Tonight, Bartholomew Hall is joined by Ultimate Master Classes ahead of their upcoming event with James Degale and Invicta Volleyball is on to speak about their woman's team joining the National Volleyball League.
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00:00Hello and welcome along to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:20up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Bartholomew Hall, here's what to expect on this Monday
00:25the 29th of July. Kent in Paris. We'll have all the updates from Paris 2024. Boxing for
00:35Leilani, former gold medallist supports Medway Workshop Day. And making a stance, Kent women's
00:44volleyball team accepted into the National League. But first, with the greatest show
00:50on earth in full swing over in Paris, Kent's Olympic representatives have already been
00:55out on their quest to grab some medals. And there's plenty to celebrate too, following
00:59today's first Team GB gold medal grabs of the year by Laura Collette in eventing and
01:07Tom Pidcock rescuing his mountain bike race after a puncture, it's certainly been an exciting
01:12few days. Here's everything you need to know about Kent athletes and what they've been
01:16getting up to over the weekend. Starting off, Pembrey's Emily Craig is arguably Kent's best
01:21shot at a gold medal this year, alongside her rowing partner Imogen Grant. She's unbeaten
01:26in all competitions she's taken part in since Tokyo 2020, that's 11 in total. This year's
01:33Games, as she's told KMTV, is her chance to turn around what was a heartbreaking time
01:37in Japan. I'm hoping the work we've put in over the last two years will certainly go
01:42a long way to making that a gold. We've got much more time in the boat together, much
01:47more experience. I think both of us are very different people and very different athletes
01:52to the two women that lined up on that start line in Tokyo 2021. At the opening weekend,
01:59Craig and Grant delivered a dominant first round performance, winning their heat by a
02:02margin of four seconds. With a chance for storms ahead now as they head towards the
02:07semi-finals this week, Grant says she's confident to wade through any conditions. From rowing
02:13to swimming now, seven-oak swimmer Ava Akaro made history when she was announced as the
02:18first black female to represent Team GB in the pool at an Olympic Games. The 17-year-old
02:24who took part in the 4 by 100 metre freestyle relay alongside Anna Hopkin, Lucy Hope and
02:29Freya Anderson swam the second leg, producing a split of 54.75 seconds. Ultimately, it was
02:36Australia who dominated the event, clinching yet another gold, with USA and China taking
02:41the silver and bronze respectively. Akaro's GB squad finished seventh. Looking back on
02:47the event, Akaro said it was a mind-blowing experience to be competing at her first Games,
02:51but that she was honoured to be part of Team GB. Into the Bursa arena now, as we have another
02:56Olympic debut by the name of Great Enz Georgia Mae Fenton, whose stock has been skyrocketing
03:02on the world stage at recent. She helped Team GB qualify for the artistic gymnastics final,
03:07but it wasn't easy. With a number of struggles on the apparatus, including Fenton's own
03:11uncharacteristic wobbles, Team GB were on the back foot. It wasn't until Becky Downey's
03:16performance on the bars was confirmed individually in sixth place that GB women officially made
03:21it through, before celebrating with this widely applauded dance. The US qualified top for
03:29the team final, with a number of A-list celebs in the arena to watch Simone Biles on her
03:33Olympic return. Italy were second and China third. Meanwhile, Great Britain's men came
03:39from behind twice to secure a draw against South Africa in the hockey. Medway's Holkham
03:43Hockey Club goalkeeper Olly Payne was replaced by Jack Waller with just a few minutes to
03:47go. After narrowly missing out at the last Games, Team GB's men's hockey squad are looking
03:52for what would be their first medal since 1988. So from the tribulations of sport climbing
03:58to the fiercities of judo, there'll be much more for us to look back on as the Olympics
04:02continue, with plenty more from Kent's GB representatives on the way.
04:09We'll bring you those updates right throughout the Olympic Games here on Invicta Sport. But
04:13sticking with the Olympic theme, one sport that's always had its place in the Games to
04:17see off the start of some great careers is boxing. But even before getting to Olympic
04:22level, many rely on getting their foot in the door at grassroots and amateur level,
04:27which is exactly what Kent Gloves Boxing Club is aiming to promote with its Ultimate Master
04:31Classes, supported by former Olympic gold medalist James Degal. But it's also an important
04:39event to raise money for a very important local cause, as Finn McDiarmid has been finding
04:43out. Right now I'm at Kent Gloves Boxing Gym in Gillingham and in just over a week in this
04:48very ring, James Degal, an Olympic gold medalist, will be doing his Ultimate Master Class, all
04:53to help one little girl with her life-changing surgery. Liliana, aged three, has a condition
04:59that affects her heart and lungs, which will require surgery before she turns five, and
05:04is an expensive procedure. So the CEO of Ultimate Master Class, Jay Lacey, known in the local
05:10fighting scene for putting on fundraising and charity boxing events, took matters into
05:13his own gloves. She does need a critical operation, which is on her heart and her lungs. So we
05:22are endeavouring to get as many people at Kent Gloves on the 3rd of August as possible.
05:27It's a good opportunity for the community to be aware of the Lani's condition.
05:32James Degal will be joined on the 3rd of August by big names in boxing and other martial arts,
05:37like Kieran Eccoledo, former MMA fighter Henrique Santana, Master Wong and England carded boxer
05:43Kai Didloff-Lacey. The fighters will be holding special sessions for the attendees, who are
05:48already amateur to semi-pro level boxers. On the day, raffles will be held for prizes
05:52to raise additional money and food services may be present at the boxing gym. I spoke
05:57to one of the gym's promising up-and-coming fighters. Obviously, I've come here from a
06:03young age and this is the only club I've ever been at, like, boxing. I'd say it's a really
06:10good club. Everyone's welcome. They're all like family. I've won everything here. I've
06:16won four national titles, a lot of box clubs. I've had 44 fights being here, 135 out of
06:23seven years of boxing. So, as you can tell by the record, it's a very good boxing club.
06:29She's building up an impressive CV, having won the Harinji Box Cup, one of Europe's largest
06:33boxing cups twice in a row. She attributes her success to the support that the gym gave
06:38her in her career. Boxing might not be a team sport, but the community are able to raise
06:42their fists together when needed. Finn McDermid for KMTV.
06:47And joining me now as part of the events is its representatives. You met there Jay in
06:51the piece, but also with Kieran here too. Now, thank you guys for being here. Welcome
06:56onto the show. It sounds like a really exciting event. It's this Saturday the 3rd. We heard
07:01from you, Jay, already, of course, in the piece. Kieran, we'll come to you first. Tell
07:04me a bit about the event and your involvement in it.
07:07Absolutely. So, this weekend, Saturday the 3rd of August, is going to be an event that
07:13is... I work there as a technical training director. So, what that means is I'll be assisting
07:18James the Girl as he is instructing an inspiring, motivating, empowering session. First half
07:25is going to be with the kids. Second half is going to be with the young adults and adults.
07:30So, my role within it is to ensure that it runs smoothly. I've already done some preparation
07:36with James to ensure that it's structured well and just to make sure it just flows my
07:41background in the training industry for the past 10 plus years. And so, it's adequate
07:46with my passion for fitness and passion for boxing that I'll be there on the day to ensure
07:51that I can help out.
07:52Yeah, absolutely. I want to come onto that and kind of really pick your mind about what
07:55it takes to be a good coach because you do help the coaches as well, of course. Jay,
08:00I want to come to you. Obviously, we've heard James the Girl being part of it. That's a
08:04huge name backing, you know, former... He's got so many accolades to his name, but of
08:08course, former gold medalist at the Olympics. What does it mean to have the backing of those
08:13stars?
08:14Well, I've worked with James for two years. He's come on board as a sporting director
08:18with Ultimate Masterclasses and he's done quite a lot of training. Obviously, he's been
08:22to Kent Gloves before in April 22 and he works with my son, Kai De La Flayce, who's a coach
08:29and sponsored athlete for Ultimate Masterclasses. So, James has got a lot of technical attributes
08:36from obviously winning an Olympic gold medal and a double IBF world champion as well as
08:41many national titles and other medals that he won in the Commonwealth and Europeans as
08:46an amateur. So, he brings knowledge as well as... His overview is training with the children,
08:53he's passing that knowledge on and being as inspiring as possible. So, from that point
08:59of view, having worked with him for two years, James brings that to the team and it works
09:03in unison with Kieran and we're able to deliver a great product on the day. Obviously, we're
09:10looking to raise funds for Leilani as well, which Leon and Leilani and Louise and their
09:16family will be there on the day. So, we're going to run a raffle, a small auction and
09:20also some donations on the day.
09:22Of course, we've covered events before for Leilani. It's a really moving story that their
09:28family are going through, but really supported by the boxing community here in Kent and especially
09:33in Medway as well. I suppose that's a big part of it, isn't it? Kieran, we'll come to
09:36you because seeing these youngsters moving through the ranks, that's really the foundations
09:42for the future of boxing as well. There's such a rise at the moment, especially here
09:46in Kent, some of these huge names that are making it on the national and soon to be the
09:50global stage, of course. So, what is it for you then, training these youngsters and seeing
09:55the move? What's the passion about?
09:57So, the passion for me is I grew up in a family of fitness enthusiasts. My mum, she was a
10:05personal trainer. My grandma, she still is active and in her 80s is pursuing a goal of
10:10becoming a swimming teacher moving forward. So, I've always been intertwined with it.
10:15For me, boxing has really been one that has helped me through mental and physical challenges.
10:20So, first-hand, I've got first-hand experiences of the benefits of boxing from a well-being
10:26perspective. But also, more importantly, I find a community perspective. You're able
10:31to develop some real friendships, some bonds, and where you're able to develop in areas
10:37of confidence and discipline, which can be transferred to other areas of life. And I
10:41feel that these principles are key for our youth to have in place and which they can
10:47develop through sports and then apply to other areas of their lives as they grow on and begin
10:53their careers, whatever they decide to do, even if it isn't to become a professional
10:57athlete.
10:57I think that's it, isn't it? Because there's so many benefits to boxing. So, when you have
11:01a group of youngsters in front of you who have so many different backgrounds and their
11:05own personal stories, how do you navigate that and give them that individual coaching
11:11but also within the group?
11:14Well, I would say in that case, what I like to do is really to connect with all of the
11:20children in the class. Funnily enough, I had an event this weekend, a more personal one.
11:25It was my nephew's birthday. But what we did is I was hosting and a group of kids, about
11:3130 kids, had to entertain. And one of the things we really do is learning to understand
11:36you naturally have extroverts and introverts, being able to welcome each individual as they
11:42are and being able to tailor the session so that each person can feel engaged.
11:46Well, Ultimate Masterclass is the event this Saturday, 3rd August. Thank you very much
11:50for joining us. We'll have plenty more coming up after the break.
14:55Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV. Great to have you still with us.
15:14But before we continue, let's take a quick look at the headlines. And as the pre-season
15:18continues, Gillingham have extended their strong campaign with what ended up as a controversial
15:243-1 win against National League side Southend United. The first of two games from new signing
15:29Jack Nolan was given as a goal, despite it being unclear as to whether it actually crossed
15:37the line. So who says VAR isn't as useful, eh? Just one minute later, Jadon Clarke doubled
15:43Gillingham's advantage. Former Gilles striker Josh Walker featured in this game and was
15:47also on target for Southend. And Nolan signed off the victory with another goal to make
15:52it 3-1 to the Gilles. Here's the reaction from manager Mark Bonner.
15:57Sort of like three minutes of action where all the goals happened either side of half-time.
16:02I'm not even sure the first one was a goal. The second one's a brilliant counter-attack
16:06from us and the third one's hopeless from us. So, yeah, strange few moments. Good minutes
16:13for people, like big minutes for lots of them that need that. On a very long, slow pitch
16:19which wasn't a quality game, there was a lot of technical errors from us. But there's
16:23a few bits to like in it. I think our best bits are in counter-attacking phases at the
16:26moment but we've got a lot of work to do in other areas.
16:29Well as the pre-season continues, let's take a look at some of the other football results
16:33from the weekend. Gillingham, of course, won three-way from home against Southend United
16:37as you were just hearing. Ebbs Fleet suffered a 3-1 defeat at home to Cambridge United.
16:43Maidstone United won 1-0 away from home against Chatham Town. And a six-goal thriller between
16:49Dover Athletic and Tunbridge Angels saw Tunbridge walk away the victors at 4-2. Folkestone and
16:55Margate's game went to a penalty shootout with Margate coming out on top. And Dartford
17:00FC won by a goal to nil against Sutton.
17:05Now on to some cricket results and the Kent Spitfires pulled off an impressive five-run
17:09victory against Lancashire in the One Day Cup. Kent batted first and scored a hard-to-defend
17:16total of 209 runs. Harry Finch top-scored for Kent with 48 runs from 63 balls and looked
17:23to be going the way of Lancashire right at the very end until spin bowler Matt Parkinson
17:28held his nerve against his former side by taking the final two wickets at the death
17:33as well as playing well with the bat by scoring 19 runs himself. Kent won by five runs in
17:37the next game is against Hampshire on Wednesday and I'm sure all of us here in Kent will be
17:42backing them as they head further into this competition.
17:46Now it was a mixed weekend at Croft for Platts Heath racer Jake Hill who fell to second in
17:50the British Touring Car Championship standings after some of his lowest race finishes of
17:54the season so far. Hill started the weekend top of the standings, qualified 11th on Saturday.
18:01He had an impressive opening race, moving all the way up to sixth at the North Yorkshire
18:05Circuit before a contact heavy race two which left him at just 16th and a satisfying drive
18:10from 16th to 5th place. Next up the BTCC heads to Knock Hill in a week's time.
18:17Now it's time to remind you that you can keep up to date with all the latest sports news,
18:21interviews and features from right here on Invicta Sport by heading over to our website
18:25kmtv.co.uk. When you're there click on the sports tab because there you'll see videos
18:29like this one about a youngster from Tunbridge Wells pedalling towards a place in a future
18:34Team GB BMX racing squad.
18:36I'm passionate about the sport, I want to be there. That's really all I train for, race
18:41for and it's everything, that's what I want to do.
18:48Danny Jake has just finished his GCSEs but unlike his classmates he won't be spending
18:54the summer swanning off in the sun. In fact it's straight back to work and straight back
18:59on his bike as he follows his dream to one day be part of the Team GB BMX racing squad.
19:05First picking up the sport at the age of eight thanks to the encouragement of a family friend,
19:10Danny quickly fell in love with the speed, adrenaline and fearlessness required to take
19:14on tracks like these and hasn't looked back since.
19:17Yeah I just like going fast, I like the adrenaline, going around, jumping all the big jumps, yeah
19:22it's good. There's a lot of hard work put into it, going from gym to doing sprints,
19:29it's a dedicated sport you have to be into so yeah. Just before a go I'm thinking tunnel
19:34vision straight, wanting to get to the corner first and get there as quick as I can.
19:43Danny Jake has already won major national competitions with the most recent being in
19:47Cumbernauld in Scotland where he took the top spot in the junior men's race.
19:51BMX racing isn't just about shooting it down the track as fast as you can, there's a huge
20:01amount of control that comes into it, especially on these jumps.
20:05Eight riders launch themselves from the top of an eight metre hill to try and stay in
20:09close formation as they navigate a variety of dirt jumps and banks turns to come out
20:14in front.
20:15The sport first appeared at the Olympics in Beijing 2008 and has remained one of the most
20:20popular fixtures. It's since gone on to become notorious for its crashes and at Tokyo 2020
20:26was considered the most dangerous sport with athletes picking up more injuries than any
20:30other event.
20:33But even the prospect of a crash doesn't slow down Danny Jake's determination.
20:37Yeah you can break bones such as I have, I've broke a lot so yeah.
20:42Does that worry you at all, I mean how much does that come into your preparation?
20:45I don't really think about it after so yeah.
20:49And finally, in what is a big move for Kent's volleyball scene, Invicta Volleyball Club
20:53have had their women's team accepted for a place in the National Volleyball League, meaning
20:57the local outfit have two in that national competition. Two teams, both male and female.
21:02To talk about it in a bit more detail, I'm pleased to say I'm joined by Luke Thomas and
21:05one of the team members set to compete in the league, Tope Olusola. Thank you very much
21:09for being here, welcome onto the programme, welcome back onto the programme Luke.
21:12The last time you were here we were talking about the men's squad and some of your players
21:16who are represented at England level and we have one of your women players as well
21:19so really good to meet the whole family. First of all Luke, we'll come to you first, what
21:25does this mean to have both squads now in that league?
21:29It's absolutely fantastic, I mean last year we had our men's team in for the first time,
21:32that was a huge achievement to be able to now have a women's team in that and to have
21:36that complete performance pathway within our club is a huge thing for us to be able to
21:40move volleyball forwards.
21:41Absolutely and Tope as well, so tell me what does it feel like to be part of that league
21:45now because you've been with this club for a few years, you've moved up through the ranks
21:50yourself, so to see the whole club get towards that place as well, it must be quite proud.
21:55Yeah of course, it's really nice to be exposed to a different environment and a higher level
22:00to play at, so that's really exciting.
22:02Of course, and the league kicks off in October so really not long to go, what are the kind
22:08of teams you're going to be playing with?
22:10So we're going to be playing against teams from across the South East region and if we
22:14compete well there's an opportunity to get promotion into Division 2, so the Division
22:173 of the National League is more of a regional based league so we'll be playing with teams
22:21from Worthing, from Surrey, from London, it's more of a regional based league to begin with.
22:29And presumably that's going to be a step up as well in quality, so are there nerves there,
22:34are you ready for this, how are you feeling?
22:36It's going to be a big challenge because we're going out of a county league and into a national
22:40league where we're competing against teams that are at the top of their game in their
22:43respective counties, so it is a big step up, but I think we're well prepared for it.
22:47We've got a young side but we've got a lot of talent in that team and a number of players
22:51that have gone through the Volleyball England Performance Pathway who are playing at regional
22:56level or at national or international level, so it's a young and experienced squad but
23:00one stacked with talent.
23:02And of course, Tope, you've been with the South East squads, you've represented England
23:06at the under-17s level so you're kind of used to travelling around with a bit of a group,
23:11how important is it to have that really close bond between you as you are travelling around?
23:16Yeah, I would say it does make it easier if you get along with the people that you're
23:20with because it makes the experience more enjoyable, like memories and stuff like that.
23:24It's nice to have memories.
23:26And of course, volleyball, well-known Olympic sport, but Team GB, it doesn't have a team
23:31regularly competing in it, last time was 2012 of course when we hosted.
23:37Seeing the game grow regionally and especially here in Kent, does it give you a bit more
23:43promise to what the future could be like nationally as well?
23:45I think the Olympics is an opportunity for people in England to see the standard of volleyball,
23:49to see the production that goes on in the matches and we want to try and replicate something
23:53similar here, we want a professional playing environment where teams are putting on a spectacle
23:57for audiences and I hope that seeing the Olympics being played out will encourage people to
24:03go, that's something that's interesting, I want to get involved with that.
24:05Because as well, something that we spoke about last time is funding can often be difficult
24:09as well, but to see what you guys have done as the club to grow in this way and of course
24:14also having your own, the Invicta League as well, maybe a struggle at times but there
24:19is a following there.
24:20There is, yes, and the Invicta League, we're really pleased to be able to expand that to
24:23women's teams this year, it's been working really well with our men's programme, it's
24:26allowed our men to develop a performance pathway, we're now running that out to our women's
24:30programme.
24:32Funding is difficult, it's a really challenging climate to try and get funding in minority
24:36sports but we're really pleased to be working with a number of great sponsors, we had Pink
24:41Lady Apples, we had Steadline, Panda Optics, we've got a number of people that are getting
24:46behind what we do and they see the value in what we're trying to produce.
24:49To have that backing is obviously really important moving forward.
24:53Tope, so what is the future for you then, where do you see your career going with volleyball?
25:00My big aspiration is to represent the country at the Olympics, play at the highest level
25:06that I possibly can.
25:08Absolutely, and obviously you're a coach, you know, you're part of the team, tell me
25:13about her as an athlete and then I'm going to ask you the same question back, what is
25:17the kind of fire that she brings to the team?
25:20She brings an awful lot and Tope has played a number of different positions on the court
25:24and is open to trying out different things which is really important in an athlete to
25:28be willing to try things that perhaps are outside of her comfort zone.
25:31I think that's where she excels in that, she's willing to give something a try, if it's not
25:34something that she's used to doing, she's willing to give that a go.
25:38She's got a huge amount of athleticism that supports that as well and a competitive edge
25:42she wants to win.
25:43That's fantastic, that's a great CV there and just quickly before we wrap up, what's
25:47it like, what's the coaching staff like above you?
25:50Luke is very good at coaching and it's all in tough love, he's good at giving criticism
25:56and correcting you in a way to help you really improve and that's what you really need as
26:03a coach.
26:04Of course, well best of luck for the future both of you and everything that you've got
26:06ahead of you.
26:07Really thank you for joining us.
26:08Thank you.
26:09Now before we go, a really quick reminder, if you want to appear in the next edition
26:12of Action Replay then do make sure to send in your clips now.
26:16It's the segment where we feature pictures and videos of you, the KMTV audience, taking
26:19part in sport.
26:20Whatever it is you do, we'll show it.
26:22And of course, now that the Olympics is on, we want to see how you're cheering on our
26:26athletes over in Paris, whether you support Team GB or any other nation.
26:30Just tag us on social media at KMTVKent or send us an email to sport at KMTV.co.uk.
26:36Just make sure it is what part of Kent you come from and what it is you do and you'll
26:40be on the next episode of the programme.
26:42That's full time, we'll see you next Monday, bye bye.