Bartholomew Hall gives you all the latest sports news from Kent.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Invicta Sport live on KMTV, the only show on your TV dedicated to
00:19wrapping up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Bartholomew Hall, here's what to expect
00:24on this Monday 7th October.
00:27Top of the hill, Platts Heath racer Jake Hill takes his first British Touring Car Championship
00:33title.
00:36Cheshunt becomes Cheshunted. Dover Athletic win at home to see themselves into the next
00:40round of the FA Trophy.
00:43And what's next for Gillingham after two straight losses? We'll be asking those who know best,
00:48the Fan Zone.
00:50But first, a round-up of the headlines.
00:52International forward England hockey player Nick Banderak has left Holcombe Hockey Club
00:56after almost a decade with the Medway side. In a statement, the club wrote that Nick Banderak
01:01was a key part of the men's set-up for over nine and a half years, with a natural goal-scoring
01:06ability helping to guide the club through the leagues and establish Holcombe as a recognised
01:10Premier Division club.
01:12Whilst with the team, Banderak scored more than 200 goals for the club whilst competing
01:16in various European competitions and helping Team GB qualify for the most recent Paris
01:21Olympics.
01:24To rugby now, where Tunbridge Juddians have maintained their perfect run in the National
01:27League Two East season so far, leaving it late to claim a 38-37 win over their fellow
01:33High Flyers Guernsey Raiders.
01:36The victory marks the Judds' fifth in a row, where they've maintained maximum points despite
01:40the visitors enjoying the majority of the ball throughout the game.
01:44It sets up a top-of-the-table clash with Havant next time out. Meanwhile, Sevenoaks
01:49and Canterbury both lost and won their weekend games respectively, leaving them as you can
01:53see here sixth and fourteenth in the table.
01:57As the ice hockey season gets back underway, Gillingham's Invicta Dynamos showed a good
02:01recovery on Sunday after a humbling home defeat the previous day. Carl Lennon's team let a
02:08slender lead slip away on Saturday when they were beat 4-3 by Romford Buccaneers, but that
02:14loss was quickly forgotten as the Medway team struck a comfortable 12-1 win over the struggling
02:20Milton Keynes Thunder just 24 hours later. The weekend leaves Invicta Dynamos fifth in
02:25the National Ice Hockey League, one south standings after five games played.
02:31And of course, we'll have your usual round-up of Kent's football highlights this programme,
02:34but it'll be in the second half today. In the meantime, let's cross over to Spain now
02:39where we can take a look at former Gillingham goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who's been making
02:44headlines again. This time, however, it's for the right reasons. A last-minute own goal for
02:49the Argentine proved costly for his Girona team in their Champions League opener against PSG last
02:54month. But this weekend, he was the hero, as you've been seeing on the screen, making three
02:59penalty saves against Atletico Bilbao in the Liga. Look at this. Incredible. Three in one game.
03:07This wasn't a penalty shootout, by the way. Girona went on to win that match thanks to a
03:12stoppage time penalty of their own. Now to our main story this evening. It was a history-making
03:17weekend for Kent's role in the British Touring Car Championship. A West Kent circuit with a West
03:23Kent-born driver eyeing up arguably the biggest prize in British racing. But it didn't come easy.
03:28MB Motorsport driver Jake Hill went into the weekend tied on points with his championship
03:33rival Tom Ingram. And I was lucky enough to go along for the day's exciting events.
03:38As the crowds pile in and the tension builds, the stage is set here at the jewel of Kent
03:43Motorsport, Brands Hatch Circuit. Five drivers are still in with a possibility of taking the
03:49British Touring Car Championship title for this year. But there's only one local man looking to
03:54grab his first. Can Platzi's Jake Hill finally get his hand on a championship trophy after a
04:00wait of more than 10 years? After qualifying sixth for the first of the day's three races,
04:06Kent's Jake Hill was instantly on the back foot to stay in front in the title battle.
04:11But thankfully for him, the drama of the championship fight came as early as the
04:14starting lights. As three of the five drivers in with a chance of taking it came together on the
04:20opening lap, leaving Hill's closest rival Tom Ingram down in seventh while Hill himself was
04:25able to pass into first after a hectic start to the day. Ingram wasn't letting the fight
04:30slip away, however, as he managed a recovery of his own, finishing in third and keeping the gap
04:35between the pair at just a handful of points. Away from the championship battle, one of the
04:40loudest celebrations came from the new team on the block. Kent-based Duckhams Racing's 19-year-old
04:45prodigy Daryl De Leon scored his highest career position in seventh, which left him confident
04:51about his rookie season as a whole. It's amazing to achieve that result,
04:56to bring back to the team, and with all the hard work and effort, being based here in Kent,
05:01it's even more special to do it out of their home track. As with any sporting event, it wouldn't be
05:06the same without the fans, many of whom weren't shy to share who they were backing this weekend.
05:11I think my money would be on Jake Hill. I think, cracking race, he did really well,
05:16he's looking good. Tom Ingram, he's such a, I mean, I always say that he's somebody that
05:20he'd like to chat to down the pub. I'm a bit of a Saturn fan, but obviously Raz,
05:25I'm local because I live in the village, I'm supporting Jake Hill.
05:28I prefer it to Ingram, but whoever gets it today, they deserve it.
05:32Yeah, we like Jake Hill, but I also like Tom Ingram, so I'd be happy for either.
05:37On to race two then, and starting where they'd finished in race one,
05:40Hill was overtaken early into the second lap, and just didn't have enough in the tank to fight back
05:45against the charging Ingram, leaving a tense podium celebration, as the pair knew exactly
05:50what it meant, one point apart, and still all to win going into the very final race of the season.
06:05So as the cars took their position on the grid for the final race, it was the team spirit that
06:09came to the forefront. Months of hard work, tough battles and consistent belief all came down to
06:14this. Starting in sixth, one place ahead of Tom Ingram, the damp conditions meant it was a tricky
06:20start for Jake's rear-wheel-driven BMW, which was immediately overtaken. That was until the fourth
06:26lap, when an all-or-nothing outside overtake seemed to be the difference for Hill, who continued his
06:31crusade to the end, climbing up to fourth, and suddenly, the championship had fallen into his
06:36hands.
06:51Emotional, proud, emotional, fantastic job by the team, and amazing by everybody.
06:59Very quick thoughts, what's going through your head right now?
07:02Just extremely happy, happy for Jake, happy for the team.
07:08And a victory.
07:11So
07:31the first driver from Kent to take the championship crown in Kent since 1960,
07:37from his first race in 2013 to a victory back where it all started, Jake Hill becomes champion.
07:45I cannot believe it. Thank you all so much for the support, the love, the messages, everything.
07:54I'm honestly blown away. I've got no words for the emotions right now,
07:59other than let's go and have some beers with the boys because they all deserve it as well.
08:04So as the sun sets on the touring car season, a new dawn begins for the Kent champion,
08:09who will surely be looking to double his titles next time out.
08:13Bartholomew Hall for KMTV at Brands Hatch.
08:17Exciting stuff there, and great to be there for his first championship win as well.
08:21Now it's time to remind you that you can keep up to date with all the latest sports news,
08:25interviews and features from right here on Invicta Sport by heading across to our website
08:29KMTV.co.uk. When you get there, click on the sports tab and you'll see videos like this one
08:34about a girls football club in Sandwich raising money for their goals.
08:38Crunching tackles, putting your laces through the ball and scoring in the top corner,
08:42the infectious excitement of football is universal. After the Lionesses won the Euros in 2022,
08:481,500 new girls teams were formed the following season. But across the country in certain teams,
08:54demand for equipment is struggling to keep up with the increasing interest,
08:58even though the Football Association claims they're trying to make the game more accessible.
09:02Well some say that in football scoring goals is the only thing that matters,
09:06and that's not true. The defensive side of the game is important as well, but the actual physical
09:10goal itself is vital to the game. Without the net, crossbar and two posts, you just can't play.
09:16For East Kent FC in Sandwich and the Kent Girls and Ladies Football League, they've had to start
09:21looking elsewhere for funding to be able to provide their girls with goals. Their GoFundMe
09:26page is currently just under £1,000, but the target is five times that to be able to afford
09:32the 11-a-side and nine-a-side goals they need. According to development lead Richard Parker,
09:37counsellors, companies and even ordinary people have just been donating to the club.
09:42But it's not yet enough, despite the subscriptions parents already give.
09:47I'm a big believer that we can't keep going to parents and carers and asking them to put
09:51their hands in their pocket. It's really important that we're able to provide the
09:56basic infrastructure for their girls to be able to play football. They're already having to fund
10:02aspects of the club through monthly subscriptions to cover our insurances,
10:06our accreditations, affiliations, kit, referees, pitch hire. I simply don't think it's right to
10:14ask them. Here in Kent, it's all the more relevant, with Alessia Russo, the Arsenal
10:18and England forward who played for grassroots team Bairstead FC, being from Kent, Maidstone
10:23originally. Currently, the girls' team plays and trains using the facilities of a local school,
10:28but at the start of the new season they won't have the access they need for the
10:32girls to do their favourite skills. What's your favourite thing to do in football?
10:36School goals.
10:40Yeah, school goals.
10:41Being strong.
10:45Tackling people.
10:46Um, probably attacking and scoring in general.
10:51You know, my heart's skidding at the moment.
10:55Um, squat.
10:57My beautiful shot power.
10:58Tackle and dribble.
11:00And what's your girls' favourite thing to do in football?
11:03Score a run. Score a goal.
11:06With girls' football growing exponentially, the parents of the players and organisers of the club
11:10are faced with the dilemma of how they're going to reach their funding goals. Finn McDermid for KMTV.
11:16Well, before we go to the break, just a quick reminder that if you want to be in next week's
11:20edition of Action Replay, here's what you need to do. As you can see here, one of our previous
11:27editions of Action Replay, it's of course the segment where we feature pictures and videos of
11:30you, the KMTV audience, taking part in sport. Whatever it is you do, we want to feature it here
11:36on the programme. This is what you need to do. Send it in to us on our socials at KMTV Kent,
11:40or send us an email at sport at KMTV.co.uk. And we will put you on this programme. Of course,
11:46this is Kent Sports Show, and we want to feature you on it. We'll be back with
11:50plenty more sport from across the county after this break.
14:40I've changed the link a little bit on fixtures.
14:53Hello, and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV. Really good to have you with us. Now,
15:14to the football highlights, and Gillingham were looking to bounce back after a midweek defeat in
15:19League Two, and to keep their place at the top of the table with an away trip to Crewe Alexandra.
15:23Meanwhile, for these guys, in the FA Cup, in the FA Trophy third round qualifying,
15:28Dover were taking on a familiar face in Chess Hunt, as they look to find themselves in the
15:32first round proper on that magic road to Wembley. Well, in the FA Trophy, Dover recorded a rare win
15:40over Chess Hunt at home in the Crabble Stadium to get into the next round of qualifiers. Despite
15:45both teams having a chance at goal, the first half passed without any changes to the scoreline.
15:50Now, Dover did seem to have a goal served to them on a golden platter in the 21st minute,
15:55when Chess Hunt keeper Preston Edwards tried to sweep the ball away, coming out of the box,
16:01with the ball falling to Ruben Soares Jr., who sent it far, far further away from the open net
16:06than he had hoped, and than the fans had hoped, with them jeering in the background.
16:11In the second half, at the 55th minute, Fouad Sesay crossed into the box, expecting a white
16:16shirt to get a piece of it, but it was Chess Hunt's own Remy Sutton who pushed it into his
16:20own net, in amongst the mess of players. Now, for Dover's second, Ruben Soares Jr. took a gamble and
16:26redeemed himself, shooting from outside the box, and while it did veer straight at keeper Edwards,
16:31maybe he was anxious to not put it out wide again, it was fumbled into the net,
16:36only nine minutes after their first goal. In the 70th minute, it was even more misery for Chess
16:44Hunt, as Soares Jr. sent a pass across the net, which was finished deftly by Luke Baptiste,
16:50and Edwards was taken completely by surprise. And just to add insult to injury, two minutes after
16:56that third goal, Chess Hunt's Raul da Silva saw a straight red after a scuffle on the touchline.
17:02Well, Dover remain in the competition for the next round of qualifiers, thanks to that airtight
17:10win at home, and we don't know who they're going to face yet in that competition, but
17:15Tuesday, they are going to face Bognor Regis, town for a league match. Now, after Dover's success in
17:21this round of the FA Trophy, Kent's teams have done quite well for themselves. Ashford beat
17:25Walton and Hirsham 1-0, Herne Bay and Dartford both lost without scoring a single goal,
17:30and Sittingbourne beat Bognor Regis, while Folkestone and Victor netted an incredible
17:36eight goals to Ascot United's one to see them into the next round. Now, way back up the football
17:42pyramid in League Two, Gilles fans were disappointed after a 2-0 loss to Crewe,
17:48they are now in joint first with Walsall, but it's a seriously close race, a photo finish for the top
17:54with Barrow and Doncaster nipping at their heels, all four teams on 19 points, only separated by
17:59goal difference. Here's what manager Mark Bognor had to say about his team's performance.
18:05A bit of a lack of creativity and invention in our play, and a lack of an ability to create
18:10really good chances and test the goalkeeper, so it's like half and puff, but nothing to blow the
18:14door down, so yeah, I'm fuming really, because I just don't think it's a game that you should
18:20come and lose 2-0. Now, in the National League, Ebbsfleet had some brief relief from their three
18:25losses in a row, with a two-all draw against Rochdale. It wasn't enough to bring them up from
18:30the bottom of the table with only six points, they'll need some miracles to climb out of
18:35relegation, but unfortunately the fans will have to wait with gritted teeth as they face Maidstone
18:40United in a Kent derby on the 12th this weekend. And finally, in the National League South,
18:46Maidstone netted two against a toothless Worthing, and Tonbridge were outscored by Slough Town,
18:51and gave out a pointless red card in the 93rd minute. They stood at ninth despite the win,
18:56and Maidstone slightly further down at 15th. That's all for this week's Football Roundup.
19:04Well, after that exciting weekend of knockout football in the FA Trophy, the next round's
19:08fixtures have been released today, so let's take a look at them, all kicking off at 3pm on Saturday
19:13the 26th of October. Folkestone will travel to Barton Rovers, a Southern League Central Division
19:19one side in Bedfordshire. Chatham are away as well, heading down to Bowes and Pitsy in Essex,
19:25a regular rival in the Izmir and South, so familiar faces for them. Ashford will be taking a seaside
19:30trip down to East Sussex to battle Lewis, and Dover will hope to keep their winning streak when
19:35they play a host to familiar face in Sittingbourne for the Kent derby. Exciting stuff will be keeping
19:42you posted, of course, when those matches arrive. Sticking with football news, it's time now to
19:46switch gears to the Football League as we visit the fan zone. It's a big week for Gillingham
19:50internally, as the club's board will meet on Thursday as it votes to remove Paul Scali as
19:55director. And that's not the only meeting scheduled for Thursday, as fans are also invited along to
20:00the Priestfield Stadium for a fan forum, where they'll be able to directly ask questions to the
20:05club's owners, Brad and Shannon Gallington, and as well as the manager Mark Bonner. So to discuss
20:10this ahead of this big week for the club, I'm joined now by David Garth from the Gillingham
20:15FC Supporters Club. David, really good to have you here on the sofa with us. First of all,
20:21let's reflect on the weekend that's just gone. Of course, two losses in a row now for Gillingham,
20:27and they've been knocked off that top spot in League Two. Are you worried about these
20:30latest results? Obviously, it was a really positive start to the season.
20:34I'm worried, not necessarily disappointed, of course. I think we've just gone off it a little
20:40bit in the last couple of games. Grimminsby did a really good job on Gillingham, and you have to
20:46give them credit. They only had really one chance and put it away. On Saturday, watching the game,
20:52we huffed and puffed, I think, as Mark Bonner was saying, but we never really looked like we could
20:57get hold of the game and put the ball away. So there's a bit of concern. Maybe a few players
21:03are just off it at the moment. So a week, really, on the training ground. Hopefully,
21:08we'll come back next Saturday. It's an ideal game against Atherton that
21:12is waiting for us there. So fingers crossed, we'll get back on it.
21:16Yeah, hopefully so. And of course, this week, no midweek game as well. It was kind of a tough
21:20start to the season in terms of various cups, competitions, trophies and all that. We have
21:25seen Mark Bonner's team pick up some injuries. So with this break, I suppose it's one of those
21:30rare times where you're happy not to see your team play.
21:33Yeah, I think that's absolutely true. There are a few players that have had niggles.
21:37Some haven't really played an awful lot of football. So another week, really, working on
21:42things. There's going to be a few players, I think, that will welcome this bit of a break.
21:46And it's got to be good for us going forward, I'm sure.
21:50Yeah, absolutely. I mean, even seeing in previous weeks Romeo Hutton, the likes of him,
21:55someone we don't usually see injured, being taken off for just a bit of cautiousness over a
22:00hamstring issue. Are there any kind of players that are kind of standing out for you, the ones
22:04that should really be protected as we go forward in the season?
22:08It's a difficult one. I mean, there was all this news about Notts County complaining about
22:13J.P. Jones being protected. And I mean, it's a man's game. People are going to get injured as
22:19long as it's not malicious. It's the way that football goes. We all know that from our own
22:25side, Bradley Dack has not really featured yet. And quite a few fans are a little bit
22:30concerned about that. But the way I see it, Mark Bonner is actually a very cautious manager.
22:36And he's not going to risk players until he really feels confident that they are fully fit.
22:41So let's hope that that will sort of see us through as we get really into the middle part
22:48of the season where it's going to really matter. And we need that squad available.
22:52Yeah, let's talk about that table position then at this point. We're kind of 10 games gone now.
22:57Gillingham now second in the table, but still dominantly at that top end of it. We heard from
23:02Mark Bonner in the press conference last week that this is his kind of time now to be reviewing
23:07over the season so far. So what's your take on it? Is that a fair position second at the moment?
23:12It's a pretty good position. I mean, let's face it, who would have not taken that at the beginning
23:17of the season? 19 points is an excellent return. Yes, it could have been more. But I think that's
23:24the way that football is. We always want to get more points on the board as quickly as possible.
23:28But if we can get 19 points out of every 10 games, it's going to leave us in a pretty good
23:33position come the end of the season. So let's just hope that he can get it right for the next five
23:39games, which I think is what he's trying to do. It's always like a five game thing, I think,
23:43as he was saying earlier. So that's hopefully how it's going to go forward from here.
23:48Absolutely. Let's talk about this week then. We were talking about reviews just then. One of the
23:51biggest ones coming, of course, is the meeting of the chair of the board, of course, deciding,
23:59making this decision about the future of Poole Scully. Now, obviously, we don't want to speculate
24:02on reasons behind it. And there's lots of history that we could go into. But I just want to get
24:07your take on this. Is this a chance now for the relationship between fans and the club to finally
24:12settle and move forward into this new era kind of properly? Yeah, for sure. I think we need to draw
24:18a line under what's been in the past. There's been good. There's been bad. There's all sorts
24:23of controversy. There's a lot of things been stated about the former chairman, the owner.
24:29It's time that we did move on. We've got new owners in the club who are very positive.
24:34And really, we just need to put that line firmly in the sand and move on from here. So looking
24:39forward to it. Of course, of course. And speaking of the new owners, Brad Gallinson will be there
24:44in the flesh this week. Always lovely to see him around the ground. I think he always gets a good
24:48response from the fans. And of course, they'll be having this fan forum this Thursday. Is there
24:53anything in particular that you might be looking for or you think other fans might be trying to
24:57get out of that event? It's inevitable someone's going to ask about Bradley Dack and his fitness.
25:04It's going to happen. It's on all of the forums at the moment. Whether we'll get
25:11not a fair answer, but an accurate answer. It's a difficult one because you've got to
25:16understand that the manager's got to try and protect his players and get it right.
25:20But it's inevitable. I think also some people are going to question maybe the playing style.
25:26There's been a few queries about, is it right to play just one player in the centre of the attack?
25:34It sometimes does look a little bit disjointed to me. And we've got the players there that I'm sure
25:40will be right. But you've got to say that overall, Mark Bonner has done a very,
25:44very good job up until now. And I think we're all feeling reasonably confident that things
25:48are going to continue in that way. Well, David, thank you very much for joining us. Hopefully,
25:52we'll get some answers to all of those questions on Thursday. Thank you very much for joining us,
25:56as always. Really good to see you and your brilliant collection of bears behind you as well.
26:01Thank you very much. Cheers.
26:04Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all the latest football news throughout the week
26:08by heading to Kent Online. And you can also sign up for your weekly digest of Gilles news,
26:13which will be sent directly to your email inbox. Just search Kent Online email alerts
26:17and you'll get straight on to it. And if Gilles is not your cup of tea,
26:19well, there's plenty more you can choose from, including all the latest
26:22non-league football news. I certainly enjoy it when it comes into my inbox.
26:28Well, that is it. That's full time on today's episode of Invictus Sport. Thank you very much
26:32for joining us. If you want more from KMTV, you can head over to our website, kmtv.co.uk,
26:37where you can look at all of our special programmes as well as the daily Kent Tonight.
26:41We'll be back next Monday with plenty more. See you then. Bye bye.