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