On tonight's show, Abby is joined by Paralympian Zak Skinner as he looks ahead to the Paris games and we look back at the weekend's football, including a staunch win for Dartford in the Isthmian Premier.
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00:00Hello and welcome along to Invictus Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:21up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Abbey Hook. Here's what to expect on this Monday
00:26the 19th August. Bullseye. Darts make it two wins in a row after midweek loss.
00:38Dak is back. Attacking midfielder and fan favourite Bradley Dak returns to Breecefield.
00:43And back to the games. We'll be speaking with the Tunbridge Paralympian who vows to chase
00:49down a Paris medal after Tokyo heartbreak.
00:52But first, of course, a round-up of the headlines. And it was a fourth podium in a row on Sunday
00:59as Dover's Jake Dixon claimed third in the Moto2 Austrian Grand Prix. The Aspa team racer
01:05set the sixth best time in the qualifying, but a grid penalty elsewhere moved him up
01:11to fifth. After gradually making up time, a last-lap overtake gave Dixon the podium.
01:16The result means he remains seventh in the championship, but gets 14 points closer to
01:21the top and reduces his disadvantage to 68. The next Moto2 round is in Spain on the 1st
01:28September.
01:29Maidstone-born Matt Richardson, who won three medals for Australia at the Paris Olympics,
01:34has switched nationality. The 25-year-old track cyclist will now represent Great Britain
01:39moving forward. After moving to Western Australia at the age of nine, Richardson has held a
01:44dual citizenship whilst living there. He took to Instagram earlier today to say it
01:49was a personal choice made after careful consideration of his career and future. He will now be under
01:56the guise of seven-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Jason Kenney in the GB sprint squad.
02:04Next Rugby World Cup winning New Zealand full-back John Gallagher and former England centre Alex
02:10Lasowski are set to launch a new academy in Canterbury. The joint venture with the
02:15Archbishop's School is based on a rugby football union pathway programme, which is designed
02:20to transition academy players into professionals. The aim is to provide a facility for local
02:25children which removes all socioeconomic barriers. Performing at an official honours at Canterbury
02:31Rugby Club this week, the pair will be on site to encourage more students to pick up
02:36the sport.
02:38And staying with Canterbury, where the City's Karen Evans has starred in an historic week
02:43for the sport of pickleball at a record-breaking English Open. The event, which took place
02:48at the Telford International Centre, is the largest to be held outside North America.
02:52The 54-year-old was one of almost 2,000 players from 42 countries taking part. After setting
02:59up the Canterbury area pickleball group last year, Evans is one of many who believe the
03:04sport could one day have a place at the Olympics.
03:09Now let's take a look back at this weekend's football results. Gillingham headed to Morecambe
03:13in League Two after bowing out of the League Cup last week, as Mark Bonner faced his first
03:18away league match. And as Dartford were looking for the third-first home win of the season,
03:26Canvey Island were welcomed to Prince's Park. Bartholomew, how's your roundup?
03:32Aidy Pennock made two changes to his Dartford side as they looked to bounce back from a
03:36midweek loss to Potters Bar. Canvey Island were this week's welcome visitors to Prince's
03:40Park. The first half offered little in terms of clear chances, with both sides cancelling
03:45each other out in a scrappy contest. The second half seemed to follow much of the same until
03:49Tyler Christian-Law was subbed on for defender Murta Pass after 58 minutes. A slight formation
03:54change and it proved to be a game-changer as within just minutes, Samadadu unleashed
03:59a stunning strike to break the deadline.
04:01Samadadu's first goal at Prince's Park.
04:05Canvey Island came close to an equaliser, but Elliot Ronto's header went wide. Dartford
04:09then took advantage of a defensive mistake in the 82nd minute as substitute Christian-Law
04:14pounced on a wayward pass to double the lead.
04:16Tyler Christian-Law surely settled it at Prince's Park. Canvey Island...
04:212-0 was the final score and Dartford's efforts were rewarded as they jumped up to six in
04:25the Itamian Premier League table. Elsewhere, Dover continued their unbeaten away form with
04:30a draw against Billericay. Chatham Town won away from home and Folkestone's three-all
04:35goal fest at Wingate and Finchley was postponed after homekeeper Prince Adegoke suffered a
04:39concussion after a bad landing. Thankfully, he was given the all-clear after a short trip
04:44to the hospital.
04:46Gillingham were on the road to Morecambe, where George Lapsley came off the bench to
04:49claim their second straight League Two win on Saturday. All in all, a solid display from
04:53the visitors was capped with 13 minutes left. Lapsley turned the ball in from close range.
04:59We're absolutely buzzing with the result. This has been the most brutal week we could
05:04have had I think. To go to Swansea Tuesday night, to be a bit depleted and not have the
05:08options that we might have. Eight and a quarter hours yesterday. Eight. Eight and a quarter
05:14hours to get here. Today's for the last waltz in the dressing room and a bit of music and
05:18fish and chips on the way home and be buzzing with the start that we've made and then pick
05:23the bones out of it next week I think.
05:24They're now up to second in the table. Just one more goal scored than local rivals Bromley,
05:29keeping the Gilles above. In the National League, Ebbsfleet suffered their second loss
05:33from two games against Barnet. Despite Dominic Poglian's stoppage time penalty, Bromley took
05:38the three points thanks to a strike in either half from Callum Stead.
05:42And finally, in the National League South, no wins this week for our sides as Tunbridge
05:45couldn't be separated from Averley and Maidstone suffered a 2-1 loss to Truro. They now sit
05:50sixth and twelfth respectively.
05:53And that's this week's Football Roundup.
05:58And earlier today the draw was made for the first qualifying round of the FA Cup. The
06:02draw has been made for the first qualifying round. Here's a few that we've picked out.
06:08The full list is available at Kent Online. Sheppey United will take on Hamworld Town
06:13at home. Dartford will face Marlow and of course Chatham Town will head to Westfield.
06:22Before the weekend, some huge news broke for the Gilles late last week. I'm of course talking
06:27about the return of the prodigal son. Bradley Dack is back. He was part of the squad that
06:32won promotion back in 2013 and fans hope this will be the last piece of the puzzle to push
06:37them to the next flight again. Finn McDermott has been taking a look back at some of his
06:42highlights.
06:44After being released from Charlton Athletic aged 15 for being too small, then playing
06:48Sunday League, a young Bradley Dack joined Gillingham first on a scholarship and made
06:53his professional debut, let loose against Bradford City on the 18th of August 2012.
07:01Thus began a long relationship with Gilles fans and from 2014 to 2017 he was named the
07:06Gilles Young Player of the Season for three years running. He played behind the two strikers
07:12and loved to score from range, likening his style of play to Chelsea's Frank Lampard.
07:20Fans hearts were broken however when he signed for Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £750,000.
07:27He went on to see promotion to the Championship, he won goal of the season and became their
07:31top scorer for that season.
07:38Now after being released from Sunderland on a free transfer, he's coming back to try and
07:42help the Gilles and find his 100th career goal.
07:49You can see why fans would be excited. On Kent tonight I was joined by a member of the
08:01Gillingham Supporters Club, David Garth, who gave his reaction to the re-signing.
08:06David thank you so much for joining us today. I know you expected our call. What was your
08:11reaction to seeing Bradley Dax signing, re-signing?
08:14Yeah, I think we're all pleased about the whole thing. It wasn't that big a surprise
08:21in the end because there'd been such a lot of rumours about it happening. So I guess
08:25it was just, oh he's here, he's back. So yeah, bring it on really, really pleased.
08:31For someone who doesn't follow the Gilles, doesn't know them as well as you do, what
08:37does this mean to the club? How big is this news?
08:43I mean potentially a fully fit Bradley Dax is going to be probably the best midfield
08:49player in the lower divisions without a doubt. I mean if he was fully fit he would still
08:55be playing at least at championship level. So if Gillingham can get him fully fit as
09:02seems to be the case, then it's going to be really running the show and probably getting
09:07a few goals on the way as well.
09:10This is the real talking point when we bring up Bradley Dax. A lot of injuries, he's seen
09:16issues with both knees. How much will that influence him moving forward with the Gilles?
09:24Hopefully, I'm sure the club has done its checks, its due diligence on Bradley. Yes
09:30he's had two ACL injuries to both knees, so that has clearly stopped his progress probably
09:38into the Premier League. And there's always a bit of a question mark, but let's face it,
09:44you can take on a player who is fully fit and in the very first game he plays he could
09:49end up with a serious injury. So there's always a bit of a risk, but I'm sure that the club
09:53has worked everything out and it seems to be a good deal for everybody, for the club
09:57and for Bradley and for the fans as well.
10:00And that risk versus reward, what do you think the fans can be treated to? What makes
10:05Bradley so special?
10:09What makes Bradley special? He's just got that extra, he runs harder than anybody else,
10:16he's got real skill, he gets into the box and takes up great positions and he puts the
10:20ball away with a fair degree of regularity. In fact, the first goal he gets back for Gillingham
10:26will be his 100th career goal, so that's something to savour for any footballer and
10:32for a midfielder as well.
10:34And firstly, a trip to Morecambe this weekend, what's your take on the weekend's game, how
10:39do you think it's going to go?
10:41Well, Morecambe have had a lot of troubles, well publicised, they had to re-sign quite
10:47a few players, so they're not in the best of shapes, but they're there to be beaten,
10:52they're going to put up a good fight, but I would think we should be looking for a win
10:57by a couple of goals hopefully.
11:00David thank you very much for your time today.
11:04And don't forget you can of course keep up to date with all the latest football news
11:07by reading Kent Online, but did you also know you can have your weekly digest of Gilles
11:11news sent directly to your email inbox, just search Kent Online email alerts and sign up
11:16on the website for all the latest written transfer news, match reports and interviews.
11:21And if the Gilles isn't your cup of tea, well there's plenty more email alerts to choose
11:24from including all the latest non-league football news too, just over on Kent Online's website.
11:31Now we've reached half time, which means it is time for a break, but coming up we'll be
11:34speaking with Zach Skinner, Tunbridge's para-athlete who says he'll stop at nothing to get a medal
11:41in Paris after missing out by just two centimetres in the Tokyo 2020 long jump.
11:48So we'll hear the full interview after this very short break, see you then.
12:18So we'll hear the full interview after this very short break, see you then.
12:48So we'll hear the full interview after this very short break, see you then.
13:18So we'll hear the full interview after this very short break, see you then.
13:48So we'll hear the full interview after this very short break, see you then.
14:18So we'll hear the full interview after this very short break, see you then.
14:48Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live here on KMTV.
15:12Now, it's time to remind you that you can keep up to date with all the latest sports
15:16news, interviews and features from here on Invicta Sport by heading over to our website
15:20KMTV.co.uk and click on the sport tab.
15:24There you'll see videos like this one about a boxing club for people with Parkinson's
15:28disease here in Medway.
15:38Parkinson's UK estimated that last year there were 128,000 people living with Parkinson's
15:44disease in the UK.
15:45This raises the question of what those diagnosed can do to manage the condition and promote
15:50their well-being.
15:51They say that Parkinson's is one of the most important things, it is to keep your fitness.
15:55I think it's improved my balance and my coordination and it was a surprise really that it was so
16:02beneficial to Parkinson's.
16:06It seems to be really taking off.
16:08Any exercise helps but this helps in particular because it's got so many formats to it and
16:12building that muscle and the whole thing.
16:14It takes a bit of courage to actually come to somewhere where you don't know anybody
16:17but once you've done it, I mean they're all sort of friendly.
16:20No, they're all friendly, we all chat and have a good laugh as well.
16:26Born from a need for community support for those with Parkinson's, Boxing for Parkinson's
16:31has been run by Olympia boxing director Wayne Smith for the last seven years.
16:35He emphasises the wide range of benefits that boxing brings to participants' mental and
16:40physical well-being.
16:42It's a high-intensity exercise that creates the dopamine that they're missing.
16:45It's the regulation, like through the punching, the coordination, the movement, everything
16:50that involves in boxing, it re-regulates them and members of their families have been saying
16:56I get the old feel back for a couple of hours and some of them saying listen when I come
17:01home my shakes are less, everything, my speech is better.
17:06More gyms across the country are now recognising boxing as a valuable sport for all.
17:10Coaches at St Mary's are looking forward to seeing more accessible programmes become
17:14available and are hoping to increase support for their own.
17:17At the moment it's entirely put on by Olympia Boxing, by our boss, so it's entirely funded
17:21off our own back and to do with St Mary's, the boxing gym.
17:24But it would be really, really good for hopefully a bit more community support and a bit more
17:27everybody getting involved, coming around to help us.
17:30Having learned about the beneficial relationship between boxing and Parkinson's disease, I
17:34wanted to know more about what the diagnosis means to those with it and the people supporting
17:38them.
17:39Ring fencing, it's something that some of these guys might suffer from, AXE, others
17:44suffer from, it's all different, don't be scared of it, I'm not bothered about it and
17:50it's not going to beat me, so it shouldn't beat anybody.
17:53People don't, all they think of is the shaking, there's lots more to it, some hidden, some
17:57not, people don't see and don't understand, it's understandable if it doesn't affect you,
18:01you don't know about it.
18:02Charlotte Bourne reporting for KMTV.
18:06Now, if you, like all of us here at Invictus Sport, have been feeling like something's
18:11missing after the end of the Olympics, well in just a few days time, the Paralympics will
18:16be here.
18:17And on the road there is Zach Skinner from Tunbridge, who was born completely blind before
18:21regaining some of his sight at the age of two.
18:24The para long jump competitor and 100 metre sprinter finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics
18:29in Paralympics in the long jump, missing out on a medal by just a few centimetres.
18:34And as part of being a National Lottery funded athlete, Zach is due to be part of a Channel
18:394 documentary next week.
18:41It follows Zach and four other British athletes as they prepare for the Paris 2024 Paralympic
18:47Games, as well as offering a unique insight into how National Lottery players support
18:52them on their journey.
18:54Yeah, very excited.
18:56I think it's, the Olympics has made it seem that the last few weeks have dragged out even
19:01further, but I'm just excited to get out there now.
19:04I've got a couple more weeks of prep and then it's all guns blazing for the big competitions.
19:10And it's your second Paralympics now.
19:13Does that add more pressure?
19:15Oh, I don't know.
19:17I don't think, I haven't felt like it's added more pressure.
19:20I think it's, it's made me more well prepared.
19:23And I think because of where I placed in Tokyo, it's made me probably hungrier and added more
19:30fuel to my fire to make sure I don't finish fourth again.
19:34Yeah, you just missed out on it by a fraction.
19:36How did that feel in the moment?
19:38Has that, like you said, just done everything to spur you on now for this Paralympics?
19:43Yeah, I think initially I didn't really process it very well.
19:47And I think it probably sat with me for longer than it should.
19:51But I think once I got over sort of, in what I had probably seen as like a huge failure
19:57to be that close and still not come away with something.
20:00For me now, it's just, it's made me realise how terrible it feels to come fourth.
20:07So I just want to make sure I get out there and do my best to win the competition, to be honest.
20:13And it's an important conversation to have, the mental effect it can have on you
20:18when you finish just so close to the mark.
20:21And it can be really heartbreaking and difficult to pick yourself back up and carry on going.
20:27Yeah, sport is brutal and athletics can be really cruel, I think.
20:34Unfortunately, it's like this double-edged sword where the lows outweigh the highs
20:40and the highs outweigh the lows.
20:41But then once you achieve that, it's a truly exceptional feeling.
20:46And it's one I'm hoping to achieve later this summer.
20:50And you can't really get through the lows without the people around you supporting you,
20:54your team back home, your team here in the county, in Tunbridge in particular.
20:59How do you keep connected to where you're from and keep that support, I suppose,
21:04really close to you when you're in places like Paris?
21:08Yeah, I think it's, without Tunbridge and that athletics club,
21:12I wouldn't have even got into the sport.
21:14To have an athletics club, which I just walked to after school, was vital.
21:19I still speak to my first coach, David Hull,
21:22and he basically set up everything that is happening right now.
21:26So for him, it's great to keep in contact with him and still pick his brains on certain things.
21:31And that training group is still close friends,
21:33and I still feel very well connected to where my athletics journey began.
21:40I still like to do things with them, and the support they offer me is great.
21:46So yeah, I think coming from such a supportive and well-networked background
21:52has really helped craft me into the athlete I am now.
21:55And that journey is something that's been documented over on Channel 4,
21:58The Path to Paris, a new documentary that you've been part of.
22:01How did that come about? Why were you chosen for that, and what did that involve?
22:07Yeah, so firstly, a massive thank you to the National Lottery
22:11for funding and making that documentary possible.
22:13For me, I was approached or selected by our head coach
22:18because he thought I would be a good fit.
22:21I don't know really why, but I think it was because of the amount of injuries
22:29and things that I have undergone and had, I think shows the difficulty of our sport
22:35and the difficulty of being in elite sport.
22:37It's brutal at the best of times with basically everyone having to manage themselves
22:42just to sometimes get out on the start line can be harder than even winning medals.
22:47And during the documentary, the story that I go on really showcases
22:52those journeys that we have to undergo as athletes and hopefully show some resilience
22:58and hopefully I can get the cherry on top in a couple of weeks.
23:00But filming it, I think, should be a great eye-opener into what it's like to be in this sport,
23:07what it's like to be an athlete, and really what it takes to perform at the highest level.
23:10And that resilience is key in the preparation stages.
23:13As you said, you've had some injuries as well, but also two sports to prepare for,
23:18the 100 metres and the long jump as well.
23:20How do you go about splitting the training between the two?
23:23Is training very similar and how do you sort of counterbalance
23:26if you are getting injuries from training one or training the other?
23:29That must be really difficult.
23:32Yeah, it's a very fine balance, you could say, probably between them.
23:36I think I'm lucky in the fact that being quick over 100 also means
23:40that you're going to be quick on the runway.
23:42So they do complement each other.
23:44They're not polar opposites of events.
23:47You have to be similar builds, you have to be fast for 100
23:50and you have to be fast for long jump.
23:52I think, well, either luckily or unluckily, my main event, which is the long jump,
23:57is the one that usually causes more issues just because of the amount of force
24:00that has to go through your body to jump far.
24:03So luckily, if there is a thing that I can focus more on,
24:07on sort of the running side and the running really complements it.
24:11Long jump is all about speed.
24:13So I'm lucky in that instance.
24:16But the block starts is probably where I get the least amount of practice.
24:21So it's been going well this summer and hopefully it will continue.
24:25And something that really intrigues me when I speak to high-performance athletes
24:30is what would you be doing if you weren't doing long jump,
24:33you weren't competing in the Paralympics, you weren't running 100 metres,
24:36what would you be doing back in Tambridge?
24:39I've never even thought about it.
24:42I mean, I love sport.
24:44I don't think I could not have sport in my life.
24:47So I think I would probably be working in sport.
24:50I would love to be sort of maybe an S&C, strength and conditioning coach.
24:56And helping develop and probably programme for athletes.
24:59I think that's where my passion is and it's what I love doing.
25:02Well, you can certainly tell that's what you love doing
25:04and what you're passionate about from just talking to you for a few minutes.
25:07Zach, best of luck. Thank you so much.
25:09I'm sure we'll be speaking to you when you've got a medal around your neck, hopefully.
25:14Yeah, hopefully next time I'll have some silverware to show off.
25:17Amazing. We'd love to see it here on KMTV.
25:19Thank you very much for your time.
25:26Before we go, here's Action Replay.
25:35We start this week's Action Replay with a trip to Summer Camp
25:38where Football Futures has been hosting football sessions for youngsters all across the county.
25:43School might still be out, but the hard work is definitely continuing on.
25:46These young players have been showing their skill and flair
25:49as they took the level up across the field.
25:52This next one's from Friends of the Show in Victor Volleyball
25:55who've also been enjoying the summer sun
25:57as they've been out on the sand for beach volleyball season.
26:00Now hosting their own summer camp this week,
26:02it's been a summer of touring, even heading down to Bournemouth.
26:06This week's camp is in Canterbury and it isn't for the faint of heart
26:09with both technical and games-based training.
26:12And meet Carly.
26:13She's become the first known female to complete the North Way Down Southern route,
26:17having run a whopping 126 miles and did the whole thing in 30 hours and 53 minutes.
26:23The trail, which runs all the way from Farnham to Dover,
26:26is known for its beautiful, scenic views.
26:28But for Carly, it was the toughest route she'd ever scaled.
26:31It's thought her time is the second fastest ever
26:34with a record of 27 hours belonging to her husband, Matt,
26:37who joined alongside her on the endurance challenge as a support crew.
26:41That's it for this week's Action Replay.
26:43Don't forget, it could be you in next week's edition.
26:46Just send in your pictures and videos on social media or to sport at kmtv.co.uk.
26:53That's full time. Goodbye.