Join Finn Macdiarmid with all the latest sports news from across Kent.
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00:00Hello, and welcome along to Invictus Sports, the only TV show on your Kent TVs, wrapping
00:19up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Finn McDermott, and here's what you can expect
00:23on this Monday 28th October. Swindon and amiss, Gillingham fans swallow a bitter draw to end
00:30their losing streak away at Swindon Town. Roll on the future, Margate skaters react
00:37to the news they have a new California-style skate park to use. And return to the ring
00:43will be joined by Chatham boxer Robert Caswell ahead of his next match, coming out of recovery
00:48for a bad hand injury. At first, Medstone United recorded their first home win of the
00:54season this weekend, with boss George Elokobi pleased that the unselfish play earned them
00:59a 1-0 win. It was an uncertain one going into the game, with George Fowler ill at nine in
01:05the morning and Raph Brown absent, but Elokobi said he gave all credit to the squad, including
01:09players that weren't present. He went on to say that he and his players are capable of
01:14making those quick calls, having a plan A, plan B and plan C going into games because
01:18of unforeseen circumstances. The win follows a series of three draws and three losses at
01:23the Gallagher Stadium. Next, it was a nice atmosphere for Dynamo's big and small at
01:28Planet Ice at the weekend, with a massive win against Milton Keynes Thunder. The Moes
01:33scored 15 against the one put up by Thunder, and had a junior showcase match during the
01:38interval to show off their youth team. Manager Carl Lennon said he wants to get as many young
01:42people involved as possible, with a quid per kid entry fee on the door. The fans even
01:46cheered the substitute opposition Netminder, who had to come on after the starting MK Thunder
01:51player was injured. The Dynamo's take a break this weekend and go away to the Romford Buccaneers
01:55November 2nd. Next, a new 24-hour kayak kiosk in Dover has some worried it could lead to
02:02drunken drownings in its harbour. Kayakomat, the Swedish company responsible for the kiosk,
02:07say it's monitored by Dover Harbour Officers. But locals are worried that 24-hour availability
02:12means anyone can book online and take the kayaks out. Some have suggested there should
02:16be a limit on when they can be used, especially considering the frequency of ferries that
02:20enter and exit the port. On the other side of the argument, some say the kiosk's features
02:24like life jackets and the fact you have to pay for them makes it safe. Now, skaters in
02:30Margate are used to using car parks and footpaths to help them enjoy their hobby. But after
02:35last night's council meeting, it seems they will have a new seafront, California-style
02:39skate park to use. Partnering with Margate Skate Club to promote sustainability, safety
02:43and inclusivity, almost £1.5m will be invested to improve the surrounding area, aiming to
02:50set a positive example for other towns and reduce anti-social behaviour. Kristen Hawthorne
02:54has more. Yesterday, a council meeting was held on whether or not to introduce a skate
03:00park to the Margate town, and it seems like it will go ahead. The council have decided
03:05that they will retain ownership of the seafront site and aim to promote sustainability, safety
03:10and community involvement in the area with the new addition. They will collaborate with
03:14Margate Skate Club and hope that it inspires other towns in the district to follow in their
03:19footsteps. What it is, is that by putting a skate park in an area, it gives kids something
03:25to do. So rather than them going out and smashing windows, they might, they will get into skateboarding.
03:32By giving kids something to do, stops them becoming, you know, getting involved in anti-social
03:37behaviour. Just having something where you can go to a skate park for like eight, twelve
03:42hours a day, skate all day, socialise, you know, it's good for your mental health, it's
03:46good for your physical health. And it's also good for like, you know, learning social skills
03:52and they become valuable later on when you, you know, work, stuff like that, you know.
03:57Efforts will be made to minimise carbon emissions and ensure the site is accessible and welcoming
04:02to all, aiming to foster inclusivity and reduce discrimination. From car parks to seafronts,
04:09this is where plans for the new skate park may go ahead. The project has funding of almost
04:14a million pounds and includes things like toilets and a new food area. And after speaking
04:20to some locals, it seems that many of them are excited and feel positive for the possibility
04:25of the new addition in this area. You know, the skate park near where I live, and it works
04:29quite well, it's a focal point for the youth. It's, you know, it's good activity, it's outdoors,
04:34it's not a year-round thing, so you have to consider what's going to happen in the wintertime.
04:37I think it's a good idea to have them because it gives kids an outlet to, you know, express
04:43themselves and get into a hobby and go have somewhere to go rather than complaining that
04:49they've got nowhere to go. So, yeah, go for it. Go for it, I'd say. It's only a good thing.
04:53Who knows, you might get an Olympian out. Exactly.
04:56As the town prepares for the possibility of the new arrival, it seems like they will be
05:00getting more than they bargained for, with an added £35,000 to improve the surrounding
05:06area to help improve safety and wellbeing with improved lighting, railings and CCTV.
05:12Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV.
05:16Now this weekend, more than 1,100 Gillingham fans made the journey to the south-west to
05:20watch their side face off against long-time rivals Swindon Town. But whilst the backing
05:26of the fans was clearly out in force, on the pitch tensions were high, as Mark Bonner was
05:30keenly aware they went into the match hoping to end their five-game losing streak. Meanwhile,
05:34the FA Trophy first round offered some exciting tournament action. Well, Bartholomew Hall
05:39takes us through it.
05:42We start this week at Crabble, where the stage was set for a Kent derby between Dover Athletic
05:47and Sittingbourne in the FA Trophy first round. And whilst Dover are the higher-ranked side,
05:51it's no surprise they found themselves on the front foot early on, pressing high and
05:55testing Sittingbourne's defence. George Nekaj had the first real chance of the game in the
05:5912th minute, but his effort was comfortably saved. Just three minutes later, though, the
06:04momentum shifted when Dover's Roman Charles Cook was shown a red card for a challenge,
06:08leaving the home side with 10 men and a mountain to climb.
06:12The breakthrough came in the 38th minute, where Mitchell May finished off a well-executed
06:16move to put the visitors in front. Dover nearly responded before the break, with Nekaj
06:26seeing his effort cleared off the line, keeping them just one behind at half-time.
06:32Into the second 45 now, and with more tension, as Dover's assistant manager Mike Sandman
06:37being shown a red card during the interval. However, the hosts fought on, with both Nekaj
06:41and Luke Baptiste coming close to an equaliser.
06:47As the minutes ticked down, Dover's hopes were dashed again. Sittingbourne doubled their
06:51lead in the 78th minute, when Cody Cosgrave struck from a free kick, delivering a significant
06:56blow to the home side's chances.
07:00In the final minutes, Ruben Suarez Jr. nearly pulled one back, his header rattling the crossbar.
07:05However, it wasn't enough to spark a comeback for Dover.
07:09Final time saw Athletic out of the FA Trophy, with a spirited but ultimately challenging
07:14showing against a disciplined Sittingbourne side.
07:17Elsewhere in the trophy, a confident Folkestone knocked out Barton Rovers to the tune of a
07:213-0 win, whilst Chatham did the same to Bowers and Pizzi at 1-0, and Izmir's south-east outfit
07:27Ashford United lost out on penalties at Izmir Premier Lewis after a two-all draw.
07:34Meanwhile in League Two, Gillingham were on the road to face long-time rivals Swindon
07:38Town at the County Ground. Mark Bonner's men did well in the first half, dominating
07:42possession and taking full advantage of an early red for the hosts to go one up thanks
07:46to a Tim Dieng strike.
07:48However, the story shifted in the second half, where a stoppage time equaliser was claimed
07:52by Harry Smith, leaving the score at 1-1 and Gillingham six games without a win. Even if
07:58it did mean ending a losing streak, Mark Bonner struggled to focus on the positives.
08:02Yeah, a hard one to take for us, a hard one to take for supporters, a hard one to take
08:05for players, and a really hard one to sum up straight after the game. We didn't execute
08:10enough of the attacks that we had, because we had some really good moments on the break
08:13or even in control of the game. We probably got a little bit too slow in our own half
08:16at times. We didn't get the second goal, which is the killer in the game. If you don't kill
08:19that beast, they'll come back and bite you, and they did right at the end there.
08:23The result leaves them 11th in the table, with the Gilles' attention now turning to
08:27hosting Steve Bruce's Blackpool in the FA Cup next time out.
08:31In the National League, basement boys Ebbs Fleet found their winless run extended to
08:35seven games, despite a late fight back against fellow strugglers Weldstone. Scoring twice
08:40in the last four minutes, Harry Watling's side did salvage a point, but still eight
08:44shy from safety, having bagged just one National League win in 16 matches.
08:49And in the National South, Maidstone United secured their first home National League South
08:53win of the season against Hemel Hempstead Town. Midfielder John Benton gave them a deserved
08:58half-time lead, and they held on for a much-needed 1-0 victory at the Gallagher.
09:03Elsewhere, Tunbridge Angels were faced with a 560-mile round journey for their clash with
09:07Truro City. Heartbreak for Jay Saunders' side, though, as a goal in the fourth minute of
09:12added time from Jazeh Kabir sent the Angels back to Kent empty-handed. Here's how the
09:17table looks with Tunbridge 12th, Maidstone 15th. A league break for both of the Kent
09:22sides, who now head to the FA Cup first round next time out.
09:27Well, after the side's repeated losses, slipping them further and further down the table, the
09:31Gills have had a tough time, made worse by the stoppage time equaliser that the thousand
09:35strong away were forced to watch at Swindon. Well, earlier I spoke to Paul Jocelyn with
09:40the Gillingham Supporters Club about what it was like to be there, and how the fans
09:43are holding up with the squad's performance.
09:45Yeah, it was really great to see, and do you think that speaks to the atmosphere and the
09:50passion among the fans, that even though it was a tough game and it's one you really want
09:55to win, I mean, even though they all turned out and still had a good time?
09:59Well, when we got that first goal, it was fantastic. And even I jumped up in the director's
10:04box, which is pretty much to the amazement of the other people sitting around me. But
10:10what a fantastic goal that was to start us off with. And then, oh, I think it was before
10:15we scored the goal, they went down to 10 men. And I thought, my goodness, we're going to
10:19score five goals here. And then I gradually sat back. But it was interesting because Ian
10:25Holloway came up to see us, their new manager at Swindon, up in the hospitality. And he
10:32was such a breath of fresh air. And he said, I'm going to go down and sort them out, and
10:35I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that. And he was rushing around down by the edge
10:40of the dugout. And I think the second half, he had an influence on that Swindon team,
10:46you know, because they came out with such a belief. And I was amazed that we just seemed
10:53to stand there and let them score that last second goal, which was very frustrating. But
10:59still say that we got a point on the road and it was better than having nil points on
11:06the world or worse, 60 feet.
11:10Well, I'm afraid we've reached half time, which means it's time for a break. But stick
11:13around. Coming up, we're going to speak to boxer Robert Caswell ahead of his return to
11:19the ring following a serious injury to his hand. We'll also have a look back at a story
11:24from this summer about a girls football team who needed to fundraise to afford goals. And
11:30of course, we'll see what you've been up to this weekend with my personal favourite segment,
11:34Action Replay. Well, see you after the break.
14:49Hello and welcome back to Invictus Sport Live on KMTV. Now, it's time to remind you
15:15quickly that you can keep up to date with all the latest sports news, interviews and
15:18features from here on Invictus Sport. You can head to our website, kmtv.co.uk and click
15:23on the Sport tab there. You'll see some videos like this one about a girls football team
15:27who had to fundraise just to be able to afford goals. Crunching tackles, putting your laces
15:32through the ball and scoring in the top corner. The infectious excitement of football is universal.
15:38After the Lionesses won the Euros in 2022, 1,500 new girls teams were formed the following
15:44season. But across the country in certain teams, demand for equipment is struggling to keep up
15:49with the increasing interest, even though the Football Association claims they're trying to
15:53make the game more accessible. Well, some say that in football, scoring goals is the only thing
15:57that matters. And that's not true. The defensive side of the game is important as well. But the
16:02actual physical goal itself is vital to the game. Without the net, crossbar and two posts,
16:07you just can't play. For East Kent FC in Sandwich and the Kent Girls and Ladies Football League,
16:13they've had to start looking elsewhere for funding to be able to provide their girls with
16:17goals. Their GoFundMe page is currently just under £1,000, but the target is five times that
16:24to be able to afford the 11-a-side and nine-a-side goals they need. According to development lead
16:29Richard Parker, counsellors, companies and even ordinary people have just been donating to the
16:34club. But it's not yet enough, despite the subscriptions parents already give. I'm a big
16:39believer that we can't keep going to parents and carers and asking them to put their hands in their
16:44pocket. It's really important that we're able to provide the basic infrastructure for their girls
16:51to be able to play football. They're already having to fund aspects of the club through
16:56monthly subscriptions to cover our insurances, our accreditations, affiliations, kit, referees,
17:03pitch hire. I simply don't think it's right to ask them. Here in Kent, it's all the more relevant,
17:09with Alessia Russo, the Arsenal and England forward who played for grassroots team Bairstead
17:13FC, being from Kent, Maidstone originally. Currently the girls team plays and trains using
17:19the facilities of a local school, but at the start of the new season they won't have the access they
17:23need for the girls to do their favourite skills. What's your favourite thing to do in football?
17:28It could be tackling.
17:38Tackling people.
17:40Probably attacking and scoring in general.
17:44You know, my heart's skidding at the moment, it's a bit of a buzz zone.
17:48Squat.
17:49My beautiful shot power.
17:50Tackling dribble.
17:53And what's your girls' favourite thing to do in football?
17:56Go on, score a goal.
17:58With girls football growing exponentially, the parents of the players and organisers
18:02of the club are faced with the dilemma of how they're going to reach their funding goals.
18:06Finn McDermid for KMTV.
18:09And don't forget you can keep up to date with all the latest football news by reading Kent Online.
18:14But did you also know you can have your weekly digest of non-league news from around the county
18:18sent directly to your email inbox. Just search Kent Online email alerts and sign up on the website
18:24for all the latest Britain transfer news, match reports and interviews.
18:27And there's plenty more email alerts to choose from too,
18:30including all the latest Gillingham news as well.
18:33You can see maybe what will happen on their next game.
18:36Hopefully they can get into some winning form.
18:40Now, there's just a few minutes to take a look at this week's Action Replay.
18:46It's the segment where we have you, the audience member, send in what you've been doing.
18:51Sports. Well, what kind of sports you've been doing?
18:54Well, let's see what we've got in store on this week's Action Replay.
18:57Welcome to this week's Action Replay. First off, it's over to China for the shortly named
19:02F1 H2O World Championship New Development Grand Prix of Zhengzhou,
19:08where Maidstone's Ben Jelf returned after his eighth place finish in Shanghai two weeks earlier.
19:13This time he managed to earn seventh place with the F1 athletic team,
19:17but it was a hard battle as he blew a piston five laps before the end of qualifying,
19:21giving him a starting position of 12th.
19:24He's turning his attention to the next race in Sharjah,
19:27in the United Arab Emirates, in seven weeks' time, where he hopes to earn a podium finish.
19:32And back in Kent, where it was a disappointing result for King Memphis,
19:36the greyhound racing dog who lost the crown to Droopy's display,
19:40much to the disappointment of Kent trainers Tony Collett and Elizabeth and Rob McNair.
19:45Memphis was pinned to take the top spot in the premier greyhound racing Kent Derby,
19:50and had he won, he would have been the first locally trained winner in four years.
19:54But it wasn't to be, with Droopy breaking Central Park's 419 metre track record
19:59by clocking a ridiculous 28.45 seconds.
20:03The day also marked the first marathon distance race of 946 metres,
20:08and it's a success story for a larger type of animal, with horse trainer Karen Jewell just
20:13missing out on claiming the three podium spots with her equine competitors.
20:17Eight-year-old mare Tor Bellino won the 4.12 on the all-weather track at Kempton,
20:22by two lengths from Pablo Prince, and the colourist taking fourth place,
20:27all trained by Jewell at Eyehorn Farm in Borden, the last racing yard in Kent.
20:32She said that it was unheard of for a small trainer like her
20:35to end up with three horses in the same race, let alone to take most of the podium.
20:39Well, that's all for this week's Action Replay.
20:43And if you want to appear in this week's edition of Action Replay,
20:46or the next week's, make sure to send in your clips now.
20:49It's the segment where we feature pictures and videos of you,
20:52the KMTV audience, taking part in sport.
20:54Whatever it is you do, we'll show it.
20:56Just tag us on social media at KMTVKent, or send us an email to sport at KMTV.co.uk.
21:03Make sure to tell us what part of Kent you come from, and what it is exactly you do.
21:08Well, joining me now on the sofa is boxer Robert Caswell.
21:12So, have you just come from training, Robert?
21:14Yeah, yeah, my second session today, yeah.
21:16So, I sparred this morning, as you can see in my black eye,
21:19and then I had my running session this afternoon, yeah.
21:22Wow, well, we've had you on before, but you're joining us now
21:25because you've just come off of recovery, is that right?
21:29And since you've just come back from your training, how is it?
21:31How's your hand?
21:33Yeah, it's good, yeah. It's been a long time.
21:35Been a long time. I broke my hand in May,
21:39so I was out for nearly four months, not punching with it.
21:43So, yeah, it's good now.
21:45I'm back sparring, I'm back punching properly,
21:48and it all gears towards November the 16th.
21:51Brilliant. And, well, with this injury in mind,
21:53talk to us about your journey as a boxer,
21:56from the wins to the injury, the whole picture.
21:58Where did you start?
21:59Yeah, so I started at 10, local down at St Mary's in Chatham.
22:03I had 50 fights as an amateur,
22:07and then turned pro when I was about 20, 21.
22:11Got off to a good start, I was unbeaten in eight fights.
22:14Boxed for the Southern area in February.
22:17Unfortunately, come up short, lost, was my first loss of my career.
22:22And then I had a comeback win in May,
22:25so I'm nine and one as a pro now.
22:27So, yeah, it's going well.
22:29Brilliant. And let's look ahead to your next match.
22:32Was it November 16th?
22:34November 16th.
22:34Well, talk to us a bit about your mindset.
22:36Now, when you're before a match, do you plan per opponent,
22:40or is it all instinct? Talk to us through that.
22:42Yeah, it depends, really.
22:43Like, this one is just, I'm just focusing on myself,
22:46you know, getting back into good shape after the layoff.
22:50And, yeah, just focusing on myself
22:52and focusing on getting a good performance in November.
22:57And you spoke to Kent Online,
22:59and you mentioned your demons in an article.
23:02This was after your loss against Webber Kane.
23:04Now, obviously, you're physically back to full health,
23:07but because of that time you spent injured,
23:09how has that affected your mental game, do you think?
23:11Yeah, it was tough mentally being injured.
23:13Like, the pain, obviously, of breaking my hand was bad,
23:16but mentally it was a lot tougher
23:17because I had to have two operations.
23:19I was out, I was in a cast for nine weeks, all in all.
23:23So, yeah, mentally it's been really tough,
23:26but I feel like it's improved my game.
23:29It's made me a bit more mature.
23:31And I think you'll see on November the 16th
23:34that I'm a little bit different,
23:35and I'll come out and show it, yeah.
23:37Brilliant, and as we can see from your black eye,
23:39you've been training hard.
23:40Talk to us about that.
23:41Is there any change after the injury
23:42to your training regimen?
23:43Not really, no.
23:44It was obviously, when I was going through the rehab and that,
23:47I was training a lot one-handed
23:49and improving my left hand and my jab
23:52and that sort of aspects of my game.
23:53But now it's full steam ahead,
23:55sparring, bag work, pads and conditioning as well.
23:58So, yeah, it's all steam ahead.
24:01Amazing, and in the fight where you actually hurt your hand,
24:03I'm not sure of the severity of the injury,
24:05was it a metacastle?
24:06Yeah, I broke my fifth metacarpal,
24:09so it's like the side of your hand.
24:12Well, that injury occurred during a match in May
24:16against Sampson,
24:17and you still managed to win the fight on a points victory.
24:19That's an incredible story.
24:20Can you talk to us through that?
24:21Yeah, so it was tough, really,
24:23because I was coming off the loss in February
24:26and it was my comeback fight in May.
24:28So it was a real tough time.
24:30So I was still going through the demons of the February fight.
24:33I was in the ring and, you know,
24:35the first couple of rounds, it was hard to shake off.
24:37Like, the confidence was still low.
24:38Now I started to pick it up, find my rhythm,
24:41and then I hit him on top of the head,
24:42I think it was the start of the third, end of the second,
24:45and I just felt my hand go completely.
24:47I knew I broke it straight away,
24:48so that was like panic, really,
24:51because I couldn't afford another loss in my career
24:53because then that could be over, really,
24:55for me, two losses in a row.
24:57So I had to get through it.
24:58I boxed okay, considering I won every round,
25:02but, yeah, I just had to get through it.
25:04And then the week later, I had the first operation.
25:08So, yeah, it was tough.
25:10But, yeah, hopefully, November,
25:13you'll see an even better performance, injury-free,
25:15and ready to crack on in the new year.
25:17And during that fight,
25:19would you say it was the adrenaline
25:20or the knowledge that you had to win that fight
25:22that pushed you through, or was it a mixture of both?
25:24A bit of both.
25:25More adrenaline, really.
25:27I didn't throw my right hand as much after I broke it,
25:30so I was just jabbing and moving
25:32and just getting through it, really.
25:35And, yeah, it was more just panic, really.
25:38Panic setting, I was like,
25:39I can't afford to lose this.
25:41I can't afford two back-to-back losses.
25:43So it was just more panicking and getting through it
25:45and showing a little bit of grit, really.
25:47And is it worth putting your body through this for the dream?
25:50How far are you willing to push yourself,
25:52I guess, is the question.
25:53Yeah, of course.
25:53It's all part and parcel of the game, really.
25:56It's boxing.
25:56You know you're going to get injuries along the way,
25:59a few bumps, a few bruises, as you can see.
26:02So it's all part and parcel of the game.
26:03It is what it is.
26:05Fair enough.
26:05And you also said you want to end this year on a high.
26:08Well, what does that look like for you,
26:09aside from, obviously, winning?
26:10Yeah, a big win in November.
26:13Come out of it injury-free
26:14and then crack on in the new year.
26:16Just get a bit of momentum going back in my career, really.
26:20Obviously, the loss in February and May
26:22has just been a bit of a stop and start the last 12 months.
26:25So it's all about getting a bit of momentum back in my career,
26:28win in November, and then focus on a big 2025.
26:33Well, I'm afraid that's all we have time for.
26:35Thank you so much for joining us,
26:36especially right after training.
26:38That's full time on today's episode of Invictus Sport.
26:41Thank you so much for watching, and good night.