On today's show, we follow England fans as England take on Switzerland in the EURO 24 quarter finals and bump into Premier League manager Gary O'Neil who gives us his reaction...
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00:00Hello and welcome along to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:19up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Bartholomew Hall. Here is what to expect on this Monday,
00:25the 8th of July.
00:27To the semis, fans react to England's quarter-final clash against Switzerland. When it rains,
00:34it pours, a round-up of Kent's cricket weekend. And whizzing around, we try out Sittingbourne's
00:40new battle cart arena.
00:44But we start today as thousands across Kent watched on as England made it through to the
00:49semi-finals of this year's European Championships in Germany as they knock out Switzerland on
00:54penalties. It comes as bars and pubs across the county and elsewhere in the country will
00:59now be allowed to stay open later than usual this Wednesday when the Three Lions take on
01:03the Dutch for a spot in the final. I went down to the new Ballers Dome at Bluewater
01:08to watch on with some fans.
01:11It was the million pound kick. That is, of course, for owners of Kent's bars and pubs
01:16for who them, it meant that bums were guaranteed to be on the seats. As England face off this
01:21weekend against Switzerland for a spot in the final four of this year's Euros.
01:27As fans have come to expect by now, it was a pretty nervous affair as things got underway.
01:32But with pints in hand and eyes glued to the big screen, especially here at Bluewater's
01:37new football club, Ballers, that unrelenting hope of a Three Lions success just wouldn't
01:42go away.
01:44But was until the 75th minute when the opposition scored. Time continued to tick on. These fans
01:53were beginning to hope for another miracle. All of a sudden, England were back in it and
02:03heading to extra time for the second game in a row. However, a lacklustre 30 minutes
02:09in extra time meant the crowds around the screens started to double. Everyone wanted
02:13to get their eyes on, or off, of England facing penalties. Even the manager of Wolverhampton
02:19Wanderers, Gary O'Neill, he just happened to show up whilst our cameras were rolling.
02:24Four perfect kicks, one perfect save, and it all came down to one man. Trent Alexander
02:32Arnold stepped up to the mark and...
02:44I mean, you see me now, I need the airpods to calm down a bit. I know, unreal, unreal,
02:48great season football, fair play to Swiss, they gave it their all, but England on top
02:52as always.
02:53Didn't think they could do it, but they do it in the final minutes as usual, don't they?
02:58Yeah, they're probably going and winning now, I mean, you reckon? I don't know.
03:01You know, we've got some really good players and I thought that's how we should be looking.
03:04All the previous games didn't quite click like that. That's what I want to see.
03:08Do you think England can take it all the way to the finals now, maybe even a win?
03:11After today's game, definitely.
03:15Jubilation from the fans, but for the owners, England's success means guaranteed business
03:21once again for at least one more special night.
03:24Yeah, it's definitely a benefit. We love the atmosphere. We love people being in the dome.
03:28We like people celebrating when we win, obviously, and it's just a great feeling to win and go
03:35through to the next round.
03:37So as Gareth Southgate's squad stare down the chance to play in the final in Germany,
03:42hospitality bosses back here would say as far as the Euros are concerned, football has
03:47already come home. Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Bluewater.
03:52And after all the celebrations died down, we did manage to grab a quick interview with
03:56Gary O'Neill as he showed up there in Bluewater. Here's his reaction to England getting through
04:01on penalties.
04:03Yeah, pleased, obviously. Once it goes to penalties, you're never sure which way it's
04:07going to go, but five really good penalties. The boys look confident, so delighted to get
04:12through to the semi-finals and see who gets through and who we'll face.
04:16Yeah, definitely. Do you think they've kind of turned around the kind of attitude towards
04:19England now after that great game?
04:21I think the performance was better. I thought they looked comfortable, they looked confident.
04:28I fancied us to win today. I think with the players that we have, even when we don't perform
04:32well, we have a real good chance of winning the game. Yeah, it was an improved performance,
04:36so hopefully that continues into the semi-finals.
04:38And maybe even getting all the way still at this stage?
04:41Definitely. I think it's always been a chance of us going all the way. I think with the
04:45quality that we have, you see the subs we were able to make and the quality and depth
04:50that they have in that group always gives us a chance. So obviously the further on we
04:55get, the harder it's going to be against tough opposition, but yeah, we'll still have us
04:59as favourites.
05:01Well, a great sport there. Moving on now to another sport and cricket. Kent faced a double
05:06header this weekend in the T20 Blast as they took on Gloucestershire and title favourites
05:11Surrey. Our reporter Jack Darkin has the details about how Kent got on in their first game
05:16of the weekend.
05:18It was a double header for Kent this weekend in the Vitality T20 Blast. The first of their
05:23two games was an away tie against Gloucestershire. Kent batted first with Red Bull captain Daniel
05:29Beldrummond top scoring for the Spitfires, scoring 76 from just 52 balls. With the help
05:35of Daniel Beldrummond and an impressive cameo from Grant Stewart, scoring 21 off of just
05:4015 balls, Kent set Gloucestershire a target of 150 runs. And with the rain pouring in,
05:47Gloucestershire's innings was cut short, with Kent forced to defend a smaller total.
05:51But nevertheless, Kent's fast bowler Nathan Gilchrist saved the Spitfires by taking two
05:57in just one over to help Kent to victory. The Spitfires won by just eight runs by the
06:03DLS method.
06:05Well Jack, great win there for Kent, we love to see it. What can you tell us about the
06:09second match that was yesterday on Sunday?
06:11Well absolutely, yes. So coming off the back of this victory against Gloucestershire, Kent
06:15needed to win to mathematically keep their hopes alive of finishing in the top four of
06:20the Southern group. However, their second game of the weekend didn't quite go to script
06:24as Kent were narrowly defeated to top of the Southern table Surrey and many people's favourites
06:29to go on and win the whole tournament. Of course, whenever Kent play in the Blast it
06:33is always exciting and we can have a look to see how that match went down right now.
06:38Kent's second game of the weekend was another away tie to the Oval against top of the South
06:43group Surrey. This game wasn't a full length T20 fixture as it was reduced to just 10 over
06:49the side due to the torrential rain that we've all had over the last couple of days. With
06:54a star studded line-up of international cricketers from all around the world, Surrey batted first
06:59and scored 105 from their 10 overs, with Grant Stewart taking two for 24 from just his two
07:05overs. Despite their best efforts with the bat and an impressive 35 runs from just 19
07:11balls from Feroz Khushi, Kent fell just short, agonisingly losing out by just five runs by
07:17the DLS method.
07:18So yes, with that result against Surrey it makes it very unlikely now that Kent will
07:23be able to qualify for the top four and progress to the quarter finals. With just four games
07:27left to go in the group stage of the Blast, their next two games they're back-to-back
07:31fixtures against Essex and Sussex. So Kent will be hoping to end their T20 Blast season
07:36very strongly. However, it's not too long to wait now until the start of the 50 over
07:40games. It's the return of the Royal London One Day Cup. First game for Kent is the 26th
07:46of July against Somerset, away from home.
07:48Summer's not over yet, we'll be keeping a close eye. Thank you very much for those details
07:52Jack. Time to move on now, it's time to remind you that you can keep up to date with all
07:56the latest sports news, interviews and features from right here on Invictus Sport by heading
08:00over to our website kmtv.co.uk. When you get there, click on the sports tab and you'll
08:05see reports like this one about some of our reporters taking on an alternative method
08:10of playing golf.
08:12With summer in full swing and the Euros around the corner, I'm here in Tunbridge at the Foot
08:16Golf Centre with the other PAs to see how the game works. So, let's give it a go and
08:21let's see if I can bend it like Beckham.
08:23Foot golf is the combination of football and golf. How the game works, it is a 9-hole or
08:2818-hole course, as in golf, and you have to kick the ball into the hole within a certain
08:32amount of shots, like golf, and the winner is determined by the player who took the fewest
08:36shots to win. The centre here in Tunbridge created foot golf around five years ago and
08:40manager Harry Knox believes the sport is great and gives the opportunity for everyone
08:44to get outside and enjoy learning a bit about golf and playing football.
08:48Yeah, so the range has been here about 20 years. I think the foot golf's been going
08:52about five years now, so it's probably really picked up since COVID times, roughly three
08:57and a half years ago. Yeah, it's just great for all the kids to get out of the house,
09:01especially during that time when people were stuck in their houses. It's an entirely new
09:04sport. I think, as far as sports go, most sports have been around years and years, so
09:09this one, I think it was created in 2008, so it's all new. I think it got official
09:14status as a sport. The popularity of the sport has increased over the past few years as it
09:19combines two of the largest sports in the world, followed by millions, and the nature
09:23of the sport makes it so unique as it's fun and challenging for all. With its following
09:28spreading, foot golf is attracting those with or without a sporting background to try it
09:32out, and the popularity at the centre here has definitely increased.
09:37I mean, there's a lot of things in football that, you know, speed, fitness, where you
09:42don't have that in foot golf, so it's a nice casual day out. When you're kicking the ball,
09:46it's the same technique, but yeah, it's a lot more casual than real soccer.
09:50It's a technical game. It can fluctuate a lot. I'd say the first few shots doesn't matter
09:55much, but when you come to the hole, the putting's the biggest factor, I'd say. When you get
10:00close to the hole, just don't go for too much, because we've had quite a few blunders today.
10:05We've seen like seven on there, but it should be a three-part.
10:09The production assistants and I also got into a game, and there were definitely highs and
10:13lows in our game, with some of our shots going way up in the sky, and some not even able
10:20to leave the ground.
10:21That's actually decent. That's actually decent.
10:29Oh, missed it.
10:35Missed it.
10:39It's probably a mine now.
10:58Even some of our shots ended up in the pond.
11:05We clearly weren't the best at this. However, it did go down to the wire with a score so
11:09close between the three of us, and I managed to win on the final hole, ending the game
11:14with a final score of minus one.
11:18Now, I may not be the next Ronaldo or a young Tiger Woods, but the centre here in Tunbridge
11:22is open for all to try out footgolf. Now, let's see if you can do better than we did.
11:27Tony Muzanichita, kicking out for KMTV.
11:31Good stuff there from Toby and Co.
11:34Tony, rather, sorry.
11:35Time for a break now. When we come back, we'll be looking at a brand new karting experience
11:40in Sitting Born. It's a hybrid between your classic kart racing and video games, some
11:45of those classic video game racing games that you may have played on your consoles.
11:50Coming up just after this.
12:00Thanks for watching.
12:30.
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14:30.
14:35.
14:40.
14:45.
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14:55.
15:00.
15:05.
15:10Hello and welcome back to Invictus Sport Live on KMTV. Good to have you still with us.
15:15Now, a hybrid of video games and kart racing, Sitting Born's new Battle Kart Arena is a
15:21fully electric racing experience that relies on augmented reality to create the space that
15:27you get to race in. It's a first for the UK, so we thought our reporters here at KMTV
15:31would set up our own team and give it a go.
15:35Start your engines or press play to start. This UK first karting experience in Sitting
15:41Born takes drivers into a whole new world. With the help of scores of projectors lined
15:47along the ceiling of this farmyard warehouse, drivers can race, shoot, score and bump against
15:53each other on virtually any track configuration.
15:57I'm here at Sitting Born's new Battle Karts, ready to take on the new virtual track behind
16:02me, but I'm not alone. We might not be Mercedes or McLaren, but the KMTV racing team is ready
16:07to give it our best shot. What do we think, guys?
16:09Yeah, we got it.
16:10Ready.
16:11Totally got it.
16:12Stepping into our karts, we didn't really know what to expect, but after a few laps of
16:16slipping and sliding around the bends, it wasn't long before we were turning on each
16:20other to get ahead.
16:25From your basic race as fast as you can around the track to a life-sized version of the classic
16:30game Snake, the six different game modes are as fun as they are diverse.
16:35People do ask as well what the speed limit is, and because obviously there isn't exactly
16:40a speed limit, but you can't crash, it's anti-collision, you're able to put your foot down and go fast,
16:46but if you ever come off the track, the computer is able to slow you down.
16:52After our go at racing, and the scoreboard shaping up in favour of some more than others,
16:57it was time to check in with my team.
16:59First of all, I want to say, beginners luck. Next time, I'm going to smash you.
17:02And what does that mean for you, then?
17:03It's only going to come first next time, that's what's going to happen. No, it felt really
17:06good. It's good fun. It's good fun out there. And it goes a lot faster than I thought it
17:09would.
17:10I felt like I was in a real-life video game. I couldn't quite grasp the Snake game, that
17:14I was pretty rubbish at. But the ball, when you had to get the football, it felt like
17:17Rocket League. But I did enjoy the solo games too, because I beat you both three times in
17:22a row.
17:23The football one was good, but the first one was my favourite. When we went around as carts,
17:27going around the track, picking up those little token things on the ground, it was good fun.
17:31And of course, it wasn't home time without a trip to the podium.
17:35Bartholomew Hall with the KMTV Racing Team in Sittingbourne.
17:45Great stuff there. But I do want to say, just for the record, that we had a rematch afterwards
17:49and Gabriel and I both absolutely dominated. So I just want to make sure that is in the
17:54recording.
17:55Now it's time to remind you that you can, of course, keep up to date with all the latest
17:58sports news, interviews and features here from Invictus Sport by heading over to kmtv.co.uk.
18:03We want to show you now an interview we did a few weeks ago about the resurgence of Speedway
18:07here in Kent.
18:44And I'm joined by Rhys here now, captain of the Kent Kings Speedway team for this season.
19:09Rhys, thank you very much for joining us. I just wanted to start. I think Speedway has
19:13a very big following, but it's quite a niche sport. I was wondering if you could just kind
19:16of give us an overview of what Speedway is for some of those who maybe haven't heard
19:20of it before.
19:22Yeah, that's fine. So Speedway is motorcycles with no brakes, 0-60 in ridiculous speeds.
19:31Four people at a race, four laps over an oval circuit. It says no brakes, so you've got
19:39to be very brave.
19:41Absolutely. And I wonder then, is that what kind of makes the difference between, you
19:45know, somebody that maybe doesn't get as far as you are now playing for the county?
19:49Yeah, obviously it's a big part of it. There are a lot of youngsters coming through that
19:56are pretty decent as well. But it's one of those things, people come, people try it,
20:03and sometimes it's not for them, or sometimes they're really good and progress on even further.
20:08And Kent have had a bit of an absence as of kind of recent years. They were kind of
20:12here, and they had a big following, and then they kind of went away, and now it's being
20:15brought back up as of this season. How does it feel for you being a part of that resurgence
20:19for Kent?
20:21Yeah, obviously it is a massive part to play, and I'm pleased that I'm playing a part, and
20:28we've got a good team behind us. Obviously it's good that Steve Ribbons has kept Speedway
20:34going at Kent, and look forward to what the future brings.
20:38Absolutely, and I think the Kent Kings have had a fairly positive start to the season,
20:43looking here you had a great win over the Eastbourne Eagles. How have you felt about
20:46this, kind of how you felt it's gone so far?
20:49Yeah, obviously first meeting we had a win, obviously against Eastbourne Eagles, which
20:54everyone didn't expect us to do, but we all pulled together and done as well as we could.
21:01Unfortunately, it wasn't the same result against Far Rock, but we'll crack on and try
21:07our best to do what we can. It's just the more time we spend on the bike, the better
21:13it'll be.
21:15Absolutely, and no doubt together as well, the more time you spend with one another,
21:19you're building that camaraderie between you guys. Tell me, what is the dynamic between
21:22the team at the moment?
21:25Yeah, obviously, I think we're quite a close bunch of guys that race together. I've been
21:33friends with Ben Morley, who's in our team for 15, maybe 16 years. Sam Woods, I know
21:41very well. Jack Kingston, I know very well. We all kind of grew up together and started
21:46racing at the same time, so when it comes to our team bonding, we've got such a good
21:51bond and the spirit is always really good.
21:54It's interesting you say that, how many years you've been in racing and following this sport.
21:59I was wondering, how was it that you got into it? Was it always Speedway for you?
22:02I used to go to watch a very long time ago when I was a child, and then obviously I was
22:08like, oh, I'd love to have a go. Had a go, and then, yeah, kind of went from there. I
22:17had a brief break away from the sport from 2012 until two years ago, 2022, I decided
22:25to come back to the sport.
22:27I was wondering as well, with motorsport in general, I think people have their different
22:33reasons for getting into it. I've spoken to a lot of racing drivers before who say it's
22:36that kind of addictive nature of some of the risk that's involved combined with the competitiveness
22:41of it. What is it for you that gets you going?
22:44The adrenaline, more than anything, and just being competitive is like a real good atmosphere,
22:51especially when you're racing. Obviously, our team's pretty close-knit, so when we're
22:56all racing together, we all get on very well, so it just makes it all worthwhile.
23:01Absolutely. Now, talk to me about this weekend. You're taking on a team from Rye House in
23:06a challenge match. What does the preparation look like for a challenge match?
23:11It's the same as any other meeting, to be honest. We approach every meeting as it was
23:17the same meeting, and that we need to win. A lot of us are probably in the workshop sorting
23:24the bikes out, making sure everything's ready, because most of the races are actually won
23:29in the workshop. The more time you spend on the bike, making sure everything's OK, you've
23:35got nothing to worry about on the actual day. Just then prepare yourself and make sure you're
23:39ready.
23:40Absolutely. And for any spectators who are thinking of coming along, they've seen the
23:44videos of you guys and how exciting it looks. What can somebody expect from the day of coming
23:49along to a King's match?
23:51Oh, yeah, so hopefully everyone's enjoyed the video. They can expect some close racing,
23:58a good laugh, come and meet the riders before the meeting, have photos, have a look at the
24:04bike, ask questions. We're not scary. We all get on very well and we're all approachable.
24:11So any questions, anything you want to know, come and find us and come and have a chat.
24:16Brilliant stuff. Well, best of luck for this weekend and we'll be following you along.
24:20So I'm sure this won't be the last time we'll be talking.
24:23No, that'll be good.
24:25Thank you very much. See you later.
24:28Time now for this week's Action Replay. Here's Alex.
24:31First up on this week's Action Replay, we're taking a trip to Sevenoaks, where the pupils
24:36of St. Michael's Prep School have become national swimming champions, following their success
24:41at the IAPS swimming finals earlier this month. The finals were held at the London Aquatic
24:47Centre's Olympic Pool, where St. Michael's swim team ended their day with two bronze
24:52medals and a national silver. St. Michael's swim school manager, Rosalind Faunasia, says
24:58the day was long but fun and the pupils made some wonderful memories. A big congratulations to them.
25:04Next up, a man has raised over £130,000 for a Kent-based charity by taking an incredible
25:122,400 kilometre trek from Manchester to Ibiza. 22-year-old Henry Moores has racked up over
25:19300,000 followers on TikTok from documenting his efforts, which have been watched by millions
25:24of people around the world. The walk took him 66 days, and the funds he's raised will
25:29be going to the Tony Hodgell Foundation, which helps children affected by abuse. Henry gained
25:35many fans during his journey, such as Wayne Lineker, who greeted him at a bar in Ibiza,
25:40hopefully with a well-deserved pint. And finally, we have to talk about this insane achievement
25:46as Chatham Town's Under 10s beat 650 other teams to get to the ESF Grand Finale and lift
25:53the trophy. The competition is one of the biggest youth football festivals in the UK,
25:57and the youngsters proved they had what it takes as they beat every team that came in
26:02their path. The final took place at St George's Park, where four regional champions competed
26:07with the boys from Chatham who came out on top. Well done to them.
26:11Well, that's it for this week's Action Replay. Don't forget, it could be you in next week's
26:15edition. Just send in your pictures and videos on social media or to sport at kmtv.co.uk.
26:24And just as Alex said, do make sure you send in your clips and pics, but make sure you
26:31tell us which part of Kent you come from and what it is you do, and you'll be here on the
26:35next edition of Action Replay. Well, that is it. That is full time on today's episode
26:39of Invictus Sport. If you want more from KMTV, head over to our website, kmtv.co.uk. I'll
26:44be back with The Late Bulletin at 8 o'clock. Bye bye.
26:53you