Commonwealth Games 2022 LIVE: Laura Muir storms to 1500m gold after England win women’s hockey title

It is LOUD inside the NEC with the home crowd willing England on.

Australia get the first turnover and are on the board first to dampen the atmosphere a touch before Helen Housby gets England’s first goal to send the vast majority of those watching back to maximum decibel levels.

A properly great noise for this one.

To the hottest ticket in town and the netball then.

Geva Mentor thought she’d seen it all in a two-decade international netball career, but she admits the best could be yet to come.

Mentor made her Roses debut at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, won bronzes in Melbourne and Delhi and was part of the famous gold medal winning team on the Gold Coast in 2018.

However, the 37-year-old - who earns her 159th cap today - claims nothing would top a win in Birmingham.

Mentor played a starring role as England beat world champions New Zealand by ten points in their last group game to secure a final four meeting with world number ones Australia, who were stunned by Jamaica‘s Sunshine Girls.

She went toe-to-toe with the Silver Ferns star goal shooter Grace Nweke, 17 years her junior, and put her in her pocket, a masterclass defensive performance according toadmiring coach Jess Thirlby.

“Age is just a number but for me it‘s nice to be able to go out and maybe some of my experience helps,” said Mentor.

“How bloody exciting, if we can do the job on Australia on Saturday and Jamaica can beat New Zealand, it would be a final we’ve never seen before, that’s so refreshing and exciting for netball.”

Jake Wightman has been discussing his bronze medal run in the men’s 1500m.

“Initially I was pretty disappointed because I wanted to win,” he said. “But in hindsight if I told myself at this point I’d have a world gold and Commonwealth bronze two weeks later, I’d take that.

“Mentally it was hard to get back up for this. I gave it a go to win it, but I didn’t have it. Just relieved to get something for Scotland because one of us deserved to be on the podium and I’m lucky to be the one to be on it.

“It wasn’t even the pressure it was just the mental fatigue of having had such a high, to come back up and get on it soon again after. I could have easily bombed that and not done even anything. For me I’ve done something so good this season, everything else is a bonus.

“It’s been a good season. I think the finish disappointment will fade away because I’m glad I managed to come back, step up and get a medal.”

India are into the final of the Commonwealth Games cricket after seeing off England in a tense semi-final.

Needing 165 to advance to Sunday’s showpiece, England never truly looked like getting there with Nat Sciver’s 41 and Danni Wyatt’s 35 ultimately in vain as India prevailed by four runs.

Earlier, Smriti Mandhana plundered 61 opening the batting to set India on their way and they never looked back with Sneh Rana’s two wickets and three run-outs proving crucial in neutering the England chase.

India will now play either Australia or New Zealand in the final with England facing the loser in the bronze-medal match.

England need 14 from the final over to make it into the final.

It’s a dot first up, a single off the second and then Katherine Brunt goes for a duck off the third, caught at mid-off.

That should be that.

It’s a brilliant final over from Sneh Rana under all kinds of pressure.

Again the boundaries are at a premium for England - there have only been four in the last nine overs.

As a result the fun rate climbs ever further.

That’ll do it though! Nat Sciver climbs into a shorter delivery and launches it over square for a maximum.

And that’s four more for the skipper as she tickles one down off her legs.

But that’s all she wrote as an attempt for two comes up short and Sciver is run out for 41.

The captain goes and England still need 14.

And now the dot-ball pressure pays as Amy Jones goes for 31.

She’s run out to end a 54-run stand with Sciver with Maya Bouchier the next to stride out to the crease.

She’s not had much time in the middle at this tournament but is a quality batter and this moment won’t be too big for her you’d think.

India then want an lbw against Sciver but the review shows a flicker on snicko so the skipper survives. And breathe.

England need 27 from 12 chasing 165.

A boundary per over gets England home and that’s what this pair are looking for.

India, of course, know that and are keeping their lines and lengths on point.

Deepti Sharma continues the trend with her final delivery as the 17th over goes for just three singles.

The pendulum swings again.

England are desperate for a boundary here to bring that rising run rate down a little.

Both Sciver and Jones are looking for it but the Indian bowling is tight and the fielding sharp.

That isn’t though as Jones finally gets one through the inner ring and off it runs to the point fence for four priceless runs.

And that’s a beauty as Jones grabs another boundary off the very next ball with a superb reverse sweep around the corner.

33 from 24 is now the equation. Big over for England.

There are five overs to go at Edgbaston and it’s going to be a thriller.

Captain Nat Sciver and keeper Amy Jones came together when opener Danni Wyatt fell but have settled things down, just as you would imagine such an experienced pair would.

A wicket for India would change everything though. How are your nerves?

England require 48 off 30 balls.