Commonwealth Games: Lois Toulson dives in as Team England set new record

Toulson was only thrown together with partner Kyle Kothari a few days ago but they quickly gelled in the mixed synchro platform event at the Sandwell Aquatic Centre.

Team-mates Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Noah Williams, both already gold medallists at the Games, delivered on their hot favourite status but the City of Leeds diver finished well ahead of Australian bronze medallists Cassiel Rosseau and Emily Boyd.

And those podium performances meant Team England’s medal haul eclipsed their previous best at the Games, from eight years ago in Glasgow.

The home nations won a combined 275 medals including 85 golds.

England led the way with 57 golds, behind only Australia in the medal table, and 176 in total, while Northern Ireland set national records and Scotland and Wales also thrived.

“This has been England’s most successful diving competition and I’m really honoured to be part of the team,” said Toulson, 22.

“To get the medals that make it the best Games for the team is just amazing really.

“Our ambition was the podium, but we only found out that we were diving together a few weeks ago. We’ve known each other for a long time and we both know these dives well, but you’ve got to put it together as a partnership.

“Kyle is a great champion and he adjusted for me quite a lot.”

It’s the second time in four days that Toulson has finished second to 17-year-old Spendolini-Sirieix, who ends the Games with two golds and a silver and established as the new face of British diving.

Toulson knows how that feels, she was only 15 when she won gold at the European Games in Baku.

“Andrea works really hard and she’s had a fantastic Commonwealth Games,” she said.

“It’s straight back to work for us all now as the European Championships are coming up.”

City of Sheffield divers Jordan Houlden and Yasmin Harper were also thrown together as a last-minute partnership – and finished eighth in the mixed 3m springboard synchro event, won by Scotland’s Grace Reid and James Heatly.

England secured men’s hockey bronze by beating South Africa 6-3 in a remarkable contest at the University of Birmingham.

South Africa twice led in the second quarter, but goals from Rhys Smith, Liam Ansell, Sam Ward, Zach Wallace, as well as a Phil Roper double, produced some reward after semi-final despair against Australia.

Matthew Guise-Brown, Mustapha Cassiem and Nqobile Ntuli were on target for visitors who ran out of steam in the final two quarters.

Chesterfield’s Liam Pitchford had to settle for silver as he lost to India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta in the men’s singles table tennis final. Pitchford won the first game but Achanta – the bronze medallist four years ago on the Gold Coast – bounced back to seal a 4-1 victory and take gold.

The silver is Pitchford’s third medal of the Games, adding to gold in the doubles and bronze in the team event. “It was a difficult match, honestly he (Achanta) played unbelievably well and credit to him,” Pitchford said.

“I think honestly after the first set and a half I didn’t really know where to play against him.

“He was just there, he knew every ball where I was playing and he was just solid and I probably got caught up in trying to hit the ball past him and he was just waiting. If you told me two or three weeks ago that I’d get a silver medal in the singles I’d have bitten your hand off.”

Wales took bronze in the women’s doubles as Charlotte Carey and Anna Hursey secured a 3-1 win over their opponents from Singapore.

Middlesbrough’s Paul Drinkhall narrowly missed out on bronze after coming from three games behind before losing 4-3 to India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran.

Gnanasekaran looked like he had the bronze wrapped up before Drinkhall pulled off a remarkable comeback to level, but the Indian managed to stay cool and see the deciding game out.

“It’s been really good support all the time, I think we like an underdog in England and Britain so at 3-0 that’s what I was and I almost pulled it off,” Drinkhall said.

“I think I gave it everything I had to give. I found something a little bit too late. Even in the last set I gave myself a chance but it was too late.”

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