The Worcester Evening News, and its readers, are still trying to come to terms with the tragic loss of a good friend and colleague - deputy sports editor Tony Moore.

Tony Moore

Tony, (40), had worked for the paper for over a decade, starting as a sports reporter after leaving the Bucks Herald and during that time gained the respect of the county's sporting fraternity.

A stickler for accuracy, fact, figures and punctuation, he had soon become the department's 'memory man'...

Who scored that goal for Hereford when they played Darlington in 1996, Tone? You would get the answer in seconds - and with a few details added. He was Mr Sporting Statistic. A rare talent and a great asset to the paper.

But there was more to Tony than reporting and editing ... Well respected by the editorial department as a whole, his name would be first on the list when it came to a staff 'do' and a night out with his colleagues. He was one of boys - one of the bunch. And it was appreciated by all.

Over the years, Tony's hard work, commitment and dedication to all things sporting meant that Worcestershire adopted him as one of their own.

When he was promoted to deputy sports editor and no longer had a responsibility to cover Worcester City FC, he was still a regular attender and took on assisting roles at the club - he became secretary of the Supporters Club ... He had taken Worcester to his heart ... and Worcester had reciprocated.

Tony never forgot his Devonshire roots and his regular visits to Plymouth Argyle. He was considerably 'made up' when they gained promotion to Division One and was looking forward to trips back for key matches in the coming season.

I could go on and on, but two important things are missing from this list... Tony had an understated passion for his work and this came through in the results displayed each day on the pages he worked on. His enthusiasm was infectious and he passed this on to all that came into contact with him.

He also had a wicked and wry sense of humour, combined with his camaraderie and his fondness for dreadful puns that somehow made the sometimes world of doom and gloom newspapers seem a lighter and better place.

In a world of teams, Tony was a true team player - ever-reliable and virtually ever-present.

Our team has lost a great player - a star centre that we cannot replace.

From all your friends, contacts and colleagues in Worcestershire - thanks Tone.