BOWLER Paul Brown and former Hereford student Matt Ellis picked up bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Brown, from Ross-on-Wye Bowling Club, represented England and secured bronze in the Para-Sports Men’s Lawn Bowls triples.

And Team Wales para-cyclist Ellis, who studied at Hereford’s Royal National College, joined forces with Ieuan Williams and rode to the medal spot in the men’s 1000m Time Trial B2 Tandem in 1:04.095 at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

But there was disappointment for Hereford-based NFTO cyclist Russell Downing, who represented England and was fourth in the men’s road race.

And Hereford-based Rob Weale lost in his attempt to defend his singles lawn bowls title.

The 51-year-old Welsh star won six medals at previous Games, including singles gold at Delhi 2010, but lost 21-11 to Australia's Aron Sherriff.

Herefordshire lad Mark Abberley, chief executive of England Boxing, was involved at the Games.

And boxer Nathan Thorley, who featured for Wales in a sell-out show for the Hereford Times Cup earlier this year, picked up a bronze medal.

Bristol-born Brown secured his bronze medal by ditching the jack with his first attempt in the lawn bowls open triples B6/B7/B8 bronze-medal match.

Brown joined the partnership of David Fisher and Rob Love, who has no arms and bowls with his feet and they secured a 16-12 win against Scotland having forced an extra end.

The trio had trailed 12-8 after 13 of the 15 scheduled ends, but picked up two shots in each of the remaining two ends to set up a grandstand sudden death finish at the Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls Centre.

It was a bit of a hectic last few ends but we pulled out a marvellous effort at the last.

“I am still coming down from it. I cannot believe it. This is the complete highlight of my career so far. It will be with me for a long time."

A delighted Ellis, who now lives in Nottingham, said: “I couldn’t be happier with the result, a bronze medal is great at my first major competition and it’s the first medal on the track for Wales. It was the hardest kilo we have ever ridden.”

Ellis was part of the Team Wales athletes who made the history books at the Commonwealth Games by becoming the most successful team to ever compete for Wales.