Podium success leaves Roebuck hungry for further Delhi medals

The Rotherham swimmer made a name for himself at the European Championships in Budapest in August, claiming bronze in the 200m medley on the banks of the Danube.

The 25-year-old travelled from England's holding camp in Doha to Delhi looking for more of the same and duly delivered, taking silver in his best distance, the 400m medley.

Roebuck clocked 4:15.84secs as he forced his way onto the podium.

With the 200m medley still to come, Roebuck has vowed to do all he can to make sure his first appearance on the podium in Delhi is not his last.

"Getting on the podium twice this year has been a great achievement. I love this big stage and it has been a good year," said Roebuck – who finished sixth in the 200m butterfly on Monday. "I still have the 200m medley and I want to do well in that.

"The 400m medley is always tough no matter where you are, it always hurts but it is great to get on the podium again this year and that makes up for it."

Leeds cyclist Anna Blyth promised herself she would leave Delhi with a Games medal – and a present for mum. She delivered by claiming a scratch race bronze yesterday.

Blyth revealed her mother had made a special request to win her one of the colourful and traditional silk scarves that are awarded to every medallist.

After ticking that off her list, the 22-year old can look forward to a welcome party to remember when she returns home to Yorkshire.

Blyth was once tipped as a future sprint star, winning a world junior keirin title in Ghent four years ago, but has since transferred to British Cycling's endurance programme, with equal success.

Her victory in the scratch race at last year's Under-23 European Championships underlined her promise but this performance, behind Australian favourite Megan Dunn and Kiwi silver medallist Joanne Kiesanowski is her first major senior success.

"I was so looking forward to the race, it all went to plan and you've got to be happy with a medal," she said.

Wakefield's European bronze medallist Martyn Bernard admitted he paid the price for letting his mind wander after suffering a dramatic fall from grace.

The 25-year-old high jumper travelled to Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium still riding the high of claiming bronze at the European Championships in Barcelona two months ago.

However, Bernard looked a shadow of the man that climbed the podium in the Spanish rain, failing to even make the final in Delhi as everyone around him did with ease.

Bernard got off to the worst possible start somehow failing to clear 2.00m with his first attempt but appeared to be back on track as the bar moved up to 2.16m.

However, a niggling knee injury saw Bernard fail and he was left thinking what might have been.

"That was not good. Qualifying is where you just want to go in and just get through. So all guns weren't really firing whereas maybe they should have been," said Bernard.

Double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington cruised to swimming gold as the Home Nations claimed a medal haul of 27 on Day Four in Delhi.

Adlington's comfortable victory in the women's 800m was one of six England gold medals, the others going to gymnast Imogen Cairns, the men's and women's compound archery trios, shooter Stevan Walton and para-athlete Katrina Hart.

Sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis claimed one of England's 12 silver medals in the men's 100m final. And there were four silvers for Wales won by track cyclist Becky James, hammer thrower Carys Parry, weightlifter Michaela Breeze and para-athlete Jenny McLoughlin.

Two of England's silvers came in the synchronised swimming where Jenna Randall claimed one in the solo competition before teaming up with Olivia Allison for another in the duet.

There were four England silvers in the pool – for Ellen Gandy, Simon Burnett, Roebuck and Stephanie Millward - and three in the gymnastics, won by Luke Folwell, Reiss Beckford and Max Whitlock, while para-athlete Daniel James claimed the other in the men's shot put F32/34/52.

Zoe Derham claimed one of two England bronzes in the shot put, Blyth winning the other in track cycling's women's 10km scratch race.

Northern Ireland claimed their first medal as Sean Downey, Martyn Irvine, Philip Lavery, David McCann took the bronze in the men's team pursuit.

Jemma Lowe claimed a bronze for Wales in the women's 100m butterfly and shooter Tim Kneale won the Isle of Man's second bronze of the Games in the men's double trap individual.

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Yorkshire duo in gold medal clash

Yorkshire are guaranteed a Commonwealth Games gold medal with Sheffield's Nick Matthew facing Leeds's James Willstrop in the men's singles squash final.

Top seed Matthew beat team-mate Peter Barker 11-9 11-2 11-9 while 27-year-old Willstrop beat Mohammed Iskandar of Malaysia.

And it could be a Yorkshire squash double as Harrogate's Jenny Duncalf reached the women's final.

Both finals will be held tonight, Duncalf on court at 7pm, before Matthew and Willstrop join the action at 8.15pm.

Duncalf admitted an injury to her opponent, Alison Waters, was just as hard to overcome as suffering one herself after storming to a dream final.

The 27-year-old has been relatively untroubled in the women's squash singles draw in Delhi, dropping just two sets in three games on the way to the semi-final.

However, Duncalf, the No.2 seed, was presented with her biggest test yet to reach the final after being paired against team-mate and No 3 seed Waters.

Duncalf put friendship to one side to fight back from a game down to beat the unfortunate Waters in a tough four-setter, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-7.

"We get asked this all the time because we play each other quite often," said Duncalf. "It's just a routine match for us to go up against each other."

Sheffield-based boxer Iain Weaver set up a bantamweight match with Indian favourite Akhil Kumar after easing through his opener with a second round stoppage of Swaziland's Vusie Simelane.

Weaver trains at the city's Institute of Sport along with the elite of English boxers.