YESTERDAY’S Ashes win at Lord’s came a week too late for one of this paper’s finest journalists to toast with his fondest tipple.

Had he been at his own post-funeral wake, he most probably would have responded to Graeme Swann ripping out Mitchell Johnson’s middle stump with his trademark big grin and the words: ‘Let’s have a wet’.

John Le Poidevin, my predecessor as sports editor, has a lot to answer for.

One spring evening in 1977 he phoned my home and asked: ‘Ever thought about being a sports journalist?’

It was as simple as that. A couple of auditions later and I was admitted into the first fully-recognised sports reporting team in the long history of the Guernsey Press, alongside two great ‘journos’ in ‘JLeP’ himself and football writer Rex Bennet.

My new boss was quick to give me one piece of advice which has stuck with me for the past 32 years.

‘Be honest, don’t be afraid to write what you think, but be fair,’ was the tone of his message.

My beloved former boss was no lover of sportsmen and women with egos. He was a stickler for fair play and sought high standards from those with talent.

Of those who tried but were never going to be the star, he was always sympathetic and was happy to encourage them with a few words of tempered praise.

As well as one of the most generous men I have ever come across, his impact in the development of local sport itself, particularly cricket, should not be under-estimated.

Not only was he instrumental in creating the old inter-league series with Jersey, for years he pushed for the abolition of the draw in the full Guernsey-Jersey game and the introduction of limited overs.

Indeed, without his convincing arguments to rid the inter-insular of its self-damaging ability to produce regular bore draws, the full value of the annual clash would have taken far longer to be fulfilled.

He was always a brave writer and here are just two instances when he stuck his neck out where others would not have tread.

So unimpressed with Guernsey’s team and form going into the 1957 Muratti final at the Track, he did what no other Guernsey Press journalist has had the courage to do in my knowledge, and that is to predict a Jersey win.

On the day of the match with his byline to the fore, he wrote ‘Guernsey’s hit or miss team will be beaten [3-1] by confident Jersey.’

His reward was to face the music of an angry Guernsey team when asked how to comment on their 6-4 win, which might have been 6-1 had it not been for Guernsey playing the last quarter of the game with just 10 men.

After the game, Marshal Carre, Guernsey captain, refused to talk about the game, only to criticise the paper and remind them that it was the paper’s duty to help not criticise.

But, JLeP took it in his stride, and the next day the headline roared out: ‘No praise too high for this wonderful XI’.

‘How good it is to eat my words,’ he added and, knowing him as I did, he would have been genuinely delighted to have been proved wrong for, unlike many sports stars, he did not take himself too seriously.

Years later, he upset the Jersey golfing fraternity when he accused their junior representative side of cheating and bad etiquette.

Some time later at a post inter-insular dinner for the senior golf clash, Jersey’s rather pompous ‘Mr Golf’ of the time, Gordon Keith, stood up before the gathering and slated the Guernsey Press sports editor for his comments.

But, no sooner had he sat down than Guernsey’s non-playing captain and then Royal Guernsey club secretary, Geoff Nicolle, rose to his feet and standing next to Keith informed the room that John Le Poidevin had been bang on the button with his report.

You should have seen the late Mr Keith’s face.

My temporary embarrassment was immediately replaced with pride in my boss and also Geoff Nicolle for his passionate retort.

In his time at the head of sport, JLeP kept encouraging his team and island sportsmen and women, whoever they were.

All the while his passion for sport, fair play, fair comment and the right to have an opinion, stood out.

Guernsey sport has a lot to thank John Le Poidevin for.

Have a wet on us all, JLeP.