Join Abby Hook with a roundup of Kent's sporting action. On today's episode Maidstone on fire as many Kent matches are frozen off and the Wasps have come to Kent but how will it impact Swanley's other Rugby clubs?
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00:00Good evening and welcome along to Invictus Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated
00:19to wrapping up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Abbey Hook, here's what to expect on this
00:23Monday 13th January. Too cold, made stone on fire as many Kent
00:29matches are frozen off. For better or for worse, ah, wrong headline,
00:38running for... Former England runner talks to us about going
00:45from the track to teaching. Apologies for that, not the best intro to
00:52the show, but we'll start with the headlines, and Cameron Mason has claimed his third national
00:58title at the British National Cyclocross Championships, which were held in Kent over the weekend.
01:03Gravesend's CycloPark course opened its doors this weekend to the nation's top riders, offering
01:08a mix of technical and challenging features. Despite starting slow, Mason gradually took
01:13to the front of the off-road pack, powering away from the field for the Scot to take the
01:18title. Meanwhile, in the elite women's race, Shazan Crease beat the odds to take her very
01:23first title. A man from Margate, who didn't leave his
01:27house for six years, is now setting himself the challenge of walking one million steps
01:33to raise money for Mind UK. Struggling with obesity from a young age, 24-year-old Connor
01:38Steptoe says he's already lost four stone thanks to taking up football. Since starting
01:43the challenge in December, Connor has already walked an impressive 169,000 steps and raised
01:49£540 for the charity so far. You can read Connor's full story and find his donation
01:55page by heading to Kent Online. And a former Kent footballer, Ronnie Vint,
02:00is returning to Love Island. The former Dartford, Margate and Ashford United player has signed
02:05up to appear in the second series of Love Island All Stars, which sees past contestants
02:10of the reality show return to our screens. The defender most recently played for Ashford
02:14but will now be returning to a life of luxury in South Africa, as he once again swaps the
02:19search of goals for love. Best of luck to Ronnie this time around.
02:24Well now let's take a look back at this weekend's football results, and on the weekend, where
02:28new Gillingham manager John Coleman was denied from taking charge of his first game due to
02:33a frozen Priestfield pitch. A year on from Maidstone United's third round underdog heroics
02:38in the FA Cup, an exciting afternoon was bubbling for George Elakovi's men at the Gallagher.
02:44With the cold snap continuing to freeze pitches across the country, a whole host of matches
02:49in Kent were postponed this weekend, from John Coleman's first in charge of Priestfield
02:53to Dover's home bout with Lewis. However we did see some football action at the weekend
02:57with Maidstone United taking a dominant victory over Enfield Town. Our reporter Emily Riley-O'Donnell
03:03was pitch side. The visitors, Enfield Town, are right here
03:06to day very much the underdogs. They were doing well in the first half to keep Maidstone
03:11United out, before Maidstone were awarded a 33rd minute penalty for a handball in the
03:15box. That was taken by Ben Brooks, who slotted home to make it 1-0 for half-time. In the
03:21second half, there was a blow for Maidstone when Solon Joe Smith went off injured, but
03:25when he replaced by Shaq Colthurst, he came on to score an emphatic hat-trick, which now
03:30puts Maidstone second in the league. We're now one year on from Maidstone United's
03:36emphatic FA Cup run that saw them reach the fifth round. No FA Cup football here today
03:42for George Alakobi's men, but nevertheless a huge result as they push for promotion to
03:47the National League. Let's hear now from George Alakobi.
03:51Yes, we got the goal in the first half, but we knew they were going to sit deep, they
03:56were going to make things difficult for us and try to catch us on the counter. It was
04:01important that we didn't lose sight, we stayed patient, that was the name of the game. We've
04:05worked throughout the week and we knew the moments would come where the game would open
04:10up as they begin to tire and our players executed a fantastic game plan.
04:15Well Maidstone United manager George Alakobi said in midweek that it's always good to have
04:19a clear week to set principles and patterns, and the patterns here today at the Gallagher
04:23Stadium were super substitute Shaq Colthurst, who came on the second half to score a hat-trick.
04:29Here he is speaking after the game.
04:31When you come on you try to help the team however they need it, sometimes it's defensively,
04:38sometimes it's keeping a clean sheet. Today I was scoring so I'm just happy to contribute
04:42to the team.
04:44Elsewhere in the National League South, Tunbridge Angels settled for a point with Chippenham
04:48Town, with a goal scored in either half. They're now ninth and three points away from the playoff
04:52places.
04:53And in the Izmir Premier Chattentown, former West Ham and Ipswich striker Freddie Sears
04:58was the hat-trick hero for them as they got back to winning ways. Chattenton remain sixth
05:02in the table and six points away from Dartford, who is fourth, and 14 points from Dover, who
05:07sit at the top.
05:14And the football news doesn't stop there, because Bartholomew joins us in the studio
05:17now with a round-up of some of the transfer rumours and moves that have been making the
05:21headlines. Bartholomew, aside from the more obvious changes that have been happening at
05:25Gillingham, what have you got for us?
05:27Yeah, obviously they have their new manager that's come in. It's been a week today since
05:31John Colman took the helm at Priestfield, and slightly ironic when the outgoing manager
05:35Mark Bonner showed up to work expecting to play what would eventually be his last game.
05:41That was called off because of the weather. And then John Colman's first match, which
05:44he would have been in charge of, has also been called off for the weather. So for the
05:47players that are still at the club, because we have had a few moves already, well, they've
05:51had two weeks off. So no excuses this week, obviously, as we get into match, as things
05:56start to warm up and we get some matches again. Now, Joe Comper, who's the managing
06:02director, he told us that things will be slightly different this transfer window. He said that
06:06the new boss, like always, will get the final say on who joins the squad. But obviously,
06:11being a new manager, joining during the transfer window, we know that clubs are always eyeing
06:15up the type of players that they want to be joining months in advance. He won't have had
06:19that luxury. So it's going to be a sort of mixture of looking at players that they've
06:24been interested in and then, obviously, the new manager putting that final stamp of approval
06:29on it. And he also said this time they'll be more focused on loans rather than buying
06:34players. They said that that will happen when they get to the summer break.
06:38OK, so what do we know in terms of the moves that are happening?
06:41Well, we have on the left here Asha Agambone. Now, he's joining from Premier League side
06:47Crystal Palace. He made his Premier League debut in October against Nottingham Forest.
06:52He's only 19 years old. He has actually played against Gillingham before, back when Gillingham
06:57was still in the EFL trophy. He played in Palace's under-21 squad. Now, technically,
07:02he is the first signing for John Coleman, but their interest has been longstanding,
07:07the club, in this player. So perhaps when he was playing against Gillingham all those
07:10months ago, he raised a few eyebrows back then. And obviously, he couldn't play his
07:14first match at the weekend, but he is available come this weekend.
07:18And on the right here, we have someone that many Gillingham fans will know. He's from
07:22the academy. He is one of their youth players, Alex Giles. He's been recalled from National
07:27League side Averley. He played 13 times in that competition. He's already played for
07:32Gillingham this season as well. Obviously, they wanted him back in the squad to boost
07:35some of those numbers. Funds are obviously not as high as they have been in previous
07:39January transfer windows for Gillingham. Now, he did play for Gillingham in the Carabao
07:44Cup first round against Swansea, which we know was an unfortunate loss, the first match
07:48for Mark Bonner's first away match. So yeah, things looking interesting as we go into the
07:54start of 2025.
07:55OK, Bartholomew, let's hope Priestfield's pitch is defrosted the next time they're playing.
08:00Thank you very much.
08:01And don't forget, you can of course keep up to date with all the latest football news
08:03by reading Kent Online. But as you also know, you can have your weekly digest of Gilles
08:07news sent directly to your email inbox. Just search Kent Online email alerts and sign up
08:11on the website. That's for all the latest written transfer news, match reports and interviews.
08:16But if the Gilles isn't your cup of tea, well, there's plenty more email alerts to choose
08:20from, including all the latest non-league football news too.
08:24Now, Swanly Rugby Club says the moving of rugby giant Wasps into the town and the building
08:30of a new stadium won't solve many of the financial problems grassroots clubs are facing. The
08:35club hopes that with the former premiership side building a new fan base here in the county,
08:40more people will be urged to take an interest in the sport. But as Emily Riley O'Donnell
08:44reports, it's believed such change won't come easy.
08:48When Wasps announced their plans to relocate to Swanly, the question was why have they
08:52picked an area not particularly known for rugby?
08:55We've had to, the club's disappeared, it's trying to come back, try to come back in the
09:01championship. But I think we've realised over time we need to find a home for this amazing
09:06brand. And Seven Oaks have been very welcome to us and Kent, so we just felt this was the
09:14best place. It's got a great rugby heritage down there. There's a lot of clubs, a lot
09:19of fans, and there's not a club anywhere near. So we just feel it's a great opportunity for
09:23us.
09:25But moving to a different county won't immediately fix the financial issues that are blighting
09:29the entire sport.
09:30If the RFU really wants to take grassroots rugby seriously and making sure that there's
09:34a community of people willing to play the sport, willing to engage and watch the sport,
09:39I think it needs to embrace modernity, look at other sports that are doing a really good
09:42job of attracting new young people into the sport, and being willing to spend money, which
09:48they are to be fair, in supporting clubs like Swanly so that ultimately we don't have to
09:53play on recreational council ground in front of one floodlight.
09:59Success for Wasps will rest somewhat on buy-in from their new fan base. What impact could
10:04Wasps have on the rugby community here?
10:07The more rugby is talked about in a local area, the better I think it will be for all
10:12local clubs. People may not really know much about rugby because it's obviously a big football
10:18area, so if people are talking about rugby and understand rugby, then in turn I think
10:23they could be interested in playing it at a youth level and an adult level.
10:27I would hope, although you can never guarantee, that our membership would soar because of
10:32the fact that we've got a premiership rugby team in Swanly.
10:39Plans for the new stadium are still in the early stages, and Severn Oaks District Council
10:43say that there will be opportunities this year for residents to have their say on the
10:47proposals. But these rugby fans at least seem excited about a new look Wasps.
10:52Emily Riley-O'Donnell for KMTV.
10:56Emily reporting there on the Wasps. Now we've reached half time, which of course means it's
11:01time for a break, but coming up we meet the man from Tunbridge who ran for England and
11:05now has decided to pass on his track knowledge and swap it for teaching to those at Norfleet
11:10Academy by leading their new athletics programme. He joined me earlier to have more on what
11:15that academy's doing and exactly what it means to him after the break. And of course, another
11:19edition of Action Replay. We'll see the sports you've been taking part in across Kent. It's
11:24the segment where you send us your clips, pictures, videos of you taking part in any
11:28kind of sport, even if it's just a hobby across the county. In fact, one of our own, Gabriel,
11:32lucky, lucky Gabriel, he's skiing in Bulgaria. So we'll check out Gabriel's skiing moves,
11:38see how good he is after the break and you can have your say. I'll see you in just a
11:41few minutes time.
14:58Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV. Now, Tunbridge Athletics Club Distance
15:16Runner and former England international Corey is helping to launch Norfleet Technology College's
15:22brand new Athletics Academy, hoping to provide opportunities for youngsters in year 10 to
15:2712 with ambitions of making it in the competitive world of athletics. I sat down with Corey
15:31earlier to talk about the motivation behind the new course. Corey, thank you so much for
15:37joining us today. Now, firstly, before we get into what you're doing now, tell me about
15:41your story. You've competed at international level for England. Yeah, so my sport, my main
15:48sport is athletics and cross country. When I was under 20, I represented England and
15:55raced in Belgium against some of the best in Europe for that age group. I carried that
15:59on and trying to now, as we'll go on to, inspire the next generation. And I suppose that's
16:07why it's so important to you to be doing what you're doing now, starting from that young
16:10age. You know what an impact it had on you. Yeah, absolutely. I think I had that personal
16:19P.E. teacher that gave me that kickstart into the sport, a sort of influence as well
16:26from parents. But it all started again from going to that local cross country school race.
16:33And so I know how much of an impact that can have. And now I'm in that position, I want
16:37to be able to give back and do that for somebody else or others. It might feel like a bit of
16:42a pipe dream and almost unattainable when you are so young and you're starting at a
16:46local club, but in fact, you're proof that it can happen. How easy is that? How attainable
16:52is it for young people that are watching now, part of their local club, to be on that stage
16:56for England? Yeah, I think it is definitely something that I think all young athletes
17:03aspire to do. And I looked up to people when I was younger and could see that at some point
17:11they were in my shoes. So I think that's the one thing that keeps those young athletes
17:17going and sort of being, I suppose, in the local area as well. And then sort of giving
17:22back to, again, a local school that's not too far from me is something that I want to
17:29do and be able to prove to them and show to them that they can achieve anything. And that
17:34competing and competition has given you, I suppose, the tools you need, has taught you
17:38how to now become a teacher and you're going to be part of the new Athletics Academy at
17:42Northleet Academy. What sort of opportunity does that provide to young people and how
17:46do you apply what you've learned as a competitor? Yeah, I think it's a very new, unique opportunity
17:57we are offering. There isn't too many other places locally or in the country that are
18:03offering an Athletics Academy for young athletes and students that want to succeed in their
18:13academics, but also take their athletics a little bit more seriously for sixth form.
18:20And again, we offer great academics here and plenty of opportunities. There's a market
18:27for that for young athletes and students to succeed and something that I would have
18:33wanted when I was that age. I spoke about it earlier, being if it was just a pipe dream
18:38or unattainable, but sometimes that's not just because of the competitive nature of
18:42sport in general. That's because it can be really expensive, a lot of time and effort
18:47put into it. And it can cost parents a lot if they're doing training outside of an academy
18:53as well. How do you prepare young people for that level of commitment as well? And
18:57looking to the parents too, who might be footing the bill for some of these more expensive
19:02sports? Yeah, I think running is quite simple in terms of you sort of need a pair of shoes
19:09and sort of not that much equipment. But what we can obviously provide that costs maybe
19:16parents a little bit more extra is in terms of the extra support in terms of strength
19:21and conditioning, which I do have a background in from my university degree at St. Mary's
19:27University. So I'm able to offer that free of charge. That comes with the package of
19:33being part of the academy and then also physiotherapy treatment. You also do a lot of work with
19:39primary schools as well to try and engage young people with athletics. How can you spot
19:44when a young person has that spark, that drive that you think, yeah, there's something there
19:49they could go on to exceed, to exceed sort of any sort of expectation and do a lot of
19:55what you've done as well? Yeah, I think the school, we do a lot of work with the primary
20:03schools and doing taster sessions and different sports. And I think athletics is one that's
20:09not maybe your common popular sport, such a simple thing about just going to run and
20:16staying active. You can find those people in all sports and maybe someone that hasn't
20:23even been exposed to it. And this evening, you have an open event for year 10 to 12 students
20:31at the Athletics Academy at Northleek College. What's going to be going on? Yeah, so we're
20:36offering an open evening for anyone that is interested in the Athletics Academy from sprints,
20:43throws, jumps and mainly distance, just from that's my background. But we will be sort
20:50of explaining the whole programme, what we have to offer, how we can help the athletes,
20:59but also the coaches. We want to be able to collaborate with their coach currently and
21:08able to enhance their performance and the good job that those coaches have already been
21:12doing with those athletes. But obviously that extra bit, as well as being able to come with
21:18like-minded sort of individuals across the whole of Kent to come and train and better
21:23themselves. Corey Diaz speaking with me earlier there.
21:28And you can keep up with all the latest sports interviews, news and features from here on
21:33Invicta Sport by heading over to our website. It's kmtv.co.uk and just click on the sports
21:37tab there, you'll see videos like this one. When darts was gripping the county over the
21:41New Year's break, we took part in KMTV's very first darts championship. Find out who
21:47won. This works a lot better in practice. That counts. I'm nervous. Trouble 20, here
21:57we go. Alright. Six KMTV staff are battling it out to see who is the office darts champion.
22:08The winner will be getting the grand prize of bragging rights. Let's meet the contenders.
22:13I'm Bartholomew the Great Hall. This is the first time I've ever played darts.
22:20Hi, I'm Andy the Rocket Richards and I've been playing darts since 1984.
22:26I'm Abby the Hawk Hook and I've been playing darts for five minutes.
22:30Hello, I'm Finn the Horizontal McDermid and I'm going to beat Andy today. That's my only goal.
22:36My name is Xenia Netby and I'm going by Xenia the Panini today and it's my first time playing
22:42darts.
22:43My name is Kristen Hawthorne aka Crisp Kristen because I love crisps.
22:49The rules are as follows. Each player will have six warm-up shots and then three real
22:54goes which will count towards their final score. Whoever scores the most will win the
22:58tournament. Let's see who the new KMTV darts champion is.
23:03Here we go.
23:08Two.
23:12Yeah, not so happy about the result there. Could have done a lot better. Needed more practice.
23:22No.
23:27Yeah!
23:33That counts.
23:3533 plus 19. What's that? 52. Beat that.
23:43Alright, triple 20. Here we go. Alright, eight.
23:54Sad. Oh, I might have practiced one for better.
24:03Not bad.
24:07Well, that was something. Here are the final results.
24:12That was this year's KMTV darts championship.
24:20So I reckon if Andy cheated at that, I definitely won. So you're looking at KMTV's darts champion
24:25actually. Well, we've reached full time on today's episode but there's just a few minutes
24:29of extra time to take a look at this week's Action Replay. It's a segment of course where
24:33we take a look at the clips and pictures that you, the KMTV audience, have sent in of you
24:37taking part in sport. Well, let's see what we've got in store on this week's Action Replay.
24:43First up on tonight's Action Replay, this terrific trio has raised three times the amount
24:49they set out. Keri Merry, Izzy Cousins and Keri Trolley took a dip in the icy Ramsgate
24:56Sea on the 5th of January. They aimed to raise £1,000 for cancer patients at the Viking
25:02Day unit, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital. In the end, they raised an amazing
25:08£3,000 with Keri saying they have received amazing support and are so grateful to everyone
25:16who has sponsored them. A massive congratulations to them on such a great achievement.
25:22Next up, the Skinners school rugby team continue their run in the Continental Tyres School
25:28Cups Under-18 plate. The boys will be playing Dauncies in the semi-final after winning 26-22
25:36against St John's where they showed amazing spirit to come back after a tricky start to
25:41the match. We wish them the best of luck for the semi-final. And finally, when our local
25:48democracy reporter Gabriel Morris isn't reporting on local stories, he's off skiing in Bulgaria.
25:54We've been told he's working hard on his technique, but it looks like he may need to work a little
26:00harder. That's it for tonight's Action Replay. And next week, it could be you. Send us your
26:07videos on social media or to sport at kmtv.co.uk.
26:15Gabriel definitely needs a bit more practice. And perhaps we could have a race. Who's faster,
26:19me on a snowboard, Gabriel on skis? I think Chatham has a dry slope here in Kent. We'll
26:24have to go and test that one out. It's happening, I'm being told in my ear by my producer.
26:28That's all the time on today's episode of Invicta Sport. Of course, if you want more
26:32from KMTV, you can head over to our website. In the meantime, before our late 8pm news
26:37bulletin. That's all from me and the Invicta Sport team. Goodnight.
26:44Goodnight.