David Shepherd and I shared a marvellous friendship over more than four decades. It began when he joined Gloucestershire in the mid-1960s, and it continued all the way up to this terribly sad news. I truly believe that David and I saw the best days of umpiring.
When we stood together in Test matches, there were no TV referrals, no gadgets and no electronic aids. It was just you, your judgment and your relationship with the players.
I think David and I were quite similar in that we had this knack of being able to handle cricketers. We used common sense in the way we dealt with them, rather than being officious and referring them to the Laws all the time.
I believe they respected us for that. If tension was developing on the field, and it looked like getting out of hand, we would crack a joke or tell a funny story, and that helped to get things back on course.
David always had a way with people and he was a popular character down at Gloucestershire. He was a big lad and he gave the ball a real thump, which the fans also enjoyed. When he went into umpiring in the early 1980s I tried to give him all he help I could, and I organised for him to go to some of the early internationals held in the new stadium in Sharjah. I told them I thought he would become a good umpire, but I didn't know the half of it.
He had his own peculiar mannerism, and the crowd used to go wild over it. I believe it is a Devonian superstition to stand on one leg when the score is 111. I used to shout to him, "What are you doing man? I can't concentrate!"
The funny thing is that he was a very superstitious fellow, and he also was quite nervous about his own performances. When we went out on to the field together, he used to say "May the good Lord be with you," and I would say, "Good luck mate, and remember, once you cross that rope, you're in charge."
The low point of his career was the Old Trafford Test of 2001. He was unlucky there because I think there were four no-balls and England lost a wicket to each one. Ofcourse they lost the Test and it really upset David. He got me on one side and said he was going to pack up there and then. I told him not to give it away. You don't want to end a great career like that. But the whole affair took a lot out of him.
And that was David for you – he cared so much about the game. We have all lost a great friend and a wonderful character.