Bill McLaren has passed. If you grew up in the 70's he was the voice of Rugby. There was no live football wall to wall. Match of the Day on a Saturday evening and then if you were lucky The Big Match on a Sunday (although those of us in the North East invariably had the mind numbing "Shoot") was the best you could hope for. And no internet of course. The first you knew of a result if you weren't at a game was on the tele printer at 4.45!

Instead live events tended more to Horse Racing, Rugby, Athletics and the occasional Rally race when Grandstand or World of Sport wasn't playing the highlights of a previous event. You didn't have to be a rugby fan to watch, with only three channels and miserable winters getting dark at 3.30pm a lot of time was spent in front of the "box." But for those of us that played and dreamed, however silly, of playing at a higher level McLaren was the man. I'd watch a Scottish international just to hear the commentary.

It is a national disgrace that the man was never knighted when we have to put up with Old Purple Nose getting one.