Congratulations from the old sports desk (1)

As an "Old Boy" of Allied Newspapers I am very happy to be able to congratulate the Times of Malta (as it was in my day) on reaching the age of 70 - a really wonderful achievement considering the troubles and tribulations through which it has passed and always coming out on top in both quality and circulation.

I only played a small part in those 70 years - just 13 from 1947 to 1960 - and mainly in the sports department starting as a sports reporter and finishing up as sports editor of The Sunday Times. I was, however, somewhat disappointed not to read in your anniversary issue any reference to the sports department of those days, with I think now only Wilfrid Asciak and myself still around.

It was with the help of that great editor Tom Hedley who, when he discovered I was interested in sport, sent me along to join Robbie De Cesare, then sports editor of the daily.

Those were the days when Robbie and I dealt with the First Division matches while we had the weekend part-time reporters - the late Carmelo Costa, Frankie Camilleri, Reggie Holland, Joe Griffiths, Remig Sacco, and that still great sports journalist Lewis Portelli, and many more.

In those days they had to phone in the results or catch a bus back to Strickland House with the results of matches at Schreiber and the other small grounds where the junior matches were being played.

No mobile phones or laptops in those days, and few of us had our own transport to take us back to our office in the old St Paul Street building - before the "great fire"! When Mr Asciak joined us, I took over as sports editor of the Sunday. He then took over my First Division matches at the Gzira Stadium while I went off to report on races at the Marsa race track.

But it was Tom Hedley who was always first to want to know the soccer results when his dear Floriana FC were playing. And, of course, when Robbie Decesare's Sliema were playing Floriana - better not to be around when the match was still being played! If Sliema won, then Tommy Hedley had to keep quiet as he was outnumbered because Robbie, Wilfrid and I were all Sliema supporters.

When I read about the fine photographers on the staff of Allied Newspapers today I recalled the late Charlie Grech and still-going-strong Frank Attard, the latter with his great action pictures from behind the goalmouth.

Once again, congratulations! You are doing a great job and I am very proud to have played a very small part in this success.