Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Eyes of the world are fixed on county’s finest
There was plenty of Kent interest in three of the world’s greatest sporting events, with the Olympic Games, Open Golf Championship and Wimbledon taking centre stage.
In Tokyo, there was disappointment for 200m world champion Dina Asher-smith. The Blackheath & Bromley Harriers sprinter failed to make the 100m final and pulled out of the 200m with a hamstring injury. She did, however, confirm she would run the 4x100m relay. Gymnasts James Hall, from Maidstone, and Giarnni Reginimoran, from Gravesend, finished fourth in the men’s team final, with Regini-moran recording Team GB’S highest score on any apparatus in the final with 15.166 on the parallel bars. Gravesend heavyweight boxer Cheavon Clarke lost in the last 16 and Pembury’s Emily Craig missed out on bronze by just 0.01sec alongside partner Imogen Grant in the lightweight women’s double sculls final. The world’s oldest golf tournament returned to the county as the 149th Open Championship took place at Royal St George’s in Sandwich. Last held in Kent in 2011, there were no locals to root for this year after the county’s best players narrowly failed to qualify. Superstars Rory Mcilroy, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm were among the favourites for a winner’s purse of more than £1.5million, however America’s Collin Morikawa got his hands on the Claret Jug.
At Wimbledon, Orpington’s Emma Raducanu made the last 16 of the women’s singles on her first visit. But the 18-yearold was the centre of a media storm after retiring from her match against Australia’s Alja Tomljanovic. Trailing 3-0 in the second set, after losing the first, Raducanu needed attention for breathing difficulties and retired on medical advice.
TV personality Piers Morgan took to twitter to accuse Raducanu of lacking mental toughness. However, there were plenty of famous supporters, too, with Gary Lineker, Andy Murray and Marcus Rashford among those who sprang to her defence.
Gillingham were placed on a transfer embargo relating to the late filing of accounts with Companies House and the terms of a monitored loan agreement. They could, however, sign free agents and loanees, securing keeper Aaron Chapman, defender Rhys Bennett and midfielder Danny Lloyd. When the accounts up to May 31, 2020 were submitted, they showed an operating loss of almost £100,000. Ebbsfleet reported a loss of £1.6million up to May 30, 2020 - after losses of around £2.6m in each of the two previous campaigns.
Kent’s T20 Blast squad were forced into isolation after one member tested positive for Covid and Margate-born bowler Ollie Robinson was banned for eight Test matches - five suspended for two years - after historical racist and sexist tweets from 2012 and 2013 emerged while he was making his debut for England against New Zealand at Lord’s. There was sad news with the death of former BDO World Darts champion Andy Fordham. The former Dartford publican, a title winner in 2004, was just 59.