OXFORDSHIRE swimmer Simon Burnett took his second silver of the Games yesterday and promptly dedicated it to an Oxford-based charity, writes STUART WEIR Defending champion Burnett, from Tetsworth, finished runner-up in the blue riband 100 metres freestyle.

He finished in 49.54secs, half-a-second behind behind Canadian Brent Hayden, who set a Commonwealth record.

“I am absolutely thrilled with that,” said Burnett.

“I can’t believe I got second. Brent has been on fire the past few weeks and I knew he would be almost impossible to beat.

“To be honest I was really shooting for bronze.

“It all came together tonight. I felt brilliant up to the 50, and I knew at that point that I was going to get a medal and I just had to hold on to it.

“The last ten metres were very painful, but I just tried to stay tough.”

Burnett dedicated his medal to the Oxford-based cancer charity Ucare of which he is a patron.

“It is about lesser known cancers, about research and education in urology,” he said.

“I got involved through my next door neighbour whose husband had cancer and got treated by a doctor in Oxford, who started the charity.

“My neighbour asked if I would help out and I said I would love to.

“The doctors are fantastic but they are dealing with lesser-known cancers – not the glamour ones if there are any – but it is 20 per cent of all cancers diagnosed in the UK each year.”

That is two down and two to come for Burnett with the 50m heats and semi-finals today, and the 50 metres final and the 4x100 medley relay tomorrow.

“I definitely think there is more to come,” he said confidently.

England’s Rebecca Adlington gained her first gold medal when winning the women’s 800m freestyle.

Meanwhile City of Oxford hockey player Emma Batten was ‘chuffed to bits’ after Wales defeated Malaysia 2-1 to keep alive their chances of a fifth-place finish Batten said: “We had pinpointed Malaysia as a game to win and it went really, really well. We are chuffed to bits.”

Wales’s opening goal was was set up by Batten’s right-wing cross, which resulted in a penalty stoke which Leah Wilkinson netted.

Malaysia equalised just after half-time. Wales’ winning goal came when Batten cut in from the left and was fouled. Claire Lowry drove home the resulting short corner.