milkha Singh, father of golfer Jeev Milkha Singh, won the men's 400m in 1958 when Kavita Raut took bronze in the women's 10,000m.

The race was won by Kenya's Grace Momanyi in 32:34.11 with team-mate Doris Changeywo clinching silver.

In the women's triple jump final, Jamaica's Trecia Smith defended her title on with a season-best leap of 14.19m.

I didn't start hard enough - McConnell

Trinidad and Tobago's Ayanna Alexander took the silver and Canada's Tabia Charles grabbed the bronze.

England's Louise Hazel is well placed in the heptathlon after she finished the first day of competition in third place.

During the morning session, England's Chris Tomlinson (7.95m) and Greg Rutherford (7.74m) qualified for the men's long jump final.

But Teessider Tomlinson had to be taken from the long jump pit for medical treatment to his ankle following that attempt, with England team doctors set to decide on Saturday whether he is fit to compete in the final later that day.

England's Conrad Williams will be the only Home Nations representative in the men's 400m final after finishing second in his heat.

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