Ernie Sauvage, then an 18-year-old the Castel Boys’ Club member, raises his arms to signal victory in the island-wide road race. (0605024)

YOU could describe Ernie Sauvage, North and Guernsey legend, as the grand old man of local football.

Just 18 days ago he celebrated his 90th birthday and he was ecstatic to receive a framed picture of one of his grandest moments in sport, certainly away from his beloved football. Arms raised aloft, the 1936 image showed him as an 18-year-old striding across the finish line as winner of the island boys’ club road race from Jerbourg Monument to the Model Yacht Pond.

‘It made my day that. I never thought there was that picture.’

As it turns out, young Ernie was quite a runner. His triumph for the Castel Boys’ Club, was just one of several notable successes he had in distance races.

In 1949, he became just the third winner of the Liberation Day seven-mile road race with a time of 39min. 8.3sec., one which would have won him the 2007 race, admittedly one of the slowest in modern times.

He also travelled to Jersey and won their big New Year’s Day seven-mile race.