Unfailingly genial on and off the field he came from the tiny Devon coastal village of Instow where his brother ran the local post office and both played for the local cricket club. When showing the ground to visitors ‘Shep’, as he was universally known, would point out that if the ball was hit out of the ground at one end, the next land fall was America.

He thoroughly enjoyed life and would remark after a particularly good dinner: “Mother said there would be days like this”.

Geoff Boycott who knew him for many years and who wrote to him during his long fight with cancer said: “His experience of playing cricket for a long time at county level gave him an insight into the players and how to deal with them”.

“Of course umpires have to make decisions, and today the TV cameras highlight everything they do. But we forget that the job is also about people. There are 22 of them in each match, and if you can gain their respect, you have a big head start before the first ball is even bowled. David understood players because he had been there and done it himself.”

‘Shep’ was most upset when TV pictures showed that he had missed a number of no balls during England’s Test with Pakistan at Old Trafford and considered packing it all in. But friends rallied round and persuaded him that everyone makes mistakes and overall he was one of the best.

He loved his village and often said that his main comfort on long and arduous trips to the other side of the world was the knowledge that he had a ticket home.

He was without doubt one of the finest umpires of all time but will be most fondly remembered for his good humour in the most tense situations and as a delightful companion after the game.