Profile of sport in Guernsey 'has gone through the roof'

GUERNSEY Press sports editor Rob Batiste has revealed that a serious injury he received on the football pitch landed him his first job at the newspaper.

He had never thought about a career in journalism, but says it all began after he was playing in the 1975 Guernsey Junior Muratti team, aged 17.

'I had a horrific leg injury and was in and out of hospital having operations,' he said.

The accident also left him unable to work for the best part of two years.

'In early 1977 I was still struggling but did light work at Dave Falla's nursery.'

Out of the blue that spring, he was contacted by the then sports editor, the late John Le Poidevin. Rob already knew him because he was at school with John's son.

'He said they had created a sports department and asked me if I had ever given it any thought – I said, 'yeah, OK, I'll give it a go.'

'I had a trial and the next day he sent me to watch the snooker at the North Social Club. It was between world champion Ray Reardon and John Spencer.

'I couldn't believe I was sitting in the front row watching two of the greats compiling century breaks as my first job.'

Rob then joined the paper and was in a team of four, along with Rex Bennet and John Leach.

He said he has had many great assignments including overseas cricket tours and regularly going to the UK when top island squash players Lisa Opie and Martine Le Moigne were playing. He also went to the England debut for Matt Le Tissier at Wembley.

Rob also praised the people he has worked with over the years.

'I worked with Dave Edmonds when he was a sports reporter – he was brilliant to work with. John Le Poidevin taught me a lot, too.

'I have been very fortunate to have a great job, work for a good company and under some great editors.'

Despite that, Rob said the hours he has to put in are long.

'There is no doubt over the years we have lost a few sports staff who have been very capable but did not like to work weekends on a regular basis.

'I am really fortunate that my wife, Julie, has always understood that a lot of work has to be done at weekends.'

But he said that modern technology has now made the job easier than it was.

'Email has made a huge difference,' he said. 'However, the downside is that we live in a far more demanding world and for a number of years, in the early days, we would turn up for an event and often get thanked for going, but these days it is very different. People are very quick to moan.'

Rob said that the move to tabloid in 1999 was a great thing for sport because it allowed them to secure the back pages of the newspaper. Previously the sports articles did not have a specific set place in the paper and would fit in on various pages.

'Now there is so much going on and so much great sport to report. I can only see it getting more demanding and busier as the standards and those who follow sport increases.

'There is far more coverage now – the profile of sport in Guernsey has gone through the roof.