FREDDIE GRISCTI will still be remembered as one of the greatest sportsmen Malta has ever produced, especially among those in the waterpolo and swimming fraternities. In a 20-year playing career (he made his first division debut when only 13 years), Freddie won league titles and everything that waterpolo in Malta offered, first with Balluta and later with Neptunes, whom he joined in 1968 in a controversial transfer. He finished his career at Birzebbuga. Griscti owes a lot of his success to his wife Pauline, who was a waterpolo player and good swimmer herself with the Balluta and Birzebbuga teams. He says that without her support, he could have never reached such great heights, especially that of representing Malta at the Olympics and the Mediterranean Games. Here, he tells his story to Henry Brincat

Profile Alfred Griscti

Date of birth: 21 April 1943

Education: Sliema Primary School and The Technical School, Mriehel.

Sporting career: He was mostly known as a waterpolo player, but was also a top local swimmer. He played for Balluta – with whom he made his debut in top class waterpolo as a 13-year-old – Neptunes and Birzebbuga in a career spanning 20 years. In his earlier days, he played football at school and with the Army team as a goalkeeper or a right wing. One of his team-mates was former Sliema and Malta player Ronnie Cocks. He also took part in athletics events, especially the 800m (long distances).

National waterpolo team: Griscti was one of the best players ever produced by Malta. He was also a very strong swimmer. In both disciplines, he represented Malta in several competitions abroad, including Olympic Games, Mediterranean Games and also some friendly international matches. He also played for the Malta team in the international tournaments held in Malta in the 1970s.

Administration: He never accepted to sit on any club committee, but has coached Neptunes and Birzebbuga after quitting as a player.

Awards: Griscti won the ASA’s Waterpolo Player of the Year and was voted as Malta’s Sportsman of the Year twice. Last December, he reached the pinnacle, after being inducted into the Malta Olympic Committee’s Hall of Fame, which he describes as the icing on the cake.

Family: Freddie is married to Pauline and they have four children: Simon, Karen, Mark and Suzanne.

Not long ago, I had the occasion to interview snooker and billiards player Joe Grech, who was one of those few Maltese sportsmen who has enjoyed a lot of success in two different sport disciplines.

In this interview, it is the turn of Freddie Griscti who for 20 years, starred as a waterpolo player and swimmer with his greatest moments arriving in waterpolo, first at Balluta in the early 1960s and then with Neptunes and the national team in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

It was in the game of waterpolo that he excelled most. He recalled to me how he made his debut for Balluta. “It was in 1956 at the Sirens Pitch, during a Balluta-Neptunes match. Anglu Tonna was injured and could not continue. In those days, no substitutions were allowed, but a player could be replaced because of an injury and coach Tanti told me to get into the water. Then, I was a still reserve of the minors’ team. But I played for 20 minutes and I got a lot of encouragement. It was when I was 16 years old, however, that I became a regular player at Balluta,” he said.

And added: “In my first year as a regular, I helped the team win the Kitty Kola Cup and in 1960, I was selected as one of the swimmers (the other was Chris Dowling) in the Malta contingent for the Rome Olympics. In my heat, I was racing alongside Australia’s great John Devitt, who went on to win the gold medal. Three years later, I helped Balluta win the double – the league and KO. I also joined the club on a mid-season tour to Dubrovnik, in the then-Yugoslavia, and this helped us a lot towards winning the title – we played nine matches there.

“On our way back, it was a tiring two-day trip – from Dubrovnik to Bari by boat, from Bari to Syracuse by train and then again by boat to Malta, arriving in Valletta at 6am. On that same day, we had a match against Neptunes in the afternoon. Despite being very tired, we still managed to beat our rivals 5-3.

“Then, I also represented Malta at the Mediterranean Games in Naples, swimming the backstroke in a relay team comprising Chris Dowling (freestroke), Adrian Miller (breaststroke) and the late Wilfred Mamo (butterfly).”

It was in 1965, after helping Balluta to another title, that he was voted for the first time as the Sportsman of the Year. “In 1966, I was still at Balluta and we again won the championship. But in 1968, I moved to Neptunes, though somewhat controversially, mostly because they were our neighbours and there was a big rivalry between the two clubs. With Neptunes, I also enjoyed success and after a Cup win in 1968, a double in 1969, another Cup win in 1970 and a double in 1972, I was again voted Sportsman of the Year for a second time.

“In 1975, we played in Algiers, where I was captain, and in the 1970s, I also played for Malta in the international tournaments. In one of them, I scored twice in a match against France, which we drew 3-3 and we finished second. That was one of my most memorable matches. Later, we were also presented with a gold medal by the president of the Olympic Committee, the late Lawrence Xuereb, who was also president of Hibernians FC.

“After my spell at Neptunes, I went to Birzebbuga as a player-coach in 1976 and finished my career there. In our first year, we won promotion to the first division, then I played for one year and retired, becoming the club’s coach, though later I also coached Neptunes.”

He also recalled other memorable moments, such as the goal he scored against Neptunes at the old Valletta Pitch. “Wismayer was marking me closely, holding my hands tightly, but although I could not reach the ball with my hands, I got it with my feet and beat Paul Falzon with a scissors kick. A goal that I will never forget. Another was that goal I scored against Sliema’s Michael Soler – an unusual back-hand which I invented from an angle. I will also remember forever the five goals I scored in a 6-5 win over Sliema, helping Neptunes to win the 1969 KO.

“Another day I will never forget is when Balluta won the first league title in 1963. A first is always a first. That was at the Valletta Pitch,” he said.

Griscti said he was also lucky in his career. “The fact that I was an Army man helped me a lot. At San Gorg, I used to swim for five hours a day. I won innumerable events in several meetings throughout the years,” he added.

Griscti had also become known for his “unique” push-shot. “It was I who invented it. No one ever taught it to me. I used to try it during my swimming stints between Balluta and Exiles and back. Even the flick, I used to practise it on my own. I got to learn on my own that I needed some space for the push-shot to be successful and try the flick while swimming.”

His major disappointment in his career was the day in 1968, when Neptunes met Sliema at Marsascala Pitch. He said: “We lost 4-3, but we missed three penalties! I was one of those who missed.”

On another occasion, at Birzebbuga Pitch, we were playing Sliema again and the referee was the Italian La Gioia. He not only sent off nine players from our side, but in the last minute, he sent out two players together and in the last five seconds he ordered a penalty in favour of Sliema, which was very harsh. We needed just a draw to win the title, but we lost it as Sliema scored the penalty.”

Speaking about the Olympic Games, he said it will remain the biggest ever experience. “Meeting some of the world’s top sportsmen is not a daily recurrence. In fact, I still have vivid memories of my meetings not only with great sportsmen, but also with top personalities like Muhammad Ali (he won gold in Rome), Gianni Rivera and Sandro Mazzola, Bing Crosby, Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor and Connie Wilde. We were always at a disadvantage as in those days, we had no fresh water pool here in Malta and although I feel we had enough speed to compete, we lacked the strength to match it.”

Griscti crowned an illustrious career a few weeks ago when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Malta Olympic Committee. “It is the greatest honour a sportsman can ever get. It’s the recognition for one’s services to sport,” he said.

Griscti’s last comment was an appeal to youngsters to take up sport as a career. “Sport helps one to build a strong character. It also helps one to face problems in life with courage. For example, it also helped me to keep away from smoking.”