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Catch up with all your latest sports news from across 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 here's a sneak peek of what you can expect on Monday the 12th
00:32of January.
00:33We'll have a look at historical half-times where we're going to learn more about plans
00:38for the Gilles Museum.
00:41It'll be people giving their own artefacts and their knowledge of the club that's been
00:45going since the 1800s.
00:47Putting culture in the driver's seat, an artist opens his exhibition at the Royal Engineers
00:51Museum using race helmets to discuss migration and Premier League poultry as an Eindsford
00:57bird sanctuary reopens.
00:59We meet the sports celebrity bird that's taking flight once more.
01:04But before we get into that, let's first have a look at our headlines.
01:08And first of all, after scoring the winner against Carlisle United in the FA Trophy, Chatham
01:12Town's Matty MacArthur has spoken on his comeback after leaving Gillingham.
01:17He certainly found his form scoring from 25 yards out in the 1-0 victory.
01:22Afterwards, he said, scoring goals as an attacker or assisting them is key for me in making my
01:26way up in the ranks.
01:28After being released by Gillingham, he's played for non-league clubs like Kent's own
01:32Dartford and Tunbridge Angels.
01:34Chatham manager Kevin Haake said he's been unbelievable since coming here.
01:38We love young players and he's got so much potential.
01:40Next in rugby, the Tunbridge Juddians triumphed over the Dings Crusaders 36-31 in National League
01:48One.
01:50The weather certainly made itself known, raining down, which forced a switch of the pitch with
01:54the Judge School's Visits 3G pitch hosting the action instead of the usual slade.
01:59Jimmy Staples, Finlay Cunningham and Sam Evans didn't let a change of venue dishearten them,
02:04putting the Judds up to a 14-0 early lead in the game.
02:07The Dings hit back with three tries and two conversions as it went on, getting yellow as
02:11well, putting them down to 14 men.
02:13The Judds found a try and conversion, bringing this to 21-19.
02:18Then 45 minutes into the second half, the Dings got another yellow, bringing them down
02:22to 12.
02:23And Bobby Bratton put the Judds up to 9.
02:25The Crusaders fought back at every turn, going to 28-24, Vinnie Everett putting them up again
02:30by 9.
02:31The Judds went for another attack, but the Dings denied and went on the offensive.
02:34The penalty for Evans brung the final score to 36-31.
02:38The win sees them move up to 6th behind the Rams.
02:42Now in even more football news as Ebsfleet United was heartbreakingly defeated in the
02:46fourth round of the FA Trophy by the Forest Green Rovers 2-0.
02:50Assistant Manager David Kerslake was pleased by the performance, but downturned it as it
02:56meant being knocked out in the FA Trophy.
02:59Kerslake said we couldn't have asked for any more, saying we shifted the ball from side
03:02to side.
03:03We worked on it all week, trying different switches of play.
03:06But, he also added, I think we've created enough chances to win the game.
03:10But, the opposition were certainly clinical.
03:13And, for our final football story, Maidstone United goalkeeper Nathan Harness is expected
03:18to be back from injury to face Torquay.
03:21This comes after sustaining injury in a Brentwood-friendly, in which Maidstone won 5-1 on Saturday.
03:28He landed badly after racing out to clear the ball.
03:30In his place is Lenny Holden, but Assistant Manager Craig Fagan expects him to be available
03:34at the next match at Plainmore.
03:36And don't forget you can keep up to date with all the latest football news by reading
03:40Kent Online.
03:42But did you know you can also have your weekly digest of non-league news from around the
03:45county sent directly to your email inbox?
03:48Just search Kent Online email alerts and sign up on the website for all the latest written
03:51transfer news, match reports and interviews.
03:53And there's plenty more email alerts to choose from, including all the latest Gillingham news
03:57too.
03:59And now a new exhibition titled Reflection is on display at the Royal Engineers Museum until
04:04the 22nd of March.
04:06Nigerian visual artist Abalore Sabayo uses helmets as a metaphor for the complex realities
04:11of migration and takes inspiration not only from Formula One, but also from his home country
04:16of Nigeria and his own personal experiences.
04:19Our reporter Naila Mohamed went to the exhibition to find out more.
04:23What does self-protection look like when you're new to an environment that's unfamiliar?
04:27Well, for Nigerian visual artist Abalore Sabayo, self-protection comes in the form
04:34of a helmet.
04:35In his latest art series, Reflection, Abalore explores how the helmet, or a koto in Yoruba,
04:42can be used as a metaphor for the complex realities of migration.
04:47This exhibition is in the Royal Engineering Museum in the heart of Medway.
04:51Now the artist has taken inspiration from Formula One helmets, which are known for being
04:55bash and colourful and full of messages from the drivers and their sponsors.
05:00In this instance, the artist uses the helmet as a way to convey his message about his perspective
05:06on migration to the Kent community.
05:08Most of the people when you talk about migration focuses only on people seeking asylum, which
05:13migration for me is far beyond that.
05:16For migrants, the helmet is to protect your cultural identity while you are assimilating
05:22the new culture from where you are coming into.
05:25The helmet is taking its form of protection for you from the fast lane, from the new journey
05:30you're taking, the place of unknown where you're going to.
05:34Abalore uses Nigeria, his home country, and his own personal experiences as a migrant as inspiration
05:41for some of his artwork.
05:42And in the visor of the helmet, he paints a reflection of a memory or a reality a migrant
05:48may face while living away from home.
05:51Members of the museum thought the exhibition is important to the many communities in Kent.
05:57It's opening up this community to other people.
06:01So a lot of the idea of this space is to get people who don't have a place to display their
06:08work or to display their ideas, to give them this space within the heart of Medway.
06:14And it really opens up an audience, a new audience.
06:18Abalore hopes that his exhibition can encourage communities to reflect on the emotional and
06:23cultural layers of migration and to also consider what we would choose to protect when we enter
06:29the unknown.
06:30Naina Mahamud for KMTV.
06:33Well, with the week-in, week-out nature of the beautiful game, many football fans, and
06:40myself is certainly included there, can overlook their club's own storied history.
06:45It happens all the time, and Gillingham is no different.
06:48For instance, you might not know they used to be New Brompton FC until they changed their
06:51name to Gillingham, or they once beat Sunderland in a huge 3-1 upset in the FA Cup.
06:57To bring us more news about the plans for the Gilles Museum, I'm joined by Robert Flood from
07:02the Rochester Historical Society, and David Garth from the Gilles Supporters Club.
07:07So first of all, where did the idea for this really start?
07:12Tell us about the inception of the idea and what got you guys thinking about it.
07:16I think it really grew out of David had got some funding to make a film for the Supporters
07:24Club, like an oral history project based around memories of people that have been going to
07:29watch the club play for decades.
07:32And so we met through that.
07:35And once we did that project, and it was really successful and very, very well received by
07:40the club, we then started talking about, well, wouldn't it really be really, really good
07:45if we could create a museum for the club?
07:48And initially the plan was that it would be a pop-up museum in Gillingham High Street
07:52somewhere.
07:53But then, fantastically, the club came forward and said, well, we've got this space and we'll
08:00give you this space and we'll heat it and we'll light it.
08:03Do you want to use that?
08:05So it's sort of, it's gone from there.
08:06Yeah.
08:07Brilliant.
08:08And has this, David, I'll come to you now, has this been something that you have always
08:11thought about?
08:12It's kind of like a, we'd love to do this, oh, and we've got the chance.
08:15Or has it been something that's been building for a while in your own head?
08:17I think most football fans would like to have a museum for their own club.
08:21There are quite a few all over the country.
08:24Some really good, some not quite so good.
08:27And it's something that, yeah, I think if we'd ever had the chance to do so, then we would
08:32like to get it moving.
08:34And of course, with the offer of this, the old mega store at Chillingham from the owners,
08:40it's a perfect place to actually put this and we're very excited about the whole project.
08:46Absolutely.
08:47Now, I'm a Brentford fan and I've, some laughter there, I have a few pieces of merchandise.
08:54I've got a signed match ball from 2001.
08:56It's like my prized possession and I'm sure many people out there also have similar things
09:00for Jill.
09:01What kind of things can people give to the museum once it's up and running?
09:06Whatever they've got.
09:08One of the things that we want to be quite clear on is that we're really looking for
09:12people to donate things.
09:14But we, David was contacted by somebody whose grandfather had played for New Brompton.
09:22And when we looked his name up, his name was Harry Buckland and he was the very, very first
09:28person ever to score a goal for New Brompton Football Club, so effectively for Jillingham.
09:34And this guy's got his grandfather's medals from that season and is donating them to the
09:39museum.
09:40So it's fantastic.
09:41Things like signed shirts, or worn shirts, boots, balls, programs, certainly older programs,
09:52that sort of thing.
09:53And rare photographs because, I mean, as David knows, the guys that put together the fantastic
09:59Home of the Shouting Men book.
10:03And there are some incredible photographs in there.
10:06And so to get copies of those for the museum were really charting the history right back
10:11to 1893.
10:13And slightly before then, when you mentioned New Brompton, the club was actually called
10:17Chatham Excelsior before New Brompton even.
10:20Wow.
10:21So really sort of going back.
10:22Yeah.
10:23It's fantastic.
10:24Something I wanted to bring up is this idea, because I think people often underestimate
10:28how much football has changed.
10:31Because people will go, well, it's still 11 men kicking football about.
10:35But we've got XG now, we've got all this different types of technology and things.
10:39And I remember talking to someone once who'd played for Jillingham back, I think it was in
10:43the 1950s, and he was telling me that he was earning just slightly more than his father
10:48on a minor's wage.
10:49Do you think people often kind of forget about these kind of, the annals of Gillingham's
10:55history?
10:56Like you mentioned, I didn't even know that they used to be called Chatham Excelsior.
10:58Why is it so important to bring this history back, David, if you...
11:01Well, it's part of the fabric of the whole area of Medway.
11:06People quite often will say, if you go further away, up north for example, oh, where do you
11:11live?
11:12I live in Medway.
11:13And people don't often think, I'm not sure where that is.
11:15Oh, Gillingham?
11:16Yeah, they've got a football team. And that's what people seem to sort of pin down, think,
11:21yeah, that's something that they can remember. And yeah, the club's got a lot of history.
11:27Some good, some not so good. And we just want to celebrate all of that and the people that
11:31have been involved, which includes, of course, supporters as well. They're very much a fabric
11:36of the actual football club.
11:37I see. Well, I think that is all the time we have. But thank you both so much for joining
11:41us. And I look forward to seeing more parts of the Gilles Museum as we get closer to the
11:46time itself.
11:47Thanks very much.
11:48Thanks.
11:49Now, we have reached half time, which means it is time for a break. We'll see you in just
11:53a few minutes to hear all of your sports news from around the county.
11:57We'll see you in just a few minutes.
12:14We'll see you in just a few minutes.
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13:22We'll see you in just a few minutes.
14:52Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live here on KMTV.
15:20Now, a dad from Maidstone is aiming to complete a running challenge this year to help pay
15:25for his disabled daughter's physiotherapy.
15:28Kristina Zhukovsky, who will be turning three later this month, has complex physical needs
15:32and requires intensive therapy alongside the limited support available to the NHS.
15:37To help fund the therapy Kristina needs, her dad, Camel, is aiming to run 1,000 kilometres
15:42over the course of the year to raise money for specialist physiotherapy and support for her.
15:46There has been progress, definitely.
15:50However, bearing in mind her condition, it's going to be probably a minimum of another 15,
15:5620 years of hard, hard work to get her to the level where hopefully she still can live an
16:02independent life, a fairly independent life, if this will ever get to this stage.
16:08In 2026, I would like to do 1,000 kilometres in one year.
16:14And this also corresponds a little bit with the hard work that Kristina is doing and the whole
16:22persistence that we all have to put into this.
16:26Because it's not about sprinting, it's all about a marathon.
16:32It's all about those little things, little changes every day, the hard work that has to happen every single day.
16:41Now it is January. Time to wince at our wallets after Christmas spending or kick off our diet.
16:47But for football clubs here in Kent and the rest of the county, it's transfer season.
16:51From pure absolute rumours to players that fans are crossing their fingers in hopes of
16:56to even a complete reversal on certain targets, there's plenty to discuss.
17:01Earlier, I was joined by Tom Fullegar to tell us more about the recent transfers across Kent clubs.
17:07Well, thank you for joining us, Tom.
17:08First of all, talk us through the transfer news.
17:11I'm aware at this point it's all just rumours, but tell us what do Jill's fans know so far?
17:15Well, today we thought that Ronan Hale was pretty spot on that we were going to get him.
17:23But apparently now that's all been quashed by management and air club who says that everything
17:28that we've thought is true is totally rubbish.
17:32Apparently we've made a five-figure offer for him and it's not right apparently.
17:38He's under six foot, he's a quite small striker, he's Northern Ireland international, he's 27.
17:45I'm not really sure that's the way forward, but I guess we have got to take these risks
17:50to get somewhere.
17:51I mean, he's playing for Ross County, which are bottom of Scottish Premiership.
17:56So, oh, Scottish Championship, sorry.
17:57So, you know.
17:59I see.
18:00And tell us a little bit about some of these other targets.
18:02I'm aware we're sort of raiding the Barnet forward line, as the rumours might suggest.
18:06Tell us about that.
18:07Yeah, so Cullum Stead and Ryan Glover are both thought to be targets for us.
18:11I think Glover is the better out of the two.
18:14I thought he was amazing when he played against us.
18:16I thought he was really running the show.
18:18He's a winger, so I think that's the position we really need to fill after Smith's injuries
18:21and McCleary's injuries.
18:24Cullum Stead is the other one.
18:25Again, another small striker, so that seems to be what we're going for at the moment.
18:29But I think he's got about four goals in 20-something games, so not a great return.
18:34I think he had a better season when they went up.
18:37I think he scored about 18, so maybe that would be another risk.
18:42Fair enough.
18:43And if you were on the touchline looking at the line-up, looking at the squad,
18:46would you say that these rumours are the places that the gaps need to be filled in the squad?
18:51Or do you think there's any areas that are still lacking?
18:52Yeah, I think the winger definitely won.
18:54I think Stryker is obviously another.
18:58We have got a lot of Strykers, but we're not getting that prolific one.
19:01It's getting the goals.
19:02They're all just...
19:03Like Seb is, for me, he's always been the better out of a lot of them.
19:08But I think we need someone to work alongside him, and we haven't really got that.
19:12I think right back we definitely need to fill.
19:13I think we need to give Hutton a bit of competition, because I think some of the performances as of late haven't really been there.
19:20And I think we need to get someone to get him back to form and know that if he has bad performances, he can just be replaced.
19:27I think Akemea going back to Watford, I thought he was great cover.
19:32So I think centre-half will be another position we need to fill.
19:35I see.
19:35And tell us a bit about the match against Newport at the weekend.
19:39What's your estimation of it?
19:40Well, they're bottom at the moment, so that means they're going to obviously beat us.
19:43We always struggle against the bottom lot.
19:46But obviously they knocked us out of the FA Cup in November on penalties.
19:51We beat them for the first time in absolutely forever earlier in the season.
19:57I think that was the first time in the 80s that we've actually won there.
19:59And I think we haven't won at home since about 1984 against them.
20:02So it's going to be a tough battle, as always.
20:04I think Seb used to play there as well.
20:06So hopefully you can get one past them.
20:09Absolutely.
20:10Well, thanks so much for joining us, Tom.
20:11And hopefully we'll hear more about these transfer rumours, and maybe they'll turn into confirmed transfers.
20:16Well, yeah, thanks so much for your time.
20:18And don't forget you can keep up to date with all the latest football news by reading Kent Online.
20:23But did you also know you can have your weekly digest of Jill's news sent directly to your email inbox?
20:28Just search Kent Online email alerts and sign up on the website for all the latest written transfer news, match reports and interviews.
20:34And if the Jill's isn't your cup of tea, well, there's plenty more email alerts to choose from,
20:38including all the latest non-league football news too.
20:40Now 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
20:48by heading to our website, cametv.co.uk and clicking on the sports tab.
20:55There you'll see videos like this one about a snooker centre fighting to protect its building.
21:00To some, snooker might seem like a simple game, but actually it's far more skilful and complicated than people give it credit for.
21:07And just like the game itself, one Tonbridge Wells snooker centre are trying to prove that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to their venue.
21:14The Victoria snooker centre could be demolished as part of redevelopment plans to the nearby Royal Victoria Place shopping centre,
21:21but locals to the snooker hall aren't happy.
21:23They've started a campaign that's now at more than 1,600 signatures to try and change the council's mind about the hall,
21:29which has a long legacy of hosting famous players and exhibition matches,
21:33but it's the local community that's said to be the best part of the Victoria Snooker Centre.
21:38It's a second slash third home for some people.
21:41The community hub that we've created are based around a lot of the leagues we've created as well,
21:46so we run a lot of our in-house leagues, which has created a social circle of 100, 150 people playing with people they never thought they would play with.
21:56While many consider snooker a classic pub game, it's actually quite a specialist sport that needs a certain level of maintenance, space and cost to set up,
22:04which is why the centre's owners say they don't want locals to lose the Victoria.
22:09We do see a lot of snooker clubs disappearing and we don't want to be one of those.
22:13We do see that some of them are just turning into sports and social clubs, putting probably more pool tables in,
22:19which is not a problem, but in general, you know, the general consensus of where we are is snooker
22:26and we want to keep this as much of a snooker club as we can.
22:29Now, if you looked around and thought this old hall is more suited to royalty than snooker,
22:33you'd actually only be half right, and that's because this hall has hosted some of the greats of the snooker world,
22:40Mark Selby, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White, to name a few,
22:43and it's that legacy that the members and owners are trying to protect here.
22:47I was just outraged, really. This club is a thriving family business.
22:51It's been here for 30 years, and under the new owners it's done really well,
22:57especially after lockdown, because, you know, I think I'm not the only person who thought that,
23:01actually, I don't want my whole life to just be work and looking at my phone.
23:04I wanted something more from life and kind of a community.
23:08A Tunbridge Wells Borough Council spokesperson said all feedback will be carefully reviewed
23:13before finalising the proposals.
23:14The council is in regular contact with the owner and their representatives,
23:19and a planning application is expected to be submitted around Easter 2026.
23:23For Martin, Liam and the 400-odd members of the club,
23:26they hope a compromise can be found soon,
23:29so they can stay in the hall, keep the tables open and the lights on.
23:33Finn McDermid for KMTV in Tunbridge Wells.
23:35And finally, an animal sanctuary in Ainsford will reopen to visitors
23:41after a temporary closure linked to an outbreak of bird flu.
23:44The sanctuary is home to a particularly famous bird,
23:47the animal mascot of Crystal Palace, named Phoenix,
23:51continuing the tradition of having an animal mascot.
23:54Reporter Chloe Brewster spoke to the sanctuary ahead of their big reopening day.
23:59Taking to the skies is usually a regular task for birds like bold eagle phoenix,
24:05but an outbreak of avian flu has meant she's had to stay grounded for a few months.
24:10Great Britain became an avian influenza prevention zone in November,
24:14with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
24:17applying mandatory measures to house birds inside.
24:21Four sites in Kent saw infection towards the end of 2025,
24:24prompting Eagle Heights Wildlife Foundation to take the difficult decision
24:28to close to visitors to safeguard the animals,
24:30keeping Crystal Palace celebrity Phoenix on his perch for now.
24:34We've been open now for coming up on 30 years.
24:38It's actually our 30th anniversary this year, so we're very excited about that.
24:41We are here to give people a good day out and be entertaining,
24:46but mostly we are here to look after the animals.
24:48And, you know, that's our number one priority when it really comes down to it.
24:52And having these birds out and about, obviously once they're out,
24:56we are in control of them in terms of their training,
24:58but we're not in control of exactly where they go.
25:01They're in the trees, they're going off on the roofs
25:03and wherever they really feel like landing,
25:05and that gets them in contact with all sorts of wild bird influence,
25:11mostly, you know, what other wild birds poop, to put it bluntly.
25:14And that is the number one transmitter of avian influenza.
25:18But tomorrow the foundation will reopen.
25:20Following confirmation there have been no recent local outbreaks
25:23and after a negative avian flu result of a deceased wild bird found on site.
25:28Without proper precautions, it's getting more and more real, to be honest.
25:32You know, bird flu has always been a thing.
25:34It's always been around.
25:35It comes and goes every winter.
25:36But we've never had serious cases this far south,
25:40at least not for a very long time.
25:41So it's become scarier and scarier, really, as it goes on.
25:46And with proper precautions and, you know, some hard decisions,
25:50you can be pretty safe.
25:52But without that, we could have been in trouble.
25:57While the centre will be reopening for visitors from tomorrow,
26:00some of the bird-related attractions will remain closed
26:02to protect the safety of the wildlife here.
26:04We are still going to be keeping the birds locked down a little bit for now
26:10until we can have the housing also lifted,
26:12which is going to allow us to then be able to do our flying displays again
26:15and bring the birds out for more regular exercise and, you know,
26:18all back to normality.
26:20So we are reopening,
26:21but we're still some restrictions in place to keep them safe.
26:25As the foundation preps the animals for socialising,
26:28they say they're looking forward to seeing the birds take flight once again.
26:32Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Ainsford.
26:36And that is full-time on today's episode of Invicta Sport.
26:40If you want more from KMTV,
26:42you can head over to our website, kmtv.co.uk,
26:45where all of our special shows are available to watch back on demand.
26:49Don't forget to take a look at our social media as well.
26:51But like I say, that's all the time we have.
27:02We'll see you next time.
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