Join Abby Hook with a look back at Maidstone's win over Dartford in the Kent derby. Plus: We look at the history of swimming the English Channel as a new film shot in Kent is released.
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00:00 Good evening and welcome along to Invictus Sports, the only show on your TV dedicated
00:22 to wrapping up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Abbey Hooke and here's what to expect
00:26 on this Monday 18th March. Darts and stones, ruthless Kent Derby delivers
00:33 with one side seeing red. Fighting for Thanet, Kent Martial Arts Club
00:39 prepares for national tournaments. And making a splash, first British woman to
00:47 swim the channel celebrated in Kent made film. But first this evening a round up of the headlines
00:54 former Gillingham and Millwall defender Alan Walker has replaced Kevin Watson as manager
00:59 of Ashford United. The now former Nuts and Bolts boss was sacked
01:02 on Saturday after winning his final match with the club. Watson departs with the team
01:07 sitting 11th in the Esmeon South East table. Walker takes the job having not been in management
01:12 since 2010. He'll be assisted by ex-Dover coach Darren Hare who left Faversham earlier
01:17 this year. Next up for Ashford is a trip to Burgess Hill town tomorrow.
01:22 Now England legends have questioned a refereeing decision which led to England losing their
01:27 final Six Nations match at the weekend with Kent's Ben Earle at the centre of the controversy.
01:33 With just over a minute left to play, the former Tunbridge schoolboy was penalised for
01:37 a no-arms tackle which led to France's Thomas Ramos splitting the posts and finalising the
01:42 score at 33-31. Hugo Monnier and Johnny Wilkinson question the referee's call branding it a
01:49 soft decision that could have been another story on a different day. The win secured
01:53 France's second place finish in the final Six Nations table whilst England were third,
01:58 Ireland were this year's victors. Now the owner of a Watersporks Park near Sandwich
02:03 says there won't be any nightly raves despite being given permission to hold more evening
02:08 events. Wayne Cooper's White Mills Wake in Aqua Park won't be allowed to play music later
02:13 than 11pm and will only hold three events a year. You can see exactly what one of those
02:18 events looks like here. Residents have been complaining about the noise in previous years
02:23 with one saying it turned into a rave. Mr Cooper says the site will fully abide by the
02:29 rules this year and with the first event a European Watersport competition planned for
02:35 the end of June. Now it's time to take a look back at this weekend's football results.
02:41 Well, Steven Clements' Gillingham were back in action at Priestford hoping to strengthen
02:45 their chances of securing League Two play-offs against Grimsby Town. And it was all eyes
02:50 on the Kent Derby as Maidstone United headed to Princes Park where Adi Pernok was searching
02:55 for his first points as Dartford manager. Well, it was a Kent Derby this week in the
03:00 National League South with Dartford at home against none other than Maidstone. And kicking
03:07 off only two minutes in and Dartford started on the attack very early with Brandon Barzee
03:13 stopped only by a sliding challenge. Maidstone continued to pile on pressure as they worked
03:18 their way into the darts box again but it's a weak shot from new signing Matt Bentley
03:24 that goes straight to keeper Billy Terrell. Barzee showed some real skill cutting his
03:29 way past Tanger and Rhys Greenwich and the cross was just missed by Jordan Greenwich.
03:36 Later in extra time Liam Soule held the ball up on the edge of the box and played a careful
03:41 one-two with Tanger and that was a beautiful left footer right in front of the away fans
03:47 to see off a seesaw of a first half. Into the second half and Greenwich clears his line
03:53 and some quick thinking sent the ball up to Farley who goes one on one with Terrell and
03:58 they collide. Now that is an ugly challenge and Terrell sees red in more than one way.
04:05 And the Stones are still on the hunt for another. It's put through to Farley then to Rush who
04:10 got it across to Jeff D Tanger. That's a beautiful strike, first time to match his
04:15 recent scoring spree. Let's have a look at what this means for the National League Southsides.
04:21 Maidstone are still staying strong in sixth, Tonbridge just behind them in twelfth with
04:26 Dartford just squeaking above the relegation zone and it doesn't look good for Dover who
04:31 are in trouble. Only seven games left in the season and a lot of points to make up for.
04:36 Looking ahead this weekend sees Maidstone face Western Supermare, Dartford against Hemel
04:40 Hempstead and Dover Athletic against Farnborough all at home in Kent on Saturday. Back up the
04:46 pyramid to League Two, Gillingham drew one all against Grimsby Town and here's what
04:50 boss Stephen Clements had to say about their performance.
04:53 Obviously I'm very disappointed that we haven't won the game. I expected us to win the game
04:58 like I expect us to win every game and that's what we set out to do. But we haven't taken
05:05 our chances and that's not just having to go to the strikers, they've fallen to lots
05:09 of different players and we haven't put them away. And if you do that then you're going
05:14 to end up on the end of bad results or you're going to draw football matches.
05:18 And here is the table. As you can see it's extremely tight with only two points separating
05:23 seventh from eleventh. This weekend Gillingham head to face twelfth placed Morecambe who
05:28 could overtake the Gilles if they win. Down in the National League it is a much different
05:33 story for Ebsfleet who saw a foretooth thrashing of a ten man Gateshead side last Saturday.
05:41 Ebsfleet now sit in fifteenth keeping a pattern of mostly victories and it's an even tighter
05:47 race with only seven points between twelfth placed Dagenham and Redbridge and twenty third
05:52 placed Dorking Wanderers. Ebsfleet will head to face FC Halifax Town this weekend.
05:59 And finally in the Ipswemian League Chatham drew 1-1 with Hastings United, Margate lost
06:03 by three goals to Carshalton and Folkestone and Victor managed to see off Canvey Island.
06:09 The table is looking interesting. Chatham are still in second lagging just behind Hornchurch.
06:14 Folkestone are in seventeenth and Margate are treading just above that relegation line.
06:19 Tomorrow Folkestone face Chess Hunt and on Saturday Margate will go up against Enfield
06:23 Town and Chatham see Haringey Borough at home.
06:27 That's all for today's Football Roundup.
06:29 Finn McDermid with your Football Roundup there. But elsewhere it was a big weekend for our
06:34 rugby and hockey teams. Let's take a look now at those results.
06:40 Starting with the ice hockey, Victor Dynamo's dominated in their final league game of the
06:43 season. Beating Milton Kean's Thunder, head coach Karl Lennon scored his 100th assist
06:48 with the Moes.
06:50 Whilst in field hockey Holcombe Women's scored a crucial win over Barnes, setting up the
06:55 need to achieve just one more win this weekend to be promoted back to the premiership.
07:00 And in rugby Canterbury came from behind leading to a 33-19 win over Guernsey leaving them
07:06 seventh.
07:07 Tunbridge got the better of Wimbledon moving them to fourth and now Sevenoaks are ninth
07:10 after missing out to Worthing.
07:15 Now representing Kent on the national stage, Alchemy Martial Arts from Thanet will be heading
07:20 to London this weekend to compete at the All-Stars Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition.
07:25 With inclusivity at the core of their ethos, the club's boss Alan says he runs it on the
07:31 principle of no exclusion.
07:33 Well ahead of the tournament, Bartholomew caught up with Alan earlier.
07:36 Everyone's super confident. We're all training hard. All trying to iron out the mistakes
07:42 of previous competition years and just zoning in to focus on this weekend really.
07:48 Tell me a bit more about the approach to a tournament like this because they must kind
07:53 of come around in cycles. How early on are you starting the preparation?
07:56 A month beforehand we usually start to ramp up the training intensity a little bit and
08:02 start to focus on our games, our plan of action when we step on the mats at the competition.
08:09 Fantastic. And tell me a bit more about the format of this weekend then. Kind of who have
08:14 you got going in, what fighters are going in, which categories, that kind of thing.
08:18 We've got a huge mix of people. We've got people that have recently started training
08:23 with us no more than a couple of months in to seasoned veterans that have been on the
08:29 mats training with us for well over five years. So the game plan will be slightly different
08:33 depending on the experience levels of our athletes going in. But generally it's nothing
08:38 that the higher belt levels haven't seen and can help the beginners with. We have a huge
08:43 success rate whether it's seasoned veterans or complete beginners. We generally go up
08:47 to these competitions and come back with medals.
08:51 Absolutely. And you do have quite a variety of people, of ages, of backgrounds at the
08:56 club. Tell me a bit more about alchemy, martial arts, because you don't just do jiu-jitsu,
09:02 you do judo, mai tai as well, fighters of all ages as I've said there. Tell me what
09:07 a general week looks like at the club.
09:10 I've travelled around the world with my coach and trained at a variety of different gyms
09:15 in various different countries. We're trying to repeat that same kind of system really,
09:20 trying to bring something that is international level training back to the Thanet area. We
09:26 accommodate pretty much everybody from children to elderly people. Recently last year one
09:33 of our 60-year-old competitors from our HQ up in Gravesend was awarded his black belt
09:38 and he's 60 years old. So we believe that there's nobody too old, too young, any ability
09:45 to compete. I myself have two disabled children and I encourage them wholeheartedly to get
09:49 involved. My son, I'm hoping to get him to compete very soon as well. So yeah, we're
09:55 trying to be an all-inclusive gym, providing all forms of modern martial arts under one
10:01 roof.
10:02 Of course, and you talk a lot about, I've seen on your social media and elsewhere, that
10:05 you talk about being an open and inclusive gym and you mention there with your two children,
10:10 it must be quite a personal thing for you as well to have that kind of inclusive approach.
10:16 Absolutely, absolutely. Martial arts and specifically Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has completely transformed
10:22 my life, opened up pathways and opportunities that I never thought I would have experienced
10:27 without this art. So I'm just trying to provide that same thing, the same aspects that I feel
10:33 has helped me in life. I'm trying to pass that on and help pull people into their best
10:39 selves basically.
10:40 Back to this weekend, best of luck. What is your final words of wisdom for your competitors
10:46 who will be there in London this weekend?
10:48 To not think too much about the past or the future, just to try and pin yourself in the
10:51 present moment. Believe in your training that you've been doing for weeks and weeks leading
10:56 up to this competition. Believe in your coaches who believe in you. And ultimately, it's not
11:03 about winning or losing, it's about just getting yourself out there and testing yourself and
11:09 exploring outside your comfort zone, which I would say happens on and off the mats.
11:13 Well, Alan, thank you very much for joining us. Best of luck for this weekend.
11:18 Thank you very much.
11:20 Bartholomew speaking with Alan earlier today. Now it's time to head to a break, but don't
11:24 forget you can keep up to date with all the latest football news by reading Kent Online.
11:28 But did you also know you can have your weekly digest of non-league news from around the
11:33 county sent directly to your email inbox. Just search Kent Online email alerts and sign
11:38 up on the website for all the latest written transfer news, match reports and interviews.
11:42 And there's plenty more email alerts to choose from, including this one. All the latest Gillingham
11:46 news you can sign up online.
11:49 Well, time for that break now, but see you in just a few minutes for more sport news
11:54 from across the county.
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15:10 Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live here on KMTV.
15:14 Now it's time to remind you that you can keep up to date with all the latest sports news, interviews and features from here on Invicta Sport by heading over to our website kmtv.co.uk and just click over on that sports tab.
15:27 Videos like this one are at a talking football club in Thanet aimed at encouraging men to talk about their feelings whilst also enjoying a game of football. Take a look.
15:36 You might have heard of walking football, now here's talking football.
15:41 The beautiful game has a not so beautiful reputation for being overly macho with aggressive tackles and even more aggressive fans sometimes.
15:50 But does football need to start kicking from the other end?
15:55 The Talking Football Project's motto is 'Talk, Football, Talk' and it also describes their sessions.
16:00 Every week anywhere from 12 to 30 men will meet up at the AstroTurf pitch in Minster, gather around the centre circle and talk about their subject of the week. This week's was anxiety.
16:10 We come together as a group of men every week, we've got 40, 45 to 50 people which is at the moment on our sessions.
16:17 We get together every week, we talk, we play football, we talk some more.
16:21 The idea is to open up about how you're feeling, how you're doing, play a bit of football and hopefully then you should feel a bit better about yourself.
16:27 We have a continual support group, we run a WhatsApp group throughout the week where people can drop in and say I'm not feeling well, not feeling good, I'm unhappy about something or even if they're sharing good news, you know, just got a new job or something.
16:39 It's a continual support network, it's not just once, one hour a week, it's continual.
16:44 Afterwards each footballer in the circle will rate how they feel on a scale of 1 to 11. Some were higher up while others were lower but there was no judgement.
16:52 Then the football kicks off with an hour of 8 a side. I joined in for the last few minutes but failed to score any goals.
16:59 The match ended 6-5 but at the end of the day that wasn't the score that seemed to matter.
17:05 Afterwards the group gathers again and says their score, with the hope being that the number improved after the session.
17:12 When I was 20, 25, 30 nobody talked and now this sort of, you know, obviously there's plenty of other mental health sessions and programmes and courses, projects around these days, it's so important.
17:30 And I think the fact that it's highlighted regularly now on media, social media etc, I think it brings it to light.
17:39 With statistics like 77% of men suffering from common mental health symptoms like anxiety, depression or stress, Minster FC decided to sponsor the project.
17:48 Talking Football also received a sponsorship from the mental health charity Rethink Mental Illness.
17:53 With a new era of mental health awareness, football as a whole might need to follow suit, starting in Thamet.
18:00 Finn McDermott for KMTV.
18:04 A new film made in Kent is bringing the spotlight back to the first British woman to swim the Channel nearly 100 years ago.
18:11 Mercedes Gletz made history in 1927 as she swam across one of the world's busiest shipping routes on her eighth attempt.
18:19 A feat managed by less people than the amount of people who have climbed Mount Everest.
18:24 Now the team behind Vindication Swim are hoping the film will bring her back to prominence.
18:29 Oliver Leder de Sacks went down to a screening in Sittingbourne to find out more.
18:33 A British icon almost lost to history, reborn on a screen here in Sittingbourne.
18:39 Nearly 100 years ago Mercedes Gletz became the first British woman to swim the English Channel, crossing from France to Folkestone.
18:48 Now a new film produced here in Kent aims to shine a light on an extraordinary trailblazer in open water swimming.
18:56 Well I'd never heard of Mercedes Gletz, I just stumbled across her story, it would have been about five years ago,
19:01 and I just thought it was a complete travesty that I hadn't heard of this woman.
19:04 I mean she is remarkable, what she did, you know, as a woman in that era, you know,
19:08 breaking down those boundaries and just going out there and achieving her dreams,
19:11 but also her battle against nature and everything, it was just so inspiring and I was just in awe of her right from the outset.
19:16 But bringing Gletz's life to the big screen wasn't easy.
19:21 The cold was a huge challenge and also the endurance, because sometimes I would stay in the water for up to four hours
19:27 so we could get the big drone shots, so just the monotony of swimming is quite gruelling.
19:33 That just made me understand how insanely strong Mercedes was, mentally as well as physically.
19:42 The first time we were out we experienced, it was a very rough day,
19:47 and the movement of the boat, the movement of this little rowing boat bobbing up and down,
19:53 caused everyone in the boat to be seasick, and there was a moment at that point where the director thought,
19:59 "Oh heck, how on earth are we going to do this?"
20:01 But despite these difficulties, aiming for authenticity and a low carbon footprint
20:07 was seen as crucial for keeping Gletz's legacy alive.
20:12 I sat down with Elliot right at the very beginning, we had a number of meetings about this,
20:17 and we used no single use of plastics in the making of the film.
20:20 We car-shared, we never made a new costume because of the environmental impact of clothing.
20:28 We did everything that we could to have an ESG compliant film, and I think we achieved that as well.
20:39 I think Mercedes would be very proud of Elliot and the team that has achieved that.
20:43 But what do audiences think?
20:45 Well I absolutely love the water, and I think for anybody who loves swimming,
20:50 this is the film to come and see. The sea is such an important character.
20:54 I thought the cinematography was amazing, the acting was amazing, and the story was really uplifting.
21:02 I just was completely shocked at how we'd never heard of her name before,
21:07 and we missed out on all the history books. What an incredible woman.
21:09 With audiences seemingly swayed, and Gletz having been inducted into the Swim England Hall of Fame
21:16 earlier this month, the sporting icon is finally getting the vindication she deserves.
21:22 Oliver Leeder-Lessat reporting for KMTV.
21:26 Incredible, but to coincide with the film's release, Swim England have introduced Mercedes to its Hall of Fame.
21:34 I caught up with Kent-based Philip Brownlee from Swim England earlier today to ask about that decision.
21:40 It felt like a really perfect moment, if you like, to do so.
21:44 It coincided with International Women's Day, and Mercedes was clearly a fantastic example
21:49 of an amazing woman who did an incredible feat all those years ago, back in the 1920s,
21:54 becoming the first female British lady to swim across the Channel.
21:58 So it felt like a perfect moment to mark that occasion.
22:02 It obviously coincided also with the launch of the film Vindication Swim,
22:05 sort of highlighting her achievements. So those all sort of factors came together
22:08 at the same time to mean it felt like the perfect moment to recognise her.
22:12 And there are some really huge names in the Hall of Fame for Swim England.
22:17 You've got Rebecca Adlington, Ellie Simmons, Joyce Cooper.
22:20 Quite a breadth of strong women in the sort of swimming sport, as a sport.
22:25 Yeah, absolutely. We're very lucky in swimming in that, you know,
22:30 there's been a range of fantastic women, and even to this day, you know,
22:33 swimming's more popular amongst women and girls than it is amongst boys and men.
22:36 So we have really great female participation at all levels,
22:39 which is something we're really proud of and want to encourage.
22:41 And obviously Mercedes, back in her day, was a trailblazer who sort of
22:44 leapt away, if you like, becoming the first woman to swim the Channel.
22:46 So yeah, it was brilliant to be able to mark her achievements amongst the many other
22:49 fantastic, brilliant women and girls we've got in the sport.
22:52 And talking about how popular it's becoming, and because of trailblazers like Mercedes,
22:57 a lot of people at the cinema hadn't actually heard of her before.
23:00 So how important is it to keep up with these sort of huge sporting moments in our past?
23:05 Yeah, absolutely. And to my shame, you know, I probably wasn't as familiar with
23:09 Mercedes Gleick as I should have been, because her achievements are absolutely incredible.
23:12 So yeah, it's always important to try and mark and celebrate and showcase,
23:16 you know, the amazing achievements of people from the past,
23:20 and also that are being done to this day. And we hope that that will inspire more people
23:24 to get involved in our sports and take up swimming, if it's just in their local pool,
23:27 rather than trying to swim across the Channel.
23:29 And swimming across the Channel, it's something that we see lots of people undertake,
23:34 lots of people want it to be something on their bucket list,
23:37 something, a sporting achievement. We can both recognise how huge it actually is.
23:42 Why do you think so many people see that as a goal to hit, especially, obviously, in swimming?
23:49 Well, I think it's so symbolic, isn't it? It's such a, you know, we see the Channel right on our doorsteps,
23:55 if you're in Kent, obviously, even closer than anywhere else in the country.
23:59 But yeah, I think it's just the challenge of it, isn't it? It's such a huge undertaking,
24:03 which is why it's so impressive when you see the feats of people who've done it
24:06 and continue to do it to this day. So I think that sense of sort of challenge
24:10 and pushing yourself is appealing to many people.
24:13 And also, thinking about, we were talking about endurance swimming and how difficult it is,
24:18 but also bringing it sort of wider, it all starts somewhere,
24:21 and it probably starts in your local pool as well.
24:23 How important is it to get young people into swimming, but giving them that access to it?
24:29 We're seeing free swimming being cut in certain parts of Kent here in Medway.
24:34 How important is it that that access is still there?
24:37 Oh, it's absolutely crucial. You know, swimming has so many benefits
24:41 for people's physical health, people's mental health, just that sense of fun,
24:46 having time for families to bond over. So it's absolutely crucial.
24:48 And yes, we've been talking about Mercedes-Benz Glide
24:50 and the fantastic things of swimming on the channel, but for most people,
24:53 quite rightly, it is about that local community pool they're going to go to
24:56 with their friends, with their family, and have that good quality time
24:58 and learn that vital life-saving skill. So it's absolutely crucial that we see
25:02 those pools remain there for communities to use and be able to afford to access.
25:05 So yeah, a real concern is the future of facilities up and down the country,
25:09 including Kent. So it's vital that pools get the support they need
25:12 so that they can be there for the next generation of swimmers,
25:15 at whatever level, not necessarily those that are going to ever want
25:17 to try and swim the channel.
25:19 And if there are young girls watching this this evening and thinking
25:22 that this is something they want to get into, and I suppose Mercedes
25:25 has inspired them, how far do you think we've come? And how crucial is that
25:29 from when Mercedes was pushed back and not able to do it,
25:33 to then the achievement she overcome and where we are now?
25:36 Yeah, so Mercedes' achievements were incredible, weren't they,
25:38 at a time when she had to fight against so many social norms.
25:40 You'd like to think that the world's moved on a lot, but I'm sure, you know,
25:44 there are examples of barriers that particularly women and girls
25:46 still have to face across many levels of society.
25:48 So my words for any women and girls considering getting involved
25:52 would be absolutely find your local club, find your local pool,
25:55 get involved and enjoy the huge, huge benefits it will bring to your life.
26:00 Philip, thank you so much for speaking with us today.
26:03 Really, really interesting discussion.
26:05 Brilliant. Thanks, Abby.
26:07 I tell you what, if Action Replay was around in 1927,
26:11 Mercedes would definitely feature of it.
26:13 If you're thinking of swimming the channel,
26:14 then you might want to appear in this week's Action Replay.
26:17 It's the segment where we feature pictures and videos of you,
26:20 the KMTV audience, taking part in sport.
26:22 Whatever it is you do, we'll show it here.
26:25 Just tag us over on social media @kmtvken
26:28 or send an email over to sport@kmtv.co.uk.
26:31 There's some of my slightly dodgy snowboarding skills there.
26:36 Well, that's all we've got time for on tonight's episode of Invictus Sport.
26:42 We'll be back again on Friday with a brand new episode.
26:45 I'll see you again soon. Bye-bye.
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