This Monday, Bartholomew is joined by up and coming racer Jack Simmons after winning the 2023 Club73 Karting Championship as Buckmore Park Karting Circuit celebrates its 60th Anniversary.
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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. I'm Bartholomew Hall and here's what to expect on this Monday,
00:23 the 30th of October.
00:26 First backlash, Gillingham fan faces lifetime ban after racist gesture sparks outrage.
00:33 Speed milestone, Chatham karting track marks 60 years with a charity racing event.
00:39 Plus, we'll be speaking to the karting champion looking to be the next big star to come from
00:43 Buckmore Park.
00:44 But we begin this evening by taking a look at the football, where Maidstone United was
00:49 looking to continue a positive run of form as they travelled to Western Supermare on
00:53 Saturday in the National South. It comes after a frantic 0-0 clash with Welling in the midweek
00:58 which became the Stones' ninth game unbeaten. And looking to extend that run, George Ilokobis'
01:03 side were quick off the mark as James Hill has your roundup.
01:07 We start today at the Optima where Maidstone took on a struggling Western Supermare. It
01:12 was a quick start, Maidstone took the lead within the first three minutes, after Levi
01:16 Amanshi nestled a volley into the bottom right-hand corner after a well-placed pass
01:21 from Sol Wanju-Smith. Maidstone found another chance through a quick counter-attack in the
01:26 27th minute. Sol crossed it in from the right-hand side, it found the head of Sam Corn but he
01:32 could only guide it to Amanshi on the back post, where his shot was then deflected out
01:36 for a corner.
01:37 Ten minutes into the second half and Western Supermare's Jordan Baston took his chance,
01:42 sending it hard and low at Hovland, who dealt with it well and palmed it away.
01:47 Western Supermare then earned themselves a corner just before the 60th minute, but a
01:51 slip at the near post from Supermare defender Lloyd Humphreys led to jubilation as the referee
01:56 blew the whistle for a penalty.
01:59 Reuben Reid lined up the penalty before sending Lukas Covland the wrong way and powering it
02:03 home into the left corner. 1-1. Maidstone hung on for dear life as on the stroke of
02:09 the 75th minute, Lukas Covland's fantastic save kept it neck and neck following James
02:14 Morton's shot. Some last-minute havoc saw Maidstone's defence scramble to keep the
02:18 scores even. Covland came out to claim the ball but ended up sending it back. Luckily,
02:23 Maidstone's defence was stacked on the goal line and denied Supermare for a last-minute
02:27 winner. 1-1 was the final score.
02:30 "The first 20 minutes we were in control of the game, we got a goal and then all of
02:38 a sudden sat back. There wasn't enough movement in our play, there wasn't enough support
02:43 on the ball. Then in the second half we've come out, that's how poor we've been playing
02:49 for a long time."
02:50 Elsewhere in the National League South, Farnborough thrashed second-from-bottom Dover after scoring
02:56 a brace in both halves. Dover are yet to break out of their poor run of form.
03:02 In the National League, Ebbsfleet fell short as Dagenham scored a last-minute winner in
03:08 the 92nd minute.
03:10 In the National League, the loss for Ebbsfleet in the first round of the FA Trophy. A 10-man
03:15 Chatham lost to Crave Valley after a controversial decision saw their keeper receive a red card.
03:21 In the other FA Trophy fixture, Ramsgate's game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
03:27 And finally, onto the Gilles, where Newport County were victorious over a toothless Gillingham
03:33 side. Gillingham now 4-8.
03:38 But overshadowing that already poor result for the Gilles was actually what happened
03:44 in the grandstand. Kent Police says a supporter in Gillingham's reign amendment has been released
03:49 on bail pending further investigation after he was arrested for making a racist gesture
03:55 at the game. The incident has been met with nationwide condemnation from the footballing
03:59 community and the FA has opened an investigation. It comes after the club was already fined
04:04 for incidents that happened last season regarding supporter behaviour. Here's Jamie Levy reports.
04:10 It's been the talk on social media this weekend. The shocking clip that was widely shared of
04:14 a Gillingham fan making a racist gesture towards Newport County's Omar Bogle after he put his
04:19 side 1-0 up at the weekend. For legal reasons, we're unable to show you the clip itself.
04:25 The FA have confirmed that they're investigating the incident, whilst Kent Police released
04:28 a statement on Saturday evening confirming that a man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion
04:32 of a racially aggravated public order offence. He has since been bailed. Gillingham have also
04:37 issued the fan with a lifetime ban, with interim manager Keith Millen strongly condemning the
04:42 incident. It's disgusting, it's just not acceptable. It's not acceptable. And he's one person in
04:50 a big crowd. Luckily the club have identified him, they've dealt with him quite rightly.
04:58 I think he's going to be banned for life, is it? But even that's probably not enough.
05:05 So the club have had their say on the incident which took place right here in the Reynham
05:08 End, but this isn't the first time that Gillingham have been in hot water regarding fan behaviour
05:13 in recent times. Towards the end of last season, there were various reports of incidents of
05:17 discriminatory chanting and comments being made from the stands both here at Priestville
05:21 and away games. Last month, the club was fined £12,500 for three incidents which occurred
05:27 last season, prompting the club to release a plea to its supporters to end all form of
05:31 discrimination in the stands. Please work with us. It has to stop. It has to stop now.
05:38 But supporters are keen to emphasise that it's a small minority who are tarnishing
05:42 the image of a larger fan base. I've never been embarrassed to be a Gilles fan. I've
05:45 always been loud, proud of relegations, defeats. Always been proud to come into my office on
05:50 a Monday and go, "I'm a Gilles fan and I own the defeats." But some of the messages I've
05:55 had and the conversations I've had around that, that embarrassment is going to live
05:58 on for a while. For it to be so public as well, there's not anyone that's not seen it.
06:04 It's embarrassing and again, has no place in the game at all. The majority of us are
06:07 actually just really good people that would look out for each other and go to the ends
06:11 of the earth. It's just one or two people that are making it look that way at the moment.
06:16 Gillingham's official supporters club have also said they'll be working closely with
06:19 the club to eradicate this type of behaviour. The owners really want it to be a family entertainment.
06:25 Which I can fully understand and we certainly want to help them to point out if there are
06:30 any pitfalls or any areas of concern. So we've asked fans, please let us know and we will
06:36 take on any concerns that you've got to try and help to make it a better place on the
06:41 day. And whilst the footballing community has come together to condemn the actions of
06:45 this supporter, this may serve as a stark reminder that work still needs to be done
06:49 to kick these attitudes out of the game. Jamie Levy for KMTV.
06:54 Well I caught up with David Garth from the Gillingham FC supporters club who spoke to
06:58 me about the ongoing issues and how the supporters club aims to work with the wider football
07:02 club about addressing the issues in the grandstands.
07:06 So David joins me now. David thank you very much and welcome back onto Invicta Sport.
07:11 I do wish that we could be talking in a bit more positive terms but following the events
07:15 of Saturday, just as a fan, how did that make you feel?
07:20 Pretty awful really. We should all be talking about football and we're not. We're talking
07:25 about what happens outside of the pitch and what some silly people are doing. It's just
07:31 awful. And I think as well, when you look at the
07:34 incident that happened, police dealt with it quite swiftly. We've heard from the club
07:37 that that individual will now have a lifetime ban. Does it kind of hurt a little bit more
07:43 that this incident follows on from other unrelated incidents?
07:48 Yes it does. I think this season we are getting a bit of an unwanted reputation and it's mainly
07:56 unwarranted because the vast majority of our supporters are really good people, a lot of
08:01 family people and we don't want this sort of thing being associated with Gillingham
08:06 Football Club.
08:07 No absolutely and we've spoken with yourself as a representative of the Gillingham FC supporters
08:14 club. You dropped that independent part of your name at the beginning of this season
08:18 because of that closer relationship with the club. Are we now seeing the sort of incidents
08:22 that would entail that relationship and those sort of conversations between yourselves and
08:28 the club to begin?
08:31 Yes I think so. We've actually got a meeting as it happens, Bob, here at Cummingston, next
08:35 Monday with the owners and the management team and we will be discussing all manner
08:41 of things and it's all there for the benefit of supporters and to try and make Priestfield
08:47 a more enjoyable place to go along and watch football. The owners really want it to be
08:55 a family entertainment which I can fully understand and we certainly want to help them to point
09:01 out if there are any pitfalls or any areas of concern. So we've asked fans, please let
09:06 us know and we will take on any concerns that you've got to try and help to make it a better
09:11 place on the day.
09:13 And what will, you know, share as much detail as you feel necessary, but what will you be
09:19 sort of going to that meeting and saying to the owners?
09:23 Well we've got a complete agenda of items, ranging really from the important areas of
09:29 stewarding which is clearly an issue right now, right through to the advertising boards
09:36 for example, how bright they are when you're watching a match, the entranceways, the access
09:42 to the seating, the travel situation, sponsorship of players, all manner of things really. It's
09:51 really a very sort of broad canvas that we work to.
09:55 And we have seen since the beginning of the season that sort of transparency from the
09:59 owners and from the staff there at Gillingham. We saw that video just before the season began
10:04 urging fans to call out racism and discrimination where it happens. Do you think something more
10:10 like that is needed or are they kind of doing all they can in terms of communication?
10:14 I think they're doing everything that they can. The new boards which I mentioned before
10:19 are there and it shows a text number that you can actually contact during the game to
10:24 bring it to the attention of the stewarding there. I know that they have had issues with
10:30 stewarding and I believe that they are taking steps to make it a better place and therefore
10:35 to look at the stewarding overall. So hopefully we will see that in the coming weeks.
10:41 Well David, I think all of us wish all the best for the future games. Just before we
10:45 head off, we have also heard from Brad Ganninson today about the potential new signing of a
10:50 manager this week. I mean that's got to be positive news in terms of clarity going forward.
10:56 What do you make of it?
10:57 Yeah, I think everyone really, myself included, we can't wait to get this organised and get
11:03 the appointment made and we're all hoping that it's going to be someone that will be
11:07 able to galvanise the players and get us moving forward. It's been a very frustrating month.
11:14 I think it's understandable that they want to take their time to get the right person
11:19 and it will be interesting to see once this person is actually in the hot seat what the
11:25 direction will be and how they intend to go forward and hopefully get us going again towards
11:30 the top of the table.
11:31 Absolutely. There are so many names that are being rumoured and passed about so I won't
11:35 ask you who it is that you might prefer. We'll just wait until the announcement. David, thank
11:40 you very much for joining us today.
11:41 You're very welcome.
11:43 Now we've reached half time which means it's time for a break but coming up, our reporter
11:48 Shea Rogers has been down to Buckmore Park during its 60th anniversary celebrations.
11:53 See you then.
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15:03 Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV. Now before we continue
15:13 let's look back at the headlines from the weekend and we start with Invicta
15:17 Dynamo's which has joined in paying tribute to ice hockey player Adam
15:20 Johnson who died this weekend in a freak accident during a game. The 29 year old
15:25 Nottingham Panthers player was involved in a Challenge Cup match against the
15:28 Sheffield Steelers when he suffered a cut to his neck from another player's skate.
15:32 Players and fans have visited Nottingham Motorpoints Arena, home of the Nottingham
15:37 Panthers, to lay flowers today. While the Gillingham based Invicta Dynamo's also
15:41 joined in those paying tribute by saying it sends heartfelt sympathy, support and
15:45 love to Adam Johnson's family, friends and the Panthers community. Now the first
15:51 Kent Boccia singles championship since the pandemic has been held at
15:55 Canterbury's Christchurch Sports Centre. A total of 32 players took
16:01 part in the competition playing across eight courts with a full complement of
16:05 Boccia officials and necessary assistance. The Paralympic sport similar
16:09 to bowls is traditionally played by athletes with severe physical
16:12 disabilities. The Kent Boccia forum says it was a successful day not only enjoyed
16:16 by players but their families too. Medalists included Maidstone's Amy
16:20 Lewington, Herne Bay's Ryan Savage and Dartford's Gabriella Rose.
16:25 Congratulations to them. Now a Kent based prankster who has earned a reputation
16:29 for pitch invasions has gate crashed celebrations at the Rugby World Cup
16:33 final on Saturday night. Daniel Jarvis or Jarvo as he is known to almost 200,000
16:39 subscribers filmed himself approaching the South African team when they were
16:43 collecting their trophy after defeating New Zealand 12 to 11. The social media
16:47 personality from Gravesend can be seen in an altercation with players who
16:51 attempt to call for security. It comes after he was banned in 2015 from
16:55 attending football matches for three years after he invaded the pitch at
16:59 White Hart Lane. Now time to move on and it's over to Buckingham Park's karting
17:04 circuit now where Kent's very own international karting track celebrated
17:07 its 60th birthday this weekend. To commemorate the anniversary the
17:12 circuit which has seen the birth of many famous motorsport careers including
17:16 Lando Norris and Sir Lewis Hamilton held a special charity racing event where
17:21 some big names including some YouTube stars went toe-to-toe. Our reporter
17:24 Shay Rogers raced down to check it out. Kent's very own Buckmore Park renowned
17:29 for being one of the best karting tracks in the world let alone the country has
17:33 celebrated its 60th anniversary with a charity kart race featuring local
17:37 racing drivers and famous youtubers. Having been built in 1963 by the Royal
17:43 School of Military Engineering the local scouts used the track for a few decades
17:46 until it fell into disrepair in the 1980s. In fact in 1985 it was on the verge
17:52 of being shut down permanently due to safety concerns before new owners were
17:56 found and it went under extensive restoration. Despite recent struggles
18:00 circuit director Philip Ling outlined just what it means to have the circuit
18:03 going from strength to strength again. Honestly really difficult to put into
18:08 words to be honest you're absolutely right really difficult few years you know
18:13 being able to hold on as we did and actually come back stronger from it was
18:18 really brilliant for us. A 90-minute charity race followed a quick 15-minute
18:23 practice session with the grid for the race being decided by those who donated
18:27 the most to charities including Kent Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulances as well
18:31 as other causes. Having been spotted by Buckmore Park's eventual owner and
18:35 Formula One legend John Surtees as a youngster British touring car driver
18:39 Michael Kreese discussed just what significance Buckmore shares within his
18:43 career. I just came along and raced with my mates in a championship and and then
18:48 I got I got spotted by John and he asked me to race in the Henry Surtees
18:52 Foundation which I competed in and I ended up doing very well that day against
18:56 all the Formula One stars of today and come away with three trophies which as
19:01 still pride and pride possession of my house. Back on the track and the drivers
19:05 battled fiercely split across two classes. Signor Frogs B a team run by
19:10 the popular youtubers the Sidemen managed to fight their way into the top
19:13 three and finished third in the race marking a terrific occasion with an
19:17 equally popular result. Today it was good it's weird though like there's one
19:22 section of the course that's wet and then the rest of it's pretty dry so yeah
19:27 other than that it was sick, loved it. I've known Peter Buckmore, I've done a few karting experiences in my life
19:32 mainly stag do's and I seem to remember my 15th birthday party but I'm just here
19:37 having a good time and races is my name and charity. Having helped to nurture the
19:41 likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Johnny Herbert in its first 60 years
19:45 without a doubt Buckmore is going to host more world-class talent as it
19:49 continues to challenge karters from across the country.
19:52 Shay Rogers for KMTV. Well one of those who knows all about finding success at
19:59 Buckmore Park is 14 year old Jack Simmons. After a tough season becoming
20:03 Club 73 karting champion of 2023 Jack hopes to go on and become the next
20:08 Formula One star to come out of the medway track and this weekend he'll be
20:12 taking part in the 2023 Buckmore Park 12-hour team race but before that he
20:16 joins me here in the studio. Jack thank you very much for joining us. Talk to me
20:20 where did it all start for you? So it started off quite early like quite
20:25 young you know my family they were big fans of motorsport you know we used to
20:28 always watch the Formula One so I'd always have a desire for cars and love
20:31 like motorsport and that stuff and then for my eighth birthday I got invited by
20:35 my my mum she took me down to one of the team sport tracks and I found it quite
20:39 fun so then I joined their little program that I'd development program and
20:43 then in late 2021 I did my rookie assessment at Buckmore Park and from
20:47 there on I did Buckmore Park in 2022 we finished we did quite well then and then
20:52 2023 along Buckmore Park as well we've also done the Club 73 championship.
20:56 Now I want to know what is it about this circuit Buckmore Park it's obviously
21:00 it's been around for 60 years you talk to any sort of racer from around here
21:03 and even further afield they come to Kent to race at Buckmore Park what is
21:07 it about that track that makes it so special? I think it's the background the
21:11 history you know having people like Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris being there
21:15 I think that makes it you know you want to go there you want to
21:17 experience like how they've experienced and also the karts I think their karts
21:21 are one of the best in the UK and I think it's it's such a privilege and an
21:24 honor to be able to race there. Quite scary as well I mean I'm a big fan of
21:27 motorsport but I couldn't see myself doing it how do you get past that in
21:31 your head because there is quite a big risk that comes with motorsport? Yeah
21:34 well you just have to you know go down and do what you can and you know I think
21:38 if you're if you're scared of the sport then I don't think you're prepared to do
21:41 it. Now talk to me about the the season last year or this this year rather
21:45 becoming champion how did that go talk to me about the sort of journey through
21:48 it? Yeah it was it was it was a bit of a rocky start but you know throughout the
21:53 year we started getting more consistent we got a few wins coming in and a lot of
21:56 top tens and by the end we just managed to pull for enough points to win the
22:00 championship. Fantastic stuff and how do you move on from here now what what sort
22:04 of next year's plans? Well for next year we're trying to find a budget you know
22:08 we'd like to do Club Street 3 again and hopefully Buttmore but for that
22:11 obviously we're gonna need a budget so we need to try and get some more
22:13 sponsorships we're gonna work on over the winter if we had to do it next year.
22:16 And that is a big part of motorsport as well taking yourself through it you know
22:21 as a young man talk to me about that kind of I don't want to say struggle but
22:25 you know that's sort of dealing with the financial side of it because it can be
22:28 quite an expensive hobby. Yeah like for example Buttmore you know it's it's like
22:31 95 pound a round and for Club Street 3 65 pound and when you put that together
22:35 it's crazy and for example we also did the 24-hour Buttmore and the 12 hours you
22:40 know it just all racks up over time so to be able to have like sponsors that
22:43 will help us financially would really help and like for example that we have
22:47 we have a sponsor like we have our logos here that I'm happy to do and you can
22:50 put a design on my helmet to be able to like help just like get your your
22:54 business you can get your business like presented you know this for example.
22:57 Absolutely and obviously it lends to leading you know helping out your career
23:01 as well you must have quite a big support from your family as well. Yeah
23:04 yeah obviously my family's been a big part of this role from my mum starting
23:07 me off in carting when I was 8 and now my stepmom my dad and my granddad you
23:11 know helping me out here trying to pursue my dream which I'm very grateful
23:14 for. And what is the dream what would be the sort of goal one day? So my dream
23:18 would be to race in the BTCC. Okay. I've always been a massive fan of them
23:21 obviously but when I was younger I wanted to be a Formula One driver but
23:25 you know as you get older you get more real with the with real life but
23:28 yeah no my goal is to be able to be a BTCC driver and hopefully a champion.
23:33 Well we heard from Michael Kreese there obviously a BTCC driver this year you've
23:37 got others from Kent that have kind of risen the ranks Jake Hill another one
23:41 are there any sort of names that sort of stand out for you when you look up
23:44 at maybe your idol or who you'd like to sort of follow in the footsteps? Yeah I'm
23:47 a massive fan of Ash Sutton you know I've always followed him since he started in
23:50 BTCC in 2016 and you know to be able to see like how well he's done in just a
23:56 short amount of time is crazy and I just love to be able to follow in his
23:58 footsteps and do what he's done. Of course breaking records as well Ash Sutton
24:02 seen this year I believe was the first to win the championship in
24:06 both rear wheel and front wheel drive as well so yeah fantastic. Now you're
24:12 right in saying 12-hour races and 24-hour races at Butmore Park that's
24:16 kind of what it's becoming known for now the circuit doing these big events how
24:20 does that all work then because I know you're not actually
24:23 driving for 12 hours you're working in a team. Yeah so for the 24-hour
24:28 for example there was a team of six of us we had a nice strategist and we
24:33 decided that everyone would do two hours stints each so you know we sort of
24:37 rotated around so we all did two two-hour stints for example I did one at
24:41 the start of the race and then I ended up doing one about three o'clock in the
24:43 morning. Oh wow, so it's quite a lot. Yeah it was very tiring but to be able to come
24:49 away from the 24-hour with a trophy as well being second in the rookie it was
24:53 it was very draining like physically and emotionally but it was all
24:57 worth it in the end so I'm very pleased. Well Jack thank you very much for
25:00 joining us best of luck with the rest of your career hope to catch up with you
25:02 soon. Thank you. Just before we go there's just enough time to remind you we have a
25:06 brand new part of the KMTV website kmtv.co.uk just click on sport and you'll
25:11 be able to catch up with videos like these. Retired teacher Jim Garrett from
25:16 Ashford has been playing badminton since the age of 19 almost six decades later
25:21 at 78 and he's just returned to the county after having won two gold medals
25:26 at the World Senior Championships in South Korea. I think my only regret is
25:31 the fact that I'm running out of age groups because the next tournaments are
25:37 gonna be I'm gonna be right at outside those and you know who knows I probably
25:42 ought to get picked anymore. I think people sometimes say oh you're too old
25:46 for that are you and really it's just an age you know if you feel you can do it
25:51 just do it that's the message to everybody isn't it really just keep going
25:55 as long as you can and you'll be fine. And of course I couldn't come along
26:00 without getting a bit of a demo from the man himself as soon as one of these
26:03 courts are free Jim and I are gonna partner up and he's gonna show me the
26:07 ropes wish me luck. With some fierce competition Jim and I battled on and
26:12 came away victorious I'd love to take the credit but I must say Jim did all
26:17 the hard work. So from Manchester and Kent to taking on the world in South
26:22 Korea shuttlecock and racket in hand it's clear the Jim Garrett story is not
26:27 just a rally of wins but a smash hit. Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Faversham.
26:32 Well that really is full time on today's episode of Invicta Sport if you want
26:37 more from KMTV as I said there is plenty more available on our website that's
26:40 KMTV.co.uk I'll be back on Friday with another episode of Invicta Sport but for
26:45 now goodbye.
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