Home Nations at the Commonwealth Games

Home Nations Commonwealth Games Medallists

The Home Nations have a proud wrestling heritage at the Commonwealth Games. Edward Melrose was the first gold medallist, back in 1934. And for 20 years, Scotland could proudly boast Britain’s only Commonwealth Games wrestling gold medal – until Kenneth Richmond did it for England in 1954.

Up until 2010, three more Englishmen won gold at the Commonwealth Games: Tony Buck in 1962, Brian Aspen in 1982, and Noel Loban in 1986. Then in Delhi, in 2010, Myroslav Dykun (born in the Ukraine, but with naturalised citizenship and wrestling for England,) won gold in the 66kg Greco-Roman event.

Bantamweight Brian Aspen came from a family steeped in Commonwealth Games wrestling history. He won a bronze four years before his gold medal glory and another bronze four years after, to emulate the achievements of his dad, Albert, who, though never managing top place on the medal podium – like his son, won medals at three successive Commonwealth Games between 1958 and 1966, all bronze in the Featherweight (62Kg) division.

The Aspens won six of England’s tally of 54 medals since the first ever ‘Commonwealths’ took place in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1930.

In that year, England won six silver medals and added another five silver and a bronze when the Games were held in London, in 1934. Joseph Reid and Stanley Bissell won medals at both – Bissell both silvers, Reid a bronze in ’34, following his silver four years earlier. Scotland won two bronze medals in ’34, and then just the one bronze four years later in Sydney, when England had a disappointing campaign by previous standards, picking up just two bronze.

Two bronze was also all the English had to show for their efforts in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1950, the first Games after The War – but one of them won by Richmond, who then went on to win England’s first-ever gold in Vancouver four years, later in the heavyweight division. England also won a silver and a bronze that year, and four years later, when Cardiff hosted the Games, it was just the two bronze, while the Scots came home with two silver medals.

Buck’s gold in Perth, Australia, in 1962 was one of five medals for England, including a silver and three bronze medals, including a second in succession for Bert Aspen, while Scotland took bronze, and then just the one silver in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1966, while England again had to settle for two bronze – including a third and final one for Bert, now 32.

Between 1970 and 1978 England and Scotland picked up four silver and 11 bronze medals between them. One of those English bronze medalists in 1978 was Aspen Junior, who at just 19 – was following his father’s footsteps onto the medal podium. He won bronze as a featherweight, before dropping down a division, and winning bantamweight gold in Brisbane in 1982, and then bronze four years later.

At the Edinburgh Games of 1986, Noel Loban won England’s fourth gold medal, as a light heavyweight. With no wrestling at the 1990 Games, Noel returned in 1994 as a heavyweight and won one of three English silver medals. England also won the single bronze, while the Scots added two bronze medals to the two bronze and a silver they won in Edinburgh eight years earlier.

Wrestling did not feature at the Kuala Lumpur Games in 1998, and though the 2002 Games were in GB wrestling territory in Manchester, all home nations finished empty-handed.

Once again, wrestling missed out at the Melbourne Games, but when India won the right to host the 2010 event in Delhi, organisers did not hesitate to put this most ancient of sports back on the agenda.

England brought back four medals from Delhi in 2010. Myroslav Dykun’s gold (66kg) and Terrence Bosson’s silver (60kg) both in Greco-Roman and two Freestyle bronze medals – by Leon Rattigan (96kg) and Sasha Madyarchyk (60kg).

Scotland once again hosted the Games in 2014, this time Glasgow. Where Craig Pilling (FS57kg) won Wales’ first Commonwealth medal, England came back south with five medals Silver for Yana Rattigan (WW48kg) and Bronze for Mike Grundy (FS74kg). Louisa Porogovska (WW55kg), Chinu Singh (FS125kg) and Leon Rattigan (FS97kg). Scotland won two home Games Bronze medals through Alex Gladkov (FS65kg) and Viorel Etko (FS61kg).

In 2018, everyone travelled to the Gold Coast of Australia for the Games where the Home Nations returned with five medals. Wales doubled their haul from the previous Games with Kane Charig (FS65kg) winning Silver and Curtis Dodge (FS74kg) Bronze. England would return with three Bronze medals for Georgina Nelthorpe (WW76kg), Charlie Bowling (FS65kg) and Syerus Eslami (FS86kg)

In 2022 England won another 3 Bronze medals, for George Ramm (FS65kg) Mandhir Kooner (FS125kg) and Georgina Nelthorpe (WW76kg) repeating from Gold Coast, at their home games in Birmingham unfortunately Wales and Scotland weren’t able to secure medals and Northern Ireland was not represented. Following the Games in Birmingham the Commonwealth Games Federation and Victoria 2026 announced the sports programme and unfortunately, Wrestling is not scheduled to feature.

Full list of Commonwealth Medallists

The table below lists all Home Nations Commonwealth Games Wrestling medallists.

Name	Country	Games	Category	Medal
Harry Johnson	ENG	1930, Hamilton, Canada	FS Welterweight	Silver
Albert Sangwine	ENG	1930, Hamilton, Canada	FS Heavyweight	Silver
Edgar Bacon	ENG	1930, Hamilton, Canada	FS Light Heavyweight	Silver
Joseph Reid	ENG	1930, Hamilton, Canada	FS Bantamweight	Silver
Stanley Bissell	ENG	1930, Hamilton, Canada	FS Middleweight	Silver
Harold Angus	ENG	1930, Hamilton, Canada	FS Lightweight	Silver
Joseph Reid	ENG	1934, London, England	FS Bantamweight	Bronze
Stanley Bissell	ENG	1934, London, England	FS Middleweight	Silver
Bernard Rowe	ENG	1934, London, England	FS Light Heavyweight	Silver
William Fox	ENG	1934, London, England	FS Welterweight	Silver
G E North	ENG	1934, London, England	FS Lightweight	Silver
Archie Dudgeon	SCO	1934, London, England	FS Heavyweight	Bronze
Edward Melrose	SCO	1934, London, England	FS Bantamweight	Gold
Robert Harcus	SCO	1934, London, England	FS Middleweight	Bronze
Joe Nelson	ENG	1934, London, England	FS Featherweight	Silver
Murdoch White	SCO	1934, London, England	FS Featherweight	Bronze
Leslie Jeffers	ENG	1938, Sydney, Australia	FS Middleweight	Bronze
Thomas Ward	SCO	1938, Sydney, Australia	FS Light Heavyweight	Bronze
Ray Cazaux	ENG	1938, Sydney, Australia	FS Bantamweight	Bronze
Roy Purchase	ENG	1938, Sydney, Australia	FS Featherweight	Gold
Kenneth Richmond	ENG	1950, Auckland, New Zealand	FS Heavyweight	Bronze
Arnold Parsons	ENG	1950, Auckland, New Zealand	FS Featherweight	Bronze
Kenneth Richmond	ENG	1954, Vancouver, Canada	FS Heavyweight	Gold
Harry Kendall	ENG	1954, Vancouver, Canada	FS Middleweight	Bronze
Herb Hall	ENG	1954, Vancouver, Canada	FS Featherweight	Silver
Ray Myland	ENG	1954, Vancouver, Canada	FS Middleweight	Bronze
Ray Myland	ENG	1958, Cardiff, Wales	FS Middleweight	Bronze
Alastair Duncan	SCO	1958, Cardiff, Wales	FS Lightweight	Silver
George Farquhar	SCO	1958, Cardiff, Wales	FS Middleweight	Silver
Albert Aspen	ENG	1958, Cardiff, Wales	FS Featherweight	Bronze
Denis McNamara	ENG	1962, Perth, Australia	FS Super Heavyweight	Bronze
Albert Aspen	ENG	1962, Perth, Australia	FS Featherweight	Bronze
Walter Pilling	ENG	1962, Perth, Australia	FS Bantamweight	Silver
James Turnbull	SCO	1962, Perth, Australia	FS Bantamweight	Bronze
Len Allen	ENG	1962, Perth, Australia	FS Welterweight	Bronze
Tony Buck	ENG	1962, Perth, Australia	FS Light Heavyweight	Gold
Denis McNamara	ENG	1966, Kingston, Jamaica	FS Super Heavyweight	Bronze
Albert Aspen	ENG	1966, Kingston, Jamaica	FS Featherweight	Bronze
Wallace Booth	SCO	1966, Kingston, Jamaica	FS Light Heavyweight	Silver
Denis McNamara	ENG	1970, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Super Heavyweight	Bronze
Don Urquhart	SCO	1970, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Light flyweight	Bronze
Terence Robinson	ENG	1970, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Bantamweight	Bronze
Ron Grinsted	ENG	1970, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Middleweight	Bronze
Ian Duncan	SCO	1974, Christchurch, New Zealand	FS Heavyweight	Bronze
Tony Shacklady	ENG	1974, Christchurch, New Zealand	FS Welterweight	Silver
Maurice Allan	SCO	1974, Christchurch, New Zealand	FS Light Heavyweight	Bronze
Amrik Singh	ENG	1974, Christchurch, New Zealand	FS Bantamweight	Silver
Joe Gilligan	ENG	1974, Christchurch, New Zealand	FS Lightweight	Silver
Amrik Singh	ENG	1978, Edmonton, Canada	FS Bantamweight	Bronze
Joe Gilligan	ENG	1978, Edmonton, Canada	FS Lightweight	Silver
Brian Aspen	ENG	1978, Edmonton, Canada	FS Featherweight	Bronze
Keith Hayward	ENG	1978, Edmonton, Canada	FS Welterweight	Bronze
Mark Dunbar	ENG	1978, Edmonton, Canada	FS Light flyweight	Bronze
Albert Patrick	SCO	1978, Edmonton, Canada	FS Super Heavyweight	Silver
Brian Aspen	ENG	1982, Brisbane, Australia	FS Bantamweight	Gold
Albert Patrick	SCO	1982, Brisbane, Australia	FS Super Heavyweight	Bronze
Brian Aspen	ENG	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Bantamweight	Bronze
Albert Patrick	SCO	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Super Heavyweight	Silver
Anthony Bell	ENG	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Middleweight	Bronze
David Connelly	SCO	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Light flyweight	Bronze
David Kilpin	ENG	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Heavyweight	Bronze
Duncan Burns	ENG	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Light flyweight	Silver
Fitzlloyd Walker	ENG	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Welterweight	Bronze
Keith Peach	ENG	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Super Heavyweight	Bronze
Nigel Donahue	ENG	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Flyweight	Bronze
Stephen Cooper	ENG	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Lightweight	Bronze
Noel Loban	ENG	1986, Edinburgh, Scotland	FS Light Heavyweight	Gold
Noel Loban	ENG	1994, Victoria, Canada	FS Heavyweight	Silver
Graeme English	SCO	1994, Victoria, Canada	FS Light Heavyweight	Bronze
Amarjit Singh	ENG	1994, Victoria, Canada	FS Super Heavyweight	Bronze
Andrew Hutchinson	ENG	1994, Victoria, Canada	FS Flyweight	Silver
Calum McNeil	SCO	1994, Victoria, Canada	FS Welterweight	Bronze
John Melling	ENG	1994, Victoria, Canada	FS Featherweight	Silver
Myroslav Dykun	ENG	2010, Delhi, India	GR 66	Gold
Sasha Madyarchyk	ENG	2010, Delhi, India	FS Featherweight	Bronze
Terence Bosson	ENG	2010, Delhi, India	GR 60	Silver
Leon Rattigan	ENG	2010, Delhi, India	FS Heavyweight	Bronze
Leon Rattigan	ENG	2014, Glasgow, Scotland	FS Heavyweight	Bronze
Alex Gladkov	SCO	2014, Glasgow, Scotland	FS Lightweight	Bronze
Chinu XXX – Chinu Singh	ENG	2014, Glasgow, Scotland	FS Super Heavyweight	Bronze
Craig Pilling	WAL	2014, Glasgow, Scotland	FS Bantamweight	Bronze
Louisa Porogovska	ENG	2014, Glasgow, Scotland	WW 55	Bronze
Mike Grundy	ENG	2014, Glasgow, Scotland	FS Welterweight	Bronze
Viorel Etko	SCO	2014, Glasgow, Scotland	FS Featherweight	Bronze
Yana Rattigan	ENG	2014, Glasgow, Scotland	WW 48	Silver
Charlie Bowling	ENG	2018, Gold Coast, Australia	FS Lightweight	Bronze
Curtis Dodge	WAL	2018, Gold Coast, Australia	FS Welterweight	Bronze
Georgina Nelthorpe	ENG	2018, Gold Coast, Australia	WW 76	Bronze
Kane Charig	WAL	2018, Gold Coast, Australia	FS Lightweight	Silver
Syerus Eslami	ENG	2018, Gold Coast, Australia	FS Middleweight	Bronze
George Ramm	ENG	2022, Birmingham, England	FS Lightweight	Bronze
Mandhir Kooner	ENG	2022, Birmingham, England	FS Heavyweight	Bronze
Georgina Nelthorpe	ENG	2022, Birmingham, England	WW 76	Bronze