IT WAS the greatest sporting extravaganza this country has ever seen -- and it was right on our doorstep writes Dean Kirby

But after 11 days of non-stop excitement Manchester's Commonwealth Games finally had to come to an end.

It finished with a fusillade of 1,600 fireworks and an emotional party that people will still be talking about long after the athletes have left.

The Queen closed the Games in a colourful but rain-soaked ceremony at the City of Manchester Stadium.

She watched from beneath an umbrella as 800 children painted a 120-feet wide portrait of her on a swathe of shimmering fabric.

It was to be the start of a two-hour party in a place that has been the focal point for hundreds of individual celebrations during the past two weeks.

Around 4,500 athletes from 72 Commonwealth countries joined in the celebrations and one billion people watched around the world.

It was an emotionally-charged day for the Queen, whose mother would have been celebrating her 102nd birthday. Among the performers entertaining the 38,000 people lucky enough to get seats were Pop Idol's Will Young, former Eurythmics star Dave Stewart and reggae veteran Jimmy Cliff. They were supported by singers Heather Small, Ms Dynamite and Beverley Knight and the hit band Toploader.

Coronation Street stars Steve Arnold and Tracy Shaw, who play Ashley and Maxine Peacock, arrived in one of 40 Morris Minors.

They became the centre of a Busby Berkeley-style song and dance showpiece before the final party hosted by rapper Grand Master Flash began.

Competitors chosen from each of the Commonwealth nations formed a parade around the stadium as a 300-strong brass band played on.

And Australian singer Vanessa Amorrosi also sang to mark the handover of the Games to her home town of Melbourne, the hosts in 2006.

More than 2,000 children also took part in a spectacular presentation with lights and lanterns.

They formed a giant tableaux representing the religions of the world and then spelt the words "Seek Peace" in vast letters on the arena floor.

In officially closing the Games, the Queen called on the athletes to assemble again four years from now in Melbourne and to continue displaying the "friendship" they had shown in Manchester.

The Queen was presented with a special Golden Jubilee card by 16-year-old Martina Gumbs, from Gorton.

Her grandmother Josephine, who died last year, was one of the founders of the Moss Side carnival and shared the Queen's birthday.

Meanwhile, Manchester 2002 chairman Charles Allen told the thousands in the stadium that the last 11 days had seen "an extraordinary chapter" in the history of the Commonwealth Games and of Manchester.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of my team, who have created the biggest and most successful multi-sport event ever held in Britain," he said.

A very wet Tony and Cherie Blair braved the rain as they watched the closing ceremony.

The Prime Minister's wife huddled under a plastic rain mac as the pair applauded soaking wet entertainers.

They were expected to fly out to the South of France tomorrow after a rainy four days in Cumbria.

Officials and statesmen were unstinting in their praise for Manchester's organising of the games in the face of some initial scepticism - and jokes about the weather.

Michael Fennell, chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation, called them "superbly organised". Steve Bracks, premier of Victoria, which will host the 2006 Games in Melbourne, spoke of a "marvellous spectacle".

During the ceremony, a special award for an athlete making an outstanding contribution to the tournament was also presented during the ceremony.

It was handed to 18-year-old South African swimmer Natalie du Toit.

Despite losing a leg in an horrific moped accident in February last year, she won gold in both the 50m and 100m freestyle multi-disability events.

She also reached the final of the 800 metres freestyle in the able-bodied competition.

In the party that followed nearly 40,000 balloons were released in the stadium as 500 of the Games' 10,000 volunteers took to the floor.

The night ended with a dazzling firework display that could be seen from Bolton and beyond.

All the reluctant crowd could do afterwards was pop their last few party balloons and go home. But as they drifted away from the stadium they realised it would be a night that they would never forget.

Wales could make a bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, it was revealed today.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan is looking to set up a taskforce to see if a Welsh bid would be viable following the success of the Manchester event.

"There is no reason why we shouldn't look at hosting the 2014 Games," he said.