On tonight show, Bartholomew looks back at Maidstone's historic FA Cup journey, plus we dive into the world of weightlifting at the England Age Group Category championships which came to town this week.
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00:00 Hello and welcome along to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:19 up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Bartholomew Hall and here's what to expect on this Friday
00:24 the 1st of March.
00:27 Bowed out, Maidstone United's historic FA Cup fairy tale comes to an end in Coventry.
00:33 Pumping Iron National Youth Weightlifting Competition hosted in Kent.
00:39 And action replay, we take a look at the best sporty clips from across the council.
00:47 But of course first, a round up of the headlines and this week Kent Cricket have confirmed
00:50 the signing of rising Australian pace bowler Xavier Bartlett. The 25 year old has been
00:56 playing alongside Spitfire's captain Sam Billings for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.
01:01 He took 20 wickets in 11 matches, ending the tournament as the top wicket taker. Kent Director
01:07 of Cricket Simon Cook says the club will be working closely with Cricket Australia to
01:11 monitor his overseas playing commitments. Bartlett will be available to play the majority
01:15 of red and white ball cricket for our county side at the start of the new season.
01:22 Arsenal and England striker Alessia Rousseau has visited her former club, Beerstead, this
01:28 week as the club has announced plans to rename their pitch after her. The 25 year old returned
01:34 to spearhead the club's fundraising campaign to grow girls football and transform their
01:38 facilities. On the visit, Rousseau was able to reunite with her old coach Colin Whitfield
01:44 as well as answer questions of the current players who she described as future stars.
01:49 Rousseau was then later presented with Freedom of Maidstone at a ceremony held in the Town
01:54 Hall.
01:56 MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi will race at Brands Hatch for a third successive season
02:00 this year. The 45 year old will be competing in two GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
02:08 events this year, but has chosen the Kent fixture on the Grand Prix loop as one of them.
02:12 He'll race a BMW M4 GT3, sharing the car with Maxime Martin. The pair scored a podium finish
02:18 at the same event last year. Thousands are expected to flood into Brands Hatch to watch
02:22 him compete in a pair of hour-long races.
02:27 Gillingham boss Stephen Clements says it's a difficult decision to pick between the club's
02:31 main goalkeepers ahead of this Saturday's league clash with Salford. It comes after
02:36 Jake Turner, Gillingham's number one option, missed his first league game of the season
02:40 last time out. His replacement, 40 year old Gilles veteran Glenn Morris, gave an impressive
02:44 performance in his place. But now fit, Turner will be looking to return to the spot between
02:50 the posts.
02:51 Here's the head coach speaking to the press this week.
02:53 "We've got two good goalkeepers downstairs. Glenn's had a marvellous career and Jake's
03:00 done very well this season. So it's a difficult decision but it's a good problem to have.
03:06 I think you just have to look at the results in the week. It doesn't matter who you play
03:09 in this division, they're all tough games. Now, I think we're a tough game for the opponent
03:14 as well. Whoever we take on, I think we'll recognise that. You have to bring the best
03:23 version of yourself every time you go onto the football pitch. If we have enough players
03:27 that do that every time we turn up, I'm sure we'll be OK and I'm confident we'll get the
03:31 results that we need."
03:33 Now time for a quick look back. This week, Maidstone United bowed out of the FA Cup,
03:37 losing 5-0 to Coventry City after what has been an extraordinary and history-making run.
03:43 In the end, it wasn't Maidstone's night, but for the thousands of fans who made the journey
03:46 to the West Midlands, they made sure to keep singing all the way to the very end. I went
03:51 along with some of them on the coach.
03:56 It's a groggy and windy day down at the Gallagher but no-one seems to mind. Smiles on everyone's
04:02 faces here. These are just some of the thousands who will be heading to Coventry later today
04:08 and I'm going to be joining them on one of these coaches. I've got my scarf and I'm ready.
04:13 After what had already been a fairy-tale journey for Maidstone in this year's FA Cup, nothing
04:18 was going to stop the fans from coming out in their droves to follow their club up to
04:22 Coventry. Whatever was about to happen, it was always going to be a day never to forget.
04:28 "We're very excited, kind of hoping for the same again. I think we've not got super high
04:32 expectations but, well, we did it before so hopefully we'll do it again."
04:38 "The Ipswich game, which was really well organised and probably the best atmosphere I've ever
04:43 been to at a football match. And the people in Ipswich were really nice as well. They
04:50 were good so hopefully we'll get the same reception in Coventry."
04:53 "We went to Ipswich, didn't we? And we just didn't expect to win that and the feeling
04:57 was just, we were just ecstatic, just absolutely ecstatic."
05:01 The coach I joined was occupied by members of Maidstone's disability team, the Maidstone
05:05 Raiders.
05:06 "It's been massive. The guys are absolutely loving everything that's happened so far and
05:13 their parents are telling me how much of an impact that this has had on them. What can
05:18 we say? Football has been a lifeline to so many kids."
05:21 Reaching the stadium, fans quickly dispersed from the coaches and found their way through
05:26 the turnstiles with many choosing to enjoy themselves in the bar before finding their
05:30 seats.
05:31 For those who did decide to go down to the south stand early, club manager George Elokobi
05:38 and assistant Craig Fagan were waiting to thank fans for their support and to take lots
05:43 of selfies.
05:44 After teams lined up to rapturous applause and singing from the packed out away stand,
05:50 the game soon got underway. Maidstone saw more of the ball in the opening stages than
05:55 at Ipswich, however it wasn't just eight minutes into the fifth round tie that the visitors
06:00 fell behind. Silence from the fans, but not for long.
06:07 The side hoping to be playing in the Premier League next season showed their worth, coming
06:11 in full attack and with no regard for fairy tales. They scored again and again and again.
06:19 But even up to and including the dying stages, Maidstone refused to throw in the towel and
06:25 the fans refused to stop singing.
06:28 Five nil the final score.
06:32 You all, you all, we all are history makers. I love you all, I'm proud of you all for your
06:45 efforts.
06:46 Back on the buses and the weight of their club's achievement was beyond no one.
06:50 I thought Maidstone United did us proud. Everyone in Maidstone should be very proud of what
06:56 they did tonight. We are the Black Amber Army, alright?
07:00 Yeah!
07:01 We are the Black Amber Army.
07:03 We're the Black Amber Army.
07:07 Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
07:09 Well, it was a very fun night. I caught up with Lorraine Humm from the Maidstone Raiders
07:14 earlier today to look back on the whole experience and to look ahead to what is coming up for
07:18 the Maidstone Raiders.
07:19 Lorraine, thank you very much for being here. Welcome onto the programme. First of all,
07:24 how are you feeling? Because Monday, it was a long night, wasn't it?
07:28 It was a really long night and unfortunately a few of our guys when they got back couldn't
07:33 get taxis so I paid taxi to get them all home to make sure they were safe. I mean, it's
07:38 just brought the whole town together, the club, the supporters. It's just had an amazing
07:44 effect on everybody. You know, it's just been a fantastic experience and obviously we're
07:51 going to remember it for the rest of our lives. Obviously a lot of my players have experienced
07:57 things they've never experienced so it's been absolutely amazing.
08:03 And it's certainly the year, isn't it, for the Raiders? 20th anniversary this year. How
08:08 will you be celebrating it? I mean, obviously part of the celebration is already done with
08:14 going along with Maidstone up to Coventry and off to Ipswich as well but for yourselves,
08:18 how will you be commemorating this year?
08:21 We're just in the planning at the moment. We're probably going to do like a mini tournament,
08:26 probably 11-a-side, a party, presentation, so lots of things. Now that the Cup run has
08:33 come to an end, sadly, I'm on the planning of that now with obviously all my Raiders
08:39 and coaches. So obviously we've got to decide where, when and how we're going to do it all
08:45 at the moment but I'm sure it'll be an excellent evening and day for all my Raiders.
08:51 Of course. Well, wishing you all the best for that and hopefully we can celebrate it
08:55 with you when we get closer to the exact date. So, Lorraine, tell me what is currently going
09:00 on with the Raiders in terms of their usual meetings? What have you got currently going
09:04 on?
09:05 At the moment we've got, obviously we're playing the Kent Disability League once a
09:12 month for the juniors, once a month for the adults and it's like a tournament style. Obviously
09:16 we've got training every Saturday. Also we've got a charity match. Sadly, we lost two of
09:23 our Raiders last year. So we're having a memorial match on the 13th of April at the stadium.
09:30 And so we're going to do a big 11-a-side and auction and raffle, so that should be exciting.
09:35 It does, it does, it absolutely does. And it's quite a special year for you yourself.
09:40 You've been with the Raiders since the very beginning. How have you seen the sort of development
09:44 of disability football in that time?
09:48 Obviously, the football has obviously grown. It's a bit like how women's football was when
09:54 I was a girl and obviously wanted to get involved. There wasn't a lot of teams, there wasn't
09:58 a lot of opportunities. Disability football was like that when I started it with obviously
10:05 John Harvey and Mike Littleboy and the other guys. And obviously it's now a lot better,
10:13 but there's still a long way to go. So obviously I've been trying to publicise as much as possible
10:19 that there is disability football out there and hopefully get as many involved like the
10:25 girls with obviously the World Cup's done for them.
10:28 Absolutely and enjoyed by so many people as well. Now it's interesting you mentioned women's
10:33 football and ladies' football there because you actually visited, well Maidstone was visited
10:37 by Alessia Russo. She came back to her hometown this week and you were actually there at the
10:42 council meeting when she was awarded the freedom of the borough. What was that like?
10:47 It was amazing. I mean she fully deserved it. She was really humble, really kind. She
10:55 spoke to everybody. She signed my shirt, which obviously I was over the moon by and obviously
11:01 very honoured to meet her. She inspired so many people.
11:06 Absolutely we can see that shirt just behind you in the room there. Well Lorraine, final
11:11 question. I know you'll be following along with Maidstone this weekend. Back to the league
11:16 action for the men's first team up against Dover. How do you feel about that derby that's
11:21 approaching?
11:22 Obviously we're back in, fighting for our playoff position. So obviously I'm sure George
11:30 and all the team will give it their all and obviously all the supporters will be down
11:34 there singing.
11:35 Absolutely. Lorraine, thank you very much for joining me today.
11:41 Now we've reached half time, which means it is time for a break, but coming up we'll have
11:44 all the football fixtures plus we'll be taking a look at a weightlifting youth competition
11:49 that was held in Maidstone last week. See you in a few minutes. Bye bye.
11:51 Thanks for watching.
11:52 For more information visit www.fema.gov/covid19
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15:09 Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV. Now here's a quick look at the football
15:14 fixtures that are all happening this weekend.
15:18 In League 2 Gillingham will be travelling to Salford as you heard earlier. The Gills
15:22 are currently projected a points total of 69 if they continue on their current average
15:26 of 1.5 points a game. The 10 year average for the playoff positions which of course
15:30 is Gillingham's goal this season is around the 73 marks. Potentially a few more wins
15:35 needed there.
15:36 Ebbs Fleet will host Rochdale for the first time in the National League. The two games
15:41 without a loss for the visitors. They currently sit 11th. Ebbs Fleet just a couple of places
15:45 behind them.
15:47 Returning now to, returning from their FA Cup exploits it's back to the National League
15:50 south for Maidstone with a Kent derby in the form of Basement Boys Dover Athletic. Whilst
15:56 Dartford have Worthing, Tunbridge have Eastbourne Borough.
16:02 And in the Izmian League, and in the Izmian Premier a nine goal thriller found Chatham
16:08 Town last time out when they took on Billericay at home. Hoping for a repeat to an exciting
16:12 performance on the road they take on Carshalton, Margate with Horsham and Folkestone will be
16:18 at Cheshunt.
16:19 Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all the latest football news by reading
16:24 Kent Online. But did you also know you can have your weekly digest of non-league news
16:29 from around the county sent directly to your email inbox. Just search Kent Online email
16:34 alerts and sign up on the website for all the latest written transfer news, match reports
16:38 and interviews. And there's also plenty more alerts to choose from including all the latest
16:42 Gilles News 2.
16:47 Earlier in the programme we were talking about Maidstone of course and we heard about the
16:50 County Towns Lioness who's been given freedom of the borough this week. Plus a look back
16:55 at that historic run of the Stones in the FA Cup. But there's another sport on the rise
17:00 in the town and last week it hosted the National Weightlifting Age Group Championships for
17:04 the first time. With athletes coming from all the way as far as Manchester and some
17:09 as young as ten years old, lots of medals and national titles were up for the taking.
17:15 A three day weightlifting bonanza took place in Maidstone this weekend as the leisure centre
17:20 saw hundreds of lifters of all different ages and backgrounds step up to the bar.
17:26 Crowds of family members and friends sat in the stands as celebrity athletes like Emily
17:31 Still a BBC Gladiator contestant with tens of thousands of followers displayed her strength.
17:37 The biggest lift came from Myron Madden, the newly crowned male under 23's English age
17:41 group champion as he hoisted a hefty 182kg clean and jerk to win gold.
17:48 Behind me you can see the platforms where hundreds of lifters came from across the country
17:54 to show what they're made of. Today boys and girls as young as six are stepping up
17:58 to show their strength.
18:01 Yes you heard that right, kids as young as six competed in the tournament on Sunday.
18:06 Matt Vine a former great British Olympian and current coach at the Maidstone Weightlifting
18:10 Club spoke about the popularity of the tournament.
18:13 We've run our own small competitions but to bring a national championship to here and
18:17 have 200 lifters over three days and from all over the country it's been enormous.
18:24 I think we've definitely seen one or two people over the next few years time will be actually
18:28 representing Great Britain.
18:30 With the next Olympics just under six months away it may be too soon for some to compete
18:35 but some future stars are certainly on their way. One of them being Maidstone's very
18:40 own Dylan Botton. His lifting today earned him gold in the under 10's category.
18:47 Well it started when I just came in here and I saw they were doing it and I wanted to take
18:54 part. And then over the last few weeks, I went for a couple of weeks and I found out
19:01 I really liked it and then I've been doing it for years now and I'm hoping to carry
19:07 on that journey all the way to the Olympics.
19:09 As the events gains attention from all corners of the country, Councillor David Nagy hopes
19:14 that the events will return to Maidstone.
19:16 We have this in Maidstone over the weekend and then Monday night, tomorrow night, when
19:22 we could be in the quarter finals of the FA Cup, it couldn't be any better. Maybe every
19:27 other year they come down to Maidstone because it isn't the place to be.
19:31 As the British Weightlifting Association travels far and wide on its tours, Maidstone's
19:35 medallists made their mark. But where next for these future stars? James Hill, KMTV.
19:42 Moving on then, now the issue of free swimming in Medway has found itself to the centre of
19:47 debate around the council's budget this week. Hundreds of people have been backing a petition
19:52 against Medway Council's plan to scrap free swimming for under 16's and over 60's.
19:57 It's an attempt from the council to create a balanced budget for the next financial year
20:01 but local Lib Dems say the funding should be found elsewhere due to the importance of
20:06 swimming for residents' health, particularly with those young children. Gabriel Morris,
20:11 our local democracy reporter, joined us earlier in the week to explain more.
20:15 Some 300 people have signed this petition. It's a Liberal Democrat backed position opposing
20:22 the cuts to those under 16 and over 60. They argue that a family of four could currently
20:27 go swimming at a cost of £14.30. Their worry is with the changes proposed by Medway Labour
20:34 it would rise to £25.50. And with the cost of living crisis at the moment, they say that
20:41 £10 increase could stop some families going swimming altogether. And they worry, particularly
20:47 for children, what impact that could have on health. But it's not just the health effects
20:51 they're arguing about here. It also gains young people confidence in the water and remaining
20:56 safe when they are around and in water as well. The Lib Dems have told the local democracy
21:02 reporting scheme they do recognise the financial challenges for Medway Council and they say
21:07 at the bare minimum they'd like to see free child passes for those entitled to free school
21:12 meals.
21:13 Well, why is the council choosing to make this decision in the first place then?
21:16 Well, the cabinet say they do regret making this decision but they emphasise the need
21:21 to balance their budget. They say that does include cutting free swimming sessions. They
21:26 are considering an option, it's worth noting, of children passes costing £1 when they are
21:32 accompanied by a fee-paying adult. Now, the local democracy reporting service has received
21:37 this statement from Medway Council in regards to that Liberal Democrat petition. They say
21:42 currently the budget we have set aims to safeguard all of our leisure facilities and requires
21:47 exceptional financial support to be agreed from the government. They say no-one at the
21:52 party fought to get elected last May to take away free swimming concessions. However, they've
21:56 had to make extremely difficult decisions to close the budget gap. The former Splash's
22:01 site was a project which they say they inherited from the previous administration and have
22:06 worked hard to keep that as efficient as possible. It's due to open later this year and Medway
22:11 Council say they wouldn't want to go against that. They do say they also recognise that
22:16 across the country around 400 council-owned swimming pools have closed since 2010. Well,
22:21 that petition will be handed in at a full council meeting this Thursday and that's
22:25 also where the budget will be voted on for the next financial year. And that budget last
22:31 night was approved, meaning that free swimming will become a thing of the past. But the council
22:36 has stressed young people will still be able to continue for a pound when accompanied by
22:41 a full-paying adult. You can watch more on Medway Council's budget at kmtv.co.uk. Now
22:48 it's time to remind you that you can keep up to date also with all the latest sports
22:52 news, interviews and features from here on Invicta Sport by heading to kmtv.co.uk to
22:57 make sure you click on that sports tab and there you'll see videos like this one about
23:01 a badminton player from Faversham still winning international medals in his 70s. Retired teacher
23:08 Jim Garrett from Ashford has been playing badminton since the age of 19. Almost six
23:13 decades later at 78 and he's just returned to the county after having won two gold medals
23:20 at the World Senior Championships in South Korea. I think my only regret is the fact
23:25 that I'm running out of age groups because the next tournaments are going to be, I'm
23:31 going to be right outside those and who knows I probably won't get picked anymore. I think
23:37 people sometimes say "oh you're too old for that" and really it's just an age, if you
23:43 feel you can do it, just do it. That's the message to everybody isn't it really, just
23:47 keep going as long as you can and you'll be fine. And of course I couldn't come along
23:53 without getting a bit of a demo from the man himself. As soon as one of these courts are
23:57 free, Jim and I are going to partner up and he's going to show me the ropes. Wish me
24:02 luck. With some fierce competition, Jim and I battled on and came away victorious. I'd
24:07 love to take the credit but I must say Jim did all the hard work. So from Manchester
24:12 and Kent to taking on the world in South Korea. Shuttlecock and racket in hand, it's clear
24:18 that Jim Garrett's story is not just a rally of wins but a smash hit. Bartholomew Hall
24:23 for KMTV in Faversham.
24:27 Well that's full time on today's episode but there's just a few minutes of extra time
24:30 now to take a look at this week's Action Replay. It's the segment where we take a
24:34 look at clips and pictures from across Kent, people getting active and of course you, the
24:40 KMTV audience too. Let's see what we've got in store on this week's Action Replay.
24:46 First up on Action Replay, watch as a folks in Invicta Academy striker rocks the Three
24:52 Hills crowd during a lunchtime match. As he kicked into gear and bicycle kicked the ball
24:57 on a smooth course to the goal, that's sure to make his road to stardom less bumpy.
25:04 Next up, lean-based running legend Margaret Connolly is qualifying to be in the England
25:09 Athletics team yet again but this time she'll be in a historic three different races. She'll
25:15 be representing England's marathon team, MBNA Chester Marathon, as well as the half marathon
25:21 and 10K distances, with the London Marathon in April still on the horizon and in her sight.
25:27 And finally, Tunbridge Wells-born Paralympian Will Bailey celebrated as he got served the
25:34 Male Paraplayer of the Year award from South Korea's International Table Tennis Federation.
25:40 He says "I'm so amazed, surprised and delighted to win this award".
25:46 Well that's it for this week's Action Replay. Don't forget, it could be you in next week's
25:51 edition. Just send in your pictures and videos on social media or to sport@kmtv.co.uk
26:00 And as you heard there, if you want to appear in next week's Action Replay, you absolutely
26:04 can. All you need to do, tag us in your clips and pics on social media @kmtvkent or send
26:09 us an email to sport@kmtv.co.uk. If you want to do this, all you need to do as well is
26:15 to make sure you tell us what part of Kent you come from and what it is you do. And you'll
26:19 be here on Invicta Sport next week.
26:21 Well that really is full time on today's episode. If you want more from KMTV, you can watch
26:25 all of our other special programmes. We've got the Kent Politics Show, Made in Kent,
26:29 Kent on Climate and the Kent Film Club, available by visiting our website, kmtv.co.uk. I'll
26:36 be back with a new episode of Invicta Sport on Monday. I'll also be back at 8 o'clock
26:40 for our Late Bulletin. So I'll see you then. Bye bye.
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