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England's sevens teams suffer bleak day at Commonwealth Games with both out of medal contention early
England's Sevens programme suffered one of its bleakest days on Saturday as both the men's and women's side crashed out of medal contention on the second day of competition at the Commonwealth Games.
Both sides were well beaten by New Zealand, confirming their relegation to placement matches for the remainder of the tournament. England women lost 38-7 and the men went down 20-0, following a stuttering start on Saturday when they had suffered pivotal losses to Canada and Samoa respectively.
The result is especially disappointing considering English players made up the bulk of the Team GB squads that both finished fourth at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics. Four years ago, the two teams clinched bronze medals at the previous Games on the Gold Coast.
The men's squad has undergone a massive overhaul over the past few years with key players like Tom Mitchell and Dan Norton no longer involved in the programme. Their struggles were therefore somewhat to be expected, especially since they also started this season with just eight full-time contracted players and just two survivors from the 2020 redundancies in captain Alex Davis, who put in an admirable performance leading this young squad, and Tom Bowen.
In the men's defeat to reigning Commonwealth and World champions New Zealand, England looked naïve in attack despite keeping the game scoreless for the first half. The experience New Zealand were able to bring on with the likes of 34-year-old veteran Scott Curry made a big difference after the break.
This difference in experience levels could be seen in how the Kiwis held tight to not concede despite good work from the likes of England's 22-year-old Api Bavadra.
England captain Davis acknowledged lack of experience and the number of players contracted was an issue.
“It is tough. I know it is a cliche but you can only control what you can control – obviously those decisions are made by people other than us and we’re just trying to make the most of the position we are in and if that means we go into tournaments with eight guys on contracts, we do that and we bring in other guys. We can speak about the buy-in from everyone that has been outstanding. Obviously, we would love to have more contracts but that is just the reality.
“I am disappointed [with the results] but I think we did what we set out to do in terms of making New Zealand work. We just wanted to stay in the fight moment to moment and we did that,” said the 29-year-old.
“If you are looking at it objectively, losing two out of three pool games especially at a home tournament is far from ideal. Last night we talked about how we had 12 Commonwealth debuts yesterday [across the men’s and women’s sides] which is something we are hugely proud of but of course we would like to be in the quarterfinals and now we have the opportunity to learn and grow [in the placing matches]."
It feels as though England missed an opportunity to grow the game of sevens in front of a home crowd. New Zealand’s men performed well because of the continuity of their sevens specialists, but England do have talented players who could have been used with the likes of Bath’s Will Muir and Richard de Carpentier as well as Saracens up-and-comer and star of Tokyo Ben Harris.
Could something have been done to attract these players back in considering the occasion? Could senior players such as Dan Norton who retired earlier this year been persuaded for a special Birmingham swansong?
Regardless of the answers, the new Team GB set up that was announced this week should be looking to New Zealand for inspiration on how to run a successful sevens programme. It is sad because England had one for many years.
Commonwealth Games, day two - as it happened
10:04 PM
All the quarter-finals in the men's sevens are now over
And joining Fiji, who beat Scotland in their last-eight clash, will be New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.
New Zealand beat Kenya 31-0, South Africa saw off the challenge of Canada 33-0 with the strongly fancied Australians just about beating Samoa 7-0.
09:59 PM
Silver for England in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay
No shock to see Australia win but a fine final leg from Tom Dean secures the hosts the silver medal. Canada finish with the bronze.
09:53 PM
Duncan Scott's successful night
Here he is with his gold and bronze medals...
09:49 PM
England win gold in the Women's artistic team final!
It was a tightly fought battle with Australia for the title. The hosts finished 3.100 points ahead of Australia in the end and took a deserved gold medal. Canada secured the bronze.
09:41 PM
Silver for England in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay
Australia's awesome foursome of Madison Wilson, Shayna Jack, Mollie O’Callaghan and Emma McKeown destroyed the field winning in 3mins 30.64 secs, just outside the world record. England's quartet of Anna Hopkin, Abbie Wood, Bella Hindley and Freya Anderson swam in a time of 3mins 36.62secs with Canada in third.
09:28 PM
It's very tight and tense in the gymnastics
England hold a two-point lead over Australia at the moment. Just one rotation left in the women's team final.
09:27 PM
Duncan Scott speaks...
On missing out on winning his second gold in just over an hour...
"It's a really tough double. This Games doesn’t quite work in my favour. I think about a week ago they moved the 200m freestyle final back. But it’s just one of them, I've done plenty of doubles in my time. This one is no different, it’s just about trying to manage it through the rounds."
On his good rivalry with Tom Dean...
"Yeah we both love it. It's a really positive thing. It's a nice change being on different sides of the table this time. Scotland vs England. It’s always positive, we’ll rekindle the relationship as we get back to Team GB. It’s really good that's what we want to do in Paris… that 4 x 200m we won in Tokyo and we want to do the same in Paris."
On the possibility of a double tomorrow...
"We’ll see! The tough thing with this is there’s 600m of racing in the morning and then doing it again, so that’s 1,200m in total. That’s tough for anyone. We’ll see."
09:15 PM
Silver for England's Brodie Williams!
It's come in the men's 100m backstroke - he was leading with a few metres to go but came second to South Africa's Pieter Coetzee who won in 53.78 secs. Williams swam a PB, 53.91 secs.
Here's what he had to say to the BBC's Sharon Davies...
On winning silver...
"I cannot believe it I came into this not thinking this race was an option."
On the 200m backstroke, which is his stronger race...
"That's later on in the week, take every day as it comes."
09:04 PM
England won their T20 opener over Sri Lanka
They won by five-wickets in the end at Edgbaston with Sophie Ecclestone taking three for 25 and Alice Capsey’s hitting a run-a-ball 44. Once they'd restricted Sri Lanka to 106 the hosts were always the favourite to stroll to the win.
09:02 PM
Lewis Clareburt wins gold in the 400m individual medley
Duncan Scott came in third - it was always going to be a tough ask to win back-to-back golds with the races just an hour apart. Remember he's also just come back from Covid, so still a remarkable night for the Scot.
Clareburt won in a new Games record of 4.08.70 with Australia's Brendon Smith picking up the silver.
08:56 PM
Lewis Clarebut of New Zealand leads
In the 400m individual medley. Duncan Scott is in third with over half the race to go.
08:54 PM
Scott's bid for double gold is under way
He's in lane one and has started well in the butterfly part of the tough race.
08:51 PM
There's more action to come from the pool
The men's 400m individual medley to come with Duncan Scott bidding for a second gold jsut over an hour after he won the 200m freestyle title.
08:47 PM
Fiji beat Scotland in the men's sevens quarter-finals
The Pacific Islanders won 34-7. It's the first of the last-eight clashes with South Africa vs Canada, New Zealand vs Kenya and Australia vs Samoa to come.
08:33 PM
Over in the gymnastics England have a narrow lead
Over the Australians in the Women's artistic team final.
After two rotations the hosts are on 81.450 points with the Aussies on 80.850.
Two rotations to go...
08:27 PM
In the women's sevens semi-final
Maddison Levi with a brilliant hat-trick helped Australia beat old foes New Zealand 17-12. Fiji eased past Canada 24-7 in the other last-four clash.
08:22 PM
We'll leave the pool for a mo...
...and head to Edgbaston where England are currently 63 for four chasing Sri Lanka's 106. They need 44 from 59 balls and should win so long as wickets don't tumble.
08:17 PM
Adam Petty speaks...
On the win...
"Not bad for four weeks training! "
On his performance...
"I enjoyed that tonight, the time's a bit off but it's been a difficult season so far but I am still getting the results. This is my fourth race of the whole year and you usually get to the point in January."
On racing in front of a supportive crowd...
"It's a home crowd and just go out there and enjoy it."
08:15 PM
No shock as Peaty wins
The star finishes in 59.02 secs, that's nearly a full second quicker than he swam this morning, clearly moving in the right direction.
Scotland's Ross Murdock and Craig Benson have also made the final which takes place tomorrow night.
08:09 PM
It's now Peaty time!
In the second 100m breaststroke semi.
08:08 PM
Wilby wins!
He should be in the final having swum 59.85 secs. Australians Williamson and Yong also go under one minute - both PBs. Booth of Wales is back in seventh.
Wilby speaks to the BBC afterwards...
"I am happy with that and it sets me up nicely for tomorrow."
08:06 PM
It's now time for the men's 100m breaststroke
James Wilby is in the first semi-final with Wales' Kyle Booth also involved.
08:04 PM
Hannah Russell wins silver in the women's 50m S13
Katja Dedekind won the gold for Australia in a world record time of 26 56 secs.
07:58 PM
Stephen Clegg wins silver in the men’s 50m freestyle S13 final
The Scot just missed out on gold by the barest of margins.
07:51 PM
Duncan Scott wins gold for Scotland!!
He's reversed the result from Tokyo a year ago with Dean finishing in second. Australia's Winnington takes the bronze.
That was impressive from Scott the Scot. His second 100m was brilliant as he wins in 1.45.02.
07:49 PM
Scott leads with 50m to go...
Can he hold on?
07:49 PM
After 100m
Tom Dean's leads JUST from Scott! The head to head is happening...
07:45 PM
The competitors are coming out to the pool
And we're moments away from the start.
07:41 PM
It's nearly time for the 200m freestyle shootout
Between England’s Tom Dean and Scotland’s Duncan Scott. That's how it's being sold BUT we'd all do well to remember that Australia's Elijah Winnington qualified fastest.
Also going for the home nations are England’s Joe Litchfield and Welsh pair Matthew Richards and Calum Jarvis.
DUNCAN SCOTT vs...
... TOM DEAN
07:37 PM
Adam Peaty has...
...just admitted to peeing into the pool (during training). The revelation came in a BBC segment which saw the swimming star quizzed by a load of children...
07:34 PM
Imogen Clark speaks...
England's silver medal winner had this to say to the BBC...
"What a race, I've never experienced anything like this before. It’s absolutely incredible. [On fans and Ben Proud’s win] 100 per cent. It was great to see him win and hear the crowd, it was incredible."
07:29 PM
England have restricted Sri Lanka
To 106 for nine in their 20 overs in the T20. You'd have to think England will stroll to that total. Issy Wong bowled a double-wicket maiden in the 16th over as the hosts dominated at Edgbaston.
07:27 PM
In the second semi
Australia's Shayna Jack wins with the fastest time, 24.33. team-mate Meg Harris is second. England's Isabella Hindley is fourth in 25.36 and that's enough to make the final!
So the home nations will have Anna Hopkin (Eng), Danielle Hill (Northern Ireland) and Hindley in the final .
07:24 PM
No shock in the women's 50m freestyle semi-final
Australia's Emma McKeon wins with England's Emma Hopkin safely though in second. Northern Ireland's Hill is third and could well have made it. We'll have to wait until the second semi.
07:18 PM
Imogen Clark wins silver
In the women's 50m breaststroke! That was a great run, she was leading after 25 m and swam a new British record!
South Africa's Van Niekerk took the gold in a Games record of 29.73 with Hodges of Australia back in third.
07:15 PM
Ben Proud speaks...
On what it means to win gold having been disqualified four years ago...
"I mean I won gold eight years ago and four years ago I believe it was taken away from me. It's been a tough one...I’ve come in and beat my Games record. I didn't expect to be emotional but it's been a tough one."
On his biggest supporters...
"My family's been through a lot so everyone who's been behind me [this is for them]. It's very special."
On his improvement...
"I probably should've learned this years ago. I’m starting to understand myself and being in the moment. It’s starting to pay dividends, I've got an amazing team behind me right now. Marco and James have helped me get through a tough period. This is just my redemption. It’s a love-hate relationship at times, but right now I love it more than I hate it."
07:12 PM
Ben Proud wins gold for England!
Proud starts the fastest and is up early on, he's so quick and the second 25m was brilliant!
His time of 22.81 just outside his British record.
Singapore's Tong got the silver with Cameron Gray of New Zealand taking the bronze.
07:09 PM
First up it's the men's 50m butterfly
Adam Barratt, Jacob Peters and Ben Proud go for England with Lewis Fraser swimming for Wales.
Proud is the man to beat here, having qualified fastest.
07:00 PM
The action in the pool
Is about to get under way - the big race sees Tom Dean take on Duncan Scott in the men's 200m freestyle - that battle is all set for the very precise time of 7.43.
06:47 PM
In the cricket
England's women have Sri Lanka 59 for three after 10 overs - the hosts are well top at Edgbaston.
06:38 PM
Emma Finucane wins the bronze!
In the women's sprint. The Welsh star lost the first of the three races but fought back brilliantly to win the next two and claim the bronze over England's Sophie Capewell at the velodrome in London.
06:33 PM
Jack Carlin wins the silver
In the men's Keirin!
The Scot rode a fine race, he was at the front and didn't get boxed in BUT even he didn't have an answer to the brilliance of Nicholas Paul. The man from Trinidad and Tobago won by several lengths, having accelerated away from the impressive field to claim the gold. Malasyia's Shah Sahrom took the bronze.
06:25 PM
Big shock in the final of the women's sprint
Ellesse Andrews has beaten Olympic champion Kelsey Mitchell without the need for a third run. The Kiwis are having a great games in track cycling.
06:19 PM
We'll have a winner-takes-all battle
In the fight for the bronze in the women's sprint at the velodrome. Wales' Emma Finucane beats England's Sophie Capewell in the second of three races and so whoever wins the third race will take the bronze.
06:17 PM
An opening win for England
In the women's hockey - the home hopes thrashed Ghana, as they were expected to, 12-0. That's a good confidence-boosting victory. England won bronze four year's ago and will be targeting another podium place this time around.
06:14 PM
Joe Truman is heading to hospital
And the BBC's Jill Douglas says the cyclist has a suspected broken collarbone. Let's hope he's OK - Douglas also says the Englishman did lose consciousness is the horror crash with Australia's Matt Glaetzer.
06:07 PM
Early advantage for England's Sophie Capewell
She beats Welsh teenager Emma Finucane in women's sprint. In the best-of-three battle, Capewell takes the first race as she wins by 0.082 seconds.
06:05 PM
England's women are off to a great start in the T20
It's their first match and the hosts have a first wicket with the first ball!
Katherine Brunt has Sri Lanka's Gunarathne out lbw - the replay shows it was absolutely plumb hitting middle and leg. Not only has Brunt got a wicket with the first ball but it's also her 100th cap in international T20 - what a day she's having!
05:58 PM
In the other men's Keirin race
Nicholas Paul of Trinidad and Tobago wins from the front, New Zealand's Callum Saunders is second while Australia's Matthew Richardson takes the final slot. England’s Hamish Turnbull finished back in sixth.
05:52 PM
Just seen a replay of the crash
It happens at 70mph, Glaetzer went down and Truman in his slipstream had no time to react and went down the bank on his front. It looked bad but the good news is that Truman is sitting up and moving.
The result, however, stands and it's Malaysia's Sahrom who wins, with Browne of Trinidad and Tobago in second and Scotland Jack Carlin third.
05:46 PM
There's been a nasty crash in the men Keirin
It's the semi-final and Joe Truman is one of the men down. He went down on the banking with Australia's Matt Glaetzer. The Englishman isn't moving for a while - it looks horrific but thankfully after couple of minutes Truman does move, is sitting up and the crowd applaud.
There will be a bit of delay as Truman gets on a wheelchair and the marshells tend to the track to make sure the debris from the crash is cleared.
05:41 PM
It was a guaranteed gold for the Kiwis
In individual men's pursuit - and it's Aaron Gate who wins against his team-mate Tom Sexton.
05:38 PM
Yet more goals in the hockey
It's 12-0 to the England women in their Group A clash against Ghana. There are just over five minutes to go.
05:33 PM
No bronze for Tanfield
In the second half of that race Leahy took control to win it. No podium joy for the Englishman and he has to be content with the worst possible place, fourth.
05:31 PM
Conor Leahy
Is taking control of this battle for bronze now. Tanfield needs to make up a second in three laps...
05:29 PM
It's so close now
This will be tight...just 0.068 secs in it, Tanfield just marginally behind.
05:29 PM
Tanfield is up after four laps
He's favourite to win this and looks good so far.
05:27 PM
Charlie Tanfield won the gold four years ago
In the men's individual pursuit, so he'll b really pumped to try and get back on that podium in this bronze-medal match.
He's up against Conor Leahy from Australia.
They're under way...
05:09 PM
England are coasting in the women's hockey
With 10 minutes left in the third quarter the hosts are, as expected, beating Ghana 7-0 in their Group A opener.
04:56 PM
Joe Truman is through in the men's Keirin
The English rider was in the repechage and won the race to make it to the next round. It was an impressive ride as he lead from the front.
But there's no joy for England's Hayden Norris. The 19-year-old was beaten by Australia's Thomas Cornish in the second of the four repechages.
04:53 PM
Bryony Botha impresses as she wins gold
The Kiwi blew Australia's Maeve Plouffe away in the women's individual pursuit final. She smashed her own Commonwealth record in a final time of 3min 18.45secs, a full nine seconds ahead of Plouffle. Hugely impressed.
04:47 PM
Neah Evans speaks...
On the atmosphere...
"The crowd was unreal...it's so loud."
On her performance...
"At halfway I said just get your head down and keep going. I go the British record this morning, I wasn't able to back it up this afternoon but that's the way it goes."
On her emotions...
"To come away with a medal, I'm delighted."
04:37 PM
Neah Evans wins the bronze
In the Women's 3,000m Individual Pursuit!
That was slower than her ride this morning - but it was a controlled ride from the Scot and the outcome never really appeared to be in any doubt.
04:35 PM
Evans well over a second clear now
The Scot is looking good for the bronze!
04:33 PM
Scotland's Neah Evans going for bronze in the women's individual pursuit
Twelve laps of the track against Australia's Sarah Roy.
Can she do it?
She's up by half a second early on and looks strong.
04:25 PM
In the women's hockey
England are 2-0 up against Ghana in their opening Group A match. The hosts are expected to win and it's going smoothly after one quarter.
04:18 PM
Superb sprinting from Hamish Turnbull
In the men's Keirin - he cam from nowhere to take it on the line from Scotland's Jack Carlin. Australia's Matthew Richardson was pushed out to third and now has to race in the repechage.
04:14 PM
The men's Keirin has begun
And England's Joe Truman has finished third in the first race. Australia's Matthew Glaetzer won to continue his good games so far. Truman will be disappointed for sure but will be back for the repechage. The Aussie took it on for three laps and let the others battle it out for second.
04:07 PM
England's women get hockey opener under way
England women have just got their title tilt in the the hockey under way. They are up against Ghana in their Pool A match. The hosts won bronze four years ago in Australia and they'll be targeting a medal once again this time around.
04:04 PM
Some mascots are a bit abstract, shall we say...
But I think we can all agree that Perry the Bull is a mascot we can all get behind...
03:59 PM
Huge disappointment in the Sevens
England would have been hoping for a medal in both men's and women's competitions but both crashed out of podium contention earlier today with defeats to New Zealand.
Here's some more reaction from Alex Davies...
“We would obviously like to be in the knockout quarter-finals, but we’re not and now we just have to maximise the opportunities that we’ve got left and learn from what we can.”
England women will play South Africa at 5:30 this evening in the 5th/6th place play-off and England men will play Jamaica in the 9th-12th semi-final at 6:14pm this evening.
03:39 PM
Boxing takes over the action
The boxers are in the ring as England's Jodie Wilkinson fights Bloanle Temitope Shogbamu of Nigeria. The first round has just finished with Wilkinson just about on top but as her coach said to her in the interval, she needs to find some more rhythm in the next round.
03:29 PM
England win and go top of Pool B
A dominant final quarter for England. They take the match 66-41 but plenty to work on. It was a much better start than they had against Trinidad and Tobago yesterday but that third quarter I'm sure will be much talked about and analysed in the England camp ahead of their next match. Emily Cardwell had a great Commonwealth Games debut in the first-half before coming off in the third quarter. I'm sure we'll see her again.
Fair-play to Malawi they caused England problems and pushed them hard but the result was never really in doubt.
Both teams will have a rest-day tomorrow before they play again on Sunday
03:23 PM
Malawi a player down
Malawi are down to six players as one of their players has been penalised for timewasting (there was a confusion with which sub should be coming on). It shows, they're a shooter down and can't mount any kind of attack.
03:20 PM
Bello twins win the beach volley-ball
Javier and Joaquin Bello have beaten Tuvalu in the first match of their pool campaign just before it looks like rain has started at Smithfield. Perfect timing.
03:18 PM
8 minutes to go in the final-quarter
England look better and the crowd have woken up. They're chanting in support of their side who seem to have recovered from their wobble in the previous quarter.
Malawi still look good but at 56-37 with 8 minutes to go England are well on top - this will be their second victory in two days and while it's not the dominating performance they would've been hoping for, it's good enough.
03:14 PM
Hockey news
Australia are taking on Kenya as the final team in Group B of the women's hockey competition to not yet played a match. Kenya lost to New Zealand yesterday and are already 7-0 down to Australia.
03:08 PM
England tie the third quarter with Malawi
That was a really tough quarter for England. They were behind for most of it but just managed to draw level at the end. Helen Housby and Jo Harten aren't quite working together in the shooting positions and it's showing.
All credit to Malawi they are throwing absolutely everything at England. Whilst the score line on the board is a healthy lead for England, the quarter results matter. Australia and the other teams in Pool B will be watching this match with interest and England are showing some weaknesses.
Let's see if Malawi can push England further in the final quarter.
02:59 PM
Malawi fighting back in the netball
England are well ahead but Malawi are 8-7 up on the third-quarter. Great determination and stamina from the Malawi side who despite all the odds are continuing to try and keep England honest here. The score line is 42-28 to England.
Momentum is a funny thing and it's just tipped towards Malawi. A big ask for them from here but something for England to think about.
02:52 PM
Table tennis update
It's been a good day for the home nations in the table tennis. England won their group match against Nigeria earlier on to move up to second in their group. Wales also beat Canada to move top of Group 4.
In the men's event the England team beat Bangladesh to complete a clean-sweep of wins and top their group.
02:48 PM
The Bello twins take the first set
An error from the Tuvalu pair gives England the first set in the beach volleyball. A setting mistake from Tuvalu's front man sees the ball fail to make it over the net. The brothers high-five each other in celebration.
The Birmingham Beach Crew are back
02:44 PM
England leading at half-time in the netball
35-20 at half-time in the netball. England looking strong with very few alarm bells.
02:43 PM
Time-out in the beach volleyball
The Birmingham beach crew are now dancing to Duran Duran on the "beach" whilst the players take a time out. The commentators are discussing if they could get a member of the royal family down to watch another of the matches. What a sport.
02:32 PM
Twins in action for England in the beach volley-ball
Twins Javier and Joaquin Bello are representing England in the beach volleyball. They look pretty identical as well which I'm sure is a nightmare for commentators.
They're up and running anyway and the music is pumping out across the sand on a typically grey and dreary day in Birmingham. One of the Bello's is wearing sunglasses anyway. Love an optimist.
Anyway England went one up quickly but scores are now level at 2-2.
02:28 PM
England extending their lead
Back at the netball and England have gone up a gear. There's some conflict going on between plays from both sets of players but it doesn't seem to be hurting England.
They've extended their lead to 28-15.
02:22 PM
Beach volley-ball to get underway
Moving away from the NEC for a minute to tell you that England men will be playing Tuvalu at Smithfield in the beach-volleyball in around ten minutes time. This is the fist match for England men in this games, their main competition in their group will be New Zealand.
02:19 PM
End of the first quarter
England go into the quarter break with a 19-9 lead. It's a much better start than the side enjoyed yesterday against Trinidad and Tobago. They look slick and the unit is working very well together. Malawi have played well but it was always going to be difficult for them to keep in touch with England.
02:15 PM
England on top in the first quarter
Two minutes left in the first quarter and England have extended their lead to 17 points to 8. Emily Cardwell is making her Commonwealth Games debut in the shooting circle. She's working with the other shooter on the side Jo Harten and the two are certainly delivering for England at the moment.
02:09 PM
England 9 Malawi 6
Both the England goal defence and goal attack are penalised in the D for obstruction and the have to stand next to the Malawi shooter as she puts a fifth point on the board for Malawi. Team England responds straight away however to limit the damage.
Malawi are keeping England honest.
02:06 PM
Malawi get on the board
England have six now but Malawi are managing to find some points. A couple of the Malawi players compete in the English super league.
A good passing sequence gives them a fourth.
02:03 PM
England 2 Malawi 0
Cardwell gives England their first goal of the match after a good intercept in the middle third. She quickly adds another - England out of the blocks well.
02:01 PM
Netball: England are underway
A huge roar goes around the NEC to welcome each England player one-by-one. I'm sure everyone there will have memories of that magic moment on the Gold Coast four years ago and be hoping this England team can repeat the result.
The players gather for a quick team talk and briefly take the in a stand against racism before taking their positions on the court.
Malawi with the ball for the first centre pass and we're off!
01:57 PM
Cricket: South Africa lose to New Zealand
Everybody seems to be losing to New Zealand today! The White Ferns have just beaten South Africa, largely thanks to an unbeaten 91 from Susie Bates and Sophie Devine's 3 for 37.
South Africa gave the chase a good go with Chloe Tryon, who's been in spectacular form with the bat recently, making an explosive 39 off 17 balls before she was runout. Tryon's side fell 13 runs short of their target.
England will be playing at Edgbaston Cricket Ground later today in the same group against Sri Lanka. The first ball will be bowled at 6pm.
01:51 PM
England on court in the netball
England are warming up and getting ready to go for their clash with Malawi this afternoon. The defending champions will be in action at the NEC Arena in around 10 minutes time.
01:46 PM
Reaction: England out of both the men's and women's rugby sevens
As we mentioned earlier, England men's and women's sides lost their matches against New Zealand earlier to crash out of the games. Here's some reaction from the players.
Megan Jones on their performance:
“We had a game plan and we kind of came away from that a little bit but when we did stick to it, we got Ellie Boatman under the sticks and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do. New Zealand are an amazing team, they capitalise on almost everything. They have threats across the board and we just didn’t take our opportunities.
Abbie Brown:
“Sevens is always swings and roundabouts, it’s very up and down and you have to ride that wave. It’s a tough one to swallow but it is what it is. We came out and we still had belief, we have a lot of heart in our group even though things didn’t go well yesterday.
Alex Davis:
“Obviously we’re disappointed but I definitely think we did what we set out to do, which was to make New Zealand work, we knew they were a really great side. Losing two games out of the three isn’t ideal, especially in your home tournament. But we spoke about it last night, yesterday we had 12 Commonwealth debuts, which for us is a huge achievement and something that we are really proud of."
England women will play South Africa at 5:30 this evening in the 5th/6th place play-off and England men will play Jamaica in the 9th-12th semi-final at 6:14pm this evening.
01:37 PM
England vs Scotland in the men's individual pursuit qualifying
England's Charlie Tanfield has just beaten Scotland's Kyle Gordon in the qualifiers for the men's individual pursuit. The English rider was trailing until the last few laps but managed to claw the time back to win a spot in the bronze medal ride. That'll be coming up later.
01:33 PM
Australia beat Scotland in the netball
Scotland put up a very good fight but it was always going to be Australia. They continue their perfect start with an 83-30 victory. That takes them to the top of their group - they have however played one more match than everyone else.
01:18 PM
Marathon gold for Stenson
Take a bow Jessica Stenson.
Ten years after finishing 39th at the London 2012 Olympic marathon, the Australian claims the Commonwealth Games title on the streets of Birmingham. Once it got down to the final three in the group, she didn't let up, grinding away to streak clear at the end.
Kenya's Margaret Wangari Muriuki takes silver ahead of defending champion Helalia Johannes of Namibia.
01:11 PM
Peaty: 'It's blown the cobwebs out'
Adam Peaty shook off a few nerves on his return from injury earliy today to top the timesheet in the men's 100 metres breaststroke heats and cruise into tonight's semi-finals.
He missed last month's World Championship after fracturing a bone in his foot in a freak training accident in May, but he showed no persisting issues in his first outing at the Commonwealth Games.
"It's blown the cobwebs out," the three-time Olympic gold medallist said. "I was nervous because I haven't raced in so long. That was my third race this year, I've normally done about 20 by now. It is what it is.
"(The foot) is good. I can dive so that's good. It felt a lot faster than the 59.9, but, hey ho, that's the timing board, isn't it?
"I didn't really need to do anything, I saw the heats come through and I was like, 'You know what, it's going to be wasted energy going fast this morning,' so we'll see how we go tonight."
01:06 PM
Running for home
Stenson is striding away up the hill, it's a hard finish to the course for these runners who have been pounding the streets for almost two and a half hours.
Back-to-back bronze medalst in 2014 and 2018 are about to be upgraded to gold in Birmingham
12:55 PM
Jess Stenson going strong in the marathon
The breakaway group has well and truly strung out now. Jess Stenson has injected another level of pace and Helalia Johannes and Margaret Muriuki cannot keep up with it.
Stenson looks very strong, tired obviously but strong, and barring disaster now she should have the gold in a few minutes time. Helalia Johannes won't be able to retain her title after becoming Namibia's first Commonwealth gold medalist four years ago.
12:50 PM
Good news from the badminton courts
Lucy Turmel has beaten Amity Alarcos in the women's singles to progress to the last 16 of the competition. She will face Australia's Jess Turnbull tomorrow.
Scotland's Georgia Adderley will also be in the last 16 against New Zealand's Joelle King.
12:45 PM
Cycling: Men's individual pursuit qualifying
England's Will Perret has cruised through his heat in the men's individual pursuit. He's at the top of the table with a time of 14.393.
Elsewhere at the velodrome Sophie Capewell has won her quarter-final individual sprint race in a very tight finish against Canada's Sarah Orban. The English rider got over the line first by just 0.011 seconds. She joins Wales's Emma Finucane in the semi-finals later.
12:35 PM
Netball News
England will be in action later on against Malawi as they look to defend their Commonwealth Games title following that epic win against Australia on the Gold Coast four years ago. They put in a convincing 74-22 victory yesterday against Trinidad and Tobago to kick-start their campaign in Pool B.
It's the Aussies who are in action first however and so far so good for the favourites. We're now in the second quarter of their match and they are leading Scotland 31-14 at the NEC Arena. They beat Barbados 95-18yesterday.
12:31 PM
Wales leading Canada in the men's hockey
Wales are putting in a very strong performance against Canada. They're currently leading 5-0 at the University of Birmingham pitches which are in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham. England are currently top of Pool B having beaten Ghana 6-0 yesterday.
12:23 PM
Women's marathon update
Whilst we've been busy with swimming, cricket, cycling, table tennis and more, the women have been making there way through the marathon course and are now running through Bourneville. The commentators have just said you can smell the chocolate in Bourneville from it's famous chocolate factory. I can't imagine that's great for marathon running.
Leading the race we have a group of three consisting of Jessica Stenson from Australia, Kenya's Margaret Muriuki and reigning champion Helalia Johannes. They're just dropping Eloise Wellings and Failuna Matanga but the pair are fighting to stay in contact.
12:15 PM
Final action from the pool for now
Lauren Cox has qualified for the semi-finals of the women's 100m backstroke which will take place this evening with the gold medal race set for tomorrow.
Wales's Charlotte Evans and Medi Harris have also qualified alongside Scotland's Cassie Wild, Hollie McGill and Katie Shanahan. Strong showing in the swimming for the home nations.
12:09 PM
Cricket news
New Zealand are playing South Africa at Edgbaston and veteran White Fern Suzie Bates has gone to a half-century. She's got New Zealand off to a great start with opening partner Sophie Devine, but she's now at the crease with young all-rounder Amelia Kerr.
South Africa have been in England a while after a bruising multi-format series against England which saw them lose all their white ball matches. They've got their work cut out here as well with New Zealand 133-1 off 17 overs.
12:04 PM
England out of rugby sevens medal contention
England have been defeated 20-0 by New Zealand which has put an end to their Commonwealth Games medal hopes. They lost fairly embarrassingly to Samoa yesterday and it was always a long shot to bet the Kiwis today. The English team will be very disappointed but great news for the Samoans who go through to the last eight alongside group winners New Zealand.
11:58 AM
Back to the pool
Scotland's Olympic silver medalist Duncan Scott has just won his men's 200m freestyle heat. Joe Litchfield finished third in that heat and makes the final.
English Olympic champion Tom Dean is in the next heat. He managed a bronze medal at the World Championship last month so let's see what he can do here. He qualifies for the final with a time of 1:47:19 and wins the heat. He'll be joined by Wales's Matt Richards who finishes third
11:52 AM
In other news...
Away from the pool England are also in table tennis action against Nigeria. The women's team event is in it's group stages with England currently in a good position at 2-1 up. The men will be in action against Bangladesh later.
11:44 AM
Peaty sending a message
As was said on commentary - Peaty didn't need to go that fast.
He's not had any competition action for ten weeks because of that broken foot so he potentially wanted to set out a marker. He was speaking to the media after the heat.
"I have no idea where I'm at and I still don't really. I'm still blowing out the cobwebs.
"Yeah, I think so it feels alright in the water. At a Commonwealth Games like this, you don't need to put all the effort into the heats."
"It's a very home games for me, I grew up about 15 minutes away from here. I've got six people coming tonight and it'll be great to see my boy in the crowd and we'll see what I can get."
11:36 AM
Peaty through to the final
It was never in doubt really but that was very fast from Adam Peaty considering this is just a heat. He finishes top of his heat with a time of 59.92 seconds - the only swimmer in the heats to go under a minute.
That foot injury he suffered just ten weeks ago doesn't look to be holding him back. The English Olympic Champion looks in ominous form for the competition.
Ross Murdoch and James Wilby are also competing in these heats after their brilliant medal winning races last night. Wilby wins the heat with Murdoch just=missing out on second place but he should make it through.
11:29 AM
Time for Adam Peaty!
The coverage crosses to the pool with a very inspiring montage of Adam Peaty.
"I was born to be a hunter" says Peaty in the montage. Lets see if he can hunt down another medal at this games .
11:25 AM
Seaward just about makes it over the line
Ireland's Kevin Seaward finishes the marathon as the best of the Irish duo but he doesn't look too well. He's wobbling all over the place as he completes the final stages of the race but he manages to get over the line. He'll need some medical attention but he looks okay.
11:20 AM
Viktor Kiplangat wins marathon gold for Uganda
He's over the line safely now and has a massive grin on his face. Not sure I'd be grinning after running 26 miles but I'm sure the gold medal helps!
Tanzania's Alphonce Simbu crosses the line in second place position. Solid effort from him.
Michael Githai from Kenya has just outpaced Liam Adams for the final medal spot. He came to Birmingham as a travelling reserve but due to problems with Kenyan entry requirements he made the start line and now has a medal. Great story - heartbreaking for Adams though who led the race for so long.
11:16 AM
Nearly a disaster in the marathon!
Viktor Kiplangat goes the wrong way at the end of the marathon course. Thankfully it doesn't impact his gold medal as the second place runner is way back but if it had been close that would have been disastrous. It will impact his time but he's about to cross the line and win the gold medal which I'm sure is all he cares about right now.
11:14 AM
News from the velodrome
Scotland's Neah Evans has set a new Commonwealth record! She finished top of the field in the women's 3000m individual pursuit qualifying race with a time of 3:23:476.
England's Madeleine Hill sits in fifth place. The gold medal race will take place later on.
11:04 AM
The swimming has got underway - Adam Peaty will be competing shortly
The men's 200m freestyle heats have been taking place. England's Olympic Champion Tom Dean is through after winning his heat pretty easily and Scotland's Tokyo silver medalist Duncan Scott is also through.
They will be joined in the final by Joe Litchfield and he Welsh double of Matthew Richards and Calum Jarvis.
Next up will be the Women's 50m Freestyle Heats before Adam Peaty gets into the action in the Men's 100m Breaststroke Heats. He will be joined in his heat by fellow English swimmer Greg Butler. That will get underway in around ten minutes.
10:58 AM
Men's marathon entering it's final stages
Just under 7km to go in the men's marathon as the runners near the city centre. It looks like it will be a gold medal for Uganda as Viktor Kiplangat has dropped Tanzania's Alphonce Simbu. A very strong run for the Ugandan in what has not been a straightforward race
10:52 AM
Women's individual sprint qualifying complete
Blaine Ridge-Davis will be joined by compatriot Sophie Capewell in the next round of the women's sprint at the velodrome in Lee Valley. A strong showing from the home nations with seven of the top 16 qualifiers hailing from England, Scotland and Wales.
The next round of the competition should get underway in just under an hour.
10:48 AM
New Zealand beat England in the women's rugby sevens
New Zealand have completed a 38-7 victory over England in the group stage match of the women's rugby sevens. Team England now slip to third position in their group following their loss to Canada yesterday and won't progress through to the next round of the competition.
The men's sevens groups stage matches will get going later on today
10:44 AM
Women's marathon getting started
A fairly small field for the women's marathon with only 16 runners. English runner Georgia Schwiening is the home competitor. She runs alongside Natasha Cockram and Clara Evans from Wales. Unlike the men the women are starting off running as a group. Bearing in mind it's such a small field that's probably wise.
Looking at the men's race, the two at the front have put some significant distance between themselves and the rest of the competition. They've got gold and silver sewn up unless something very unexpected happens.
10:38 AM
The two Kenyans falling away in the marathon
Kiplangat and Simbu have dropped Michael Gitae and his fellow compatriot who were hanging on to the group. The front two are putting in strong surges of pace to spread the field and drop the rest of the athletes. On what is a very difficult course it's been a very strong pace and it's no wonder the pack can't keep up with these surges that are being put in by the front two.
10:32 AM
Liam Adams has been caught
It was only a matter of time really. The Australian who did so well to lead the first half of the men's marathon has been caught by the chasing pack. Uganda's Viktor Kiplangat was the one to make the move. He's joined by Michael Githae and Alphonce Simbu in the front pack.
There's a ten minute delay to the start of the women's marathon. You heard David Weir and Johnboy Smith earlier say the course presented a significant challenge to the wheelchair athletes. The T53/54 men's and women's races meant there was also a delay before the men's marathon got underway.
10:26 AM
England have kicked off in the rugby sevens
The news isn't massively positive for England in the early stages of their match against New Zealand. They're currently losing 19-0 in the first-half. It is New Zealand and they did hammer Sri Lanka and Canada yesterday. Hopefully the English side will be able to pull back slightly later on to finish in a qualifying position.
10:21 AM
Cycling: Women's sprint qualifying
The velodrome is busy again today and the qualifying stage of the women's sprint has been ramping up. There are 27 riders all vying for a place in the main event - only the top 16 riders will go through.
Several English hopefuls in this but so far only Blaine Ridge-Davis is in a qualifying position, sitting in sixth. There are plenty of other home nations hopeful's looking likely to qualify however. Scotland's Lauren Bell is currently in second place and Wales's Emma Finucane is in third. The next round and quarter finals of that event will take place later today.
10:13 AM
Half-way point in the marathon
The runners are approaching the half-way point and despite my seemingly misguided early warning, Liam Adams is still going very strong. He's still out in the lead and making the rest of the field work pretty hard to stick with him. They've completed this first half in under 65 minutes and they all look like they're starting to struggle slightly with the pace. There's a pack of five athletes just behind Adams but he's still managing to maintain a slight gap to them. Great performance so far by the Australian.
10:06 AM
Women's rugby sevens group stages results
It's been a busy morning of rugby action today. Two matches have already finished with Scotland trouncing South Africa 33-12 and Fiji narrowly coming out on top against Australia. Both Scotland and South Africa were already out of contention for a place in the semi-finals, having lost two games in Pool B. Fiji's victory over Australia sees them finish top of that group.
England will be in rugby action soon as they take on New Zealand in Pool A and the men's pools will also get back underway later today. The rugby is being held at Coventry for these games.
09:57 AM
Amy Pharaoh in action in the lawn bowls
The lawn bowls group stages have also been taking place this morning. England's Amy Pharaoh has won her match against Singapore's Shermeen Lim. The title favourite has come out of international retirement to compete at a home Commonwealth Games. You can read all about her story here.
09:49 AM
Half an hour into the marathon
Australian Liam Adams is still out in front in the marathon - he is being reeled in by the main pack but he's making sure this is quite a fast first phase of this race. The chasing pack is starting to get more strung out as the race enters it's third 10k.
Third 10k started by the 40 minute mark - these guys are just machines.
09:40 AM
David Weir has been speaking after his marathon heartbreak
After finishing seventh with that puncture, David Weir has spoken on the live coverage at the roadside in Birmingham:
"I feel like I just don't have enough luck in major championships since Rio. The last ten weeks of training have been the best in years.
"I was debating bringing a spare (tyre). I've never brought a spare ever in my life and I thought if I brought a spare then I'm going to jinx myself. I should've gone with my gut but I jinxed myself. I'll know for next time."
"It's just a bit annoying because since May the training has been through the roof, I felt ten years younger. It's just annoying to be honest."
"If I didn't have my mates running beside me in the last four kilometers I probably wouldn't have finished. But from where I'm from, a council estate, you just don't give up on anything. Especially when I saw my mates running beside me, it was emotional."
On gold medal winning Johnboy Smith:
"He's a good lad and it's nice to see that England got a medal but I'm more proud of Eden. She's a young athlete from the academy and she' only 21 so to get her first medal at a major championships, I'm more proud of her today."
I'll say it again - what a champion
09:25 AM
The men's marathon is underway...
The streets of Birmingham have been busy this morning and the men's marathon hopeful's are now racing. Liam Adams has broken slightly away from the main pack, injecting a fast pace early on. Maybe not the wisest start for a 26-mile race as he is going at quite some speed. I will stand completely corrected if he keeps it up though.
England's hopeful in this race is Jonathan Mellor who's currently sitting behind the lead group.
09:16 AM
David Weir crosses the line
All credit to the eight-time London marathon winner. Many would not have finished the race having to go for miles with such a problem, but he does cross the line in seventh place. Weir suffered the puncture in the last six miles of the race when he had lead of over a minute and a half. Devastating for him but what a champion.
09:08 AM
Johnboy Smith: "I should've got silver"
Johnboy Smith has just been talking on the BBC Coverage. He's had some harsh words to say about the wheelchair marathon course:
"Whoever's come up with that course I seriously might take them to court and sue them. I don't know what they were thinking. That was so, so hard."
"I assume Dave got a flat but he had me. By mile six he dropped me. I won but the better man didn't win today, I should've got silver, he should've got gold. Your majesty if you're watching, David Weir deserves a knighthood."
09:07 AM
A bronze medal for Simon Lawson
England have won another medal in the marathon event. Simon Lawson has crossed the line in third position, completing a full podium of the home nations. Scotland's Sean Frame taking the silver.
09:02 AM
Madison de Rozario wins gold
Australia's Madison de Rozario has crossed the line in the women's T53/54 marathon to take home the gold medal. She finishes with a time of 1:32:53 and retains her title from 2018.
Eden Rainbow-Cooper takes the silver after passing David Weir on the road who's still racing in the men's event. He's been racing for a significant amount of time on a flat tyre. He shouts words of encouragement as she passes him - lovely to see but it's just absolutely heartbreaking for Weir after being almost certain to win the race.
08:46 AM
What's happening today...
England already have a gold medal this morning! Johnboy Smith has claimed victory in the men's T53/54 marathon event after a heartbreaking puncture for David Weir. The six-time Olympic Champion was leading the field by over a minute when his tyre was pierced, he has dropped down the field with nothing he can do to fix the problem. Devastating.
England are also in the medal position in the women's T53/54 race. Eden Rainbow-Cooper and Shelley Oxley-Woods are currently second and third on the road. There are actually only gold and silver medals available for this race as there are only four athletes competing.
There’s also gold medals to be won in the weightlifting final at the NEC. Ben Hickling is the England hopeful in the 55kg category. That will get underway from around 9am.
Adam Peaty will be in action in the pool with the men’s 100m breaststroke heats and (all being well) later on in the semi-finals. The three-time Commonwealth champion will be looking to win the title for the third games in succession.
Laura Kenny will pick up where she left off yesterday this afternoon as she hunts for another medal, this time in the women’s individual team pursuit. She will be joined on track by compatriot Charlie Tanfield in the men’s individual pursuit and Olympic silver medalist Jack Carlin will be hoping to go one better in the Kerin, representing Scotland.
The women will look to emulate the success of the men yesterday in the women’s team artistic gymnastics final and England will make their cricketing Commonwealth Games debut vs Sri Lanka. That match is set to get underway at 6pm.
We’ll bring all the live action throughout the day and evening on this page of course.
08:40 AM
Welcome to this morning's coverage of day 2
Good morning and thank you for tuning in to our live coverage of the first Saturday of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. There’s plenty of action to get your teeth into today and lots of medals up for grabs but first let’s take a look back at what happened yesterday.
The big story as the competition drew to a close on Friday was England’s dominating victory in the men’s team artistic gymnastic final. They topped the tables in all six pieces of apparatus and became the first team to win three successive Commonwealth Games gold medals in the event. Birmingham’s home-grown champion Joe Fraser led the team out of the blocks with a score of 14.650 on the pommel horse just two weeks after a devastating ankle injury counted him out of the all-round competition.
That was England’s second gold of the day after Alex Yee won the first title of Games with victory in the men’s triathlon. He overcame a 16-second deficit going into the 5km run and took advantage of a 10-second time penalty dealt out to leader Hayden Wilde.
England’s netballers also began their title defence with a crushing 74-22 victory over Trinidad and Tobago, and swimmer James Wilby won England’s first medal in the pool after finishing ahead of Scotland’s Ross Murdoch.
Finally, Laura Kenny returned to the track by winning a bronze medal in the women’s team pursuit event. Despite it not being the step of the podium we are used to seeing the velodrome super-star standing on, Stratford rose in celebration of five-time Olympic Champion after she shared her story of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy after Tokyo 2022. She will be back in action today in the individual event. You can read Tom Cary’s report on Laura Kenny and the team pursuit here.
