Team Scotland has smashed through the magic 34 to claim its best-ever haul of Commonwealth Games medals.

The Scots capped an amazing first six days of competition by claiming three more silvers and a bronze yesterday.

It brought the team's total to 37, four more than the 33 won at the 1986 Games in Edinburgh.

And it kept Scotland in fourth place in the medals table, ahead of more fancied nations like South Africa, New Zealand and India.

The record-breaking medal came from the unlikeliest of sources - the men's team gymnastics, Scotland's first ever Commonwealth medal in the sport.

The team included Liam Davie, from Carnbroe, Coatbridge, and his team mates Adam Cox, from Livingston, Dan Keatings, Dan Purvis and Frank Baines.

Jen McIntosh took silver in the women's 50m rifle three positions - her second medal of the games.

That was followed by the second medal for patriotic Scot Dan Wallace, who won silver in the 200m individual medley.

And as darkness fell at Hampden, Mark Dry took bronze in the hammer competition.

Scotland's First Minister described the medal haul as "phenomenal" and paid tribute to the home crowd which has spurred the sports men and women on since the Games kicked off last Thursday.

Alex Salmond said: "This fantastic achievement is testament to the hard work of the Team Scotland athletes, coaches and support staff, and their preparation and dedication is ­inspiring the whole nation.

"The team is surely among the best-prepared in history and the world has watched extraordinary performances from our athletes.

"That includes both established stars such as Euan Burton and Libby Clegg, and new stars such as judo sisters Kimberley and Louise Renicks and 13-year-old Erraid Davies.

"From day one Team Scotland has had the full backing of the home crowds. They have turned up in their thousands - cheering Team Scotland on to personal bests and a record number of medals.

"With half of the Games still to go it is very likely that Scotland's medal ­avalanche will continue."

Louise Martin, chair of sportscotland, thanked athletes for "a week to remember".

She said: "It has been an incredible effort by everyone involved with Team Scotland to have set a new record for Games medals by only the sixth day of competition.

"Our men gymnasts will go down in history as the athletes who delivered the record-breaking medal, but it has been a real team effort over many years.

"Thanks to the work done by experts at the sportscotland institute, the coaches and support staff, we knew that this was the best-ever prepared Team Scotland, for what is being increasingly recognised as the best-ever Games."

iain.lundy@ eveningtimes.co.uk