Manchester takes the gold

On the opening day of the Commonwealth Games, a reporter from an international news agency went in search of a shop reputed to sell exceedingly good sandwiches. As he turned this way and that on the pavement, his accreditation pass swinging round his neck, he was approached by an elderly woman, who tapped him on the arm and said: "Just to let you know, we drive on the left side of the road here."

The reporter, who happens to be English, thanked the women for her advice, noting that the friendly passer-by was not wearing the gaudy shell suit and flat cap of a Manchester 2002 volunteer but was just as eager to help make visitors feel at home, characterising the community spirit that has played such an important part in making the event so wonderful.

As a member of this community (well, Stockport is only six miles down the road), your correspondent has shared the delight of others in seeing the Games blossom in spite of years of scepticism and cynicism among those who ridiculed Manchester's earlier bids to stage the Olympics and also predicted that the less ambitious Commonwealth Games project would end in tears.

"Bobbins" is a local colloquialism for sub-standard, and Manchester, as Great Britain's representative, has ensured that the expression will not be used to describe its own endeavours. The organisers were not too proud to recruit technical expertise from other countries, Australia in particular. Best of all, Manchester showed that sport is meant to be fun, a point underlined on a daily basis from the moment the athletes from 72 countries turned a parade into a carnival at the opening ceremony.

Granted, we were lucky with the weather; it peaked to showcase the majority of the track and field events, which were held early to allow the athletes to catch their breath for a second before moving on to the European Championships in Munich next week. During the heatwave that bathed the opening five days it was tempting to close your eyes and think of Sydney, as in Australia. Since Tuesday, however, it has been a case of blinking through the downpours and thinking of Jack, as in Duckworth.

People who spend much of the time under God's grey blanket are grateful for small mercies, and those lucky enough to escape to warmer climates, as I do when covering tennis outside of Wimbledon, will confirm that even the most exotic locations tend to look like Manchester if it rains.

Having risked being stereotyped as a well-balanced Mancunian (chips on both shoulders), it seems wise to acknowledge that a number of my newspaper colleagues south of Watford were supportive of the Games, as we like to call them, even before they took off so spectacularly. I am even prepared to forgive Patrick Collins, of the Mail on Sunday, for hating tennis after reading his upbeat Games preview, the positive prose glowing beneath a headline heralding Manchester's opportunity to show there is more to the place than Coronation Street.

(One of my former sports news editors on the Daily Mail, a Londoner, once asked me if there were any decent buildings in Manchester. After looking at him for a few seconds, I realised it was a serious question and he was not just taking the mickey.)

Alf Wright, my next-door neighbour, is a Londoner, a lovely bloke even though he supports Arsenal. Alf has enjoyed every minute of the BBC's Games coverage. "Some of the commentators aren't half getting some stick," he remarked a few days ago while watering his plants between races. He could hardly wait to take his grandson, Rory, to see the rugby union sevens.

Jim Beckley, another of my neighbours, is the press office manager for the table tennis event at Sportcity. By now he must feel as if he has spent half his life there, but he cannot speak highly enough about the enthusiastic army of volunteers, many of whom make daily journeys from towns and cities outside Manchester. Jim says he will never forget the sights and sounds of Manchester's great sporting festival: the cheering from the packed City of Manchester Stadium and the smiles on the faces of visitors as they strolled around Sportcity on balmy evenings, soaking up the atmosphere. Jim, like them, is delighted to be able to say: "I was there."

My wife, Phyllis, felt the same way after her visit to the badminton with four of her friends, recreational players who were surprised to find that the best on view in Bolton Arena not only played a different game but did not make up their own rules as they went along. There was much to admire, particularly since England defeated Singapore to win gold medals in the mixed team event that evening. Even a lengthy delay before the start of play, due to the Singapore team's bus being held up after an accident on the motorway, did not dampen the mood of excitement. "We all had a good sing-song to the music in the Arena."

The biggest compliments to Manchester 2002 were expressed by the competitors, especially the track and field athletes, many of whom said they had never imagined hearing such a volume of crowd support for every event and for every deserving sportsman and sportswoman, irrespective of nationality, though preferably English.

So what now, another bid for the Olympic Games? I think not. The staging of the Commonwealth Games is a hard act to follow, and the most important consideration now is the legacy of what has been achieved. It is essential to make sure that good use is made of the new sports amenities for the sake of the young people who have been inspired by the events of the past fortnight.

The City of Manchester Stadium is already spoken for and will become a new home ground for Manchester City at the start of the 2003-04 football season, by which time the athletics track will be nothing more than a golden memory, having made way for 10,000 seats, raising the capacity to 48,000.

Manchester City are one of English football's great institutions, famous for producing endearing teams capable of highs and lows and currently managed by Kevin Keegan, a man whose enthusiasm is matched by his optimism. Francis Lee experienced the best of times and the worst of times at City, first as a player during a golden era, then as a beleaguered club chairman. During his playing days, Lee once said: "If they gave cups for cock-ups, we'd have more silverware than Sothebys."

The City of Manchester Stadium has been free of cock-ups so far, and the men from Maine Road will start with a clean slate.

Five Unforgettable Games Moments

* 4X400m Men's Relay Final

Only one hundredth of a second separated Daniel Caines, of England, and Matt Elias, of Wales, as they crossed the line in a blur at the end of a dramatic men's 4 x 400 metres relay final on Wednesday night, a fitting climax to the athletics events. The England quartet of Jared Deacon, Sean Baldock, Chris Rawlinson and Caines won their country's sixth gold medal on the night.

* Women's Triple Jump Final

The crowd gasped when Ashia Hansen's lead in the triple jump was snatched away from her by Françoise Mbango, of Cameroon, who registered 14.82m with her concluding attempt. Hansen simmered as Mbango waved to the crowd, thinking she had done enough to win the gold medal. After composing herself for one last effort, the Englishwoman sped down the runway, leapt out of the sandpit as soon as her feet touched down, dancing in triumph even before the distance was confirmed: 14.86m.

* Women's 4x200m Freestyle Final

With 75 metres to go Karen Pickering edged ahead of Australia's Petria Thomas and maintained her lead to bring the England squad home for the gold medal in a Commonwealth record time of 8min 01.39sec. Pickering then joined her emotional team-mates, Karen Legg, Georgie Lee and Jo Fargus, and tears flowed in the Land of Hope and Glory.

* Women's Hockey Semi-Final

The Australians had lorded it over the England women's hockey team for 15 years, including an 8-1 drubbing at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. But things changed when they met in the semi-finals. England, coached by an Australian, took an early lead and held on to win, 2-1, their goalkeeper, Hilary Rose, making fine saves. Kate Walsh, of Withington, Manchester, scored England's first goal and contributed to the second.

* Men's Hammer Final

Gold-medallist Mick Jones exemplifies the Corinthian spirit. The 39-year-old former warehouseman from Crawley, Sussex, does not have an agent and has dedicated himself to achieving success for England since finishing fourth in his first Games in 1986. Standing 6ft 2in and weighing 18st, Jones looks more aggressive than he is. "When I got back to the village, I watched the bowls on TV with the Aussies," he said. "They had a bottle of Jack Daniels. I had one glass. Wild scene, eh, rock'n'roll."