On this episode, Bartholomew Hall speaks with Maidstone-based racer Adam Blair as he takes on his first full calendar season in more than 20 years with the opener this weekend at Brands Hatch. Plus, we visit the Boxing Club in Chatham helping people with Parkinsons keep active.
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00:00 Hello and welcome along to Invictus Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:16 up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Bartholomew Hall and here's what to expect on this Friday
00:21 the 12th of April.
00:25 It's not over, Clemens insists he's not given up on Gillingham's playoff hopes.
00:31 Adams resurgence, Kent Racer facing his first full season in 20 years, he tells us how he
00:36 beat Lewis Hamilton.
00:38 And gloves off.
00:40 Chat and boxing clubs, free sessions offer vital support for people with Parkinson's.
00:45 But first, let's take a look at the headlines.
00:48 We start with the sad news that tributes were paid this week to former Gillingham captain
00:52 and Millwall player Dave Mehmet, who died at the age of 63 following a stroke.
00:59 The midfielder, who was Gillingham's top goal scorer during the 83/84 season, went on to
01:03 play for a number of non-league clubs, including Maidstone United, Ereth and Belvedere.
01:08 In a statement, the club said they expressed their condolences to Dave's family and friends
01:13 and made their players wear black armbands when they took on Leicester City earlier in
01:18 the week.
01:20 Maidstone United are set to host a memorial match for two former team-mates who died after
01:24 two separate road accidents.
01:26 Rhys van Sertemaa and Charles Bolt both played for the club's disability team, the Maidstone
01:30 Raiders.
01:31 20-year-old Charles was driving near Sittingbourne when he was involved in a fatal crash.
01:36 And Rhys, seen here, was also hit by a lorry in Snodland just eight months prior.
01:44 Money raised from the raffle and auction set to take place tomorrow will go towards the
01:48 Raiders' 20th anniversary celebration.
01:51 The match is due to take place tomorrow at the club's Gallagher Stadium, with a kick-off
01:54 at two.
01:56 And Dover's Jake Dixon is on track to return to Moto2 action in the US this weekend.
02:01 It comes after the Kent racer suffered a heavy crash in the opening round of the season in
02:05 Qatar last month.
02:07 Laceration on his lung prevented him from flying home for more than a week, and he was
02:10 unable to complete the full weekend of last week's Portuguese Grand Prix.
02:15 Dixon now returns to the circuit in Austin, saying after spending the last few weeks recovering,
02:20 he's ready and eager to get back on the bike.
02:24 And Kent have travelled to Essex today for their first game on the road in this season's
02:28 county championship.
02:29 Early wickets for Matt Parkinson and George Garrett at Essex at just 10-2 this morning,
02:35 but following a strong afternoon for the hosts, with a run rate of above four, Essex have
02:39 managed to extend their lead to 397-6 going into the weekend.
02:44 It comes as history has been made for the cricket club today.
02:46 Jadon Denley made his first-class debut, where he's been playing alongside his uncle Joe
02:50 Denley.
02:51 And get this, this is interesting, this really interesting stat.
02:53 It makes them the first uncle-nephew duo to play together for Kent since 1854.
02:58 I do like that one, 1854.
03:01 Well moving on to football, Stephen Clement says he's not giving up on the League Two
03:04 playoffs.
03:06 It comes as the Gilles start this weekend 12th in League Two, having moved up from 13th
03:10 to 14th in the league.
03:11 The Morecambe were docked three points after breaching financial regulations.
03:15 It leaves the Medway side three points off a play-off place, but with five teams sitting
03:20 between them and a top-seven spot, the odds are against them.
03:23 The Gillingham head coach also says he believes he can solve goal-scoring problems by bringing
03:27 in new signings in the summer window.
03:29 Let's hear from him, speaking to the press this week.
03:32 Well, look, you don't give up, ever, do you?
03:35 So that's not in my mindset.
03:37 But look, I said last week, you have to concentrate on the next game.
03:42 Obviously, everybody looks in this game a long way ahead and what happens at the end.
03:48 But for me as a professional sportsperson and being in for a long, long time, you just
03:51 have to take care of the business coming up at the weekend.
03:54 And that's what we've got to try and do.
03:56 But while it's mathematically possible, no, we're not giving up, of course.
04:00 We're unbeaten, I think, since around Christmas time at home.
04:03 We've drawn far too many of them.
04:06 We should have turned some of those into victories.
04:07 And if we had, I think we'd be comfortably in the playoff positions.
04:13 Well with that in mind, let's take a look at all the fixtures happening this weekend.
04:16 And with just three games left to go, Gillingham's promotion hopes are all but over.
04:19 They'll be hoping to end the season strong by welcoming Barrow to Priestfield after only
04:25 one win in their last five outings.
04:27 Let's move on to the National League.
04:29 Struggling Ebbs, Fleet United take on fifth-place Altrincham.
04:31 They'll be hoping to bounce back after a 3-0 defeat to Solihill Moores last weekend.
04:37 To the National League South now, and it's away trips for all our Kent sides.
04:40 Tunbridge Angels going to Chelmsford.
04:42 Already relegated Dover take on Hampton and Richmond, whilst Maidstone United face Truro
04:46 City.
04:47 And relegation facing Dartford take on the top of the table Yeovil, who became champions
04:52 in the midweek.
04:53 And finally, onto the Izmir Premier League.
04:55 Chattentown, one point, is all they need to secure a place in the playoffs, whilst they'll
05:00 be facing Folkestone in Victor this weekend.
05:03 And relegation-threatened Margate will welcome title winners Hornchurch to Hartston Park.
05:09 Exciting stuff.
05:10 Well don't forget, you can keep up to date with all the latest non-league news by reading
05:13 Kent online.
05:14 But did you also know you can get your weekly digest of non-league news from around the
05:18 county sent directly to your email inbox.
05:20 Really interesting one this weekend just landed in my inbox about Ramsgate's title battle with
05:25 Cray Valley tomorrow.
05:26 And of course, you can also select to have all the latest Gilles news in your email inbox
05:32 too.
05:33 Next tonight, Maidstone racing driver Adam Blair is set to return to the track this weekend
05:40 after more than 20 years out of action.
05:43 After rising the ranks of Formula Ford and Formula 3 in the late 90s, Adam found himself
05:48 signed to face in Germany in the Porsche Carrera Cup in the early noughties.
05:53 But with a lack of funding, Adam's career came to a halt.
05:57 Now the 44-year-old is set to race in this weekend's Audi TT Cup Racing Championship
06:02 Opener with his team EST Performance.
06:05 The season kicks off this weekend here in Kent at Brands Hatch.
06:09 I caught up with him earlier today when he was kind enough to tell me about the time
06:12 he beat Lewis Hamilton.
06:14 Take a look.
06:15 First of all, tell me what practice has been like today.
06:18 How's the car feeling?
06:19 You're sitting in it now, so how does it feel being there?
06:21 It's nice sitting here right now in the garage because it's kind of nice and relaxed.
06:27 But yeah, we've been struggling a little bit today actually.
06:30 We were here at Brands I think two weeks ago, very quick.
06:34 I think we set the fastest lap ever for an Audi TT around the circuit.
06:38 And then today we're struggling a little bit.
06:40 So that's why I'm in the pit garage.
06:42 I don't know if you can hear the mechanics are doing stuff to the car at the moment to
06:46 hopefully fix the problem.
06:48 But we won't know until qualifying tomorrow morning.
06:51 Yeah, I was going to ask, is it a big problem?
06:53 Is it set up changes?
06:55 Is it something that can be fixed before qualifying?
06:57 It's set up.
06:59 The weird thing is we've done the set up really nicely when we were last here and possibly
07:06 got a little bit too overconfident.
07:08 So today we've kind of been a little bit shocked about all of a sudden there's a big push under
07:14 steer is the problem that we're having.
07:16 But yeah, we're working on fixing it.
07:19 It may well be possibly a faulty tyre or something like that.
07:23 It's quite severe.
07:24 We've lost like a second a lap.
07:26 But you know, nothing's insolvable.
07:29 So we're on it and hopefully bring it back by the time we go to qualifying tomorrow morning.
07:36 Good, good.
07:37 Staying optimistic.
07:38 That's lovely.
07:39 And it's always exciting, isn't it, at the start of a new season.
07:40 But for you, it's your first full calendar of racing in more than 20 years.
07:45 So what is going through your head at this point?
07:48 That excitement must be massive.
07:50 Yeah, for me, it's about the challenge of winning and then actually coming through and
07:58 winning.
07:59 That's the big satisfaction for me.
08:00 So yeah, I was just really focused on that.
08:04 With hindsight, we possibly could have been slightly better prepared in terms of doing
08:09 a little bit more testing.
08:10 But like I said, we're probably possibly slightly too overconfident.
08:14 But you know, it's going to be a long season.
08:16 And I think the most important thing with my kind of strategy is to try and get some
08:20 good points in the first three races, first one rounds here at Brands.
08:25 So yeah, I think that's probably going to happen.
08:28 We may win.
08:29 It's not looking like we're going to win at the moment, but we're working on it.
08:34 Fingers crossed.
08:35 Absolutely.
08:36 Now, you're back.
08:38 Those Audi TTs that you'll be racing in, they're lovely cars, aren't they?
08:42 What's it feeling like though, racing at Brands Hatch at your home circuit this weekend?
08:46 Because you're from Kent originally.
08:50 I am, yeah.
08:51 So I grew up in Swanley.
08:52 And yeah, I mean, I love the circuit.
08:55 It is quite convenient.
08:57 I live now locally in Kent as well.
09:00 So it's nice to be near home, not having to stay in a hotel and stuff.
09:06 But more importantly, I love the circuit.
09:09 I really, there's something, I always feel like I really click with this circuit.
09:14 Always did, even back in the day.
09:17 You know, it's kind of quite an old school circuit.
09:21 Although they've kind of introduced all this track limits and stuff now that I'm not so
09:25 keen on.
09:26 But yeah, I just love the place.
09:27 I'd much prefer it to somewhere like Donington Park, for example.
09:28 It's a bit more, what's the word I'm looking for?
09:29 This is kind of a more of a natural circuit.
09:30 No, of course, of course.
09:31 It's always a favorite.
09:32 Brands hatch.
09:38 Now you've had quite a long career in the past.
09:43 You've gone through the ranks of Formula Ford, Formula Three, done a lot of karting as well
09:48 in your time.
09:49 I wanted to bring up one particular highlight.
09:51 Now this is at a charity event back in 2001.
09:54 You actually beat Lewis Hamilton.
09:57 Tell me that story because the picture's great.
09:58 The view on the podium and him in second.
10:00 Well, yeah, I mean, there wasn't a massive story to it.
10:04 Well, the funnier thing was there was actually a couple of other guys, one of whom was Anthony
10:10 Davidson, who I think subsequently has won Le Mans 24 hours.
10:14 And he was in Formula One for a bit.
10:16 And the funny thing was he jumped in the Al Kart before the race and rejected it.
10:22 So we kind of got the hand-me-down from Lewis and Davidson and then beat them.
10:28 So it was quite funny.
10:29 Oh, fantastic.
10:30 Yeah, it wasn't a lot to it.
10:31 It was just driving fast.
10:32 And yeah, Lewis took it better than I would have done.
10:36 I mean, if there's one thing to have on your racing CV, having beat Lewis Hamilton, even
10:40 if it was a charity karting event, I mean, that's one to take with you forever.
10:44 Look, best of luck this weekend and for the rest of the season.
10:47 We'll be following your progress as you go.
10:50 And enjoy it.
10:52 Yeah, absolutely.
10:54 Best of luck to Adam this weekend and for the rest of the season.
10:57 Really interesting there about having beaten Lewis Hamilton.
10:59 Well, we've reached half time of today's episode, but it's time for a break.
11:03 Coming up, we'll be talking about the Grand National.
11:07 It's happening this weekend.
11:08 It's going to be a weekend where many people will be thinking about placing a bet.
11:11 We'll be talking with a former gambler to talk about how he turned his life around and
11:15 is now giving advice to people who struggle with the issue.
11:18 And as well, we'll be looking into World Parkinson's Day.
11:22 That happened yesterday.
11:23 We'll be looking at St. Mary's Boxing Club.
11:24 They've been helping people with Parkinson's disease with their weekly sessions.
11:28 And of course, we'll be taking a look at this week's action replay with clips sent in by
11:33 you, the KMTV viewers of you getting active in and around the county.
11:36 So stay tuned.
11:37 We'll be back after this break.
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15:07 Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV.
15:10 Now, this weekend is the return of the Grand National.
15:13 Many people will be looking forward to it, but also will be thinking about placing a bet or two.
15:18 But what happens when betting becomes too much?
15:21 Well, for Kent-based Matt Burgess, after starting gambling as a teenager, it soon became too much,
15:26 leading to a loss of money and detrimental effects on his health.
15:30 Joining me now to talk about this and advice for people who are going through a gambling issue is Matt on the line.
15:37 Thank you very much for joining us, Matt.
15:39 It's really lovely that you're here to share your story with us.
15:42 Could you first of all just tell me about that, about how it all started and it all started in your teenage years?
15:49 Yeah, absolutely.
15:51 I always say that I started gambling at like 15, 16 years old on scratch cards and very, very small things.
15:57 But it's important to note that that's when it started.
16:00 I went to university at 18, did everything that people do at university, made friends, went out for drinks, joined the local football team.
16:09 And we would gamble every weekend on the football matches.
16:14 And then I got introduced to things like fixed odds betting terminals and live casino games.
16:19 And it went from there, really.
16:21 And when did you realise that something had to change?
16:27 Well, far too late, I think is the short answer to that question.
16:31 As I went through sort of 19, 20, 21, I knew I had a problem.
16:37 I kind of felt that it was something I wouldn't be able to ever get over and I didn't really want anyone else to know about it.
16:45 And then, yeah, at 22, I unfortunately made quite serious attempts in my life.
16:50 And then, you know, from there, obviously, that was the light bulb moment for me.
16:54 And, yeah, from there, I've just been in recovery since, really.
16:58 And I understand now you give advice to people who were in a similar situation to you.
17:03 When you talk to people, do you often find similar stories that maybe you once related to?
17:10 Yeah, I mean, I don't personally work with people that are experiencing harm, but my organisation does.
17:16 We have the National Gambling Helpline and the National Gambling Support Network.
17:20 They're far more qualified than I am to do that.
17:22 But I do have a group of people, like with lived experience as well.
17:27 We have a lived experience forum.
17:29 So, yeah, we chat often about our own experiences.
17:32 There are a lot of similarities.
17:34 I think one of the things that really sticks out for me is that everyone feels that, you know, when they're in it, there's a stigma attached to it.
17:41 There's no way out.
17:43 And, you know, that's why it's really my passion to go around and tell people that there is a way out and there is support out there through the services that we and the National Gambling Support Network offer.
17:52 No, absolutely. I wanted to talk about that.
17:54 So at the at the network, I've got the stat here.
17:56 January actually saw its largest, highest of monthly calls.
18:01 More than 4000 were made.
18:03 Is this a problem that is getting worse from your perspective?
18:08 I don't know about if it's getting worse or not.
18:11 I think, you know, there's definitely peaks and troughs at different points in the year.
18:15 But, you know, you can look at those helpline stats and say it's getting worse.
18:18 So you can look at it and say more people are reaching out for help.
18:20 And actually the you know, the job that we're doing around raising awareness and people are becoming more and more aware of it.
18:28 One, that it actually is an addiction. And two, that there is help out there as well.
18:33 And of course, it is Grand National Weekend.
18:36 Lots of sporting events happening this summer as well with the Euros.
18:39 Does that tend to be a time for you to kind of reflect on on maybe the pressures that you see in society?
18:46 I mean, I was listening to the radio on the way in and it was instantly talking about the odds.
18:50 Is there a change that maybe society could make to help people that are struggling?
18:56 I think the Grand National Weekend, big sporting events like you mentioned, the Euros and other sports,
19:02 it's always going to be a difficult time for someone that's experienced harm with gambling, you know,
19:06 because temptation is never something that you want, of course.
19:10 In terms of, you know, if there needs to be a change or not, I actually see that, you know,
19:15 thinking about that as a bit detrimental to my recovery in the sense that I focus on what I can do.
19:20 I focus on what I can control. And by doing that and putting the right safeguards in place at times like these,
19:26 that's how I can be quite, feel quite safe that I'm not going to kind of relapse.
19:32 Well, the National Gambling Support Network, I'm sure people can search that, find the number if they do need to reach out.
19:37 Thank you very much for joining us, Matt, today from Chatham. Really appreciate that.
19:42 And moving on, a boxing club in Chatham, which offers free sessions to people with Parkinson's disease,
19:46 says that by getting active and social, many of their members are seeing improvements,
19:50 not just in their physical health, but in their mental well-being too.
19:54 Our reporter Charlotte Bourne went down to the club earlier this week.
19:59 Almost. Can we get the video? There we go.
20:04 I went to a rainy Canterbury to train with the Kent Falcons,
20:07 getting an in-depth experience of what the players have to go through to make sure they are at the top of their game.
20:13 We started off with drills that would simulate in-game situations such as evading an opponent or running whilst being dragged.
20:20 We then moved on to some tackling drills whilst also working on being agile and quick off your feet.
20:25 The aim of these drills was to work on timing the tackle, but also making sure we are being safe whilst tackling.
20:40 After that, we moved on to catching the ball using different in-game scenarios,
20:44 which called for different tactics or routes in order to fool an opponent into thinking you're going one way,
20:49 instead going another, as well as increasing the chances of catching the ball and scoring a touchdown.
20:58 Tackling and catching the ball was some of the most strenuous drills I had done,
21:01 and although they ask a lot from your body, they are some of the most vital aspects of the game,
21:05 as they can be the difference between a win or a loss.
21:13 Catching the ball requires a good eye for space, as well as a good eye for tracking the movement of the ball
21:17 and being quick enough to get to it before the opponent does,
21:20 which is why players have to be physically fit and have high endurance.
21:27 Both tackling and catching drills required a lot of speed, agility and vision,
21:32 and when it comes to American football, timing is an important factor in terms of knowing when to make the run and knowing when to make a tackle.
21:40 I'd like to thank Daniel and the rest of the American football team, the Parkins, for teaching me and putting me through the ringer
21:48 and showing me just how much goes into the training.
21:54 Let's play! Let's play!
22:00 Daniel Ananu for KMTV
22:03 Well clearly someone needs to be fired, they had a problem there in the gallery.
22:07 That was a video from our website when we sent our reporter Daniel Ananu down to Canterbury
22:11 to find out what real American football training involves.
22:14 You can watch plenty more of those at kmtv.co.uk.
22:16 Here is the story about the Boxing for Parkinson's sessions in Chatham.
22:21 Parkinson's UK estimated that last year there were 128,000 people living with Parkinson's disease in the UK.
22:36 This raises the question of what those diagnosed can do to manage the condition and promote their wellbeing.
22:42 They say that Parkinson's is one of the most important things, it is to keep you fit.
22:46 I think it's improved my balance and my coordination.
22:51 It was a surprise really that it was so beneficial to Parkinson's.
22:56 It seems to be really taking off.
22:59 Any exercise helps, but this helps in particular because it's got so many formats to it.
23:03 It's building up muscle and the whole thing.
23:06 It takes a bit of courage to actually come to somewhere you don't know anybody,
23:09 but once you've done it, I mean they're all sort of friendly.
23:12 They are friendly, we all chat and have a good laugh as well.
23:18 Born from a need for community support for those with Parkinson's,
23:21 Boxing for Parkinson's has been run by Olympia Boxing director Wayne Smith for the last seven years.
23:27 He emphasises the wide range of benefits that boxing brings to participants' mental and physical wellbeing.
23:33 It's a high intensity exercise that creates the dopamine that they're missing.
23:37 It's the regulation, like through the punching, the coordination, the movement, everything that involves in boxing,
23:43 it re-regulates them and members of their families have been saying,
23:48 like I get the old feel back for a couple of hours and some of them saying,
23:52 "I'm doing this and when I come home, my shakes are less, everything, my speech is better."
23:58 More gyms across the country are now recognising boxing as a valuable sport for all.
24:02 Coaches at St Mary's are looking forward to seeing more accessible programmes become available
24:07 and are hoping to increase support for their own.
24:09 At the moment it's entirely put on by Olympia Boxing, by our boss,
24:12 so it's entirely funded off our own back and to do with St Mary's, the boxing gym.
24:16 But it would be really, really good for hopefully a bit more community support
24:19 and a bit more everybody getting involved, coming around to help us.
24:22 Having learned about the beneficial relationship between boxing and Parkinson's disease,
24:26 I wanted to know more about what the diagnosis means to those with it and the people supporting them.
24:31 Ring fencing, it's something that some of these guys might suffer from, X, others suffer from,
24:37 it's all different, don't be scared of it, it's, I've not bothered about it and it's not going to beat me,
24:43 so it shouldn't beat anybody.
24:45 People don't, all they think of is the shaking, there's lots more to it, some hidden, some not,
24:49 people don't see and don't understand, it's understandable, if it doesn't affect you, you don't know about it.
24:54 Charlotte Bourne reporting for KMTV.
24:57 Now that's full time on today's episode,
24:59 but there's just a few minutes of extra time to take a look at this week's Action Replay.
25:03 Kicking off this week's Action Replay, take a look at this sweldy from Chattentown,
25:09 player Francis Mampolo, on his debut for the Medway Club.
25:13 Some excellent footwork there, dancing past two defenders to slot it behind the keeper,
25:18 all on his own.
25:20 Despite the town going on to draw in this match against Cray Wanderers,
25:23 it's clearly one that will live long in the memory for the winger.
25:27 Next up, meet the Cranbrook Celestials under 10s.
25:30 Oh no, we've reached the end of today's episode, I was really enjoying Action Replay,
25:38 maybe we'll put it up on our show's social media, you can actually search on X,
25:44 KMTV Sport, where we have a bit of a perfect place there for all of our content,
25:50 from this show in particular, but of course you can follow KMTV Kent on X as well,
25:56 and you can catch up with all the latest news from across the county.
25:59 Now on our website, kmtv.co.uk, you can have a look at all our other special shows,
26:05 like Kent Politics Show, Made in Kent, Kent on Climate, and the Kent Film Club.
26:11 I'll be back on this Monday with a brand new episode.
26:15 If you want to be involved in next week's Action Replay, just make sure you send in
26:19 all of your clips and pics to our social media or to our email, sport@kmtv.co.uk,
26:26 and hopefully next week we'll play the whole thing, I'm not sure what's been going on
26:29 in the gallery this evening, but we'll see you on Monday for a brand new episode. Bye bye.
26:34 (clapping)
26:36 (music)
26:46 (silence)