Tonight, Bartholomew previews Ramsgate's FA Cup tie against Wimbledon. PLUS: Sevenoak's next Olympic star of the 2026 winter olympics, Issy Fassnidge, joins us to talk all things Skeleton.
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00:00 Hello and welcome along to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:22 up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Bartholomew Hall and here's what to expect on this Monday,
00:27 4th December.
00:30 Illakobis elation, Maidstone return to the third round of the FA Cup for the first time
00:35 in 35 years. Ramsgate's fairy tale, could It's Me and South East Ramsgate join them
00:40 tonight? And Izzy's dream, we meet the Tunbridge Wells skeleton racer set for the Olympics.
00:47 But first a round up of the headlines and Kent-born Zach Crawley was run out for 48
00:53 as England lost by four wickets to the West Indies on Sunday. The 25-year-old batsman
00:59 fell just shy of half a century as England's White Ball woes continued in the opening game
01:04 for their ODI series in North America. England had been firm favourites at the halfway stage
01:09 on what was a tricky pitch in Antigua, but needing an unlikely 106 from the last 10 overs
01:15 with five wickets left, it was unbeaten Centurion's shy Hope who closed the West Indies chase
01:21 with three 66s in the 49th over. The two sides are due to play again on Wednesday with the
01:28 series ending on Saturday.
01:30 Meanwhile, Maidstone's Alessia Russo came on as a sub in the Lionesses' exciting 3-2
01:35 comeback win against the Netherlands on Friday night. With just over 20 minutes on the pitch
01:41 for her, Russo had little time to make impact but oversaw Ella Toon's incredible 91st minute
01:47 goal which won England the match at Wembley. England needed to win the game in order to
01:52 be in chance of qualifying on behalf of Team GB next year in the Olympics. They next play
01:58 at Scotland at Hampton Park tomorrow.
02:02 Chatham boxer and exciting heavyweight prospect Moses Itelma continued his streak of first-round
02:08 knockouts at York Hall on Saturday. Fighting on the undercard of Gavin Gwynne and Emiliano
02:13 Marsili, Itelma quickly caught opponent Michael Bollos with a powerful left hook which forced
02:19 the referee to wave off the contest just seconds after it began. The 18-year-old is now 7-0
02:25 with five knockouts and says he's in pursuit of Mike Tyson's record of becoming the youngest
02:30 heavyweight champion ever.
02:33 Next in football, Margate FC have sacked manager Rhys Prestige. A run of seven games without
02:38 a win for the gate have left the team just one point and two places above the Izmian
02:43 Premier relegation zone. Margate chairman Ricky Owen described the decision as difficult
02:49 and highlighted Prestige's success in helping to win this year's Kent Senior Cup. Whilst
02:54 a club statement thanked Rhys for his time as manager and announced Breen Grenhalgh and
02:58 Elliot Leveson will take charge of the team in the interim. Prestige's final match in
03:03 charge was a 2-0 defeat at Enfield Town on Saturday. More results to come in just a moment.
03:08 And in hockey, Holcombe Hockey Women have secured a place in the semi-finals of the
03:12 England Hockey Women's Cup after beating Wimbledon 4-3 in Rochester. Holcombe came from behind
03:18 to go into half-time 2-1 thanks to goals from Van Der Zwaan and Bandarach, but despite conceding
03:24 again in the second half, a largely dominant display knocked the south-west London travelling
03:28 team out of the competition. It comes after their final league game before Christmas against
03:33 Southgate was postponed on Saturday due to a frozen pitch.
03:38 Now in football, it was an exciting weekend for Kent's sides that are still in the FA
03:43 Cup. Third round fever took over the county, with Ramsgate still yet to play their decider
03:47 with Wimbledon this evening. But Gillingham taking on Charlton at Priestfield and Maidstone
03:52 travelling to Barrow. There was a lot resting on the line, but it wasn't just FA Cup ongoing.
03:58 Ebbsfleet were looking for their first back-to-back win as they took on Kidderminster for the
04:02 second time this season. Here's your football round-up with Faye McDermid.
04:09 Gillingham turned in a brilliant display to see off near-neighbours Charlton in the FA
04:16 Cup clash at Priestfield. While Charlton striker May attracted much talk before the game, it
04:22 was Gilles who bossed the opening half and took a 26th-minute lead.
04:27 Bond silenced the 1,600-plus away fans with a finish past keeper Ashley Maynard-Bruer.
04:33 Moments after that, Max Eymer threw himself in front of Nathan Asimwe's shot and demonstrated
04:38 the way the Gilles had approached the match, showing a great commitment and a bit of class
04:42 too at times. It was some neat footwork from Lapsley that led to the second for the Gilles
04:47 with 30 minutes played, slipping a ball through to Dieng and the Frenchman rolled home the
04:52 second goal.
04:54 The only disappointment for the Gilles was the loss of Ethan Coleman and Johnny Williams
04:58 to injury, the latter suffering a facial injury. The match came to a close with Charlton jeering
05:03 at their own team and Gillingham into the next round. Here's what boss Stephen Clements
05:08 had to say about his side's performance.
05:10 Yeah, I thought we were outstanding from the start. We had a game plan to get after them,
05:15 how to press them and the lads carried it out fantastically. When you start like that,
05:21 you need to make sure you get your nose in front and thankfully we did. We were able
05:27 to score a second pretty much soon after. It was fantastic.
05:31 Now an incredible twist of fate saw Vivesh Garang fire home town club Maidstone into
05:37 the third round of the FA Cup, nine minutes after his substitution had been announced.
05:42 Benjamin Whitfield had given the Bluebirds a first half lead, with Sam Corn squaring
05:47 the tie. There was a good tempo to the game in front of a lively Gallagher crowd, as Maidstone
05:52 set about reaching the third round for the first time since 1988. Barrow's big back
05:57 three, including former Aston Villa man James Chester, weren't going to give much away.
06:03 Maidstone having looked well organised let their guard slip as Barrow took a 25th minute
06:07 lead.
06:08 Garang's number went up in the 65th minute with Reynolds due to replace him, but with
06:14 Wan-Jau Smith down injured there was a quick change of plan and Garang got to stay on.
06:19 And what a twist of fate that proved to be as Maidstone took the lead nine minutes later.
06:24 Corn's corner was cleared to the edge of the box with Bone teeing up Garang, who arrowed
06:29 a first time rocket into the top corner from 20 yards.
06:34 And the Gilles managed to keep the dream alive with their two goals against a contained Charlton,
06:39 with their other Kent brethren Maidstone not managing to escape with a clean sheet.
06:44 Looking at the National League now, Ebbsfleet lost out against Kidminster, with Hemings
06:47 scoring two goals in the last two minutes of extra time after the first half.
06:52 And here's the table, Ebbsfleet are just missing out on the relegation zone and their
06:56 loss against Kidminster could come back to haunt them later in the campaign.
06:59 Onto the National League South, Maidstone did not have a league game this weekend, but
07:03 Dover certainly did.
07:05 Tonbridge also lost to Torquay.
07:07 And here's the table, with Dover's loss continuing a less than ideal run.
07:12 But Maidstone are still going strong and hoping for a podium finish in the top three.
07:18 And finally in the Ithsmian Premier, Chatham Town showed bottom table Harinji Burra, who's
07:22 boss, with Dickinson netting two goals for the Chats.
07:27 Folkestone saw their match with the Wanderers postpone, and Margate lost out against an
07:31 impressive Enfield side.
07:33 The table stays as it was, with Chatham still up at second, and Folkestone and Margate missing
07:38 out on the top half of the table for now.
07:41 That's all for this weekend's football roundup.
07:44 Well done to both teams for getting through to round three.
07:47 And on Sunday we found out exactly who they'll be playing.
07:50 But don't forget Ramsgate are still due to face Wimbledon in the second round tonight,
07:54 but they do so knowing exactly who they're also going to face.
07:58 Let's take a look now.
07:59 Here they are then.
08:00 All due to be played on the weekend of the 6th of January.
08:03 Our Kent sides are all drawn at home.
08:06 Gillingham will face Premier League Sheffield United, matching last year's round three when
08:10 they were knocked out by Leicester City.
08:12 They made Stoney United in round three for the first time in 35 years.
08:16 Georgie Lekobi's side still have to wait for the replay between Stevenage and Port Vale
08:20 to know which League one side will be joining them at the Gallagher.
08:24 United last fought Stevenage in the FA Cup first round back in 2014, which the Stones
08:28 won 2-1 in a replay.
08:30 And it all hangs in the balance for Ramsgate, as if they beat Wimbledon away tonight, well
08:34 then it's a party in Thanet, because that's exactly where the current second place championship
08:39 side Ipswich will be travelling along to.
08:41 And don't forget, huge prize pot awaits the winners of round three.
08:44 £105,000 for the winners, which will mean a massive amount to our Kent sides.
08:50 But perhaps not as much for those 1,500 travelling Ramsgate fans that are currently on their
08:58 way to Wimbledon, many of whom have been arriving this afternoon.
09:02 So let's now take a look back.
09:04 How did Ramsgate get here?
09:05 It's been an extraordinary run so far in the competition for the Rams.
09:08 So let's take a look at some of the highlights.
09:11 Ramsgate have played seven games in the FA Cup so far this season, with an amazing run
09:17 to show for it.
09:18 Like beating Chatham Town, Izmir League rivals 5-1, and facing Cray Wanderers twice, with
09:24 a combined nine goals in both of their meetings.
09:28 But things got all the more serious with a 1-0 upset over AFC Totten, which granted the
09:34 Rams a spot in the first round proper for the first time in 18 years.
09:39 Where a sell-out crowd of 3,000 arrived at Southwood Stadium to see Ramsgate take on
09:44 a side 62 places above them in the form of Woking.
09:48 Coming from a goal down in the first 15 minutes, it was Lee Martin who scored the winner that
09:53 sent the fan-icked ground into raptures with just 15 seconds to go.
09:58 Dreams achieved and history made as Ramsgate won a tie against AFC Wimbledon for what will
10:04 be the club's first ever round two appearance.
10:07 Ahead of the game, manager Ben Smith says that he's been watching the opposition, and
10:11 are even going along to watch their recent League Two game against Gillingham.
10:16 It's nice to see up close and personal who you're up against.
10:21 They're massive favourites for the game, but we retain some belief.
10:29 Stranger things have happened than Ramsgate beating Wimbledon.
10:33 We know what's ahead of us in terms of it's a tough opposition, but we're not fearful
10:38 of it.
10:39 We're looking to go there and embrace it and play the way we play.
10:43 Before reaching the second round proper, the Rams have scored a total of 19 goals, nine
10:49 of which were scored by striker Joe Taylor, who is currently in the running for the Golden
10:54 Ball.
10:55 I'm still one goal behind the guy at the top, but he's out of the competition.
11:01 Obviously it's playing a part in it.
11:04 It's something that's just for me personally, but as a team, all my first thoughts are for
11:10 the team and trying to progress.
11:12 I know we've got a really hard game coming up, but if I can nick a goal, then I'll be
11:17 at the top of the list.
11:18 Obviously, as a striker, I'm thinking about it.
11:20 So with Plough Lane and South West London waiting, Ramsgate are sure to bring 100% as
11:27 they continue this sensational underdog story.
11:32 Well that is some really exciting stuff for those Rams fans.
11:36 And if you're not travelling, well the game is in front of some TV cameras, so I'm sure
11:40 the whole of Kent will be cheering them on this evening.
11:43 Now we've got plenty more in Victor Sport coming up after this next break, including
11:47 talking to Sevenoaks' next Olympic star Isabella Fasinich, who's been chosen to represent
11:52 Team GB at the next Winter Olympics in Skeleton.
11:55 See you in just a few moments.
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15:12 Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV.
15:16 Now it's time to meet our next guest on Invicta Sport this evening.
15:20 This week's next Olympic star Isabella Fasinich has been chosen to represent Team GB at the
15:25 next Winter Olympics in Skeleton.
15:27 With a full-time training regime and having to overcome rehabilitation after developing
15:32 a spine fracture, the 19-year-old is determined to go on and follow in the footsteps of fellow
15:38 Sevenoaks star Lizzie Yarnold, who won two gold medals.
15:42 But before we speak with Izzy, let's take a look at some of her highlights.
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15:53 Ken future Skeleton star Izzy Fasinich is set to make her debut in the 2026 Winter Olympic
16:00 Games after she's been called up to represent Great Britain.
16:04 Hailing from Sevenoaks at 19 years of age, she is studying her A-levels but hopes to
16:10 focus full-time on the amazing opportunity to represent her country.
16:14 So, what is it about the sport that attracts the future Olympic candidate?
16:19 Well, the sport is part of the Winter Olympic Games and consists of a single person lying
16:24 head first on a sled, flying fast down an ice track with the aim to get to the end of
16:28 the track in the quickest possible time, which means competitors will be travelling at staggering
16:33 speeds of 90 miles per hour with your chin centimetres from the ice.
16:37 In Izzy's case, the idea of travelling at astonishing speeds was all it took for her
16:41 to get hooked and find a new love for Skeleton.
16:44 So, what's next for Izzy?
16:46 Well, she plans to complete her A-levels as well as boosting her skill set in the sport.
16:51 Also, she looks to improve from last season where she won her first medal at the Under
16:56 20 Junior European Championships in only her second ever competitive race.
17:02 The future Sevenoaks star's journey is truly inspiring as she has had to overcome multiple
17:08 injuries in her young career, from tearing a tendon in her hamstring to a broken spine
17:13 which has meant she has had to miss significant time out on the track.
17:16 But she has not let these injuries stop her from training, progressing in the sport, working
17:21 hard towards her main goal to achieve her dreams of winning a medal in the 2026 and
17:26 2030 Winter Olympic Games.
17:29 So, if you enjoy racing at astounding speeds, watch out for Izzy at the Winter Olympic Games.
17:37 Well, before she gets there, she's joined us now in the studio, well virtually.
17:40 Thank you so much, Izzy.
17:42 Welcome to the programme.
17:43 It's really good to have you here.
17:44 Now, where do we start?
17:46 Well, where did it start for you?
17:48 Because there's not so many Skeleton tracks that I've kind of heard of locally, correct
17:51 me if I'm wrong.
17:52 How did you get into it?
17:54 No, so I started with Tonbridge Athletics, a club, and I was doing athletics there and
18:00 then I heard of the Girls for Gold scheme which is like how I got into Skeleton.
18:05 So, then I applied to the Girls for Gold scheme and I trialled up in Bath a lot of it was
18:11 because that's where we train now.
18:13 And then after a few, like a good two, three months, I then got selected to go to Norway
18:19 for a confirmation camp.
18:21 And then from there, I got selected onto the team.
18:24 And I mean, you're travelling all over the place now, you know, competing.
18:28 What's it like?
18:29 I mean, you must have quite a busy schedule at the moment.
18:33 Yeah, it's definitely busy now getting into winter season.
18:36 Usually, my training works, we do six months of the summer.
18:40 So, from April through to kind of October time, it's all in the gym.
18:45 We're based in Bath.
18:46 So, it's a lot of like, you know, leg press, lots of sprinting on the sprint track to get
18:51 us ready for the push start.
18:53 And then obviously, as you probably know, there's no ice in England.
18:56 No.
18:57 So, then from October all the way through to March, we train away.
19:01 So, pre-season in Latvia.
19:03 And then from there, we kind of race around Europe and the rest of the world.
19:07 That's incredible stuff.
19:08 We just saw some pictures there on the screen of just the sheer speed that you're travelling
19:13 at as you're going.
19:14 I mean, you've got to have a certain mindset, haven't you, to enjoy that speed and to really
19:18 just put yourself, you know, straight into it.
19:20 Talk to me about that.
19:21 When did you kind of realise, right, this is the sport for me?
19:26 Well, when I applied to do it, I absolutely had like no idea about what I was getting
19:31 myself into.
19:32 I've always been a bit of a speed freak and loved the adrenaline as well as being quite
19:38 just a determined athlete.
19:40 And that kind of was one of the traits that GB saw in me to like get me in this process.
19:46 But yeah, it's kind of just, I just love speed.
19:49 And as I got more and more into it, I realised how cool this sport was.
19:54 It's like a roller coaster, but ten times better.
19:57 And then you have to put in the element that you're controlling the sled as well.
20:00 So if you mess up, it's on you.
20:02 It's not like Thorpe Park.
20:03 No, no, not like Thorpe Park at all.
20:05 No, no, it looks incredible.
20:06 But now, now you've been selected for the Winter Olympics.
20:09 Tell me, when did you first hear the name Lizzie Arnold and realise that you could potentially
20:14 be following in her footsteps?
20:15 I have a very vivid memory of her coming through on her bus after she just won a gold.
20:22 And that was the first time I'd ever heard of her.
20:24 But at that point, I didn't know that it was for skeleton.
20:27 I kind of just knew that this was an amazing lady who was from Sevenoaks that had won a
20:31 gold medal.
20:32 And then obviously, as I got into skeleton, I understood that Lizzie Arnold did skeleton.
20:36 And it's really inspiring to have someone like Lizzie Arnold, who's a two times gold
20:41 medalist, come from Sevenoaks as well.
20:43 It's incredible stuff.
20:44 I mean, how did you feel yourself being chosen to represent the whole of Great Britain?
20:51 It's quite a surreal feeling.
20:54 It's kind of something that, like in your dreams, you're kind of like, oh my gosh, one
20:58 day maybe I'll be an Olympian.
20:59 But for me, that's actually a reality if everything goes to plan.
21:03 So it's a feeling like no weather, the excitement and the joy that you feel once you get selected
21:08 and then coming through the programme and doing the training and then like you get to
21:13 travel to all these amazing countries doing what you love.
21:16 It's just, it's just great, really.
21:18 It's fantastic.
21:19 What have your sort of friends and family said?
21:22 Because, you know, you told us about the strict regime that you're on, the fact that you're
21:26 travelling all the time.
21:28 You must miss them from time to time.
21:30 Yeah, definitely.
21:32 Definitely.
21:33 There's a lot, as most athletes would say, there's a lot you have to give up to be in
21:37 sport and to be as determined.
21:39 And you have to be so on it with the training that you do miss out on things that maybe
21:43 you don't want to miss out on.
21:45 And it is tough.
21:46 But at the end of the day, the main goal is to get that gold.
21:50 And whatever I have to do to get there is I'll do it.
21:53 Absolutely.
21:54 And we mentioned there in that short video that you actually developed a spinal fracture
22:00 as you were going through the sort of motions with taking up the sport.
22:04 Talk to me about overcoming that.
22:06 That must have been quite difficult.
22:07 Yeah, it's a lot of skeletons.
22:10 Obviously, a lot of it is physical, but a lot of it is mental as well.
22:14 And especially with injuries, getting over mental barriers is a massive part of the sport
22:21 because you're already doing something which is kind of ridiculous, sliding at 80 miles
22:25 an hour, getting yourself down a course.
22:27 But doing it after coming back from an injury like that made it 10 times harder because
22:32 you get on the sled after being told, be super careful to go down at 80 miles an hour and
22:38 run as fast as you can.
22:39 It was too extreme.
22:41 Yeah, the mental battle afterwards can be tough, but we got through it.
22:46 So that's always good.
22:47 Well, thank you so much for joining us.
22:49 Just before we go, very quickly, what's been your highlight so far?
22:52 Oh, that's a tricky one.
22:55 I think so far would be becoming the bronze medalist at the U20 Junior Championships.
23:02 And also just the whole process of seeing where I came from to where I am now and the
23:10 future ahead is looking super exciting too.
23:13 Well, Izzy, thank you so much for joining us.
23:15 We'll be sure to follow your journey as it continues.
23:18 Thank you so much.
23:19 Now, before we go this evening, it's time to remind you that you can keep up to date
23:22 with all our stories, interviews, features and news here on Invicta Sport by heading
23:26 to kmcv.co.uk and clicking on the sports app there.
23:30 You'll see videos like this one about Apex Predators, a competitive group from Chatham
23:34 which is demonstrating a new and more intense take on roller skating.
23:39 Lace up those skates and fasten your helmet as this is no ordinary roller skating disco.
23:45 It may be a sleepy Sunday here in Chatham, but I'm with the Apex Predators who are here
23:49 to show me their skill, strategy and strength in a high intensity game also known as roller
23:54 derby.
23:55 This fast paced sport of endurance was revived in the early 2000s where self-expression and
24:00 showmanship were encouraged through unique derby names or flashy outfits.
24:04 Established in 2013 as a non-competitive team, the Apex Predators have flourished their talent
24:10 and now compete in a variety of tournaments such as Eastbourne Extreme or the Super 7
24:15 Smackdown.
24:16 Roller derby is a very strategic game.
24:17 There's a lot of thinking involved.
24:19 It's a very mental game.
24:20 It's a bit like chess on roller skates.
24:22 It's very, very strategic.
24:24 Basically you've got jammers and blockers.
24:26 The blockers are trying to, they're like the defensive players to win and they're trying
24:29 to stop the jammers from scoring points and the jammers are trying to get around the track
24:33 as fast as possible and they score points by passing other players.
24:36 So that's kind of the main game rules.
24:38 It is a compact sport and it can get kind of quite aggressive, quite hitty but when we're
24:42 teaching people how to play it we always start with the really basic skating skills, those
24:45 kind of things.
24:46 The adrenaline filled spirit here amongst the Apex Predators is certainly alive once that
24:50 whistle blows.
24:51 This sport may seem intense at first but at its heart this game encapsulates the fun camaraderie
24:56 and teamwork between its members.
24:58 It means community to me.
25:00 It's a really inclusive space. As a queer person it's actually quite difficult to find
25:04 a space that is completely inclusive, that you feel like you can just be your true self.
25:09 Roller derby is for everyone I think, literally is for everyone.
25:12 Particularly in the current climate of various sports getting less gender inclusive or less
25:17 inclusive to kind of our trans friends.
25:20 So I think to me it's a very important part of the team.
25:23 After watching the game I think I'll keep my trainers on but I'll stick to finding out
25:28 more for the Apex Predators members themselves.
25:30 I do a lot of combat sports anyway so getting here I'm kind of used to that.
25:34 Being on skates makes it even more interesting.
25:37 I think what drew me to derby was no running.
25:41 Obviously there's a lot of energy that you need for skating but it's just a lot more
25:46 fun and it has that sort of like a lot of energy that you can burn.
25:50 It's really not going to be thrown in at the deep end and if you think actually do you
25:54 know what, playing isn't for me, there are still so many ways to be part of the league
25:57 so just come along and be part of it really.
25:59 With an open day in sight this September I hope that Apex Predators continue to expand
26:04 their community of skaters and keep on rolling through their future endeavours.
26:08 Allegra Webb for KMTV in Chatham.
26:11 Exciting stuff there, wouldn't you like to give that one a go.
26:13 Anyway that is full time on today's episode of Invicta Sport.
26:17 Right after the break we'll have the final episode of our British Film Institute series
26:22 looking at religion and spirituality generation Y.
26:26 That's coming up just after the break.
26:28 And if you want more from KMTV well you can watch all our other special programmes,
26:32 the Kent Politics Show, Made in Kent, Kent on Climate and the Kent Film Club
26:36 by visiting our website kmtv.co.uk.
26:40 I'll be back on Friday with more sport from across the county but for now, goodbye.
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