Times Sport editor John Hutchins offers his personal opinion on the events, topics and personalities in the world of sport.

THE one minute’s silence at sporting occasions to commemorate a tragedy or mark the death of a respected figure in the sport has over the recent years, become an established custom.

Obviously the Manchester bomb horrors spring to mind, with the Manchester United and Ajax football players at the Europa Cup final observing a minute’s thoughts and prayers to those who had lost their lives and the injured.

Nearer to home, the Devon Cricket League, quite rightly, asked its teams to mark a minute’s silence before matches last week in honour of a true West Devon sporting hero — Stuart Munday, the league chairman and president of Tavistock Cricket Club, who died. Stuart was one of the great characters of local sport who gave so much, over many years, to local cricket, who will be remembered fondly by many, especially by those young cricketers who he encouraged in the game he loved.

My personal favourite mark of respect is the minute’s hand clap in appreciation of the remembered departed. It brings a smile and a warmth to the heart as it acknowledges all the positive thoughts the talents and memory they brought to the game.

So trying not to end on a downer on such an emotive subject I always like to recall seeing on Sky TV an interview with football manager Neil Warnock (no stranger to East Cornwall). Mr Warnock, often regarded by the opposition team and fans as a pantomime baddie figure, mainly for his touchline antics, responded to the question how would you like to be remembered when you die? He joked he wanted a minute’s booing at all football grounds when he dies by all the clubs that love to hate him. I?can’t help but like him!