Ian Thompson and Brian Brinkley provided the highlights as Team England missed out on top spot by a single gold medal. 

Ian Thompson's marathon title, with a Commonwealth Games record time of 2:09:12, was the biggest highlight. Alan Pascoe won gold and silver in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay, and European indoor champion Geoff Capes won the first of two shot put gold medals. He would later be crowned the world's strongest man.

In the pool England found a new hero in Brian Brinkley who won an astonishing six medals. Gold came from the 200m butterfly, three silver from the 200m and 400m individual medley plus the 4×200 m freestyle relay, and two bronze in the 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay.