Commonwealth Games: Day nine of competition

ALL THE NEWS, ACTION AND REACTION LIVE FROM GLASGOW 2014 AS IT HAPPENS!

By Gary Anderson, Nick Butler and Paul Osborne in Glasgow and Zjan Shirinian in London
Click refresh for latest updates. All times stated are British

BREAKING: Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha has been stripped of her under 53kg weightlifting title after a B-sample tests positive. Gold goes to Dika Toua of Papua New Guinea. (see 16:20)

Good night!

22:45 So after a brilliant day of action both on and off the track, with the likes of Tom Daley and Usain Bolt making their long awaited appearances, it's time for us to say good night.

If you missed the likes of Sally Pearson securing a brilliant gold in the hurdles; Moses Kipsiro surging to victory in the 10,000m; Jack Laugher and Chris Mears diving to gold in the 3m synchronised springboard; or Daniel Purvis sealing a historic gold for Scotland on the horizontal bars, then click here and relive all the magic on our Glasgow 2014 picture gallery.

Until tomorrow, however, it is time to say goodbye and wish you the best of evenings.

22:37: It hasn't been a great day for weightlifters after Australian Francois Etoundi who was in court today rather than enjoying the ambiance of the Athletes' Village here in Glasgow (see 09:24).

Etoundi has had his accreditation revoked and been ordered to pay £400 ($673/€500) compensation after admitting to assaulting Welsh rival Gareth Evans in an incident earlier in the week.

Check out Nick Butler's full story here.

22:25 Disappointment for Scotland in the final bout of a marathon day at the SECC as heavyweight Stephen Lavelle fails to make it passed New Zealand's David Light.

Lavelle had looked good early on but Light eventually outpointed him and will face Canadian Samir El-Mais for gold after he beat Nigeria's Efetobor Apochi.

"It's been a sensational session here at Hampden Park and, in my view, the most exciting of these Games so far, though actually being here, I would of course say that. Usain Bolt provided the headline moment with his long awaited appearance, and Sally Pearson brought the curtain down by proving her true champion quality over 100m hurdles. Despite all the problems off the track, she delivered brilliantly to dominate the race and see off a strong field. But my highlight was, without doubt, the finish of the 10,000m. My editor Duncan Mackay will undoubtedly draw parallels with Paul Tergat and Haile Gebrselassie stretching for the line at Sydney 2000, but my more limited memory stretches back to Bernard Lagat and Kenenisa Bekele, over 5,000m, at the 2009 World Championships for a similarly close finish. The names may not have been as illustrious tonight, but to have three people side by side like that was simply extraordinary."
- Reporter Nick Butler sums up his highlights from Hampden Park

Pearson wins final gold of evening over 100m hurdles

22:10 No it did not distract her. Sally Pearson powers to the gold medal. The Australian stops the clock at 12.67. Tiffany Porter of England, who finished third to Pearson's second at the 2013 World Championships, takes silver in 12.80.

Angela Whyte of Canada takes bronze in a shade outside 13 seconds.

22:08 Last on the track tonight is the women's 100m hurdles. Sally Pearson has been in the news for some of the wrong reasons, after Australian Athletics head coach Eric Hollingsworth was sent home for criticising her this week.

Will that saga have distracted her?

22:04 And tears are appearing on the face of the Scottish runner-up on the podium.

22:02 Lynsey Sharp is currently receiving her silver medal. It is being presented by the Athens 2004 Olympic champion in this event, Dame Kelly Holmes, along with Louise Martin, chair of sportscotland.

"It does not feel real. 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 Lynsey Sharp on her second place in the 800m.

21:56 England win heat three of the 4 x 100m relay after stopping the clock at 38.72. South Africa finish second, while it's a national record for Antigua and Barbuda in third.

21:53 We haven't finished yet tonight in Hampden Park. And it's good news for Trinidad and Tobago as Keshorn Walcott throws 85.28 for a national record in the javelin qualifying. He threw 84.58 to win Olympic gold at London 2012.

Boxing update

"The men's welterweight gold will be going to either England or India as Scott Fitzgerald beat South African Tulani Mbenge while Northern Ireland's Steven Donnelly went down to Mandeep Jangra. England's Anthony Fowler unleashed a pile-driver on Zambian Benny Muziyo in the second round of their middleweight bout to send the African to the deck and looked a cut above his opponent.
He will face India's Vijender Vijender who overcame Northern Ireland's Connor Coyle. India join Northern Ireland with four representatives in tomorrow's gold medal clashes while England leads the way with six. One weight category to go at the SECC - men's heavyweight."
- Gary Anderson on a long stint at the boxing getting towards a conclusion

Feel da Rhythm, Feel da Rhyme, Get on up, It's Usain Bolt time

21:48 I didn't think he looked particularly comfortable there. It was certainly harder than it should have been to ease clear of the Nigeria. But you never know with Bolt, he may just have been taking it deliberately easy.

A winning time of 38.99 for the Jamaicans. They will have to go quicker than that in the final.

21:45 Jamaica win heat two of the men's 4 x 100m relay as Usain Bolt eases clear in the home straight. Nigeria finish second.

21:40 I'm not sure if Scotland and Jamaica have a special relationship. But here he is. It's Usain Bolt time. The second heat of the 4 x 100m relay is upon us.

Hampden Park hasn't been this excited since Ale Cheyne equalised in the final minute against England in 1929 with a goal direct from a corner kick.

Trinidad and Tobago finish ahead of Canada and Bahamas in heat one.

Another special relationship...

"Moses Kipsiro's victory in the 10,000m reminds me of the 'special' link between Uganda and Scotland. In 1974, the then Ugandan leader Idi Amin self proclaimed adoption of the leadership of the Scottish struggle for independence from English rule. He even established a Scottish Unit within the Uganda Army that used a Scottish military uniform and a Scottish military band. Amin also adopted the military uniform of a Scottish General with its unique cap.

"During the State functions between December 1974 and January 1976, the Scottish military unit marched with the Uganda Army and the Scottish Anthem was always played after the Uganda National Anthem for the State salute taken by Amin. The Scots resident in Uganda were made to carry Amin on a chair in a manner that characterises the crowning of a king.

"On December 31, 1974 Amin issued a document addressed to all world leaders, declaring the launch of the Scottish independence struggle at the Imperial Hotel in Kampala. In the document dated December 30, 1974, Amin called on the world leaders to support the Scottish cause."
- Editor Duncan Mackay on another special relationship between Scotland and a central African country. This one, of course, was documented in the 2006 film "The Last King of Scotland."

21:35 Bolt-watch is about to hit fever pitch. But some results from the women's heats to bring you first. Bahamas win heat one ahead of Trinidad and Tobago and Nigeria, who were without double 100m and 200m champion Blessing Okagbare.

Jamaica beat England in heat two. But disaster behind for Wales, who would have joined them in the final but are disqualified for a dodgy changeover.

More Singapore success in table tennis

21:29 Yang Zi and Zhan Jian also won table tennis bronze earlier on a great day for the Asian country's table tennis players. They beat England's Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford 3-2 in a narrow bronze medal match before their compatriots secured gold.

Bolt confirmed in Jamaican 4 x 100m relay quartet for heats

21:24 Back in the athletics, we have the women's 4 x 100m relay heats now, with the men's to follow. We have just been handed a piece of paper with the Jamaican team on it. Kimmari Roach is joined by Julian Forte, Nickel Ashmeade and one other name that needs no introduction. And it's not 100m winner Kemar Bailey Cole.

Yes, I can confirm that, despite some lingering doubts from some quarters that he would not run, Usain Bolt is on the final startlist. He will run the anchor leg by the looks of it.

Jamaica will be up against Montserrat, Nigeria, Singapore, Australia, St Vincent and the Grenadines in heat two at 21:43.

21:18 Gao Ning and Li Hu have just won the men's doubles table tennis title. A brilliant evening in the sport continues for Singapore as the top-seeded pair see off Indian opponents Sharath Kamal Achanta and Amalraj Anthony Arputharaj 3-1 in less than half an hour, after fighting back from losing the opening game.

"What an amazing feeling. I've had a consistent European season but this was the piece that was missing. I'm so happy now. The level of pole vault across the UK is growing and it's a really high standard now, so I'm just glad to have gotten gold. 2013 was a really hard year, so I hope I'm back on track and that this is my springboard on the way to Rio. It's given me my confidence."
- Steve Lewis reflects on his gold medal in the pole vault

21:10 We didn't dwell on it for long earlier, but England's Steve Lewis became the first athlete to complete a medal set of gold, silver and bronze in the men's pole vault after his win earlier. He took bronze in at Melbourne in 2006 and and silver at Delhi 2010.

He is receiving his gold medal now.

England are now on a total of 48 medals. Could they win more than the 53 they managed at Manchester 2002. It's certainly looking very likely... England's best total on "foreign" soil was 52 at Edinburgh 1986, although the widespread boycott from so many other nations certainly made that easier.

21:04 We are getting closer and closer to the anointed "Bolt" time here. I'm not sure if he will better what we saw earlier though... Medals ceremony for the steeplechase has just happened first.

20:58 Meanwhile, in the boxing, Joe Fitzpatrick becomes the fourth fighter from Northern Ireland through to contest for a gold medal tomorrow after a unanimous points win over Michael Alexander from Trinidad and Tobago.

He will face Charlie Flynn of Scotland in the final.

Gold for Kenya in 800m

20:54 Eunice Sum of Kenya wins the women's 800m. She was the fastest in the field, but also the swiftest finisher as she breaks clear with consummate ease to win with a time of 2:00.31.

Huge cheers as Lynsey Sharp is awarded second place for Scotland! Over a second behind, she just holds of Winnie Nanyondo, who continues a good few minutes for Uganda with bronze.

Jessica Judd is an agonising fourth.

20:52 Sum is to the fore with Judd also well position as they go through the bell.

20:48 Eunice Sum of Kenya has run 1:57.92 this year as she is our favourite. But four other women have broken two minutes in the field, including English teenager Jessica Judd and Scottish hope Lynsey Sharp.

20:43 That was the first Uganda gold medal of the Games, and second medal overall of Glasgow 2014. We will reflect more of this race later, but for the time being we are straight on to the 800m final.

20:38 Kipsiro won in 27:56:11, just three hundredths ahead of the Kenyan. Three hundredths of a second after 25 laps! Levins was a monumental 0.9 of a second behind Bett in third.

Longtime leader Peter Kirui and fellow Kenyan Charles Cheruiyot are fourth and fifth, but each sneak inside the 28 minute barrier.

20:36 Moses Kipsiro of Uganda wins a quite sensational 10,000m, winning with virtually the final stride of the race in a three way fight for the line.

Sensational stuff! That is quite simply one of the greatest finishes I have ever seen. Cameron Levins of Canada took it on around the bend, then was edged by Josphat Bett of Kenya. But then Kipsiro finished the strongest. So, gold for Uganda, silver for Bett of Kenya and bronze for the Canadian

20:34 A big last lap of the 10,000m now. It's not going to be a particularly quick time, but the pace is rocketing now. Still four or five potential winners!

20:30 New Zealand's Jake Robertson is hanging on with the Kenyans in the 10,000m, along with Cameron Levins of Canada, who is coached by Alberto Salazar, the coach of Mo Farah. Kipsiro of Uganda is also there. He knows how to win these sort of races.

"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie..." rings around the SECC as Charlie Flynn becomes the second home fighter into tomorrow's final after a superb contest with Joseph Cordina of Wales in the lightweight category.
Every shot landed by the red-headed Scot was cheered to the rafters and when the final bell went he mounted the ropes to take in the adulation of the arena.
Luckily for him, he was awarded the win but only after a split decision.
He will take on either Joe Fitzpatrick of Northern Ireland or Trinidad and Tobago's Michael Alexander who are up next."
- Gary Anderson interrupting the athletics coverage to provide a boxing update.

20:26 Kenya's Peter Kirui has valiantly led for all of the second half of the 10,000m. But the African-dominated pack is building up behind him. Two kilometres to go.

20:22 Steve Lewis has won the pole vault gold for England after being the only man to clear 5.60m. Compatriot Luke Cutts takes silver and bronze goes to Shawnacy Barber of Canada..

20:18 One notable absentee in the 10,000m is the reigning world and Olympic champion, Mo Farah, who pulled out ahead of the race last week. In his absence, national champion Josphat Bett will look to lead the Kenyan challenge, while Uganda's Moses Kipsiro is seeking to defend the title he won at Delhi 2010.

20:16 Meanwhile, closing stages of the pole vault competition now. Only the Englishman Luke Cutts has gone clear at 5.45m. And then he and Steve Lewis, who skipped 5.45m, clear 5.50m.. Shawnacy Barber of Canada missed his third attempt at the lower height but could still win a medal.

20:14 Back in Hampden Park and we are now onto the men's 10,000m final. It's a 25-lap affair this one, so don't expect it to be over quickly, but this is the crème de la crème of athletics if you are a distance running fan.

Gold for Scotland in bowls singles

20:08 Darren Barnett's gold medal in the men's lawn bowls singles was just a fourth in the event for Scotland and a first since the 1994 Games in Victoria, Canada, when Richard Corsie triumphed.

The gold ensures that Scotland end the Games with three gold medals in lawn bowls, the most since 1994 and the same as the past three Games put together.

The nation's other two golds came in the men's pairs and men's fours.

Scotland celebrate their victory in the men's fours

Scotland celebrate their victory in the men's fours

20:05 Speed and precision are normally the order of the day in the light flyweight division but India's Devendro Laishram shows he has plenty of power too as he floors Ashley Williams of Wales inside the first 30 seconds with a rocket of a left hook.

Williams took his count but never really recovered and was well beaten in the end.

Meanwhile, defending champion Paddy Barnes looked a class above his Ugandan opponent Fazil Juma Kaggwa and the two-time Olympic bronze medal winner will surely provide a much sterner test for the big-punching Laishram in tomorrow's final.

"We are into the remaining men's semi-finals here after the first four fights of the evening saw action in the women's lightweight and middleweight categories. With Olympic champion Nicola Adams and Irishwoman Michaela Walsh impressing in today's first session, and the likes of Canadian Ariane Fortin, England's Savannah Marshall and India's Laishram Devi putting in scintillating performances tonight, the standard of boxing has been superb. As someone watching women's boxing live for the first time here in Glasgow, I must say that its place in the Commonwealth Games does not look out of place at all. If the standard of the bouts seen here is anything to go by, then women's boxing is a more than welcome addition to the Games programme."
- Reporter Gary Anderson reflects on the success of women's boxing so far in Glasgow

19:58 No he can't Jonathan Ndiku launches an attack with 200m to and holds on to win the 3,000m steeplechase in a Kenyan clean sweep.

It's a Games record time of 8:10:44 to boot, as Birech is second and Kemboi can only finish third.

19:57 The Kenyan trio are clear, with England's James Wilkinson and Matt Hughes of Canada leading the chasing pack. One lap to go, Kemboi knows how to win these sorts of race but can he hold off his younger rivals...

Nick Butler

"The 26-year-old Samuels won a bronze medal at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games before winning the world title in Berlin three years later. But she has won precious little since, placing 12th in the London 2012 Olympic final before a 10th place finish at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow. The standard may be lower here, but this was a welcome return to form for the Australian nonetheless."
- Nick Butler reflects on Dani Samuels' gold in the women's discus throw.

19:55 Next on the track is the men's 3,000m steeplechase final. We can expect some Kenyan domination in this one.

Ezekiel Kemboi is the reigning Olympic and world champion and his toughtest competition should come from team mates Jonathan Ndiku and Jairus Kipchoge Birech, our current leader.

Action from the boxing, diving and athletics.

19:54 And that's it for the diving. Australia take the gold with their score of 399.54.

England are just behind with 399.36. What a finish to this contest!

Malaysia and Canada come third and fourth respectively.

19:52 But a brilliant dive by the Aussies sees them take the lead by the slenderest of margins. Their score of 399.54 is just 0.18 ahead of the English duo!

19:49 Huge cheers go up inside the Royal Commonwealth Pool as Tom Daley and James Denny land a near-perfect final dive to score a whopping 95.46.

19:47 A couple of disappointing dives by the English and Australian pairing hands the initiative to the Malaysians. They lead by seven going into the final dive. Australia are in second, Canada in third and England in fourth.

19:44 Dani Samuels of Australia has taken the second gold medal of the evening at Hampden Park.

She won with a best throw of 64.88 to finish over three metres clear of Seema Puni and India and Jade Lally of England, both of whom produced season's best marks in the final.

19:40 Singapore's Tianwei Feng has won the women's singles table tennis after seeing of compatriot Mengyu Yu 11-7, 11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 11-2 in the final. Lin Ye took bronze for a Singaporean sweep of the podium.

19:38 Murmurs go up here in Edinburgh as the announcer reveals that due to the fact that only four teams entered this 10m synchronsied platform final, only gold and silver medals will be awarded.

This, according to the announcer, is in line with Commonwealth Games Federation regulations.

19:37 Ariane Fortin of Canada comes through a bruising encounter with Welshwoman Lauren Price to set up a final decider against England's Savannah Marshall in the women's middleweight division.

Marshall looked a class act as she saw off Edith Ogoke of Nigeria.

19:30 The final competition of the night is underway at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, and it's the one most of the fans here seem to have been waiting for. It's the men's 10m synchronised platform.

The all-popular Tom Daley currently sits fourth of four with diving partner James Denny while Canada's Maxim Bouchard and Vinvent Riendeau sit top. Not much in it here though as we go into the third dives.

19:25 Australian gold in the women's high jump as Eleanor Patterson takes the win.

The Aussie cleared 1.94m on her first attempt to steer her clear of the field.

England's Isobel Pooley takes silver with a personal best of 1.92m, while Lavern Spencer of St Lucia takes the bronze.

19:17 At Hampden Park, the 4x400m relay heats have taken to the track. Unsurprisingly, Jamaica qualified first in the opening heat, while England's women went fastest in the second.

The first heat in the men's has seen the Bahamas and Australia qualify.

Gold for Scotland in lawn bowls

19:12 It's all over in the bowls as Scotland's Darren Burnett seals the gold!

The Scot was in blistering form as stormed to a 21-9 victory over Canada's Ryan Bester in 19 ends.

Australia's Aron Sherriff secured the bronze as he sailed to a 21-8 win over New Zealander Shannon McIlroy.

At the start of the week the team competition was our main focus, so to come out with gold really set us off. I can't believe the medal tally I've got - I'm coming home with two golds, a silver and a bronze.
That high bar final was amazing and to finish with the gold was just the icing on the cake.
- England's Nile Wilson reflects on his gold medal in the men's horizontal bars.

19:04 Over to the boxing and the women's lightweight finalists have been decided and it will be Australia versus India for the gold medal.

Shelley Watts was too good for Alanna Audley-Murphy of Northern Ireland winning by unanimous decision while Laishram Devi of India was similarly impressive in overcoming Maria Machongua of Mozambique.

Losers in the semi-finals do, of course, take home the bronze medal.

19:00 And the gold goes to Abel!

She wins it with a reverse 1 1/2 somersault, 1 1/2 twist on her final dive for an overall score of 287.25 and the gold medal.

A brilliant final attempt by Australia's Maddison Keeney see's her dive into second, ahead of team mate Esther Quin.

Unfortunately for the local crowds, a low-scoring final dive sees Grace Reid plunge down the leaderboard into fifth.

18:48 Back to the diving and Canada's Jennifer Abel leads Scotland's Grace Reid in the women's 1m springboard. Just one to dive to go here.

18:40 At the Emirates Arena, four quarter-final fixtures are running in the badminton.

Chong Wei Feng of Malaysia and India's R V Gurussaidutt are battling for a place in the men's singles semi-finals, alongside Srikanth Kidambi of India and Singapore's Derek Wong.

In the men's doubles the English pairing of Andrew Ellis and Chris Adcock are up against the Welsh duo of Daniel Font and Oliver Gwilt, while the women's singles sees India's P C Thulasi battling JingYi Tee.

18:35 This evening's athletics session is up and running at Hampden Park with both the men's pole vault and women's high jump finals keeping the crowds entertained.

As it stands only Australia's Eleanor Patterson and England's Isobel Pooley have cleared the 1.89m mark.

In the pole vault, four athletes have already laid a mark at 5.00m with many more yet begin their attempts.

We'll bring you all the latest from Hampden as and when it comes.

"It's semi-finals time again in the boxing here at the SECC as the second session is about to get underway. We are surrounded by some boxing royalty as Olympic silver medal winner Amir Khan is in the arena as are two former Scottish world champions in Alex Arthur and the great Jim Watt whose unmistakable brogue is wafting around the press area on commentary duties...Oh and Clyde has been in the ring too..."
- Gary Anderson mixing with boxing royalty at the SECC. You could take them I reckon Gary...

18:30 After England won that dramatic semi-final in the women's hockey earlier today, it's now time for the classification games. Battling for ninth and tenth we have Wales and Trinidad and Tobago. The score is goalless at the minute.

Late entry in the boxing

18:20 It looks like we have a late entry in the boxing over at the SECC as Clyde makes his way into the ring. I think he's annoyed that his little friends were unable to escape on the plane earlier...

18:10 Over at Scotstoun Sports Campus we're getting towards the business end of the table tennis women's singles.

At the table now we have Singapore's Ye lin and Australia's Jian Fang Lay battling for gold. That will be followed by the gold medal match between Singaporeans Tianwei Fang and Mengyu Yu.

18:03 Here at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh the women's 1m springboard final has just got underway.

Did you know that Edinburgh is the first city to hold Commonwealth Games events on three separate having hosted the Games in 1970 and 1986.

17:55 He may have spoiled the British party but the English party rolls on!

Lytwyn scores 14.866 to finish third, meaning England's Nile Wilson takes the gold!

His score of 14.966 is enough to edge team mate Thomas into silver, but only just.

17:50 It's an England one, two in the men's horizontal bars over at The Hydro with Nile Wilson and Kristian Thomas leading the way.

Only one competitor left and it's Canadian Kevin Lytwyn. Can he spoil the English party?

17:36 Believe it or not, today is the final day of the lawn bowls here in Glasgow.

After nine days, nine gold medals and 9,999 games (okay maybe not the last bit) we're down to just a single gold medal final.

Competing in this final, final, we have Darren Burnett of Scotland and Ryan Bester of Canada as they battle for gold in the men's singles competition.

There will, of course, be a bronze medal match running simultaneously with the gold medal final with Australia's Aron Sherriff set to take on New Zealand's Shannon MacIlroy.

Both matches get underway in a little under 10 minutes.

Clyde on Tour

17:30 More breaking news!

Jackie Brock-Doyle, from Glasgow 2014, has contacted us tell us that some previously undiscovered small Clyde mascots have been found at Glasgow Airport. They are now on sale at the Glasgow 2014 shop there but are, according to Brock-Doyle, "selling fast".‏

She added: "Once they've gone that's it. There are no more."‏

Brock-Doyle did, however: "Haggis remain available to buy on the Glasgow 2014 website."

Sounds to me like Clyde was looking for a nice holiday escape. Next time Clyde, next time...

17:25 The men's horizontal bars has just got underway inside The Hydro. Australia's Sean O'Hara is up first and scores a disappointing 12.700.

Next up, it's Anderson Loran of Canada.

I'm over the moon. I didn't expect to get gold. Just to get a medal in front of this crowd would have been fantastic. Making history again is fantastic. A few medals for Scotland to be really happy about, and this has been an extra bonus. Coming in to the Games I wouldn't have expected a gold, silver and bronze. The team (silver) medal has been the most important thing. To compete with the teammates it's fantastic.
- Scotland's Daniel Purvis reflects on his gold medal on the men's parallel bars, the first Scottish medal on the apparatus.

smckane
@insidethegames saw 1 of your team backstage at weightlifting this week but didn't get chance 2 say thanks for a great website! #glasgow2014
- Thank you Mr McKane, I believe that was the one and only Nick Butler you saw. He was warming up to compete but a last minute shoulder injury ruled him out of the Games.

17:05 There's gold number four for Claudia Fragapane!

The 16-year-old takes top honours in the women's floor exercise with a final score of 14.541 to become the first Englishwoman to win four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games for 84 years.

In second is Australia's Lauren Mitchell, while Elsabeth of Canada comes in third.

16:45 That gold for Purvis marks the first Commonwealth Games medal ever for Scotland on the parallel bars. It's also the first time in Games history that there has been an all-British podium on the apparatus.

16:35 Next up at The Hydro we have the women's floor exercise. This will be the final chance for the girls to secure a medal at these Games, with only the men's horizontal bars to follow.

A chance of redemption for Fragapane after missing out on a medal in the beam?

16:25 It's gold for Scotland's Daniel Purvis inside The Hydro.

The Scottish gymnast has won the men's parallel bars final with a total score of 15.533.

There's an English duo behind him as Nile Wilson claims the silver and Max Whitlock takes bronze.

Amalaha stripped of weightlifting gold medal

16:20 Some breaking news to report now as we get confirmation that Nigerian weightlifter, Chika Amalaha, has been suspended from the Commonwealth Games and stripped of her under 53kg gold medal, which she has now returned.

The ruling follows a hearing before the CGF's Federation Court, presided by HRH Prince Imran, after the analysis of both A and B samples confirmed the adverse analytical findings of amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide, both prohibited as diuretics and masking agents under class s5 of the World Anti Doping Agency Prohibited List.

The gold medal for the woman's weightlifting 53-kilogram competition will now be awarded to Dika Toua from Papua New Guinea, with the silver going to Santoshi Matsa of India and the bronze to Swati Singh, also of India.

England win a thrilling penalty shootout to reach women's hockey final

16:19 Great to see the New Zealand players jogging around the pitch to thank their supporters. They never gave up today and will still be favourites to claim bronze over South Africa. But England looked more dangerous and are fully deserving of their place in the final.

16:14 And New Zealand miss a third shot and England are through to the final! If you are a football fan you might have to read this a few times - England have won a penalty shootout - and they will progress to the final against Australia.

16:12 England score. Then New Zealand miss again, brilliant goalkeeping by Maddie Hinch. But a lifeline for the team in black as the next England shot drifts wide.

16:09 The first three goals in the shootout are successfully converted, and then New Zealand miss! England lead 2-1.

16:05 Similar to football, with five players from each team participating in the shootout. But they have eight seconds to score rather than one shot. So more like ice hockey...

15:58 It was nine against 10 at one point in the hockey as Alex Danson of England receives a yellow card. And then, Katie Glynn dinks a beautiful strike to score for New Zealand with two minutes to go. It's 1-1!

They almost score again seconds later as England go to pieces at the back. The team in white break, engineer a penalty corner of their own and, oh, its cleared off the line - what a finish. And there goes the final whistle. We will have a shootout

"It's all happening now in the hockey. Both sides are enjoying chances but England are holding firm and still lead 1-0 with less than 10 minutes to go, as the crowd become more and more vocally in support. A blow for the Kiwis as Petrea Webster is handed a five minute suspension. But wait...they still have 11 players on the pitch. Boos from the crowd, and then - drama - New Zealand skipper Kayla Whitelock is also yellow-carded for failing to spot this! - Reporter Nick Butler on what sounds like a tempestuous clash over at the hockey.

15:50 The first session of the boxing semi-finals at the SECC has come to an end with the big hitters on show. After being awarded a walkover this morning England's Joe Joyce will take on Australian Joseph Goodall in the men's super heavyweight decider.

The Aussie overcame Nigerian Efe Ajagba.

In the light heavyweight division an impressive performance by Kennedy St Pierre of Mauritius forced the referee to stop his bout with Welshman Nathan Thorley midway through the final round.

St Pierre will face New Zealand's David Nyika who had too much for Sean Duffy of Northern Ireland, winning by unanimous decision.

Second gold medal for Canada over at the gymnastics in the SSE Hydro and it goes to Elisabeth Black in the women's beam. She scores 14.900 points to finish ahead of silver medallist Mary Anne Monckton of Australia and Wales' Georgina Hockenhull.

15:20 And Scotland has its first finalist in the boxing and it's a familiar face as Delhi 2010 silver medallist Josh Taylor gets a unanimous points decision over England's Sam Maxwell to cue the loudest cheer of the day so far. He will take on Junias Jonas of Namibia in the men's light welterweight final after he outfoxed and outboxed Sean Duffy of Northern Ireland.

Over at the hockey...

"England strike first to move 1-0 ahead of New Zealand in the hockey semi-finals. Lydia Owsley tapping in from close range to the delight of the England-dominated stand behind the goal. But the Kiwis have requested a video referral...
The crowd are all chanting 'goal, goal, goal' and sure enough it is eventually confirmed. England lead and New Zealand have no more referrals." - Nick Butler on the hockey action

15:15 Gold for Scotland in the lawn bowls men's fours as David Peacock, Neil Speirs, Paul Foster and Alex Marshall hammer England 16-8 in the final.

Australia defeat India 15-14 to take the bronze.

The victorious Scotland mens fours team at the lawn bowls

The victorious Scotland mens fours team at the lawn bowls

McGoldrick has grudging respect for Conlan...we think

"I was a bit gutted. I was just getting into the fight. It's just a shame that it happened. He may think about it differently but I felt I was getting into the fight and had plenty more left in the tank. He's a world class fighter. He's the world number two so I knew what I was up against." - Wales' Sean McGoldrick on his defeat to Michael Conlan after the match was stopped when the Northern Irishman sustained a cut.

This is the second time that McGoldrick has been involved in controversy at a Commonwealth Games. At Delhi four years ago he was promoted to the gold medal after the winner, Manju Wanniarachchi of Sri Lanka tested positive for drugs. Tirafalo Seoko from Botswana, who lost to the Sri Lankan in the semi-final was awarded silver.

The man who lost to McGoldrick in the semi-finals, Louis Julie from Mauritius, retained his bronze, while the second bronze medal was given to Nicholas Okoth from Kenya, who was defeated by Wanniarachchi in the quarter-finals.

15:10 200 up at Glasgow 2014

Scott Morgan's gold medal in the men's vault (see 14:45) is the 200th gold medal to be won so far at Glasgow 2014. It is also the 100th gold medal to be won in artistic gymnastics in Commonwealth Games history. Nice symmetry...

15:05 And Scotland has its first finalist in the boxing and it's a familiar face as Delhi 2010 silver medallist Josh Taylor gets a unanimous points decision over England's Sam Maxwell to cue the loudest cheer of the day so far. He will take on Junias Jonas of Namibia in the men's light welterweight final after he outfoxed and outboxed Sean Duffy of Northern Ireland.

"Nothing between the two teams so far in the hockey semi-final. But New Zealand have just engineered a penalty corner, so cue the spine-tingling music... In it comes, but the shot whistles past the post of England goalkeeper Maddie Hinch and we remain locked at 0-0 halfway through the first half." - Reporter Nick Butler is all over the hockey.

14:53 Meanwhile in the netball play-off for fifth place Malawi have capped a fine tournament by recording a 53-35 win over South Africa with Mwai Kumwenda once again starring.

14:45 Canadian Scott Morgan has taken the men's pole vault gold with a score of 14.733 over at the gymnastics in the SSE Hydro ahead of England's Kristian Thomas and Wooh Toon Hoe of Singapore.

14:40 Scotland are closing in on another gold medal in the lawn bowls. They have moved 14-5 ahead of England in the fours final.

"Some drama here at the SECC as Northern Ireland's Michael Conlan goes through to the men's flyweight final but the fight was stopped midway through the second round as an accidental clash of heads with Welshman Sean McGoldrick opened up a nasty cut above Conlan's eye. After advice from a doctor ringside the fight was halted and we went to judges scorecards which had Conlan ahead. McGoldrick did not look happy and both fighters barely shook looked at each other when the result was announced. Bit of needle there I think. It also highlights once again the debate over the use of headguards here in Glasgow after Australian boxer Daniel Lewis was forced out due to sustaining a nasty cut from a flying elbow. Meanwhile in the other semi-final a smooth performance from England's Qais Ashfaq saw him overcome Kenyan Benson Gicharu Njangiru to set up a tasty gold medal decide."
- Reporter Gary Anderson on the latest action from the SECC

14:34 We are underway in the second semi-final and immediately New Zealand charge forwards, Plenty of vocal yelling from players and spectators alike.

14:31 The players are coming out now for the second hockey semi-final and the atmosphere in the Glasgow National Hockey Centre appears to have ramped up a few notches. It's England versus New Zealand for the right to face the Aussies in the final.

14:29 Guess who reporter Paul Osborne bumped into during a break in the diving action at the Royal Commonwealth Pool?

Happy Yorkshire day to everyone but especially if you're from Yorkshire
- Double Glasgow 2014 triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee is getting into the Yorkshire Day spirit, (see 13:48 for more coverage of this momentous day.)

14:23 A huge result for England in the mixed doubles table tennis. Liam Pitchford and 15-year-old partner Tin-Tin Ho have just shocked Singapore's Jian Zhan and Tianwei Feng 3-2 in their semi-final. It will now be an all-English final!

Husband and wife Paul and Joanna Drinkhall will be their opponents after they overcame yet another English pair, Danny Reed and Kelly Sibley, in a similarly close five-set encounter.

14:16 Back in the hockey, the players are warming up ahead of the England versus New Zealand semi-final. A Great Britain team dominated by English players won a bronze medal at London 2012, but England have not matched those heights since.

At the World Cup in The Hague earlier this year, England had to win a penalty shoot-out against Belgium to secure 11th place. New Zealand, on the other hand, finished a strong fifth.

"The finalists in the men's flyweight have been decided and its disappointment for hosts Scotland as Reece McFadden loses out via a split decision to Australian Andrew Moloney. Pakistan's Muhammed Waseem proves too good for Abdul Omar of Ghana in the other seni-final."
- Gary Anderson on the continuation of semi-final action in boxing.

Missing cyclist from Sierra Leone

14:06 Some more information about the news we mentioned during the press briefing this morning that Mohammed Tholley, a cyclist from Sierra Leone, is reported to have gone missing, He was supposed to compete in the time trial event in Glasgow yesterday but he failed to turn up, it has been reported.

Unisa Deen Kargbo, Chef de Mission of the Sierra Leone team, said: "Unfortunately one of our athletes has not turned up for his event and we do not know where he is. It is possible he is not coming back.

"The situation is very serious at home, and it is possible this is why he does not want to return. It is very bad there. We are all very concerned about what is going on, but the rest of us are determined to go home. The only problem is that it is becoming difficult to find flights."

Sierra Leone at the Opening Ceremony of Glasgow 2014 ©AFP/Getty Images

Sierra Leone at the Opening Ceremony of Glasgow 2014 ©AFP/Getty Images

Both Sierra Leone and west African neighbour Liberia have declared states of emergency, ordering the closure of schools and markets and the quarantining of affected communities, in an attempt to halt an Ebola epidemic that has claimed more than 700 lives, including 200 in Sierra Leone.

It also emerged today that cyclist Moses Sesay, who did compete in the time trial yesterday, was admitted to a Glasgow hospital last week and tested him for various conditions, including Ebola, although the results have come back negative.

Reaction from Nicola Adams

"I am looking forward to the finals. It is going to be exciting fighting in front of a crowd of 11,000 – it is going to be amazing. I am prepared and ready and I hope you guys are ready for the action. The Hydro is bigger than the ExCeL [boxing venue for the London 2012 Olympics] and I have got the experience. I know what it is like to fight in front of a big crowd like that and I'll take all that experience into the final. I am a lot more experienced, a lot more grown up and I know what to expect. I don't really do that much talking about my opponents outside of the ring, I just let everything get resolved in there. It would mean everything to me to win. It's another chance to hopefully make history again and I can't wait. It is exciting."
- Boxer Nicola Adams looks ahead to her flyweight final against Michaela Walsh of Northern Ireland.

13:58 And it's a beauty from the Scots in the eighth end for two further points. They are now 9-5 ahead of the English.

India are currently 11-5 up in the battle for bronze against Australia.

13:54 Scotland have edged 7-5 ahead against England after seven ends of their lawn bowls fours final. Paul Foster and Alex Marshall have already won pairs gold. Could they add another title this afternoon?

In honour of Yorkshire Day...

13:48 In honour of Yorkshire Day, and that success for Laugher and Adams, I was reminded of one of my all-time favourite comedy videos - The "Four Yorkshireman sketch".

The sketch was originally written and performed for the 1967 British television comedy series "At Last the 1948 Show" by the show's four writer-performers: Tim Brooke-Taylor, Marty Feldman, John Cleese and Graham Chapman. The latter two went to be better known as members of comedy group Monty Python, where they would often perform the same sketch.

But for some amusement in between hockey semi-finals, here is the original...

13:43 Final score in the hockey and Australia have won 7-1 in the end against South Africa. Another superb clinical performance by the two time defending champions. We have forty-five minutes or so until England face New Zealand in the second semi-final, but it is hard to envisage either of those two beating the Hockeyroos.

Yorkshire Day

13:38 I've just been reminded that today is "Yorkshire Day" so it is particularly fitting that Nicola Adams from Leeds has won through to the boxing final. The country, known affectionately as "God's own" by its residents, have also won a couple of triathlon medals courtesy of triathletes Alistair and Jonathon Brownlee, as well as a couple of diving ones courtesy of Ripon's Jack Laugher.

In case you have been on a different planet over the last few months, the county also hosted the opening two stage of the Tour de France last month.

Adams advances as Bujond bows out

"As expected by most England's Nicola Adams has secured her place in the women's flyweight final after an impressive display against Canadian Mandy Bujond. The Olympic champion had been fairly even-steven with Bujond in the opening two rounds but turned up the heat in the third with a swinging right hand that caught the Canadian flush in the face. Adams put together a couple of classy combinations in the fourth to set up a clash with Michaela Walsh in the final."
- Reporter Gary Anderson on relatively smooth progress for the Olympic champion.

13:32 London 2012 Olympic champion Nicola Adams is now in the ring in boxing semi-finals action. She is up against Mandy Bujold of Canada. The winner will face Michaela Walsh in the final.

13:27 Australia lead 6-1 now in the hockey semi-final as Georgina Parker scores a second today and a seventh for the tournament.. But the Hockeyroos did concede their first goal of Glasgow 2014 a few moments ago.

Excellent control down the right hand side in a swift counter attacking move which eventually ended in Celia Evans converting from close range for the South Africans.

13:25 We're also underway soon in the two mixed doubles last four matches in table tennis. One semi-final is between two English pairs and the other is England versus Singapore.

It's England against Scotland meanwhile, in the lawn bowls men's fours. England have beaten the Scots in rugby sevens and women's hockey so far, but David Peacock, Neil Speirs, Paul Foster and Alex Marshall look a formidably strong quartet for the host nation.

Walsh wizardry rules over Pinki power

Michaela Walsh jump for joy as her hand is raised by the referee and declared the winner over India's Pinki Rani. The Northern Irishwoman won by split decision in a tight contest that saw her rocked back on the ropes by Rani in the first round. However, she recovered her composure to pick off the Indian with some nice combinations.
- Gary Anderson sees Northern Ireland take the first win of the day in the ring

13:21 Make that 5-0 to Australia. A superb pile-driver of a close range strike from Jane Claxton.

13:19 Australia are dominating in the hockey semi-final. They now lead South Africa 4-0 after Kellie White grabs a second and Georgina Parker also scores.

13:11 Daryl Selby might not quite have the best beard of Glasgow 2014, in our opinion at least, but he's doing well on the squash court. Selby and partner James Willstrop have just beaten New Zealand's Lance Beddoes and Paul Coll, to move through to the semi-finals.

13:07 Half time in the hockey semi-final provides an opportunity for the latest "Hamster Wheel Challenge". It's the Clydesiders against the medical service today. "We'll be fine if anyone gets injured then," quips the announces. But it's the volunteers who get the win, in the bog-standard "to the halfway line and back" race format...

13:05 That race got by far the loudest cheer of the day from a relatively muted crowd. "You're quieter than the audience at the lawn bowls at the moment," shouts the increasingly desperate announcer.

"We have been operating a musical theme here at insidethegames throughout our coverage of Glasgow 2014 but I have some breaking film trivia to share. Former super middleweight world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Richie Woodhall has been speaking to the crowd here at the SECC and revealed that he was a body double for Brad Pitt in the boxing-themed movie, Snatch. The Englishman seemed quite proud of the fact when he announced it."
- Reporter Gary Anderson at the boxing.

12:55 Half time in the hockey and Australia still hold a comfortable 2-0 lead over South Africa. The Aussies are still yet to concede a goal at these Games, the announcer reminds us. They have scored 27 in their four and a half matches so far.

It's interesting to hear the use of music in the hockey. It is much more subtle than in some of the other sports. That said, a rhythmic rumbling of the sort of music you would hear in a film when the good guys are about to be ambushed by the baddies is heard whenever a penalty corner is occurring.

And at half time, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers is played. We were speaking about a best hits of Glasgow 2014 playlist yesterday. That one would be right at the top.

12:51 England have moved 2-1 ahead of New Zealand meanwhile in the men's doubles squash quarter-finals. Daryl Selby, who is playing with James Willstrop in this match, is a leading contender for the best beard of Glasgow 2014.