Crawley's Mick Jones completed a golden hat-trick for England in the Commonwealth Games last night

Jones triumphed with a hammer throw of 72.55m to finally claim the Commonwealth title at the fourth time of asking, having won silver four years ago.

Paula Radcliffe ended her quest for track gold at a major championships with a crushing victory in the 5,000m.

The 28-year-old, who has missed out so many times in the past, destroyed the field and the Games record to win in front of 38,000 fans in the City of Manchester Stadium.

Radcliffe, who produced the greatest marathon performace in history when winning in London last April, clocked 14 mins 31.43secs to shatter the four-year-old Games mark by an incredible one minute 21 seconds.

She led from the front and this time her rivals could not match her searing pace as she broke her only threat, Kenya's Edith Masai, with four-and-a-half laps left.

There was more joy for England's athletes when Jonathan Edwards joined an elite band when he completed a golden Grand Slam in the triple jump.

The Gateshead Harrier shattered the Games record to finally add the Commonwealth title to World, Olympic and European crowns.

Edwards is only the fourth British athlete to complete the set, joining Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell and Daley Thompson.

The 36-year-old won with a leap of 17.86m, the best in the world this year, to defeat team-mate Phillips Idowu.