Double gold for sprint teams

However, the athletics programme ended under a cloud as it was announced Nigerian sprinters Osayemi Oludamola, who won the women's 100m final last Thursday, and Samuel Okon have been disqualified from the Games following doping violations.

England, though, had a successful evening, beginning with victories in the first two track events.

After the women's 4x100m relay team had struck gold, the men's quartet added a second, with Mark Lewis-Francis scorching down the home straight to anchor the team to victory.

Kate Dennison claimed pole vault bronze and the women's and men's 4x400m teams also finished third.

For Lewis-Francis, the relay win was reminiscent of the 2004 Olympic gold he won alongside Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell and Marlon Devonish.

Devonish shared in yesterday's victory alongside Ryan Scott and Leon Baptiste, who secured a second Commonwealth gold following his victory in the men's 200m.

Lewis-Francis was behind as he received the baton from Devonish for the fourth leg, but overtook Remaldo Rose in the final metres as his Jamaican rival appeared to stumble before the line.

England took gold in 38.74 seconds, Jamaica silver in 38.79 and India bronze in 38.89.

European and Commonwealth 100m silver medallist Lewis-Francis appeared to goad his rival after racing through the line first.

"I didn't say anything, I just screamed," said the 28-year-old Birchfield Harrier.

"There was one point in the race where I didn't think I was going to catch him, so when I did I was as surprised as he was. I was able to run him down and catch him. Memories of 2004 once again."

Baptiste, who was carrying a foot injury into the relay, was overjoyed.

The 25-year-old said: "It's been an unbelievable championships for me. I didn't run the best (yesterday), I'm struggling with a little injury, but I'm really happy with the gold medal.

"They ran so well all of them, especially Mark Lewis-Francis."

The victory was England's second of the day after Katherine Endacott, Montell Douglas, Laura Turner and Abi Oyepitan clocked 44.19 to win women's 4x100m gold ahead of Ghana and India.

In the women's 4x400m relay, India stunned Nigeria to take gold in three minutes 27.77 seconds as England's Kelly Massey, Victoria Barr, Meghan Beesley and Nadine Okyere won bronze.

It was just the hosts' third track and field gold medal in Commonwealth Games history, swiftly following Monday's women's discus success, as the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was sent into raptures.

Scotland's Gemma Nicol, Eilidh Child, Kathryn Evans and Lee McConnell were sixth.

In the corresponding men's event, which, Thursday's marathons aside, completed the athletics events at the Games, England quartet Conrad Williams, Nick Leavey, Rick Yates and Robert Tobin finished third behind winners Australia and second-placed Kenya.

Wales' squad of Rhys Williams, Joe Thomas, Chris Gowell and Gareth Warburton were sixth.

Dennison, meanwhile, recorded a best leap of 4.25m in the women's pole vault as Alana Boyd of Australia took gold with a best of 4.40, winning on countback from silver medallist Marianna Zachariadi of Cyprus.

Nathan Douglas was fourth in the men's triple jump, with his England team-mate Larry Achike seventh as Nigeria's Tosin Oke won gold with a best leap of 17.16m.

Andy Baddeley and his England team-mate Tom Lancashire finished sixth and eighth, respectively, as Kenya's Silas Kiplagat won the men's 1,500m.