Commonwealth Games: Steven Donnelly is ninth NI boxer to reach quarter-finals

Ballymena middleweight Steven Donnelly has become the ninth Northern Ireland boxer to reach a quarter-final at the Commonwealth Games.

Donnelly beat Sierra Leone's Gabrilla Kamara on a unanimous decision to set up a last-eight bout with Samoa's Henry Tyrell on Wednesday.

Light-welterweight Sean McComb lost to English rival Luke McCormack on a 4-1 split decision in the last 16.

McCormack also beat McComb in a close European quarter-final last year.

One of the three judges awarded McComb all three rounds but the other four found in favour of McCormack, three giving the Englishman the verdict by one round and the other adjudging that he won by three rounds.

Ferguson fifth in 50m backstroke final

In swimming, Conor Ferguson finished fifth in the 50m backstroke final.

The 18-year-old's time of 25.72 seconds was 0.12 slower than his semi-final but was another creditable swim after he finished eighth in the 100m backstroke final.

As expected, Australia clinched a clean sweep with Ferguson 0.66 behind bronze medal winner Zac Incerti.

Jamie Graham finished 14th in the 50m breaststroke with James Brown 16th in the 100m butterfly after also progressing from morning heats.

Graham clocked 28.80 seconds in the breaststroke with Brown improving his personal best in both his heat and semi-final.

Curtis Coulter (56.57) was 20th overall in the 100m butterfly.

Amy Foster (right) missed out on a place in the 100m metres by 0.08 seconds

McGuigan sixth as Foster misses out on final

In athletics, Dempsey McGuigan finished sixth in the hammer after producing a best throw of 70.24m.

McGuigan's mark, his second best throw and 31 centimetres below his personal best set last year, left him just under three metres behind Scotland's bronze medallist Mark Dry.

"I'm happy with the place and the distance - and with doing it on this stage," said the 24-year-old Finn Valley athlete.

England's Nick Miller produced a British and Games record of 80.26m to clinch the gold.

Sprinter Amy Foster progressed from the 100m first round but missed out on a place in the final by 0.08 seconds after she finished fourth in her semi-final.

Foster, who jointly holds the Irish record with a time of 11.40 seconds, improved 0.05 from her morning heat as she clocked 11.54 in the semi-final in a race won by England's Asha Philip in 11.21.

The Newtownards woman was a controversial initial omission from Northern Ireland's Gold Coast squad only to earn a late call-up after boxer Conor Wallace was dropped from the team.

Foster was content with her performance and said afterwards that she will also run the 200m later in the Games.

Netballers beaten again

Northern Ireland's netballers' losing run at the Games continued as they were beaten 79-41 by Jamaica. Elaine Rice's side will face Barbados next on Tuesday.

In shooting, Alexandra Skeggs finished 11th in the women's skeet qualifying with only the top six progressing to the final.

In the men's skeet, Ballymoney man Gareth McAuley lies eighth after the first day of qualification and will hope to move into the top six on Monday and clinch a place in the final.

In weightlifting, Rebekah Thompson finished 12th in the women's 69kg class with a combined total of 158kg.