Join Bartholomew Hall with a look back at the weekend's sporting action across Kent including the first T20 Blast matches to be played at Canterbury this season. PLUS: We delve into the re-emerging world of Speedway.
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00:00 Hello and welcome along to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:18 up all of Kent's sporting action.
00:20 I'm Bartholomew Hall and here's what to expect on this Monday the 10th of June.
00:26 Back with a blast, T20 returns to Canterbury as Kent faces another mixed weekend.
00:32 Goal in a hole, we try out the rising sport of footgolf in Tunbridge Wells and speeding
00:39 back to the front, Kent's Speedway team re-emerges as the sport finds its wheels again
00:43 in the county.
00:44 But first, as always, we start with a round-up of the headlines, where Jake Hill has claimed
00:49 another double-winning weekend in a row, all thanks to a post-race penalty for on-the-road
00:54 winner Tom Ingram.
00:56 The Platte-Seath racer became the first treble winner of the season with the victory in the
01:00 opener, then after passing the chequered flag first, Ingram was later demoted to third after
01:05 gaining an unfair advantage in an earlier incident.
01:09 The weekend's events leaves the Kent driver in second place in the championship, just
01:13 five points from defending title holder Ash Sutton.
01:18 A Kent teenager is heading to Germany after securing a three-year deal to play professional
01:22 basketball with BC Bremerhaven.
01:26 Turner School's sixth-form pupil Kal-El Davies has been dedicated to the sport from a young
01:32 age, having also played for Saints Basketball Folkestone since he was a junior.
01:36 The 18-year-old from Ashford progressed his skills as part of the school's Folkestone
01:40 Basketball Academy, which is run by Mark Hinton, and the Sports Trust, where he played, coached
01:45 and was also an ambassador.
01:48 Moving on to some football news, former Gilligan captain Stuart O'Keefe has agreed to join
01:53 Chatham Town in what's been described as a major coup for the Medway club.
01:57 The experienced midfielder arrives at the Boval Stadium ahead of the 24-25 Intermediate
02:02 Premier League season after a campaign with Aldershot.
02:05 The 33-year-old left the league to Gills last summer after four years at the club, where
02:09 he helped them claim back-to-back top ten league finishes in League One.
02:14 It comes after ex-Gills midfielder and Chats captain Jack Evans has also agreed to remain
02:19 for the next year.
02:22 Ramsgate have appointed Tony Russell as their new manager and Joe Vines as his assistant.
02:27 It comes after former manager Ben Smith left the club after having missed out on a promotion
02:31 to the Yidsmian Premiership.
02:33 It's understood Russell, you can see here, turned down three other offers before accepting
02:38 one from Ramsgate, citing the club's work in the community as one of the main things
02:42 that drew him to the role.
02:45 He is talking about what this opportunity means for him and his plans for Ramsgate.
02:49 "I had four offers in the summer and I met them and for whatever reason didn't think
02:54 that was the right one.
02:55 I don't want to just bounce around, I kind of want to stay somewhere and build and grow
02:59 and I think trying to find a club that was going to match that, that if you grow they
03:03 grow with you.
03:04 The work they do away from, for their community is outstanding and I don't think people realise
03:08 it.
03:09 I mean they're feeding families in the area, food banks etc, providing laptops for kids
03:15 and underprivileged kids to do their own work, teaching kids to ride a bike and supporting
03:21 that and swimming lessons and giving out hours and hours of free sessions on the pitch.
03:26 They're the things I'm actually as excited about as the football side.
03:29 I said to James I'd love to be a part of that.
03:31 I'm actually delighted to be here, I really am.
03:33 So I'm excited about it."
03:36 Now don't forget, even in the off-season you can keep up to date with all the latest football
03:39 news by heading to Kent Online.
03:41 But did you also know you can have your weekly digest of non-league news from around the
03:45 county sent directly to your email inbox.
03:49 Just search Kent Online email alerts and sign up on the website for all the latest written
03:52 transfer news, match reports and interviews.
03:54 There's plenty of others to choose from too, including all the latest Gilles news.
03:59 Just head, as I said, to Kent Online email alerts and sign up for the ones that you want.
04:04 Now let's take a look back at this weekend's cricket as the T20 blast made its return to
04:08 Canterbury for Kent's third and fourth fixtures of the season so far.
04:12 It turned out to be quite a mixed bag for Kent after taking on both Somerset on Friday
04:16 and Middlesex on Sunday.
04:19 But for T20 captain Sam Billings, it was a day to remember as the wicketkeeper scored
04:23 his first ever ton in the limited overs series.
04:26 I have everything you need to know in our round-up.
04:30 As the sun began to set and the music started roaring, the T20 blast finally landed in Canterbury
04:36 for this season and none other than the current champions arrived to continue their title
04:41 defence against Kent.
04:43 The Spitfires won the toss and decided Somerset should bat first.
04:46 Will Smead led the visitors' inning, sending a total of 68 from 30 balls, whilst Tom Holler-Cadmore
04:52 was their second highest scorer at 42.
04:55 Kent's hat-trick hero from the series opener a week earlier, Matt Parkinson, took two wickets
04:59 this time for 36 runs, whilst England international Zach Crawley took four catches.
05:05 Somerset ended their 20 overs with 197 for six.
05:09 After the break, home-grown Crawley couldn't quite repeat his heroics during the first
05:13 innings as the opener went for a duck off a Craig Overton delivery.
05:17 The same bowler then went on to dismiss Daniel Beldrumman for just three runs, before taking
05:21 to Wunder Mawaiye as his third wicket of the day.
05:24 With just 23 runs scored and four wickets down by the time Marcus O'Riordan was dismissed,
05:29 questions were starting to be asked about Kent's ability to claim a first home win of
05:34 the season.
05:35 Next up, T20 captain Sam Billings found a brilliant partnership with Joe Denley as the
05:40 pair dragged Kent back into contention, with the former achieving his first ever century
05:45 in the blast in the 18th over, and the newly made father celebrated with a baby rocking
05:49 motion.
05:50 But as Billings was caught by Dixon on the boundary, Everson cut Wunder Mawaiye's first
05:55 ball of the last over for four, as they scrambled two off the next to secure a stunning win
06:00 for Kent by six wickets.
06:02 Awesome win, obviously against the champions as well, they're a great side.
06:06 But yeah, just great to get over the line and what a start to our home campaign here
06:11 at Canterbury.
06:13 If we play and stick to how we play, we're a really good side, we know that.
06:20 But it's not taking it for granted, just keep on doing it.
06:25 Really looking forward to Sunday now.
06:27 On Sunday, a half century for Daniel Beldrumman against a fiery Middlesex wasn't enough for
06:31 the perfect weekend, with Kent posting 173 for eight.
06:35 The visitors couldn't be limited either, with Ryan Higgins taking the highest run score
06:39 at 44 and helping Middlesex to a four wicket win.
06:43 Yeah, it was a tricky one, in a few points I think it went wrong.
06:47 We got off to a really good start and then they bowled very well throughout the middle.
06:51 And yeah, made it tricky for us, pace off as well, used wicket.
06:55 So we still thought 170 would be above par, but from one going at 12s, probably 11s before
07:03 that.
07:04 And yeah, hats off to them, they played well.
07:06 But yeah, it wasn't meant to be.
07:08 The result leaves Kent third in the South table with four points.
07:11 The Spitfires will head to Somerset for a reverse fixture this Friday before hosting
07:15 Gloucestershire on Sunday.
07:18 Summer's definitely arrived, hasn't it?
07:21 We'll have more round-ups throughout the T20 Blast season as it progresses.
07:25 Now moving on, as you can see, one sport which has only recently been classified as one,
07:30 footgolf is rising in popularity here in Kent.
07:33 Now as the name suggests, it's a combination of both football and golf, and it's got quite
07:39 a unique style, merging those two well-known sports.
07:43 The centre in Tunbridge is open for all to try and test their skills out on the course.
07:47 We sent our production assistants down to give it a go.
07:50 Here's Tony.
07:52 With summer in full swing and the Euros around the corner, I'm here in Tunbridge at the Footgolf
07:57 Centre with the other PAs to see how the game works.
08:00 So let's give it a go and let's see if I can bend it like Beckham.
08:04 Footgolf is the combination of football and golf.
08:06 How the game works, it is a nine-hole or 18-hole course, as in golf, and you have to kick the
08:11 ball into the hole within a certain amount of shots, like golf, and the winner is determined
08:15 by the player who took the fewest shots to win.
08:17 The centre here in Tunbridge created footgolf around five years ago, and manager Harry Knox
08:22 believes the sport is great and gives the opportunity for everyone to get outside and
08:25 enjoy learning a bit about golf and playing football.
08:28 Yeah, so the range has been there about 20 years.
08:31 I think the football's been going about five years now, so it's probably really picked
08:34 up since COVID times, roughly three and a half years ago.
08:38 Yeah, it's just great for all the kids to get out of the house, especially during that
08:42 time when people were stuck in their houses.
08:44 It's an entirely new sport.
08:45 I think as far as sports go, most sports have been around years and years.
08:50 So this one, I think it was created in 2008, so it's all new.
08:53 I think it got official status as a sport.
08:57 The popularity of the sport has increased over the past few years as it combines two
09:00 of the largest sports in the world, followed by millions, and the nature of the sport makes
09:04 it so unique as it's fun and challenging for all.
09:08 With its following spreading, footgolf is attracting those with or without a sporting
09:12 background to try it out, and the popularity at the centre here has definitely increased.
09:16 I mean, there's a lot of things in football that, you know, speed, fitness, where you
09:23 don't have that in football.
09:24 So it's a nice casual day out.
09:26 When you're kicking the ball, it's the same technique, but yeah, it's a lot more casual
09:29 than real soccer.
09:31 It's a technical game.
09:32 It can fluctuate a lot.
09:33 I'd say the first few shots doesn't matter much, but when you come to the hole, the putting's
09:38 the biggest factor, I'd say.
09:40 When you get close to the hole, just don't go for too much, because we've had quite a
09:43 few blunders today.
09:44 It's like, we've seen like seven on there, when it should be a three-par.
09:49 The production assistants and I also got into a game, and there were definitely highs and
09:53 lows in our game, with some of our shots going way up in the sky.
09:57 Yeah.
09:58 Yeah.
09:59 Oh.
10:00 And some not even able to leave the ground.
10:01 That's actually decent.
10:02 That's where you want it.
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10:38 Even some of our shots ended up in the pond.
10:41 We clearly weren't the best at this.
10:47 However, it did go down to the wire with a score so close between the three of us, and
10:52 I managed to win on the final hole, ending the game with a final score of minus one.
10:57 Now, I may not be the next Ronaldo or a young Tiger Woods, but the centre here in Tunbridge
11:03 is open for all to try out footgolf.
11:05 Now, let's see if you can do better than we did.
11:07 Tony Muzanichita, kicking out for KMTV.
11:10 Well, if nothing else, it certainly looks like a fun one.
11:15 Well, we've reached half time on today's episode, but it's time for a break.
11:18 Coming up, a lesser known motorsport now, Speedway is re-emerging in Kent.
11:22 After a short hiatus, the Kent Kings Speedway team are progressing through their 2024 season.
11:28 And before we head along with them this weekend, I've been speaking with their team captain,
11:33 Rhys. Now, this weekend, they'll be taking on a team from the local area, but we'll be
11:39 following them through the season as it continues.
11:41 That and plenty more after this break.
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15:11 Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV. Now, it's time to remind you that you can keep up to date with all the latest sports news, interviews and features from right here on Invicta Sport by heading over to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
15:23 And if you're new here, click on the sports tab because there you'll see videos like this one about a football club in Margate offering an innovative and competitive way for its members to lose weight.
15:35 Chipswich Town, FC Copenhagen-Darts, Eintracht Frankfurt, OB City, Margate Flandermann and Monster Munchen Gladbach. Yes, you are hearing me right. Man V Fat Football is a national organisation with 150 clubs around the country bringing in members who want to change their weight and their lives.
15:55 Before the 30-minute six-a-side matches, the players are weighed and goal bonuses are given to teams based on how much weight they've lost. The organisation also provides them with fitness tips and healthy recipe ideas.
16:06 And last season, one team, Olympic Mayonnaise, lost a total of 154 kilograms or 24 stone between the ten of them. This earned them the nomination for Team of the Year at the Man V Fat Football National Awards at the National Football Museum in Manchester.
16:22 Yeah, I mean obviously it was an honour. We've sort of done quite a lot outside of the sort of normal MVF things, you know, raising money. We raised about two and a half grand.
16:34 We had four lads turn up in an overweight health range and ended up in BMI. And yeah, we all sort of bonded as friends as well.
16:45 Even though the teams have reshuffled now, I'm part of a different team, so the rest of the lads, we're all still friends. The old group chat's still going and all the rest of it.
16:55 Margate's Man V Fat are up for ten of the twelve nominations, including the Most Active Member, Coach of the Year and Community Hero.
17:03 They also participated in the National One Million Steps Challenge for Diabetes UK, where they walked an average of 1.7 million steps each and raised £2,345 for the charity.
17:15 Olympic Mayonnaise's weight loss has also impacted their players' lives significantly.
17:19 Yeah, so when I first joined I was about 22 stone and since then I've lost three stone. Still got a bit to go, but as a process obviously it's helped me lose weight.
17:29 And along with the Monday nights that we normally do, we also have an 11-a-side team and a couple of days during the week we do social games as well.
17:39 So there's the opportunity for players to play up to four times a week, which is fantastic.
17:44 And our 11-a-side team this season entered the national tournament and managed to get to the semi-finals, so it's really positive in terms of competitive football going to another level in a way.
17:56 Talking to the community here, everyone describes it as friendly. And even though fouls are pretty common, the team reshuffling means everyone knows each other and is here to help one another on their weight loss journey.
18:06 Well, that was the end of Chipswitch Town versus Eintracht Frankfurt. Back to you in the studio.
18:13 Finn McDermid for KMTV.
18:15 I'm joined now by Adam Ratcliffe from The Project. Now, thank you so much for being here. Welcome onto the programme. Tell me how you first got involved with the Man vs Fat project.
18:26 Firstly, thank you for having me. I initially got involved in 2022 as a player myself in the league in Margate. So from there, I think I was a player for about three months, went through my own personal weight loss journey and then took over as coach from there onwards.
18:42 It's an incredible thing, isn't it? Because I think so many people think about maybe if they wanted to lose weight, but don't maybe have the motivation at the start to get into it. But something like this, attaching football, something that many people love playing anyway, to it, maybe helps kickstart that.
18:57 Yeah, definitely. I think a lot of us are probably we kind of have things like gym memberships and we keep meaning to go and we don't go and it's kind of it falls on us. But when you bring that kind of team mentality in place and you're not just doing it for you, but you're doing it for the guys in your team and you're supporting each other. I think that really clicks in and kind of drives us forward.
19:16 Now, we were talking earlier about foot golf. Well, a lesser known motor sport, Speedway, is finding its re-emergence here in Kent. After a short hiatus, the Kent Kings Speedway team are now progressing through their 2024 season. So far, they've seen a win against the Eastbourne Eagles and a loss against Thurrock, but are determined to keep racing and growing their fan base. Earlier, I spoke with the Kent Kings captain, Rhys Naylor, to learn more about the sport and the future of the team.
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20:37 And I'm joined by Rhys here now, captain of the Kent Kings Speedway team for this season. Rhys, thank you very much for joining us. I just wanted to start, I think Speedway has a very big following, but it's quite a niche sport. I was wondering if you could just kind of give us an overview of what Speedway is for some of those who maybe haven't heard of it before.
20:56 Yeah, that's fine. So Speedway is motorcycles with no brakes, 0-60 in ridiculous speeds, four people at a race, four laps over an oval circuit. Obviously, it's said no brakes, so you've got to be very brave.
21:14 Absolutely. And I wonder then, is that what kind of makes the difference between, you know, somebody that maybe doesn't get as far as you are now playing for the county?
21:24 Yeah, obviously, there's a big part of it. There are a lot of youngsters coming through that are pretty decent as well. But it's one of those things, people come, people try it, and sometimes it's not for them, or sometimes they're really good and progress on even further.
21:42 Kent have had a bit of an absent as of recent years. They were kind of here and they had a big following and then they kind of went away. And now it's being brought back up as of this season. How does it feel for you being a part of that resurgence for Kent?
21:55 Yeah, obviously, it is a massive part to play and I'm pleased that I'm playing a part and we've got a good team behind us. Obviously, it's good that Steve Ribbons has kept Speedway going at Kent and I look forward to what the future brings.
22:11 Absolutely. And I think the Kent Kings have had a fairly positive start to the season. Looking here, you had a great win over the Eastbourne Eagles. How have you felt about this, how you felt it's gone so far?
22:23 Yeah, obviously, first meeting we had a win, obviously, against the Eastbourne Eagles, which everyone didn't expect us to do, but we all pulled together and done as well as we could. Unfortunately, it wasn't the same result against Far Rock. But no, we'll crack on and try our best to do what we can. It's just the more time we spend on the bike, the better it'll be.
22:48 Absolutely. And no doubt together as well, the more time you spend with one another, you're building that camaraderie between you guys. Tell me, what is the dynamic between the team at the moment?
22:58 Yeah, obviously, I think we're quite a close bunch of guys that race together. I've been friends with Ben Morley, who's been in our team for 15, maybe 16 years. Sam Woods, I know very well. Jack Kingston, I know very well. We all kind of grew up together and started racing at the same time. So when it comes to our team bonding, we've got such a good bond and the spirit is always really good.
23:27 It's interesting you say that how many years you've been in racing and following this sport. I was wondering, how was it that you got into it? Was it always Speedway for you?
23:36 I used to go to watch a very long time ago when I was a child. And then obviously I was like, oh, I'd love to have a go. Had a go and then, yeah, kind of went from there. I had a brief break away from the sport from 2012 until two years ago, 2022, I decided to come back to the sport.
24:01 And I was wondering as well, with motorsport in general, I think people have their different reasons for getting into it. I've spoken to a lot of racing drivers before, you say it's that kind of addictive nature of some of the risk that's involved combined with the competitiveness of it. What is it for you that gets you going?
24:18 The adrenaline more than anything and just being competitive is like a real good atmosphere, especially when you're racing. Obviously, our team's pretty close knit. So when we're all racing together, we all get on very well. So it just makes it all worthwhile.
24:35 Absolutely. Now talk to me about this weekend. You're taking on a team from Rye House in a challenge match. What does a preparation look like for a challenge match?
24:44 It's the same as any other meeting, to be honest. We approach every meeting as it was the same meeting and that we need to win. So a lot of us are probably in the workshop sorting the bikes out, making sure everything's ready because most of the races are actually won in the workshop.
25:04 So the more time you spend on the bike, make sure everything's OK. You've got nothing to worry about on the actual day. Just then prepare yourself and make sure you're ready.
25:13 Absolutely. And for any spectators who are thinking of coming along, they've seen the videos of you guys and how exciting it looks. What can somebody expect from the day of coming along to a Camp Kings match?
25:25 Oh, yes. So hopefully everyone's enjoyed the video. They can expect some close racing, a good laugh, come and meet the riders before the meeting, have photos, have a look at the bike, ask questions. We're not scary. We all get on very well. We're all approachable. So any questions, anything you want to know, come and find us and come and have a chat.
25:50 Brilliant stuff. Well, best of luck for this weekend and we'll be following you along. So I'm sure this won't be the last time we'll be talking.
25:56 No, that'll be good.
25:58 Thank you very much. See you later.
26:01 And if you want to appear in this week's edition of Action Replay, just make sure you do send in your clips now. It's the segment where we feature pictures and videos of you, the KMTV audience, taking part in sport. Whatever it is you do, we'll show it right here on the programme.
26:15 Just tag us on social media @KMTVKent or send us an email along to sport@kmtv.co.uk. Just tell us what part of Kent you come from and what it is you do and you'll be here on the show.
26:28 Well, that's it. That's all the time on today's episode of Invicta Sport. If you want more from KMTV, you can head to our website and watch all of our other special programmes. We've got plenty on there for you to watch, all waiting on our on-demand page. Just head to kmtv.co.uk. We'll be back soon. Bye bye.
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