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Catch up with all your latest sports news from around the county with Finn Macdiarmid.
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00:00Hello and welcome along to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:25up all of Kent's sporting action.
00:27I'm Finn McDermott and starting us off on this Monday, the 22nd of December, a roundup
00:33of your headlines.
00:34And Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth has said he'll be looking for a goal-scoring striker
00:39in the upcoming transfer window.
00:42He added the squad weren't threatening enough in the second half of their away clash at Fleetwood.
00:47And even though Bradley Dack is back to good fitness, they can't keep relying on the midfielder.
00:51He scored his sixth league goal of the season at the weekend, as many of the club's four
00:56main strikers combined.
00:58Ainsworth said the team has missed golden opportunities and that strikers in this league will put them
01:04in.
01:07Well, let's hear more of what Gareth Ainsworth had to say after the loss.
01:11We had enough chances in the first half to go one or two or three up.
01:17But if you miss your chances, you're always, you know, you're always prone to getting punished
01:22and Fleetwood's punished the second half.
01:23You know, they were quite relentless in what they were doing.
01:27Bradley's at the post second half, but really we weren't threatening second half again.
01:30And, yeah, it's been a tough couple of halves, you know, the last two games, the last two halves.
01:38But we've got to, you know, realise we're in a pretty tough place, get out of it.
01:43And we've got two home games and must win home games.
01:46And I want to try and be competitive in both to win both games.
01:50You know, six points would make a huge difference to where we are.
01:53Next to rugby in Canterbury have confidently continued their fifth straight win streak at
01:58Sevenoaks.
01:59The side have been dominating this Kent Derby in all areas, with the side maxing out the
02:04points and scoring five tries and beating out the home side.
02:07Ben Adams kicked Sevenoaks into an early lead with a penalty goal, but they soon surrendered
02:11to a penalty try for illegally pulling down Canterbury's driving mall.
02:15That cost them seven points and a yellow card that was further punished by a second Canterbury
02:20to try.
02:21Canterbury sit at fifth in the standings and are ten points behind leaders Old Albanian.
02:26Now turning towards cricket, the Sheldwich Cricket Club held their end-of-season celebration
02:31with awards handed out across the club.
02:33Player of the Year and Bowler of the Year went to Division X Shepard's top wicket-taker
02:38Sam Evans, who claimed more than 30 scalps across the summer.
02:42James Creed claimed Blacksmen of the Year, having racked up two centuries and two half-centuries
02:46on his way to 480 league runs at an average of 80.
02:50The Saturday side came third-bottom in Kent League Division X, but find themselves relocated
02:55into Division XI for the 2026 season.
02:58And from land to sea, Maidstone's F1 powerboat racer finished just outside the top ten at
03:04the F1 H20 Championship, which concluded this weekend.
03:08Ben Jelf raced in Sharjah at the weekend, bringing an end to his third season at the level.
03:13He told Kent Online the city holds a special place for him, being the first he competed in
03:18the F1 H20 Championships.
03:20He finished seventh in the Grand Prix at Jeddah last time out.
03:24Now let's take a look back at this weekend's football results.
03:28Well, it's been a mixed run for Dover recently, having won three, but suffering a huge home
03:33loss against Hornchurch, so fans will be hoping for a return to proper form soon.
03:38It's only been 12 minutes and it isn't looking good for Dover.
03:41Charles Cook trips up Davis just inside the box and it is a penalty.
03:45Adoroju slots it in, not the fastest pen, but it did the job.
03:50And Corbett sends a free kick straight at Walker.
03:53He fumbles it and it's a mass of bodies, but it looks like Adoroju was pulled down and
03:57it's another penalty.
03:59Adoroju again and he puts Walker the wrong way yet again for a 2-0 game without a goal
04:05for the open play yet.
04:07Into the second half now.
04:08Josh Anfiwose whips it in looking for Adoroju and Jalen Jones gets there first.
04:13Oh, that is a horrible mistake.
04:15An own goal for 3-0.
04:18Dover are chasing though.
04:19Nikas runs it through, plays it off to Wilkinson who just shifts it into the bottom corner.
04:23A good bit of passing play.
04:25Could the comeback be on?
04:26But Eastbourne are just crushing it today.
04:29Corbett finds Davis and he hits it from 25 yards out and what a strike.
04:34Beauty from the left foot.
04:36They've restored their three-goal lead.
04:38Corbett's corner finds Phipps who just places it past Walker.
04:42Five goals to Dover's one at 73 minutes.
04:45And you can hear the fans yell as the consolation goal goes in with six minutes to go ahead of
04:50from Coker off the bench.
04:52A disappointing loss for Dover taking five goals on the chin, but Eastbourne will be going
04:56home feeling like Christmas has come a little bit early.
05:00Elsewhere in the National League South, Tunbridge come away with a point after hosting Dagnum and
05:04Redbridge.
05:05Maidstone manage the same away to Hampton and Richmond Borough.
05:09And Ebsfleet come away with three points after a visit to Chelmsford.
05:12Coming up, it's Kent Derby's across the board with Ebsfleet hosting Tunbridge Angels and
05:16Dover making the trip west to face Maidstone.
05:19Then up to League Two and the Gills have gone winless in seven games.
05:23With Ainsworth saying he needs the score to be more ruthless.
05:26The lone goal coming from a deflected shot from Buckley Daff.
05:29The side will face Cambridge next and fingers crossed that the home advantage does them well.
05:34Now down to the Isthmian Premier where Folkestone are continuing their run at the top of the
05:38table after pulling off a clean win against Canvey Island marking their 11th consecutive
05:43league win.
05:45Elsewhere, not so much luck for Ramsgate who collect the lone point from their away clash
05:49at Dutch Hamlet while Chatham put four past Chess Hunt and Dartford College up victory.
05:54Well, what was a week of clean sheets in the Isthmian Premier won't be very likely next.
05:59This week has Chatham host Darford and Folkestone head north against Ramsgate.
06:03Well, that's all for this week's Football Roundup.
06:05Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you soon.
06:09And now hundreds of people dressed up as Santas, Elves and Reindeer have taken part in the Royal
06:15British Veterans Enterprises annual Rudolph Run.
06:18Taking place at Laybourne Lakes in Larkfield, the event raises money to support veterans across
06:23the county from providing shelter, food and employment.
06:27Our community reporter, Henry Luck, raced down to join in on the fun.
06:31Go, go, go!
06:34Run, Larkfield, run.
06:37Whilst Santa will be racing to deliver presents, residents of Larkfield raced across Laybourne
06:46Lakes to raise money for the Royal British Veterans Enterprise.
06:52While Santa may have his elves and reindeer, the RBVE has had over 400 people turn up to
07:02this year's Rudolph Run to raise money for this vital cause.
07:08It's all just everybody coming out, meeting up, having chats with people.
07:12It's amazing how you do just, you know, you come out of your shell a little bit more when
07:16you come to these sort of events.
07:17Everybody's getting up and dancing and obviously we had our Santa, obviously leading the charge
07:22as well.
07:22So I think it just brings, you know, it just gives you some happy vibes, doesn't it?
07:25It's always good to do a race for a good cause.
07:29Often I don't really fundraise because I'm a regular runner and I'd be asking people all
07:33the time.
07:33But it is nice to do a race and try and raise some money.
07:36It's atmosphere, everyone dressed up, the nice weather and really beautiful location
07:41around the lake.
07:42It's been really nice.
07:43And lovely sunny weather and enjoyed crossing the finish line into bubbles of snow.
07:48Correct, yeah, it's amazing.
07:49Great course to be behind.
07:51We had a great turnout with everyone here today and it's been really great and we've
07:54had a good time.
07:55It's been a great event.
07:56We've really enjoyed ourselves.
07:58Mark from Gravesham Community Runners, we've had a good time doing it and marshalling was
08:03great.
08:03Thank you very much.
08:04We did have a fantastic time and I mean the weather was fantastic.
08:08It's beautiful here so yeah, definitely we'll come back here.
08:15For the third year running, the computer company, Apaji, is supporting the charity.
08:22I'm hoping that we can really maximise the fundraising for the organisation.
08:28Last year just over 320 people took part.
08:32This year it's over 400.
08:33So hopefully we'll get some fantastic fundraising results today.
08:38No doubt Santa will be as busy as always this year.
08:42But the people of Larkfield are here to give a helping hand to veterans this winter.
08:49Henry Luck for Kane TV in Larkfield.
08:53Next, men's mental health is a subject being spoken about more and more.
08:59But for men of a certain age here in Kent and across the country, it can still be a difficult topic.
09:05Minster FC have started a men's football group where the members are encouraged to talk as much as they are to tackle.
09:11I filmed a documentary about them which you can watch on our website on the documentaries tab.
09:16But for now, here's a sneak peek.
09:23I'll see you next time.
09:53So my first memory of playing football, I would have been first year junior, which would be what, year three now?
10:04We had a 12-goal head start and we lost 13-12 and I remember crying my eyes out at the end of it.
10:09Mark Birkin is 52 and sport has always been a part of his life, not just football but rugby and cricket as well.
10:18After school, he played for a Saturday team, whether it was as a right back or a left winger, he just enjoyed the sport.
10:23And then he went on to start a career in the legal industry.
10:27Just ended up feeling like I didn't care about anything anymore.
10:33Sort of self-loathing, hatred of yourself.
10:39So I took an overdose back in June.
10:45Just needed something.
10:46Mark's partner found Project Talking Football that played on Minster FC's training pitch.
10:52You're not alone.
10:53There's always someone here for you.
10:55As you can see, we've got all different age groups of people.
10:58Some guys are as old as my dad.
11:01Some are as young as my little brothers.
11:04Definitely come down.
11:06Give it a go.
11:06See how you feel.
11:07You don't have to say anything if you don't want to.
11:10But it helps to be around people.
11:13A lot of men tend to bottle up their emotions.
11:15They work full days.
11:16And when they come home, they're around their family.
11:19And for a lot of men, even with their family, they can find it hard to open up and be vulnerable.
11:24But as modern views change, this is becoming less and less of the norm, which is a good thing.
11:29More men are feeling they're able to speak about their emotions.
11:31And we can recognise that it is a problem.
11:34But it's not always as easy as simply doing it.
11:36I want to see myself as getting back to a position where I can enjoy life as much as I used to.
11:52You can watch that full documentary on kmtv.co.uk.
11:57But now, time for a short break.
11:58See you in just a few minutes.
12:06See you in just a few minutes.
13:06See you in just a few minutes.
13:36See you in just a few minutes.
14:06See you in just a few minutes.
14:36See you in just a few minutes.
15:07Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport Live here on KMTV.
15:18Now it's time to remind you you can keep up to date with all the latest sports news, interviews and features from here on Invicta Sport by heading to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
15:28There you'll see videos like this one, which is all about a gym, which is all about a gym, which is all about a gym that's trying to create a more relaxed, less stress-inducing environment for people to get fit.
15:36Let's have a look.
15:37Do you go to the gym?
15:38Do you go to the gym?
15:39Do you go to the gym?
15:42For many people, going to the gym can be easier said than done.
15:45I think it's a crazy situation.
15:46I think it's a crazy situation that you go to a gym and you're kind of stressed.
15:48The only thing that could be easier is when you can't always get on the equipment you need.
15:53A lot of people, maybe there's a barrier in your head rather than actually in the gym.
15:58And if you go and you show up and you get busy, then I think they're much less intimidating than you first think.
16:06At this gym, they want to make it easier for people to get fit.
16:09Mind and Muscle Gym in Folkestone opened two years ago after owner Steve Brenner decided he wanted to create a safe space for people who may feel intimidated by the normal commercial gyms.
16:19Geared towards health and wellness, the gym, just off Folkestone Seafront, has seen such demand that it will soon be expanding into the building next door, tripling in size.
16:28Most people, especially starting out, haven't got a clue what they're doing.
16:32So they're going into a gym, seeing all this equipment, they haven't got a clue how it works, how to set it up.
16:37And by coming here, because we're a small member base and it's relatively empty all the time, we've always got staff on board.
16:44So we're here to do inductions, to do PT sessions and just to help people in general figure out the machines.
16:50We've got a great app as well where we give all of our members a basic training plan to follow from start.
16:56So they're not coming in sort of trying to figure out what they're supposed to be doing.
16:59There's always something there for them to follow.
17:01Most gyms the size of the new building offer over a thousand memberships.
17:05Over here, Steve says keeping numbers down to 250 is paramount to keep the values of the business.
17:11The area we're in at the moment is going to be the upstairs gym area.
17:15It's going to be predominantly resistance machines.
17:17As you can see, we've already had big delivery over in the corner.
17:21This is our downstairs area, which is going to be more resistance machines, more plate loaded equipment.
17:27Steve says he hopes the new space will remain a judgement free zone for local people wanting to get fit.
17:33I mean, going from my own sort of story, if you like, I was very overweight and very unhealthy, as I mentioned.
17:41Completely changed my life.
17:43And being able to do that for other people, as far as job satisfaction, it's fantastic.
17:49Getting more people moving can never be a bad thing.
17:52So let's hope the expansion here helps others take that first rep towards self-improvement.
17:56Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Folkestone.
18:00Now, 2025 has been a great year for sport from the England women's rugby team winning the World Cup in a final against Canada,
18:07to the Lionesses' victory in the Euros against Spain.
18:10And even us here in the KMTV office trying our hand at darts after Luke the Nuke-Littler's PDC Championship win.
18:17Well, let's have a look at some of the biggest and best sports moments from across the last calendar year.
18:22Well, it's been an incredible year for sports here in the country and in the county.
18:27Kicking off the year, we had Luke Littler taking the title of youngest PDC World Darts Champion in history, aged just 17.
18:35He went on to become the world-ranked number one.
18:40The Nuke is also the reigning back-to-back Grand Slam champion and the reigning UK Open champion.
18:46So, to celebrate here at the KMTV office, we had our own darts championship,
18:50complete with nicknames, bullseyes and some highlights that would put Ali Pali to shame.
18:54In football news, the Jills equalled their best ever unbeaten run in 132 years, going 21 games in a row without a loss.
19:10Starting with a 1-0 win against Bradford City in March, the record continued with wins and draws
19:16against Accrington-Stanley, Walsall, Harrogate, Colchester-Salford, Chesterfield, MK Dons, Cheltenham, Swindon, Port Vale
19:23and then a few more as it continued even into the next season.
19:26The dream of beating their record dating back to 1979 came to an end against Newport County in a 3-1 loss away from home.
19:34Next in May, Whitstable Town won the FA Vars for the first time, coming from 2-1 down to beat AFC Whiteleaf at Wembley Stadium,
19:41thanks to goals from Harvey Smith and Ronald Sithole.
19:44In sunny weather at Wembley Stadium, the Whitstable players celebrated hugging each other in relief.
19:49The Oyster men play in the Southern County's East Football League and thoroughly enjoy their celebrations.
19:54I think it's really good to be fair, I mean I was like that as well, getting my shirt signed, getting everything signed, so yeah, it's amazing, it's really amazing.
20:00It's so surreal, I mean even since Sunday, it still hasn't really sunk in what we've done.
20:06I was just talking with a fan, you know, it's not like we've won the league or we've won a cup in the league, this is the pinnacle of what it means to be non-league.
20:14Then in September, England women's managed to win the Rugby World Cup in a final against Canada.
20:20And we spoke to Rosie Galligan who's from Kent and was part of the winning squad about what the victory was like.
20:25For sure, I think over 5.8 million people watched it on TV, let alone the 81,000 also at the game.
20:31So hopefully we've shown the nation that you can be whatever shape or size you want to be and still play rugby.
20:37There's some big girls out there, there's some small girls out there, there's some fast, there's some slower.
20:42Everyone's got their own talents and everyone's got their own superpowers and that is what's so special.
20:46So if you haven't picked up a rugby ball and you fancy it, please do because I promise you, you won't look back.
20:51Amazing. Thank you so much for your time and for joining us.
20:54And it was more success for the England women's teams as the Lionesses got revenge for the men's from last year by beating Spain on penalties and becoming the first English team to win on foreign soil back to back.
21:06They recorded wins against Italy, Sweden, Wales, France and the Netherlands to get to the final in St Jacob Park in Basel in Switzerland.
21:14And back on home soil, Kent was watching for their star player Alessia Russo, who's originally from Maidstone and played it best at FC before her moves to Chelsea, Brighton, Manchester United and Arsenal.
21:26All in all, it's been a hugely successful year for Kent's sports and the country as a whole.
21:30And that's not even mentioning any certain F1 drivers who trained at Brands Hatch and Buckmore Park.
21:35So fingers crossed that 2026 holds as many iconic sporting moments.
21:40Finn McDermott for KMTV.
21:42And as Invicta Sports winds down for the year, rather than looking at what might have been the biggest headlines in sport on any given week,
21:50I wanted to highlight some of the other moments that I was most proud of, whether it was a chat with a sports person who might not normally get the spotlight
21:56or a piece that really shined a like on a specific moment, small club or some of Kent's sporting prowess.
22:02Let's have a look.
22:03We've had a few Chatham boxers that have sort of been going up through the ranks recently.
22:07Tell me how it all started.
22:08Yeah, so I was, I think I was about 10.
22:11Grandad said, like, to go down to the boxing gym.
22:14I kept pestering him saying, like, I want to go down to the boxing gym.
22:17I think I was too young at the start, so they said, I'll come back in a year or two's time.
22:21And I went down to a local pro called Johnny Armour who won, like, European title, and he was a good boxer
22:26and he was from St. Mary's where I later joined.
22:28So I started off with him and then he said, you need to take it a little bit further now.
22:32There's talent there.
22:34And then he said, you need to go to an amateur gym.
22:36So the amateur gym that was local to me was St. Mary's.
22:39It's got a good history.
22:40It's brought through so many boxers.
22:42And I started down there at about 10, 11.
22:45And then, yeah, I was there for 10 years as an amateur, going up and down the country.
22:50I got to national finals and I won some box cup goals, boxing places like Alexandra Palace in box cups.
22:59The kind of path for sport, it was always just kind of football.
23:02We thought football was the thing.
23:03Obviously, it's the most popular sport in the country.
23:06But does that kind of, you know, does that limit the sort of possibilities of what sport could mean for young people?
23:12There's a few more problems than that.
23:14There's been a lot.
23:16Everything nowadays is measured in what's it worth.
23:19We worry about what it's worth, not its value.
23:22We count things in pounds, shillings and pence, but not in what is good for people.
23:27The number of youth clubs have gone down.
23:29The number of people who give up their time to help others has gone down.
23:33And there's always a thing, lack of funding.
23:36And I tell people, if you give a little bit of your today, you can certainly change their tomorrow.
23:42Music blared out, plastic cups went flying, children and dogs were being held up and there were hugs all around.
23:49England are dead.
23:50Yes, come on, Lionesses!
23:52We bring it home again!
23:54Woo!
23:55The Lionesses will be celebrating, the country will be celebrating, and I'm sure Kent will be celebrating as well.
24:00Finn McDermott for KMTV here in Folkestone.
24:05Winning the FA Vars a week earlier in front of 7,000 fans at Wembley Stadium was the biggest day in the 140-year history of this club,
24:14which became the first in Kent to lift the trophy in 25 years.
24:21It might be coming slowly, but you can hear the cheers here, the celebrations up and down the high street.
24:25Thousands of people moving along with the bar.
24:28Players, managers, backroom staff, all celebrating this massive achievement, the win at Wembley.
24:35It's important to have a space like this when children learn to shoot, learn to position,
24:43learn to position.
24:44In my case, it's more shoots, right?
24:45And they were good.
24:46The score was very high.
24:48And it's good that they took advantage of it.
24:50They concentrated to know where they hit the ball.
24:54So, for me, it was a very important day.
24:56Well, I'm absolutely no Roberto Carlos before.
25:02I'll be honest, I haven't played football in about 10 years, but we'll give it my best shot now.
25:11Right into the keeper's face.
25:13So, first of all, how does it feel to get back on the pitch after 23 years?
25:20Exhausting.
25:21Absolutely exhausting.
25:26Well, it may have been 23 years since ex-England and Arsenal captain Tony Adams has laced up his boots.
25:32But he still brought his A-game to Margate FC's Hartstown Park to support those struggling with addiction.
25:37This week, Medway Sports Centre has been hosting tens of thousands of dancers from 60 different countries around the world
25:43in the International Dance Festival, where the performers can qualify for the prestigious finals at the Royal Albert Hall.
25:49And one dancing duo have come all the way from Ukraine to compete.
25:53But it hasn't been an easy journey.
25:55And I would like to tell about what happens in Ukraine now and the country we're living now, we came from.
26:01And it's really hard to train as we do.
26:07Actually, every night, every night we hear, like, booms and...
26:12Silence, yeah.
26:13Yeah.
26:15We hear that the drones, the rockets, they fly somewhere here and...
26:23Yes, and that's really hard. Every night is hard.
26:26Well, I hope you enjoyed that compilation of some of our best moments on Invicta.
26:32And fingers crossed we'll continue to have some great sporting moments as we head into 2026.
26:37But that is full time on today's episode of Invicta Sport.
26:41If you want more from KMTV, you can, as always, head over to our website, KMTV.co.uk.
26:47Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you soon.
26:49I'll see you soon.
26:50I'll see you soon.
26:51I'll see you soon.
26:56Bye.
26:57Bye.
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