The majority of the 80,000 fans packed inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground didn't know whether to watch with pride or look away in agony.

Local hero Craig Mottram was clipped from behind in the 1500 metres, fell to the track and was run out of medal contention.

Their men's 4x100m relay team also missed out on gold when Matt Shirvington and Adam Miller botched their baton handover.

The Australian men's 4x400m relay team stormed to victory but their women's team were promoted to winners only after England were disqualified in a race where Jamaica, leading at the time, also dropped the baton.

Aussie women sprinters just about hung onto bronze after a botched final handover almost scuppered their chances in the 4x100m relay.

Butter-fingers Ghana didn't manage the first changeover while only five of the eight teams in the men's 4x100m relay, which was won by an Asafa Powell-inspired Jamaica, reached the finish line.

"I wanted Australia to finish the race, so we could get a better time." said Powell.

It had been a similar tale of woe in the heats when six teams dropped the baton including England who boasted three of the British line-up who managed to keep it in hand when they took gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Amongst the mayhem, Jamaica were able to celebrate a full house of the sprint titles in Melbourne as the 23-year-old world record holder Powell added a second gold to his individual crown.

So too did Sherri-Ann Brooks in the women's relay as the Jamaicans added to their successes in the men and women's 100 and 200m and the 100m and 110m hurdles.

At least the Australians finished the night on a high when Kym Howe led a 1-2 in the women's pole vault leaping to a new Games record of 4.62 metres. Defending champion Tatiana Grigorieva was second.

England's boxers collected a record-equalling five gold medals courtesy of lightweight Frankie Gavin, super-heavyweight David Price, flyweight Don Broadhurst, featherweight Stephen Smith and light-welterweight Jamie Russan.

Australia came away with two golds through middleweight Jarrod Fletcher and heavyweight Brad Pitt, while India celebrated only its second-ever Games boxing gold with bantamweight Akhil Kumar.

Meanwhile, Indian sharpshooter Samaresh Jung's bid for a record-equalling six golds at the same Games ended in disappointment when his gun misfired during the men's 25-metre standard pistol event.

The eventual winner of the event, England's Mick Gault, extended his own record when he claimed his 15th medal from four Games to establish himself as his country's most succesful competitor.

Gault edged out Pakistan's Irshad Ali in a two-way shoot-off with Australian Bruce Quick claiming the bronze.